Vocabulary

My monster just used the word "finally" correctly. He's already got a handle on colours, numbers, shapes, letters and comparative sizes and various computer terms, and now he's coming out with finallys and possiblys and correcting himself with I means when he uses the wrong word.

He wasn't even with me yesterday and Dr. Ginger commented on how smart he is and how developed his language skills are.

How is this kid only 2? And what on Earth is he going to be coming up with when he's 4 or 5? It blows me away.

Regarding the Monster

I feel like, with everything, I haven't been a very good Monster Mummy the past few months. I can blame that on morning sickness and fatigue and everything else, but I feel like I could be doing better. We have barely done any drawings, hardly any outings together to anywhere other than the store. I was too sick to take him to the park without another adult to chase him, we haven't drawn pictures or read a story together in like a thousand years...

Despite all that, this monster is amazing. I mentioned in my last post he's speaking in sentences. He's also telling jokes and making plays on words. He repeats and learns the meanings of words after hearing them once, and he keeps telling me the story of his visit to the hospital (it was in mid-July), in past tense.

He is crazy tall. I'm sure he's still in the 90th percentile for height (though a mis-measuring nurse had Dr. Illegible convinced he was in the 98th for a bit); for pants he can still get away with 2 T, but for shirts, he generally needs a 4T for length and for his arms (but he swims it it width-wise, the skinny Minnie). He's just starting to get cramped in size 6 shoes.

His coordination is pretty much dead-on for his age, which looks kind of funny, with a 3yo+ sized kid doing the tiny toddler run :)

I could seriously ramble on endlessly about how smart this kid is. Like, it's mind-blowing. I'm actually a little worried about what will happen if #2 is normal. Apart from knowing most of the alphabet (phonetically and on sight, not just remembering a song), being able to count to 13, knowing all the basic colours (including teal!) and shapes, he just absorbs knowledge. He now speaks his other language better than I do, and I frequently have to ask him to tell me in English. Which he immediately does, with no problem. It's mind boggling to me that he understands that different languages exist and how to apply them.

Aaaand, he's going to be 2 in 10 days. 2. 2! I'm really not sure how I feel about this. I mean, it's exciting, but I think mostly I'm just sad that he's growing up so fast. I know 2 isn't really old, but he's not a baby anymore, for sure. He does keep getting better, and I'm sure that will continue, but I do sort of miss when he was a little squishy face. Ahhh!

Well, that's the update on him. Hopefully I'll have an update for his actual birthday. We're having a party for him this year. Well, we're having the family we have in town and our friends who live next door (once I get around to inviting everyone) over for make-your-own pizza and some sort of desert. It should be fun, anyway.

My Chatty Monster

Occasionally - well, fairly frequently, someone will post on my birth board, asking how many words everyone's LO (little one) is saying. Full disclosure - I love to brag about the monster, so I'm always a little excited for the opportunity to do so without looking like a self-centred nutcase.

But, inevitably, the person is asking because they're concerned about their child's (usually totally normal and fine) language development and I don't want to be the crazy bitch piling on their concerns by talking about how amazing my monster's vocabulary is.

But, this is my own space. So I get to brag. And going for his 18 month checkup and seeing that on the questionnaire, the question for evaluating expressive language is "Is your child saying at least 8 words, on top of mama and dada?" made me realize just how wonderfully my little bilingual monkey is doing.

So, yeah, I'm going to list all the words he says (that we've actually written down). I'm a proud Mummy. Sue me.

Magenta, he says in English, Blue in Mr. Wolfman's language, Green in both. Orange, he combines the two languages into a single word. These are mostly in order (and no, he does't pronounce all of them super clearly).

Mum, Dad, Duck, Diaper,  [his name], No, Yeah, Boob, Give it, That, This, What is it?, Down, Biscuit, Tickle, Door, Flag, Book, Dog, Moo, Stairs, Grandma, Grandpa, Broth, Bra, Where'd it go?, Joker, Rabbit, Bunny, Gone, Locked, Broken, Blanket, Google, Velcro, Magazine, Magnet, Breakfast, Apple, Let go!, Go, Chair, Block, Button, Truck, Car, Van, Close, Hat, Cold, Cheek, Hand, Elephant, Sun, Stinky, Ball, Bowl, Circle, Clothes, Sprinkler, Sit, Lid, Open, Pen, Penis, Eye, Nose, Navel, Letter, Monkey, Light, Sneaky, Ramp, Whee!, Boot, Wolf, Banana, Superman, Red, Blue, Green, Octopus, Belt, Kitten, Kitchen, Dinosaur, iPod, Ferrari, Mitten, Airplane, Train, Pig, Read, Butterfly, Bug, Camera, Tragedy, Stairs, Key, Post Office, Bank, Cereal, Bum, Nostril, Cookie, Spoon, Record Player*, Click, Closet, Stroller, Walk Dance, Pee, Frog**, Bear, Picture, Crayon, Tray, Pink, Egg, Boat, Tiger, Bus, Finger, More, Jam, Socks

Counting both languages, that's 160 words. And yeah, I know, no one (except me and Mr. Wolfman) is going to care in 20 years how many words he said at 18 months. But damn. He's such a clever little elf, and I really am one proud Mummy.

