The Many Uses of the Word 'Bah!'

Well, we've rounded the corner into big E's second year. And the celebrations were great. On his actual birthday, we went out to The Country Inn with Oma, Opa, and Uncle Brian. The kiddo tried Swedish Pancakes for the first time and--in true Christensen fashion--LOVED them. He also had a bite (or...err...a handful) of ice cream, but we think that was a little bit on the cold side for him.

On Saturday, we threw a little party for him. And while we couldn't fit everyone who's near and dear to us in our cramped backyard, we had a great time with only minimal fiascoes. E wasn't too sure about the cake, but he liked the frosting. On Sunday, we were still pooped but Lisa, the big guy, and I decided to take a drive and just relax (Us?! I know!). It was wonderful.

For the rest of this post, I wanted to play on an idea Tante Nessa gave to me:
The Many Uses of the Word 'Bah!'

Big E has a whole repertoire of sounds he uses--they're not words per se, but many have meaning. He makes the "ppfft" noise when he plays with his car, he'll repeat 'ma ma ma/da da da' for minutes on end, and he often coos as a greeting. However, his go to sound has become "Bah!" or "Bah Bah Bah" and it's developed many meanings.

So 'Bah' means...

• "Come here!" You may recall that the first time he used it with great purpose was when he was calling Papa in a perfectly timed echo of Nana's tone. 
• "Hello! I miss you!" The variation of this one is that it's loud and he leaves his mouth hanging open for a good ten seconds after the sound is over. He started doing this when we FaceTimed with Tante Ness. In response she quickly asked him what sound a sheep made. 
• "Hey, look...that's cool!" This is the softer 'bah bah bah' variation and often is accompanied by a five-fingered point (evidently, it's rude in his culture to point with one finger). Most of the time he's looking at a ceiling fan (a.k.a Round'n'round), a car tire, Cody/Bailey, or a balloon. 
• "I got this!" The other day I was using his banana-shaped toothbrush to brush his teeth when he took it out of my hands and started mimicking the tooth-brushing motion. After I finished laughing and putting my melted heart back in my chest, I tried to take his hands and help him master the motion...at which his brow furrowed and he let loose the loudest 'BAH!' I'd heard. I let go and he happily returned to his dental hygiene. 
• And I'm sure there'll be a new meaning today...and tomorrow...and the next day...

We had his one year check up yesterday. For those of you tracking the stats (Hi, Lisa), here's the summary. He's on the shorter, thinner side with a big noggin compared to other kiddos his age.  And yet somehow this sailor hat was too big (yes, the picture is deceiving)!  The doctor said his disproportionate head could have something to do with the fact that he isn't crawling yet.  Guess we need to strengthen that neck!

• Height: 29.5"
• Weight: 19 lbs, 14.5 oz 
• Head Circumference: 19"