Words, Freedom and Squirrels

Last night, as I was doing the dishes, Jason came downstairs holding Abigail. I turned around and said "Hi, bubba baloo!" (that's her nickname, and if you don't like it then you don't like AMERICA). She turned around to look at me and said "HI!". Jason and I looked at eachother, then at her, then at eachother again, while she continued babbling away. Jason said "Did she just say her first word? Because I think she just said her first word." After pondering it, and telling both her daycare provider and a co worker with kids this morning, I believe we have a conclusion: Abigail said her first word, and it was "hi".

Something else Abigail has done is render her corral obsolete. We might as well just dismantle the whole thing, because it has no purpose anymore. Except we can't. We're attached to that corral, it's our last vestige of Abigail's babyhood. If we take it apart, if we put away those boxes and return the furniture to a normal living room pattern, then we're admitting we no longer have a baby but instead have a toddler. A toddler who we must educate on what to and not to touch, who we must convince to not put everything in her mouth, who will cause baby gates to grow from many walls and doorways. There are many things we need to put away very soon, but there's really nothing to be done about the cat toys. I'm not sure yet how we're going to teach her the difference between her toys and their toys, but since Gizmo steals her stuffed animals all the time, I guess we can let her play with his catnip mouse.

Speaking of vermin, this morning as I was getting ready for work I looked out the window to see a squirrel sitting on our bird feeder. I ran downstairs, thrust the blinds open, and nearly broke my fingers trying to open a locked patio door in my haste to squirt the little bastard with the Special Squirrel Sauce I made up. That little shit watched this whole routine from the top of the patio wall, staring at me. It was plain to see what he was thinking: "As soon as you open that door, I'm outta here, and it's going to PISS YOU OFF." And do you know what? He was right. I sprayed the Special Squirrel Sauce at him anyway, in hopes that he'd catch a few drops on his way back to his tree. Do you know what I heard while I was doing that, while I was looking at the mostly-empty bird feeder I had just filled the day before yesterday? Laughing. Tiny, smug squirrel laughing.

Squirrel: 2
Minda: 1