Dada

This is an unprecedented string of Luca only blog posts in a row.  I feel good about it.  Real good about it.

When I left for South Africa (I promise this is almost the second to the last time I am going to rub that in your face), Luca was deep into his Oedipus fueled period of calling me “Rick.”  Or “Wick” if you aren’t strong on R’s. 

I sat him down right before I left and said, “Hey.  I really prefer you called me ‘Dada.’ Or ‘Dad.’  Or ‘El Dadarino’ if you aren’t into the whole brevity thing.  But let’s not call me ‘Wick’ anymore. Okay?”

“Okay Wick, I mean Dada.”

I came home from my trip to…well, you know, and Luca immediately started calling me “Dada.”  Oh good.  Balance was restored in the universe.

Except it wasn’t.  Things were broken in the universe.  Somehow the move to a new house, plus an absentee father for 2 weeks, caused a spring to come loose in Luca’s head. 

He simply could not be alone.  Anytime a parent left the room, he would cry uncontrollably.  In my case, he would also shout, “Dada!  Dada!  Dada!  Dada!” over and over until I returned.

We’ve resorted to lying down with him until he falls asleep rather than run the risk of waking up the neighbors with hysterical cries of, “DADA!”

On the Saturday night after I got back, I was bathing both boys and got a call from my boss.  It was a DEFCON 1 call.  Yes, it was a full blown advertising emergency.  Unfortunately, we have the world’s worst cellphone coverage in our new house and all I could hear from him was, “Titanic…iceberg…Kate Winslet nudity…”

Fortunately, we do get cell coverage on our front lawn, so I turned to Luca and Eli and said, “I have to go take a quick call.  I’ll be right back.  Don’t freak out.”

At which point Luca freaked out.

He simply would not let me out of his sight.  He began heaving and wailing and shouting.  I said I simply had to take this call.  What did he want me to do?  Sit with him, nude and dripping wet on the front porch?

Luckily, it wasn’t cold on our front porch.  Our neighbors didn’t seem to mind a completely naked boy standing next to me as I talked on the phone.