Katie S. 28

Alright fellow mommies, I think I might be in need of a little encouragement because I did a very scary thing today.  I enrolled my sweet little boy in a mother’s day out program!  As of September 11, Corbin will be a student in Ms. Gail’s 18-24 month class at St. Paul Community Church in Green Hills.  There he will learn his colors, letters, numbers and shapes, as well as various social skills and Bible stories in an integrated curriculum. He will go from 9-2:30 every Tuesday and Thursday from September until May.

I have been reading information on this program for the past few days, but as I was praying about it I really felt like we needed to go and visit the school in order to get a better sense of the place.  So today we met with the director of the program (who coincidentally taught my sister-in-law in preschool) and his teacher, and we looked at the classrooms and the outdoor facilities.   I was really hoping that I would get a sense from Corbin about whether or not he was ready to take this step, and boy did I.  As soon as we entered the classroom he jumped out of my arms and began to explore.  He played with every toy and examined the tiny table and chairs, and he later wandered all over the play ground site by himself.  He threw a ball around with some older kids who were hanging out at the church, and he wandered in and out of people’s offices making new friends.  It was good to see that he was comfortable in the environment, but the real proof came when the program director asked him to take a walk with her while Mommy stayed behind.  She got down on his level and talked to him about some of his favorite topics like golf balls and belly buttons.  He gave her a smile and a giggle, and then off they went together.  He didn’t even look back at me.  Not once.

So I signed him up.  Not because I’m ready, because I’m not sure if I am.  But because he’s ready, and because if I really want what’s best for him, then that’s all that really matters.  Even if that means crying with him on the days that he’s not sure he wants me to leave, and crying on my own on those days when he is.

My friend Alisa posted a list of her daughter’s first words on her blog, and since there isn’t enough space in Corbin’s baby book for more than his first three words, I thought I would follow her example.

Corbin’s list of words at 15 1/2 months

Hey…Ho – as in the song by NWA, “Hip hop hooray, Ho!” For some reason Chris was singing this in the car one day and suddenly from the back seat we heard a tiny voice chime in. Corbin’s rendition sounds more like, “Heeee…….whooooo” and he has since choreographed a little white boy dance to go along with it that involves getting low and swinging his arms from one side to the other.

Ball – This is pronounced “Baww” and repeated incessantly throughout the day and into the night. Anything spherical or circular is a baww, and if Corbin says there is a baww around you’d better believe him. Like a hungry dog in a dumpster is my son in a ball pit. I thought about getting him one of those mini Thomas the Tank Engine ball pits for Christmas, but I’m afraid the excitement might be more than his little heart could take.

Daddy – His name for both Chris and I. Lets hope he learns to differentiate before he goes to Kindergarten, lest his teacher assume that we are a gay couple.

Wuff – One of his first words was dog but he hasn’t said it once since Bingley taught him to wuff. To his credit it really is a more descriptive word. However as of right now all wild life including birds, fish and organically attired hippies, are known as ‘wuffs.’

Please – Pronounced, ‘Peeees!’ and most often accompanied by the sign for more. We’re actually starting to regret teaching him this one so early because what should be a display of good manners and proper etiquette is actually a frantically repeated, terrifyingly high pitched command that would doubtlessly make Emily Post roll over in her grave. (That’s assuming she is dead. She is dead…right?)

Uh Oh – This one is spoken clearly and basically means, “I made a mess Mommy and you have about 30 seconds to clean it up before I make another one.”

Off – This is his word for every action. If he wants you to pick him up he says ‘off’. If he wants you to open a container he says ‘off’. If he wants you to jump on one foot while reciting the preamble to the Constitution, he says ‘off.’

Bingley – He pronounces it Bing, but quite obviously grasps that this is our dog’s proper name. (Did I mention that he still calls me Daddy?)

Broom – Much to Daddy #2’s delight, the ‘boom’ is Corbin’s favorite play thing and he insists on sweeping the kitchen floor at least twice a day. Now granted he doesn’t do a terribly thorough job of it or anything, but his father doesn’t even know what a broom’s primary function is, so I’m counting this one as a victory.

Phone – The ‘O’ne’ is Corbin’s second favorite toy. He has at least 8 disconnected toy cell phones, but he’s no dummy. He grabs for our pretty lit up phones every chance he gets and has even been known to unlock the key guard on several occasions.

Belly – This one isn’t always clear when he first says it, but it becomes pretty obvious what he is trying to say when he starts pulling up his shirt, your shirt, and the Publix checkout girl’s shirt and grabbing bulging hand fulls of flesh. All I have to say is, you screwed me Sandra Boynton.

Balloon – Pointing and repeating the word ‘Boon’ over and over is Corbin’s shameless ploy to make that same poor embarassed Publix girl give him a balloon before we head out to the car.

Baby – Or ‘bebe!’ which he calls anyone under the age of 15.

Water – ‘Waw!’ is Corbin’s war cry as he races toward the fridge, sippy cup in hand, in an attempt to reach the dispenser and spray water all over the floor and himself before one of us can hit the lock button. And to think I had no idea what that button was for before we had a kid.

Pee Ewe! – My mother and I would say this when we sniffed his shoes, and we thought it was adorable when he started to grab his own feet and say, ‘pooh’ and wrinkle his nose in mock disgust. But imagine my shock and embarrassment when he repeated that same behavior in public when I leaned in for a kiss, or after picking up one of my sandals in the church nursery.

Pablo – The peguin on “The Backyardigans.” Yes thats right. Even digitally animated aquatic birds get names before I do.

He also says, tees (cheese), uck (truck), baff (bath), dis and dat (this and that), ban (banana) peas, hot, bed, swing, duck, bib, hi and bye. I don’t really know how many words he is supposed to be saying right now in terms of development, but I’m choosing to believe that the kid is a genius who will undoubtedly share my passion for the English language and will be reading Dostoevsky by the time he is 4.