The Faux Cough of Spring

She sat,
faux coughing in her high chair on the floor
(it is not really a high chair then is it?
It is more of a secure seated device for wiggly toddlers.)
Again, she faux coughed and smiled
at her mother’s profile
to announce that the food tray was empty and
she would like more to occupy her empty belly.
(This belly is not empty, but
a pot belly of the toddlerdome.)

“Myam myam, myam, mmmmmnnnnnnn, nyam, nyam, nyam,”
click….roll, click….roll, click….roll
The cereal is dropped from seven inches above the tray
until it disappears
(down in the seat of the chair)
I sign, “Please, more, please, more”
She copies my signs with two hands instead of one

“Argh, argh,” she laughs, picks up her sippy cup of milk
and offers it to her left foot, laughing, “Hargh,hargh,hargh”

She makes the sign for milk, then points to herself.
Do you want more milk?
“mmmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmm-mmmmmmmm”
says the Frankenbaby.

I sign, “More, milk, more, milk.”
She returns a blank stare.
(I already asked for it, why don’t you just give it to me?)
Finally, I point to the
refilled sippy cup and she laughs.
I am going to learn to speak baby and
she will be the one to teach me.

She takes the sippy cup and manages to suck milk
while two fingers are inserted in her mouth.
(Such, skill.)
Drooling milk, she makes the milk sign and
taps her feet to a rhythm that must complement my shaking foot.
I don’t always notice that I almost constantly shakes as I type.

My dear girl is in sponge mode.
I release the baby from her
secure seated device and she stands,
“AH-HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” as I help her up.
We laugh as she walks to my laptop
for sticky fingered mischief.

Spring is here.

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