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.

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.

Welp.

I'm heading back to work, after over a year and a half.

It's only part time, and once I'm done my training, it'll be overnight.  So I'll get to spend my days with the monster.  But still.  Tomorrow will be the longest I've ever spent away from him.

Tomorrow is also the start of 2 weeks of training, wherein I'll be working in the daytime 6 days one week, then 4 nights the following week (and, while my body gets used to this, that means sleeping most of the day, while Mr. Wolfman is home).

I know it needs to be done, and a little part of me is excited to get out of the house. A much bigger part of me is excited to have a little bit of money, to clear the debt that's been mounting the last couple of months, to save for school, to think about buying stuff that I want, rather than only stuff I need.

But, damn.  When the monster was maybe 4/5 months, I would have jumped at a full time job. Not that I didn't love spending time with him, just that I was likely suffering PPD and PPA and needed to get the Hell out of the house. Now? I just want to snuggle him and play with him and watch him grow and bask in the wonder that is witnessing him learn new words and concepts and develop his personality.

I'm scared I'm going to miss stuff. I'm scared Mr. Wolfman won't remember to message me every time the monster does something new or cute or silly. And, of course, even if he does, I'm not going to be playing on my phone or Facebook or whatever while I'm at work.

I know this is kind of a whiny post, which is silly, considering my last whiny post was about how badly I needed/wanted a job.  I am grateful that I found something, especially something that fits with Mr. Wolfman's schedule and doesn't require outside childcare. It's just that I miss him already.

Conversations with my Monster, Part 5

LM: *rips a wipe in half* Broken.

Me: Yes, it is broken.

LM: Fix it.

Me: I can't.

LM: *trying to smush the two pieces together* Fix it!

Me: I can't, it's broken forever.

LM: Noooooo.

Conversations with my Monster, Part 4: IMs

The Nos are Coming

Overnight, No! has become the monster's favourite word. Or, more accurately,  Noooooooo! has become his favourite word. Said with the saddest, most forlorn voice imaginable.

He's picked up a tonne of other words recently.  We counted yesterday, and we've written down 60 words (across 2 languages) that he says fairly frequently. I estimate he actually has about 70, because I keep remembering ones I haven't put in.

He's said a few 2 word sentences in his life, one today, which was "go door" after he saw a door that he wanted to explore. Kinda wish I could have rewarded that by going to the door, but he literally pointed out every door on a building or car for a 20 minute walk, before I had to put him in his stroller (not because he was pointing out doors; he kept trying to wander away).

Also, he apparently hates being tickled. He always used to laugh hysterically at it.  Last night, he told me, "tickle no" and pushed my hand away. Obviously I respect that, but it kinda bums me out, 'cause his neck and ribs are just so tickleable. He tickles me, though, oddly.  Well, he rubs/hits/pinches/slobbers on/headbutts my back while announcing loudly that he's tickling me.  In fact, he is doing this right now, and it's making typing kinda hard.

I was going to leave this as it was, but the monster just said his first 3 word sentence! "Dog go google." Meaning that he wants to look at image search results of dogs, of course. Because why wouldn't a 17 month old know what google is?

Conversations with my Monster, part 3

Me: Are you going to put your shirt on?

LM: Noooo.

Me: No? But then you'll be naked.

LM: *throwing his arms in the air* Naken!

The Great Potty Training Saga: Part 2

So, things have gotten a bit derailed.

Monster was doing great, and had peed in the toilet first thing in the morning, two days in a row. Then I had to fly to my parents' place for a funeral, and while I brought the monster (and his toilet insert), that meant no opportunity to use the toilet at either airport, for the drive back to my parents' house, or for the two days spent at the funeral home for the visitation and funeral.

