That's ingabee in Dagnyspeak

How I wish you could hear Dagny talk. Her voice is all kinds of darling. Slightly raspy.

I know, I know; there is such a thing as technology and I could post a wee video.

I'll get right on that.

I hope I succeed before she learns that ingabee is technically not a word.

Yes; you read that right: ingabee. Hard G sound. Sort of rhymes with syncope (the pathological definition of which I sincerely hope none of us ever suffers): sing-kuh-pee.

Sometimes Dagny stresses the first syllable: INGabee!

Other times she squeals and gives it all she's got on the last syllable: ingaBEE!

Either way, the word is always uttered with great zeal, abandon, and obvious glee.

And either way, it's sure to send us all into peals of laughter.

Sometimes we laugh so hard, we hold our sides and tears slide down our collective cheeks.

It's that adorable.

But what does it MEAN, I can almost hear you saying aloud to your screen.

Why, it means puppy, of course.

What did you think?

Haaahaha gotcha. Yeah. It took us awhile to figure it out too.

The nickel finally dropped when we realized Dagny began shrieking Ingabee! INGabee! IngaBEE! every time she saw Javier.

Now, you should know that Javier dislikes children. It is a characteristic of the breed, so I'm not sure he can help it.

For example. After being around her for her entire life of nearly eight years, our geriatric Chihuahua has only recently allowed our granddaughter Allissa to hold him without going feral.

Chihuahuas are famous for hating kids. It goes with the territory. But now that he is blind and deaf, the instant and indefatigable desire of small children to hold and stroke and pet him, sends Javier over the edge.

It's vexing to the point that when all the kids are going to be around, Javier gets treated to some crate time in an upstairs room where we don't have to listen to him whine.

Ingabee anxiety can be a terrible thing to see and hear.

Oh. Back to ingabees. Yes; by connecting various linguistic dots matched with observing a repetition of certain behaviors, we concluded that Dagny meant puppy when she flung out ingabee.

However.

Then she began saying it every time she saw an animal depicted in any way -- as in, a still picture of the Chick-fil-A cows or a stuffed white Coke polar bear -- complete with red scarf -- or a gerbil meandering across the screen in a Baby Einstein video.

All are met with fervent, insistent, repeated exclamations of Ingabee! Together with much pointing.

So. Let's review.

Until further notice, ingabee stands for any critter.

Seamlessly, Dagny has infused our family nomenclature with distinctly unconventional speech patterns. Now we all say ingabee whenever we see an animal.

The other night? We were having chili (with meat) and I thought of it as ingabee stew.

A rose by any other name.

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Tuesday

Comments

[Mari]

I love the way their words become part of our vocabulary. As you know, our whole family now calls those tall advertising things Silly Boys. You will forever have Ingabees in your language now.
I love seeing Dagny in your photos. That child has the most beautiful eyes!
And yes - a video is in order.

[Judy Miller]

In my family, we all say, "bahsgetti", instead of spaghetti. "Who wants bahsgetti for supper?" We all do! I would love to see/hear a video of her talking.

[Sally]

Well, yes indeed you had me going there for a while with Dagny's word. hahaha I love it, and it's always so fun to see what they will say first when they're little like she is. I love her; she's a doll baby and changing all the time. :)

xoxo

[Barb]

Now, of course, I shall be thinking "ingabee" whenever I see a critter. My twin grands always called their backpacks PackPacks when they were little, and Bob still likes to call a backpack a PackPack. Also, Sam had trouble with "r's" and would say Mammy instead of Grammy and Gay jay instead of Gray Jay. Now, at 3, he can pronounce the r's, and we kind of miss his omission of them. Just at my back door which I can see from my computer, I can see Sam's little handprint on the glass. (His hand must have been really dirty!) It's been there about a month and neither Bob (a clean freak) or I wants to wipe it off. I suggest you check your own window glass for Dagny's dear print. She is such a fashionista - her hair is growing, and I love the curl to it.

[Jennifer]

@Mari ... her eyes are special; you're right. And even I think "silly boy" now when I see one of those nutty air-fed things!

@Judy ... we have often said basghetti too! Also we still say "glugs" which our son said when he meant gloves. And he called his dad's briefcase a "griefcase" which is surprisingly accurate. :-)

@Sally ... dollbaby is the perfect word for Dagny. She's the light of our lives. Thanks for loving her too.

@Barb ... oh yes, the handprints. I'm in no hurry to wipe them off. She always goes straight to the door when she arrives at my house. to look and see if the ingabee is walking around out there enjoying the sunshine. I know what you mean about hating to hear them start talking "normal" and leaving their cute little expressions behind. xoxo

[Donna (Texas)]

You know what happens to people who sing a certain song or say a certain word and it gets STUCK in your brain???Hahahaaa
Omggg....I'll Never be able to look at another dog after this without "hearing" it in my head!!
She's Adorable!
hughugs

[Anne]

We have "new words" that have stayed in our family for years, Jenny! "Boc-cu" (popcorn) oldest daughter Mandy ~ "Fuff" ~ any Cavalier King Charles spaniel (ours was "Taffy" and youngest son Jon changed it to Fuffy, as he couldn't say Taffy...) Fockee (coffee, oldest son)...you know how it is! ;)
Love,
Anne