Sunday, October 30, 2005

tongue-tongue weeps

For he has only one tongue with which to taste an entire world...***

I'm beginning to suspect that Milo has cannabilistic tendencies. I'm pretty sure he wants to eat me. And I'm not just talking about breastfeeding. Every time I get my face near his, he grabs my hair and pulls me closer, lifting himself up off the bed, change table, or bouncy chair as he does so, and tries to suck as much of me into his open mouth as possible.

(Have you ever had someone suckle your nose? I know, it sounds gross, but it's also kind of hysterical to see a little four-month-old baby stuck on to the end of your nose, looking around the room with a wide-eyed expression that seems to say, "Dum de dum dum, don't mind me, I'm just sucking on your nose here.")

Of course, it's not just me he wants to eat. It's everything. Whenever I give him something -- whether it's my knuckle, a toy, a blanket, or even a cloth diaper -- he stares at it with a happy smile of recognition and then hungrily tries to stuff as much of it into his mouth as he can. All the while wearing the same innocent, "Gee, how did that get in there?" look on his face.

He isn't the least bit daunted by the size of the object he wants to eat, either. I've seen him eagerly attempt to fit his mouth around toys that are three times the size of his head. And when things don't work out the way he expects, he gets quite perturbed.

He probably has no idea that some of the things around him are bigger than him while others are smaller. Some fit in that gulping baby-bird mouth of his, and some don't. My guess is that his ever-developing ability to comprehend is still so firmly situated in the realm of the senses (What's this feel like? What's that taste like? How does this form compare to that form, and what the heck's making that noise? And oh, look -- moving food machine thingy! Moving food machine thingy makes funny sounds and makes funny faces and carries me around to different places. I like moving food machine thingy!) that he
doesn't yet have any real understanding of the concept of relative size.

He probably thinks that he is the entire universe, and that everything he sees, hears, feels, smells, and tastes rightfully belongs inside of him. Oddly enough, I'm inclined to agree.

Must... eat... favourite toy... or fist... or toy... or both... yes, both... but how the heck do I get them both to FIT IN HERE???

*** Tongue-Tongue is a character that appears in an episode of the animated cartoon series, The Tick. If you've never seen The Tick, oh my goodness, you have to keep an eye out for it. It's the FUNNIEST. CARTOON. EVER. Where else can you meet characters like "Can O' Man" and "El Seed," not to mention goofball superheroes like Sewer Urchin and Der Fleidermaus"? Or watch episodes named, "The Tick vs. Prehistory," "Evil Sits Down for a Moment," or "Leonardo Da Vinci and his Fighting Genius Time Commandos!"?

1 comment:

Laura said...

I read that putting things in their mouth is a way of exploring their world. This schould actually be encouraged by giving them different (safe) things to put in their mouth. Like a wooden spoon and a metal spoon. That said, my Pumpkin puts EVERYTHING in her mouth too. It is usually cute, but she also tries to eat the cat! I have to say that is the fuinniest, especially when I do not stop her quick enough and she ends up with a mouth full of cat hair :-)