Her First Word Was...

It was a dark and stormy night. We awoke to the sound of a downpour. The sound of it raining cats and dogs, in fact. Or perhaps that was just the sound of the local pack of dogs fighting. Again. Whatever, it almost drowned out the sound of round-the-clock construction across the street. We are sleeping with the windows open these days because it is so warm in the apartment. It does not help the night noise but keeps the indoor temps down to the mid-20s (70s F).

Zoe latched onto a new toy today. The stuffed cat has been there every day and we have offered it to her several times. No interest at all. Until today. I guess it is a rainy day cat. The cat even helped play the piano. Which, by the way, is much easier if you use your feet. As a bonus, the toys stored on the top of the piano are within reach when one plays with one’s feet. More window time. Julian is trying Zoe’s technique of sticking out the tongue to improve concentration. If it works, he may recommend it to students during his lectures. Ending on a happy play note.
Oh, did we mention her first word??

We heard it today, loud and clear and in English. She was looking at our book of family photos and we were naming everybody as she turned the pages. She came to this photo.

Julian said “those are your cousins.”

She said “COUSIN.”

We were stunned. She babbles a lot, but only single syllable sounds that one would consider simply baby talk. So Julian repeated it again. And she repeated “cousin” right back. Clear as a bell. A third repeat was asking too much, however. We only got a puzzled look in return. End of discussion.