Monday, June 25, 2007

Baby talk

I tell my baby girl: "I love you" one hundred times a day. The thought as natural as a breath. I chase and catch, hold her in my champion arms and kiss a perfection rounded cheek. I shout out: "I love you" as I whirl her round in celebration of my dazzling prize. Later, as we play, she sucks in her cheeks to moue a kiss, then, distracted by a brother or a toy, walks away. Disappointed in my loss, forlorn, I say: "I love you" to her back. Sitting on the kitchen floor, with infinite and tender care she tears the paper edging from a teabag, peers into the heart of her gift and fragrant pours it into her lap pot to join the rest. I, as ever, notice too late. Sigh, scoop and hug, whisper: "I love you" and pull her from the dried tea sea.

She walks now among our words, one small and trusting hand in mine. Unsteady still, sometimes she totters and then falls. Plump on her behind. Unpeturbed, she sits blank a while and then clambers up to try again to reach her goal of understanding. She says: "Mama. Loves. Loves me." True and sweet. Her mother loves her. She does not say the words she hears. She does not say: "I love you" though you would think she might. Might hope she would. Instead, she wraps herself entire in this one and truest certainty. "Mama. Loves. Me."

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

A touching post. Memories to relive over and over. Unconditional love is a wonderful thing in a child's life.

Kim said...

Boys are wonderful but there is something special about a little girl for her mother. Mine is 16 now and still just as special to me. Enjoy her.

Sally Morten said...

Nice one...

debio said...

Oh how I wish I still had a little one around the house...
Lucky you - and lucky her.

Unknown said...

I've got two 18 month-old boys. One of them speaks fluent Arabic I think it is, and the other one blows raspberries a lot. Girls sound like they're from a very different world indeed.

Swearing Mother said...

Oh blimey, your post today even brought back the sweet smell of my baby girl's silky neck, which used to get snuffled over 2,000 times a day. She's 30 now but is still up for a bit of neck snuffling, although mostly we hug and peck if in public. I still occasionally grab her hand when we're crossing the street though, and tell her to look both ways.

Lucky you, enjoy!

Unknown said...

My little girl now tells me she loves me.........but alarmingly she nearly always asks for money in the next breath.

14 goin' on 28.

I'm sure she means it really.

Motheratlarge said...

A way with words obviously runs in the family! Sounds like she's a few months older than my daughter.

Wisewebwoman said...

This brought tears to my eyes, so wonderful you could capture the moments of the day with your precious girl. My precious girls are 40 and 37 now. And ~~~Mama. Loves. Them.

debbie said...

lovely post,my little girl doesnt say that her mama loves her yet - but i tell her all the time and hope she knows.

Anonymous said...

A clever poem (again) I like it.

Jo Beaufoix said...

This is so beautiful.

I love it when my two year old says,

"My wuf you mummy."

It is the best thing in the world.

Better than chocolate.