the ELLA echo

ella-to-english dictionary

things:

1. lankie:  blankie, blanket
2. hot party:  tea party
3. armclock:  wristwatch
4. yellow:  jello
5. geeps:  grapes
6. ah-en:  open
7. ah-hen:  elephant
8. piddies:  piggies, i.e. toes
9. crayrons:  crayons
10. dare see is!  or  dare it are!:  there he/she/it is, there they are
11. crackra:  cracker
12. carackra:  maraca
13. chocwa:  chocolate
14. frinkle cake:  krispy kreme doughnut with sprinkles
15. oo-wee:  oobi
16. musin:  music
17. DDDD's:  DVD's
18. wheezy town:  lazy town--ironic pronunciation catagory
19. duce box:  juice box
20. round circas:  round circles
21. srwipes:  stripes
22. twiangwa:  triangle
23. 1, 3, 1, 3!:  count down to sliding
24. vie-ins:  vitamins
25. fider fwends:  spider friends, better known as ms. spider's sunny patch friends

sayings:

1. moke tide/moke side:  milk side, i.e. breastfeeding--i have no idea how it got this name
2. i hold you:  hold me
3. poo change:  change my diaper, hardly ever means actual poo has occurred
4. how 'bout biff one?:  how about this one, indicating which side she wants to nurse
5. doctor a-ready:  doctor kit
6. check de boom-boom:  listen to designated body part with stethescope (see #5)
7. all to-gedder!:  all together, meaning everybody has to do it (whatever it is) with her
8. wes, pwease:  yes, please
9. up down:  a) upside down;  b) see-saw
10. want down:  i want down/out/off
11. wet's see, oh i know, ______!:  let's see, oh i know, <insert idea here, usually it's moke tide>
12. i fine you!:  i found you
13. gahya!:  i gotcha!
14. bweak de pieces:  break to pieces, i.e. something broke
15. hold it tight:  hold whatever she is handing to me
16. i so happy see you!:  i'm so happy to see you, said with big smile and hug
17. a morning, mama!:  good morning, mama, always said with a smile
18. shawl down:  fall down, usually blocks that she has knocked down
19. twy agane:  try again, can mean try again, sometimes means do it again
20. i can't weach dat:  i can't reach that, i.e. please give that to me
21. ticken, shwy, duce box, toy:  chicken, fries, juice box, toy--standard order placed at all ATM's, drive thru mail boxes, and of course fast food restaurants
22. turn off:  turn it off or close it
23. i see da sound! (or) i see da noy!:  i hear a sound, i hear a noise

games:

1. "ball catch":  toss a ball back and forth
2. "hot party":  tea party
3. "help me, dada, i tuck!":  help me, dada, i'm stuck--i.e. "come rescue me from the arm of the couch where i conveniently put myself for ease of rescue"
4. "reach de hangs":  reach your hands, similar to help me, dada, i tuck, except with instructions on how to rescue
5. "da-hing":  dancing, any song, must pick her up and swing and bounce and twirl and finish upside down
6. "timen says":  simon says, always includes "hangs on de head", "touch de nose" "bend de knees", "jump"
7. "jump wope":  done by holding ends of a tape measure or a dog leash, waving it in front of her body while bouncing up and down on her toes and giggling wildly
8. "9, 10, 9, 10!"  also known as "hi an teak":  hide and seek, played faithfully after every visit to a chinese restaurant
9. "oh now, what happing?":  oh no, what happened?   a bear, doll, or other being is flung over the side of the couch so ella can rush to it's side to check on it
10. ride de bwue one:  ride the blue one, i.e. the shopping cart at krogers that is made like a blue race car

songs:

1. twinkle twinkle wittle sar, how i wunduh what you aaaaaaaaaaaare ("are" is always whispered)
2. a b c b e wef d gidl-gidl-gidl-gidl p qu r x y uh z double woo x y uh z, twinka twinka wittle sar, how i wonder what you aaaaaaaaaaare
3. miiiiiiiiity, a fweet wittle bunny, miiiiiiiiity, a fweet wittle bunny, miiiiiiiiity, a fweet wittle bunny:  refrain from the theme song to miffy
4. toys away, toys away, time a toys away:  the song from kindermusik that teaches children to put things away

i hate this stupid war

tonight, i was nursing ella to sleep and watching something completely benign, "emeril live".  it is a thanksgiving show he shot last year at a military base, where it looks like every single person on the base is there--soldiers, wives and husbands, children--thousands of people.  and as the camera panned the audience, every single face looked like somebody's child to me.   i thought how excited their mothers must be, to see their beautiful faces on TV, to see how happy their "babies" are at this special event, to see them safe and whole and not in harm's way that night.

and then i wondered about all the mothers who will cry this thanksgiving day, who miss their soldier babies and pray every minute that they will come home by next thanksgiving. 

and i thought of all the mothers who are crying right this minute, because their babies are not coming home again.

then i wondered how many of these faces are already gone, how many mothers might be watching tonight, just hoping to catch a glimpse of their baby once more, smiling and happy and so ALIVE. 

and i spent the rest of the show sobbing, big heavy tears that woke ella, doing my best to see every single face--the soldiers, their families, the people working the show--to pay this little tribute to their mothers, to notice their babies, to thank them for their service and their sacrifice. 

ELLA, I HATE THIS GOD-DAMNED WAR AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT.  and while we're at it, let's work on being worthy of the sacrifice these mothers and their babies make.