The first time the little one mimicked my "oooooo", I remember thinking houston we have a connection. It wasn't much but considering I hadn't slept more than a 4 hour stretch in 4 months (this inludes the last month of pregnancy with constant night wakings from discomfort in between the waddle to the bathroom every couple hours) and the only response I had gotten from the little thing was a good diaper full thanking me for the satisfying breastmilk, I was elated at this new development. It was shortlived as I immediately panicked at the thought of teaching her a whole language. How on earth do I teach her to talk. Real language. Yikes, I'm not prepared for this.
One of the first words the little one mastered was "uh-oh" and it is my understanding that this is pretty common in the tot world. Uh-oh refers to all things gravity. It can mean any and all of the following: uh oh I dropped something, uh oh I fell, and my favorite, uh oh I'm going to hurl this spoonful of yogurt across the room.
Another word that came a bit later was "ice". If I were in her head, I think it went something like this:
So ice is a favorite. Imagine my delight when we found a few huge bags of it sitting next to the bar at a wedding we attended over the weekend. It can be challenging to feel a part of the festivities when your busy chasing the little one around and searching for anything that will keep her occupied for five minutes in hopes of catching the ceremonial toast or first dance. And here it was, next to the bar of all places! She couldn't have been more pleased if I handed her a 1 pound bag of m&m's.
One of the first words the little one mastered was "uh-oh" and it is my understanding that this is pretty common in the tot world. Uh-oh refers to all things gravity. It can mean any and all of the following: uh oh I dropped something, uh oh I fell, and my favorite, uh oh I'm going to hurl this spoonful of yogurt across the room.
Another word that came a bit later was "ice". If I were in her head, I think it went something like this:
what's this? it's cold...and slippery. what does it taste like? Hmm, that feels
good and mommy seems to give it freely and at other peoples houses it
just comes flying out of the big door. what did she say again? ice. ok, got it.
So ice is a favorite. Imagine my delight when we found a few huge bags of it sitting next to the bar at a wedding we attended over the weekend. It can be challenging to feel a part of the festivities when your busy chasing the little one around and searching for anything that will keep her occupied for five minutes in hopes of catching the ceremonial toast or first dance. And here it was, next to the bar of all places! She couldn't have been more pleased if I handed her a 1 pound bag of m&m's.
Consequently, a new concept emerged, "wet".
The words flow more freely everyday as frustration becomes communication. What a joy to spout out a sentence or question in normal adult speak and without hesitation get an appropriate response. Apparently, if you just talk to your child, they will learn the language on their own.
2 comments:
Hey! That's what i was going tp blog about! :)
You're the best.
Marci, I had no idea you were such a good writer. You really are. Great post. Really freaking good. How's that for language? -Holly
p.s. Thanks again for the wonderful treat that was Sunday evening. You Hawkins Rule.
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