18 Feb 2013

Laughter

Juffin said he heard the Mushroom laugh weeks ago.  I was sceptical.  I hadn't heard any damn laughing and I'm with the Mushroom all day long!  Where's my laughing?

It goes like this, the Juffin is doing a nappy change and shouts out to me, 'Babe!  Babe!  Quick come here!!' The excitement in his voice is unmistakable.  I drop whatever it was that I'm doing (probably on my damn phone), and race into the Mushroom's room.  

"What?  What's going on?  Is our miraculously awesome child walking already or something?"  

"No," the Juffin says, "he just laughed.  He laughed at me!"

I stare incredulously at my lovely partner and his happy face and I instantly feel like crap.  Our son laughed and I didn't even hear it?!  Why didn't he laugh with me? Doesn't my son like me?  I start to call bullshit.  

"What do you mean he laughed?  He laughed.  Like actual laughing?  At you?!"

"He did.  I swear.  He laughed, just then.  I was changing his nappy and making funny faces and he laughed.  It was awesome!"

During this exchange son is burbling away on the change table, smiling and cooing at us both oblivious to what's going on.  Juffin is wiggling the Mushroom's legs around and animatedly talking to me and pulling faces still.  It's pretty cute.  And funny looking.

I decide to be a bitch.  

"He's only laughing at you because your head looks funny."  And with that, I exit the room.  

"HEY?!"  

Who's laughing now Mr Funny Face?!  

Juffin doesn't really have a funny face.  I just had to make myself feel better because obviously my face is not funny enough to laugh at, that or my son doesn't think I'm funny at all.  Which just makes me sad.

Begin Operation Funny Face.  Over the last couple of weeks, I set out to make my son laugh by doing the following:  tickling underarms, singing silly songs, pulling fish faces, peekaboo, more tickling but around tummy area, laughing hysterically, smiling with all my teeth showing, poking him in the ribs, tickling his feet, pulling his ears, pulling my ears, poking my tongue out, putting my hair on his face, smiling with no teeth showing, rolling him over, jiggling him, bouncing, crossing my eyes, blowing raspberries, smiling with some teeth showing...  

After what feels like a gazillion attempts, and a seriously sore face, today I finally hear my son's laugh for the first time.  No idea what prompted it as I didn't do anything.  We were just looking at each other and he laughed.  Admittedly, I haven't done my eyebrows in a long time but I didn't think they looked that bad.  

Maximum Smiles 

It bubbles up out of nowhere and something inside me twangs.  Another mushy Mummy moment.

And thank the deity that he doesn't sound like those damn Karicare kids.  Ugh!  


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