Age: 7 months
The Boy Next Door
"Yeobo!"
The mother sighed, putting her book down.
It was a nice quiet sunday, the whole family was home and relaxing after a hard week. The triplets were playing with their dolls in their room, forever entertained by clothes and pretending to do fashion shows. Meanwhile, their mother was calmly reading a book, trying to do her best to concentrate on actually relaxing for once.
"Yeobo!" She heard her husband call again.
"Coming!"
The father was currently in little Taemin's room. They had agreed to take turn watching him when he was home so the wife could rest a bit more, but she wasn't resting much at the moment.
"Yes?" She asked, peering in to the room.
"Look!!" Her husband exclaimed, pointing at their baby. She walked in and took a closer look at the baby. He was almost a year old and was standing firm inside the crib, his chubby hands holding the rail for extra support.
"What is it?" She asked again, confused at what she should be looking at. If it was little Taemin standing, she had seen that happening for a few months now.
"He's trying to speak!" He whispered excitedly just as the baby opened his mouth.
The mom gasped after hearing a few mumbles that could easily turn into words with a bit of practice. Taemin had only made sounds so far in his life, but these were actually starting to sound like formal speech. She was now as excited as her husband.
"Say umma, baby!" She pleaded, enunciating every sound so that he could mimic it more easily.
"Say appa, Taeminnie!" The husband also attempted beside her. Their hadns were waving frantically in the air and the baby only looked between the two with cutely furrowed brows and his mouth open, ready to speak. "C'mon Taeminnie! Say appa!"
"Taemin," The mother looked into his eyes, "say umma." She ordered mock-seriously.
Because of all the noise that was coming from the baby's room, the triplets emerged from their play place and quickly understood what their parents were trying to do. They instantly joined the other two in their attempts to make Taemin speak.
"Taemin-ah! Say noona!" The three girls sing-sang.
The battle continued for dominance, everyone crowding around the toddler and urging him to give them the honor of his first word.
The baby looked from person to person, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, throat ready to utter its first sayings.
"-in"
Everyone in the room became silent.
"What did you say Taeminnie?" His mother asked tenderly, leaning close to her baby boy and his chubby hands.
"Taemin!" He squealed, causing everyone's mouth to fall.
"Did he..."
"Just say..."
"What I think he said?" The triplets said in unison as they stared at their little brother in amazement.
"Tae..." The baby looked at his sisters before turning to his parents. "Min..." He finished unsurely, a bit scared at everyone's wide eyes.
There was another pause. Then everyone burst into roars of laughter.
The mother grasped he husband for support as her chuckling rocked her body. Meanwhile the triplets were on the floor stomping their feet as they clutched their rapidly contracting stomachs.
Taemin soon joined into the happiness of them all. His quiet giggles were sweet and innocent. Almost like perfect music.
"I can't believe his first word is his own name..." His father mused, wiping a few tears of laughter from his eyes.
"I know..." His wife agreed wholeheartedly before adding: "Isn't he just so precious?"
The rest of the family couldn't help but agree. Baby Taemin was really something else.
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