Am I Boring You?
Right now, there's a tight group of people that spend time with Asher on a regular repeating basis, and recently we've all started voicing the same worry: Am I interesting enough for this kid?
It's been an interesting thing to watch, really. For the first month, Asher, while alert, didn't lock onto any one thing in particular for more than a few seconds. This is, they tell me, totally normal, but it had the general appearance of severe ADD. Granted, it was that elusive form of the disorder that also includes sudden, inexplicable (if mostly short-lived) narcolepsy and cheesy-smelling spit-up. But still.
At week 12, there's still a fair bit of that. But there are these periods mixed in where this kid is just on. You can see it in his eyes. "Input," he's saying. "I need input." It's hard not to feel a little bit of performance anxiety during these moments. The mindless "bah-buh-duh-buh-duh" gibberish songs we were singing just eight short weeks ago suddenly sound really friggin' silly. Dad's stupid dancing still seems to entertain consitently – but then again, how couldn't it?
There's even a new kind of fuss now to accompany this base need for stimulation. This seems to be Asher's first attempt at conversation. "Uh-GHAA" roughly translates into "what now, guys?" It gets louder if you don't hop-to. And that's when you really start reaching. Does anyone remember the twelfth verse of "This Land is Your Land?"
Yeah, it's true. We are, to some extent, over-thinking things. Asher's also developing the endearing habit of making friends with inanimate objects. This is a world full of entertainment for him.
I just want him to know that when he turns his head in my direction, I'm trying my best – even if it looks like I'm dying up here.