*His word for this is totally made up, but he uses it consistently.
**Also in Italian???

Edit: I forgot Hair, Water, Giraffe, Chair, Lion, Mouth, Heart, Devil, Zebra, Owl and Goat. So we're actually at 172.

Genius Baby, Part 8: Reading, WHAT?

So, my monster just brought me his alphabet book to look at, along with his now-common "Book. Read" demand. 

So I was going through the letters with him and he got bored and closed it. Then he pointed to the letters on the front and told me "letters". Not terribly uncommon, he loves letters.

There's A B & C on the front, so I told him the sounds each makes.  He stared for a minute, then pointed at the C and told me "Cookie".  This kid. He did this once before with a V when we were out walking; when I told him the sound, he said his made up word for record player (which starts with V).  I thought it was just a freak thing, but it looks like he actually understands the relationship between (some) letters and the sound they make.

What the what? He'll be 18 months in a week.

Genius Baby Part 6: Sentences

So far, the little monster has used two sentences.

The first, a few nights ago, was "Mum, no!" (Mum being in English and No in his other language) when I tried to put him back in his crib after a night feed.

The second, today, I told him we needed to change his diaper and he responded with "[his name] dai dai?"

Yeah, not going to lie, I'm a little freaked out.  Mostly delighted, but eep.  He's only 11 months.

Genius Baby Part Eek: Pointing

The monster recently figured out how to point.  Mainly, he just points at everything, not as an indication of wanting it or showing it off, more just like, hey look, I can point at stuff.

Or so I thought.

My MIL sent the monster a bunch of books recently, most of which are in Mr. Wolfman's native language (we have an agreement that I don't speak to the monster in said language, so I don't eff up his accent, grammar, etc.) and one of which has no words, just pictures.  The monster loves this book.  Mr. Wolfman "reads" it to him in his native language, showing him all the pictures and talking about them, and I "read" it to him in English.

Yesterday, Mr. Wolfman starts asking the monster, Where is the whale? Where is the duck? and so on and the monster actually STARTED POINTING.  Maybe this is totally normal, but I reserve the right to be amazed.  So I started going through the book with him in English, asking him to point to different pictures, and HE BLOODY DID.  So, even still only saying 3 words, my little monster understands two languages and recognizes all the pictures in his little book.  I am thoroughly amazed.

Also, knocking some serious wood, but the monster is eating solids again!  I got it into my head to give him pears a couple days ago and he loved them, so yesterday I tried pears and carrots and he was a huge fan.  Since he's either refused or gagged on everything I've given him since Easter (cucumber even made him vomit :( ), I'm pretty excited about this.  Hopefully today we'll get him a little pool for the summer and all will be right as rain :D

Genius Baby Part 3 - Bilingual Baby

The little monster can say three words: Mum, Mama and Dad.  The interesting thing is this:

I speak only English to the little monster and when we're alone together and he wants something (usually food), he uses Mum!  

Mr. Wolfman speaks to the little monster entirely in his native language.  When the little monster is sitting with him, but wants me, he uses Mama.

My 6 month old baby, who only knows 3 words, is bilingual.

Genius Baby Part 2 (First words)

I'm not going to be able to keep up with him much longer.  This has been a big week for discovery and new talents.

Umna became mamamama which quickly became mama or mumum depending on his mood, and now he just shouts "MUM!" when he wants my attention.

I felt a bit bad for Mr. Wolfman, so when he was at work, I started showing the monster a picture of him and repeating "Dad Dad Dad."  It worked a little too well.  After a day, he was saying "Dadadad" when looking at Mr. Wolfman's picture.  Yesterday, he shouted it until I put a picture of Mr. Wolfman up on the computer, then smiled and bounced up and down excitedly.  He did this every time I tried to use the computer for anything other than looking at his Dad.  He greeted Mr. Wolfman by name when he came home last night.  So there we go. Mum and Dad.

Other new developments include:

Object permanence - he has started to lift up the blanket that covers his foam play mat, to get at the edges of said mat (we put it there because he kept pulling them up and trying to eat them) - yesterday I removed an edge and put it in the closet.  When he moved the blanket and discovered it missing, he cried (he cheered up with a hug, though).

...and pulling himself to standing - he does this so easily, and has even taken a few supported steps.

To combine all of these, in case there was any doubt, today, he was sitting on his play mat and called out "Mum" when I looked up, he extended his arms toward me and again said, "Mum" and when I reached down to pick him up, he took my hands and stood.  Easy Peasy.

So now I'm trying to find stuff to cheaply childproof the house, because I really doubt we're going to make it through the summer before he becomes mobile.  Weee.

Genius Baby?

I always say that the little monster calls me Umna.  That's the sound he makes when he desperately wants me or something from me.  He'll make it when trying to hurl himself out of Mr. Wolfman's arms and into mine, or if he wants food and I'm not getting the boob out fast enough.

Yesterday, Mr. Wolfman came into the room carrying the monster and said to him, "[Monster], who is it?" pointing at me.  To which the little monster said, "Umna".

We both know it was (probably) a fluke, but we both heard it, clear as day, and it was amazing.