How how it all begins.

It’s hard to believe. I’m a little choked up. I didn’t think it would come out this way.

Koala started recognizing dogs a while ago. He points to them and calls, “Da!” He calls the plush wolf my brother got him “Da.” He was even getting to the point of recognizing them in photos – “Da.” It furthers the habit that next door to his summer metapelet lives a giant, friendly German Shepherd, who I’ve been coaxing him to say hi to every day.

So, I started with animal noises. First up, of course: woof woof. Or ruff ruff.

You know, typical dog sounds.

Today, Koala came home from the metapelet and started jumping around the apartment. “Oh! Oh!” “Oh! Oh!” We thought it was hilarious, because it was this deep, lips-in-an-O-shape, hearty “Oh!”

I followed Koala up to his room, him “Oh!”ing all the way. He went straight for the wolf.

“Oh! Oh!”

And then it hit me – I’m not the only one encouraging conversations with the German Shepherd.

He wasn’t saying “Oh!” And he wasn’t trying to say “Ruff!” or “Woof!”

My boy is Israeli. He was saying “How! How!”

So wrong. So unnatural. So sabra.