Music to My Ears

It's getting harder to remember what it was like before Austin entered our lives. I'm sure it was very calm and quiet, nothing on the floor but Missy's rope and Maggie's balls. The only sounds were of Oprah and Dr. Phil coming from the TV in the background.

When Austin's here the whole atmosphere of the house changes. Suddenly sounds of a foreign language can be heard throughout the house. Sometimes it's a cross between Latin and the sounds of a Turkish woman yelling "lalalalalalalalalalalala". Other times when he says car, it comes out caa - (nor r sound) and he has come from Boston and is from the Kennedy lineage.
He's very multi-cultural like that. But, when he laughs - not just a giggle, but deep from that little round tummy laugh - there's not a straight lipped person in the room. You can't help it, it's contagious, you've got to laugh at him, laughing. His funniest laugh is when he throws the ball to Maggie and she catches it and brings it back, or when you grab his thighs (the only ticklish spot we can find so far), and when you chase him and play hide and seek.

Austin and I were playing in the house a couple of nights ago. He was running and I was crawling after him chasing him from room to room. By the way, you don't know how out of shape you are until you're playing with a 17 month old. Anyway, as he was running away, I crawled into the foyer where he couldn't see me. Everyone was watching to see what he would do. They could see him looking for me and talking his foreign language... then it happened. From the back of the house came the sweetest sound.....GIGI!!!! He was calling me! Me! He knew me! There I was on my knees in the foyer looking at everyone in the living room saying did you hear that? It was confirmed and it was official, I am now Gigi. My heart melted and I'll never forget it. Even though everyone had been calling me Gigi to him, it just didn't seem real - like that's not my name. But when that name came out of that little mouth, I think it was emblazoned on my chest like a big red and yellow "S". Superman has nothing on me now. I'm Gigi and proud to be.

So Austin can have his toys all over my floor, making a trek to the bathroom seem like going through an obstacle course. He can speak any language he chooses, and I'll learn it and join in. I won't even get upset by the crumbs and drips everywhere. Austin makes me happy. And I'll keep crawling after him, huffing, puffing and sweating just to hear him say it....Gigi. Music to my ears.