asi, mami

Amado is really into the concept of "igual" right now. Anything that is close enough to comment on is "igual".

We are both wearing shoes?
"Igual" he says, pointing to our feet.

Two kitchen towels?
"Igual."

You have a plate with rice and beans and I have a plate with rice and beans?
"Igual" he says, smiling, looking at our plates.

He goes through the world trying to match things up so he can comment on them.

This morning, I was making espresso for me and "whafe" for him (steamed milk with canela). I poured his into his cup and mine into my cup. "Pote! Pote!" he yelled, frantically. He is looking for his popote. I pull one out, which means that he discovers where they are, and he goes over and starts rummaging through the bag.

Great, Im thinking. He is about to dump out all 200 of those straws. "Dejalo, Amado, por favor, dejalo" I am telling him. He runs over to his table, items in hand, waiting for his whafe. I didnt see what he ran over there carrying, so in my head, Im grumbling about the fact that he probably just took 43 straws over to the table. I get to the table and he has two. I start to tell him, "Amado, no necesitas 2 popotes", kind of annoyed, I'll be honest, when he says, "a mi" holding one of the straws and is holding out the other one to me. I realize that he brought over one for me and one for him. Aw.

Now, I dont particualry enjoy drinking my espresso through a blue striped straw. So I think I can just thank him for it and drink my delicious warm beverage the way God intended. I laid my straw down on the table and started to sip my espresso. But no. Amado is not quite sure why I dont get it.

Gently, he picks up my straw and sticks it back in my mug "Asi, mami."
He takes a sip of his whafe, and says "yummy!" encouraging me to do the same.

I take a couple sips through my straw.

"Igual", Amado says, knowingly, nodding his head.

But then he notices an important difference.

Pointing at my cup, he says, "No tapa".

The tapa on his cup is the bain of his existence. He hates that he has to have a lid on his cup and that he can't just drink it normal like the rest of us (he cant, by the way, because he will dump the whole thing over in 2 seconds flat).

So then he notices, igual, but not quite.

He starts to try to wrestle the lid off his cup, reasoning with me, "No tapa, mami, no tapa. Igual." Man, you gotta give in on that one. He is communicating it so well.

So, I undo the tapa, remind him to be very very careful with it.

I am sitting across the table from him, as we are enjoying our morning cafe and whafe, looking at this incredible person I have sitting here with me.

Then, Amado reprimands me. "Uh, oh, mama. Manos. Asi". He is reminding me that without a tapa, i am supposed to hold my cup with both hands. Good thing I have him looking out for me.