And then, at the cemetery, the gut pain started.  And by that evening, I was suffering from explosive diarrhea and bouts of vomiting.  I was about 100 x worse the next day and days after, and ended up having to reschedule my flight - the end result being that, while my family was really helpful, the monster only got to sit on the toilet maaaaybe twice, for the entire week I was there. He also only got one bath, and I'm pretty sure his teeth got neglected, too.   I was too sick to even give them instructions, and to be honest, I still feel guilty about this, a month later :(

It took a bit to get back into the swing of things, but I did - for a while, at least.  I made a dry erase board (see below) with check lists of things to do for morning, afternoon and evening. Basically, Toilet, breakfast, make bed, get dressed, brush teeth, toilet, snack, toilet, lunch, etc.  I set up a scheduled toilet break for before every meal and snack, plus first thing in the morning, and right before bed.  Plus, if he asks to go we take him.

He was actually peeing in the toilet a lot for the first little while.  Once he peed pretty much every time we put him up there (plus in between, but as I said, we don't want him to hold it yet). He even pooped in the toilet once, after asking to use it.

I don't know exactly what happened since then, but somehow we fell out of the routine, and fell out of using the dry erase board.  The past week or so, when I've put him on the toilet, he hasn't gone, and he always wants to get down sooner. He does still like to sit up there to read a "manko" (magazine), but he's not doing the excited dash to the bathroom, or grabbing his insert and putting it on the toilet anymore.

So that's where we are.  Today was kind of a nothing day, as I still feel pretty gross and I really don't have the energy or firm stomach needed to be bending over repeatedly to put him on and take him off the toilet.  He is newly interested in his potty chair, though, so maybe I'll go that route.

On a positive note, when I use the toilet, he'll point at the toilet paper, and once I'm done, he reminds me to flush, points to the sink so I'll wash my hands, and tells me "Towel!" once my hands are washed.  He also occasionally grabs a piece of toilet paper and shoves it at my legs while shouting "Bum!"... I'm not really sure how to get him to stop doing this. It's super awkward, but then it's kind of good that he already knows that step.


DRY ERASE BOARD:
I kind of lied.  I didn't make a dry erase board.

I took a matted 11 x 13 picture frame we already had and decorated the mat with pages from a mid-nineties comic book (Superman is known as "Man!" around here).  Then I put a piece of cool-looking scrapbook paper with daily check lists where the picture would go.

Then I put the glass back in the frame, because apparently, glass is already a surface you can use dry erase on.  I already had a dry erase marker kicking around.

Conversations with my Monster, part 1

*While eating applesauce, the monster inserts the spoon at 90 degrees, and it comes out empty*

LM: All gone.

Me: It's not all gone, baby, there's lots left.

LM: Where'd it go?

Me: There's lots left.

LM: Gone.

Me: There's lots.

LM: Noooo.

The Great Potty Training Saga*: Part 1

*I assume it's going to be a saga; we've only just started.

A couple of months ago, we bought the monster a potty chair, just to get him used to the idea. Sitting on it with his clothes on, before baths, whatever.  He didn't hate it, but wasn't that into it, either. I hated it, because it has a closing lid which I always worried would pinch his fingers and it isn't very grippy on the bottom, so it slid around every time he got on or off.

A couple weeks ago, we bought him an insert (I was so excited that along with Dora and Paw Patrol, Walmart offered... plain white with green (Sesame Street green, but not a Sesame Street seat) handles.

He loves this thing, and asks to sit on the toilet multiple times per day.  He hasn't actually used the toilet yet, but there have been a couple of near misses.

The first, he asked to go on the toilet and I thought he just wanted to sit up there for (if you'll excuse the pun) shits and giggles.  He had food in his hand and I don't want him thinking he can use the toilet and eat at the same time (ew), so I didn't put him up.  Turns out he needed to poop.

The next time, he asked to go on the toilet, I put him on there (properly, with no pants or diapers) and (as per his demand) sat on the lid of his potty chair, while he babbled and kicked his feet.  He decided he was done, I helped him down and went to get a clean diaper.  I came back to him standing in a pile of poo (yay!)... it was also on the bath mat, his pants which I had removed and his socks.

