The Language of Love

I'm not sure how it works in other people's houses, but over here at Casa de Arends, we have our own secret language. It's been developing for almost eight years now - funny phrases, inside jokes, cutesie little nicknames - and I imagine that it will continue to morph and grow as time goes on.

Early on in our relationship, Mike and I started to call each other "dear". Probably as a joke, because, really, we don't live in the 1950s, but somehow, somewhere along the way, it stuck. And even though it almost certainly annoys the crap out of anyone we spend time with, we rarely use our real names. Cards? Written out to "Dear". Christmas present tags? "To Dear, Love Dear" In fact, like a little kid being called her full name by her parents when she's in trouble, I know that Mike means business only when he calls me Leslie.

And that's just the start. One time at Lowe's, a guy in the flooring department told us that a certain kind of tile wouldn't be "idea" to use in our bathroom. He repeated himself several times, so we know it wasn't just a slip up, and now that poor sap has no idea that more than five years later we are still making fun of him. As in, "Yes, dear, pizza for dinner would be idea." In college, some girlfriends and I were in a bathroom somewhere (rest stop? Burger King?) and a sign was taped to the hand dryer that simply read, "Hand Dryer Don't Work". And to this day, if something isn't working correctly, I repeat that phrase.

Having Anna around has only added to our private language. We now refer to pillows as "banans", noodles as "doo doos" and say to one another on a regular basis "wuv you!". When she wants you to follow her, she beckons you with a "hum on" (come on), and just last night I found myself saying the same thing to Mike. I know that the experts surely would say that we shouldn't be reinforcing baby talk, but I sort of imagine Anna going off to college and me offering to pack her a bottle of wa wa (water) and some boobabies (blueberries). It's just so darn cute. Editor's Note: I started writing this post more than two months ago. And I feel a little sad re-reading it now, because so many of the "words" she used to say have been replaced with actual pronunciations. "No, no, Anna. It's wa wa, not water." Tears.

I probably couldn't compile a list of all the secret code we use on a day to day basis, but I do know that I love the way it makes me feel when I open an email that starts "Hey Deary" or am told that something I cooked is "ummmbelievable" (that adjective is courtesy of drunken night with our friends Jeb and Ashley) or hear my little girl ask for a kiss by pointing to her cheek and saying "diss here, Mama!". I adore the fact that I know what birthday tires are, that (thanks to my cousins) Mike and I say we are "ready for motion" anytime we are about to head out the door, and that anything involving bathrobes, blankets, or jammies must be categorized as "domfy dozy".

I may have to act as a translator half the day, and we might get strange looks for some of the things we say, but I wouldn't have it any other way. As my friend Amy once said (and we've never let her forget it), it's just ferfect.

Speaking of ferfect...

What about you? Any secret codes? Funny words?