Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Runs in the family

My sister and nephew are here now. He's nearly eleven months old and in case there was doubt, has the personality to prove it. He may strongly resemble his father's side of the family in looks however, the personality seems to be veering sharply toward our side.

For instance, he's a talker. Other than "mamamamama" and "gigi" (when pointing at the doggie, of course) no one really knows what he's saying. But in the true style of our family, that is hardly a reason to stop talking. In fact, it's good reason to talk more. If at first you don't communicate, try, try again. And continue trying until no one will answers the phone when you call or returns your emails at which point it's clearly time to drop by unannounced. My nephew is well on his way to that step, as well.

He's been pulling himself up on furniture to stand for months and man is he speedy on all fours. (Seriously, turn your back for a second and all the toilet paper is off the roll even though you are still in the next room.) Now, though, he's standing. And trying to walk. If there's anything more remarkable than watching someone, for the first time, put one foot in front of the other I don't know what it is. Then, when he inevitably flops down on his rear, he gets up and tries again. Quite a reminder and a testament to the determination of humans, even if they have knee injuries. Who thought you could learn something from a baby?

I'm bound and determined that the kid will learn to walk while staying at my house for the next few weeks. To ensure this, I gave him the house rules: 1) We all walk here 2) There are very few reasons to scream in the middle of the night. So far, he's followed neither rule. We're working on it, though. After all, what more can I expect from someone who poured the dog's water on his head within two minutes of being in my house?

15 comments:

anne said...

Oh god I am going to love these stories. That is adorable - sorry the water really is.

runliarun said...

Hmmm... when he learns to talk intelligbly, you will learn even more. Out of the mouth of children comes the truth, isn't it?

egan said...

Nephews sure are fun. They kind of look like you, but typically you don't have to change their diapers or put them to bed. In this case it doesn't seem like you get away from those.

Let's hope he walks while he's staying with you. That will be very exciting.

Ginger Breadman said...

What a crack-up. Water from the dog's dish is likely the least of your worries - there's water in the toilet bowl, too - and the food in the dog dish might be tempting! Have a great visit - it you can get a word in here or there.

Danielle said...

Ah yes, babies and dog dishes...you have to wonder. My friend was telling me her 18 month old learned a new word, "bad" (sounding like "ba") from him, when she told him he was bad for feeding the dog!! (I bet your dog loves/hates your nephew for that too...kids OK for food, but not OK for crawling in them!!)

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I simply don't see how he didn't comprehend the concept of there being very few reasons to scream during the night. Did you try giving him a power point presentation on that?

Bre said...

I hope you're taking 9 million picture!

Joe said...

> After all, what more can I expect
> from someone who poured the
> dog's water on his head within
> two minutes of being in my house?

Haha! I hope he didn't try to drink it.

Celina said...

How fantastic! I hope he does start walking at your house!! I think we need pics, too! :)

justacoolcat said...

Good luck with those rules.

Runner Girl FL said...

Visiting Kids are great!! I am very tolerant of the crying in the middle of the night thing when it is temporary. :)

The dog bowl is hysterical!!

Backofpack said...

Welcome to the world of toddlers! It's fun, it's scary, it's humbling and it's energizing. Have a great couple of weeks!

Anonymous said...

"To ensure this, I gave him the house rules: 1) We all walk here 2) There are very few reasons to scream in the middle of the night."

LOL!! That's great!

Sizzle said...

he poured the dog's water on his head? ha ha! love that. :) my nephew is really into grabbing things, like the cell phone when you are trying to talk on it.

Anonymous said...

If and when he starts walking you are going to wish it wasn't considered cruelty to duct tape him to the rug on all fours as nothing will be off limits to his little hands. Hope you caught the doggie dish incident on camera cuz that is funny!