Last night, he asked, I took to long getting his PJs and diaper off - he peed on my hand, my pants, his socks... and like 2 drops in the actual toilet. So... progress?

The thing is, he knows what the toilet is, and now he lets us know pretty much right away when his diaper is dirty.  He even says "diapuh" and will go and get one if he wants it changed.  He also will run to the bathroom to ask to sit on the toilet.  

I posted on my birth board and while a lot of people are training already (he's 15 months), I got my fair share of naysayers.  One person said she wants her kids to be potty trained, instead of herself becoming parent trained. I mean, I'm going to be taking him to the bathroom for the next five or six years when we're in public, and I'm trained to change his diaper every time he dirties it, so I'm pretty sure I'm already parent trained - and so is she - and so is anyone who has kids who are too young to use a public restroom alone.  The same woman had a lot to say about kids being emotionally ready, that they should feel remorse when they have an accident - which I think is a horrible way to try to avoid accidents which the kid may have literally no control over.

Another lady started talking about how in her house, kids aren't sitting naked on the potty chair in the living room, watching Barney.  Pretty sure she's projecting and that comment had nothing to do with me, since 1) The potty chair and all toilety stuff is in my bathroom, 2) I don't own a TV and the monster doesn't get screen time and 3) Didn't Barney go off the air like... 15+ years ago? I'm pretty sure no child is watching Barney whilst on the potty.

In terms of readiness, I don't want the monster to "hold it" (yet).  I want him to recognize the urge to go and communicate it to Mr. Wolfman or I, and it's our job to get him to the toilet on time. Honestly, I think he's getting it.  It'd be nice not to have to wipe poop off my bathroom floor, but hey, gotta start somewhere.

A Short Post About My One Year Old.

The monster is one! It really is hard to believe.  I spent much of the day before crying, saying he was going to grow up and hate me, how he won't like me when he's a teenager, how everything was terrible.  Clearly, in the last year, my hormones haven't balanced.

As for how he's doing - he's great. Right now he's sleeping horribly and still refusing most solids, but in the daylight hours, he's a happy, active baby.  He's recently worked out how to use his building blocks and loves toy cars and stuffed toys. He's also a fan of pillows.

He pretty much never crawls anymore and has a pretty decent vocabulary, spread over two languages. He's growing up too damn fast.

I could write endlessly about him, but I'll have to save it for another day because we're travelling soon and his first international flight promises to be an experience (which I'm sure will be worthy of its own post - especially because I'm eager to find out what works to keep a one year old calm on a 9 HOUR! flight and will definitely want to share my findings).  So, I'm off to finish packing and running around and losing my mind.

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.

Mr. Steps

So, the little monster has officially taken his first (proper) steps.  He can mostly walk across the living room now, which is amazing.  And, admittedly, terrifying.  He is growing up waaaay too fast, and it's kind of bumming be out.

I'm so excited for him to be walking and talking and everything, but I'm also wishing he could stay little just a little bit longer.  I imagine that all parents feel this way.

We've been trying to get a video to show the grandparents, but every time we get the camera out, he'd rather crawl.  Way of the world, I guess.

That's it for me for now.  I don't know if I mentioned in my last post that Crystal is away until August 4th. No idea what I'm going to do until then.  Nothing good on that front - PPD is eating my brain (there should be a PPRUA - postpartum raging un-explainable anger). Anyway.  Happy post.

Oh!  Also!  His first non-mum/dad word: Duh duh - which means Duck.

"Dad Dad"

All day long, my little monster asks for his Dad.  He bounces around and says "Dad, dad, dad!"  He bounces on the couch, saying "Dad, dad, dad" until I put a picture of him and Mr. Wolfman on the screen, then he smiles, laughs and bounces even more vigorously.  He lights up when he hears Mr. Wolfman's keys in the lock, like all his dreams are coming true.

I don't mind that I'm not the favourite.  Watching their relationship makes me feel like the luckiest person alive.

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.