"K" is for..

Time for a Yousuf update (after all, the blog is called “Raising Yousuf” :) : While I was busy helping a BBC World Service crew here on assignment from London, Yousuf made that long-awaited realization that what comes out of his bum, and stays snugly in his diaper, actually belongs in the toilet. Or so I think. A least it seems he’s made that verbal link…he actually said “kaka” yesterday! A milestone in the El-Haddad household here in Gaza, whose diaper purchases alone have probably helped the struggling economy stay afloat.

Of course, the timing was less than opportune. We were having dinner with guests down at our farm (finally accessible now that the coastal road is once again open and re-surfaced), discussing the future of Gaza's economy after withdrawal, and as I was feeding Yousuf, he blurted out “KAKA” to make sure everyone sitting could hear him.

Needless to say, I didn’t let the impropriety of it all curb my excitement. “Kaka?! Did you hear that, he said Kaka!” (tumbleweeds…) Of course it may have been his mouth was simply full of rice and he was trying to say “Tata” ..short for “chocolata”. You never know with these things. Why is that house training cats takes less than a day, but with kids…

On another note, my friend Deema who was visiting from Jerusalem taught Yousuf how to “fly” like an airplane. He didn't waste time putting his knew-found skills to pracice, as he “flew” throughout the house, knocking down everything with his “wings”. Suffice to say, my mother was not pleased. It may take him a while to figure out he can’t actually “lift-off” into the air though (judging from the nose dive he took off my bed the other day…ouch).