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More ham, pweeeeeease.

Caleb doesn’t yet talk - though he is 2 and a half. He understands Spanish and English perfectly, hears fine, not autistic, good coordination and makes himself understood pretty well considering. He does speak his own language, which is complex once you get to know it, and involves a few clicking words, which never cease to amuse me (just ask him to say “moon” or “balloon”).

I was a vegetarian for 15 years prior to getting pregnant. Living in rural France as a vegetarian was hard enough, but pregnant, practically impossible. At the hospital the doctors insisted I eat plates and plates of dried meats. When Caleb was 1 and a half, he went to Louisiana with my father and stayed for nearly 6 weeks - getting stuck during Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Southern food invariably involves lots of meat, particularly ham. The vegetarian dishes are even cooked with ham (which to them are just called “vegetables” - but if you are lucky, with ham hock instead of fat back).

So, it should come as no surprise that the first word that Caleb truly says with any real clarity and conviction is “ham.” As in “Have HAM?” “More HAM, pweeease.” “No more HAM.” “HAM food.” “HAM fall floor.” “Bodhi have HAM.” “HAM mmmmmmmmmm.”

With my second son, Tobias, I am working on “tofu.” He is almost there and he is not allowed to go to either France or Louisiana until I am through.

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