"Mama"

A word so simple but to a mom so sweet. I often have people ask if Mason is a mommy or daddy’s boy and the answer as of late is a resounding daddy’s boy. “Dada” or “dad” is the first word out of Mason’s mouth in the morning. If mike is not home, Mason spends his day walking around the house asking, “where’s dada”. Sweet, but I wonder if he walks around asking “where’s mama” when I’m not there.

According to Mike the answer is no. According to Dawn, our nanny, he asks for dada. Go figure. If I’m being honest it hurts a little. I know he can say it. He’ll say things like, “mama mo”, asking for me to get him a sippy cup filled with milk or “mama get” pointing to a car across the room. Of note, most kids his age have a 20 word vocabulary but are not stringing words together creating short sentences, like Mason-Genius! But anyway, all of his “mama’s” are more like directions rather than affection.

Why? Mike and I spend equal amount of time showering Mason with love via hugs, kisses and laughter. Yes, laughter. When you lock eyes and laugh about the same thing there is an unsaid connection that you feel that keeps the laughter flowing, absolutely heartwarming if you’ve been so blessed to have experienced it yourself. In our home, we like to laugh. Although brief and fleeting at times, Mason’s hugs can make a bad day good. And he doses those out equally between the two of us as well.

So what’s up Mason? Why don’t you call for me, like you do for your “dada”? Mason and I had a heart to heart last night as I was putting him to bed. I know, silly. Like he could understand what I was saying, right? It was more therapeutic for me if nothing else. This morning I woke up to “baby noises” on the monitor (best way to start your day). I went into his room and he was sitting up in his crib fiddling with his blankets. He looked up at me with his beautiful hazel eyes and said, “mama” and gave me his charming Mason smile.

There it was! An affectionate “mama”. Tears welled up in my eyes. He stood up in his crib and reached his little arms upwards for me to pick him up and again said, “mama”. The best word God has created.

Somehow the 14 ½ month old little man understood the heart to heart I had with him the previous night. Just goes to prove we as parents have to be even more careful of our words and actions because he knows and watches more than we think he does.

Later in the day, Mason fell and bumped his head, like he does almost every other day it seems. This time instead of getting up and continuing on in his quest for a toy, a sippy cup or the dog, he started to cry. He sat up and again said, “mama” while reaching his arms upwards to be held. Your heart does this funny thing. Hard to put into words really. It doesn’t necessarily skip a beat. It’s doesn’t do a flip flop. The best way I know how to describe it is that it swells and each time it gets bigger. Just when you thought you couldn’t love him anymore he does something as simple as calls you “mama”.

Love you buggy!