'Crawl' connotes ...

Exploring under momma's desk.

When I started this blog, I intended to use it as a place to share fascinating cultural insights. Instead, I share fascinating (to me) stories about my baby. Sigh. I suppose I’ll have to find contentment in this anecdote, which combines the two:

Ukrainians have been asking me for quite a long time now whether Dietrich can crawl. I’ve been saying “no.” If I feel more expansive, I say, “He crawls like a snake, but not like a baby.” In other words, he gets around on his belly, but not on his hands and knees.

Last week, I had a Ukrainian mom friend over for tea and a baby vocabulary lesson. (It’s not, “I fed him potatoes.” It’s, “I gave him potatoes.” But when we nurse, I “fed him with the chest.”) As we talked, Dietrich slithered around the room. I asked Nastya, “How do you say what he’s doing right now?” She said, “Crawling.”

So now, when Ukrainians ask me if Dietrich can crawl, I can say yes! And I could have said yes for about a month now. Glad I have that figured out.

And just in time, because yesterday on the elevator, a neighbor asked me if he could walk yet …