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Life Changes: Food and Noises

Baby Babble
LIFE CHANGES: FOOD AND NOISES

By: Ashley Hoppe | January 5, 2023

Lately everyone has been talking about the changes they are going to make in their lives. Seems like random timing to me, this is just another week, another day, but maybe there’s something special about this time of year. My mom is talking about getting back into the cooking she loves. I guess before I was born she enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, throwing together different meals, sometimes from something called recipes and sometimes just from her own memory. I think she cooks a lot, she’s always the one who makes my dinner. But, I have noticed they are the same meals over and over so maybe she’s going to focus on making a larger variety of meals for me. My dad is talking about starting online school. I am not sure what that means, but school doesn’t sound particularly fun, and being online, it seems that it would just be him sitting in front of a computer. Maybe that part could be fun. The computer screen is so interesting to look at—lights go off and on, and various characters dance across the screen. Maybe he will let me sit with him sometimes while he goes to school.

With everyone talking about new changes, I am thinking about changes I have noticed in my own life. I started eating more and more foods, such as Bolognese sauce and pasta, pizza crust, omelets, ground beef, pancakes, and a lot of other things. I don’t even remember when this started. One day I was eating mashed peas and mashed butternut squash with my oatmeal, and all of a sudden I am eating what my parents are eating! Sometimes I miss my purees—they were so easy to swallow and I didn’t have to chew, but I get so excited when I get my teeth around ground beef. I also started eating cheese recently, and this is something new that really excites me. Cheese is so good and one of my favorite things to eat. I think one day my parents will let me eat cake. They always talk about cake, and they eat ice cream almost every night. They talk about how sweet it is and how good sugar tastes. But they won’t let me have any. One change that I wish for is that I get to taste cake.

Another change that I've noticed is that I can make interesting noises with my mouth. I learned how to say my Dada’s name, Dada, and boy is it a riot when I say it. Everyone in the room turns towards me and gets really excited. It’s pretty energizing. I say it to get my Dada’s attention but also just to say it in general. I have all these thoughts in my head, but I don’t know how to say them out loud. I can only say a few words and so I like to say them over and over. Maybe these changes are only just beginning. I try everyday to make my mouth into different shapes and try to say different sounds. I’m sure one day I’ll be able to talk just as much as my mom, and boy can she talk. I am only hoping that I know as many words as she does.

All in all, I have seen a lot of changes in me in the past month. I am growing and developing so fast with my new capabilities and my new palate. I know that in my first few years I will change quickly and often, and perhaps it is harder for adults to change as fast as I can. But, perhaps they can learn how to change from my ever changing events.

Ashley Hoppe lives in Novato with her husband Brett and their son Jackson. You can find her hiking or trying a new coffee shop. She’d be delighted to hear from you at ashlauwain@gmail.com.