Maximus Cutiness

Charlotte and Trystan have some very funny vocabularies lately.



Despite what all the baby books said, Trystan didn't bother with a lot of babbling until he was almost 11.5 months old. It wasn't that he couldn't make sounds, he just didn't do it very often. Sounds other than cries of indignance or anger, that is. Around 10 months, when he ought to have been repeating consonant sounds (ba ba ba or da da da), he was busy making a lot of raspberry sounds, and that tounge cluck noise. We were beginning to wonder if he was learning Swahili at daycare instead of English. His first word was "Hi", complete with a hand wave. He still does not wave "bye", though I'm certain he knows exactly what it means.

Then one day, he decided to talk. After "hi", the first word I recognized was "mine". I'd been playing with him, teasingly taking away his pacifier, and he would giggle and grab it back. With one of the grabs, he said "mine". Clear as day. I guess that's appropriate for a younger sibling. Since then, he hasn't stopped with the words, though he does make a lot of nonsense words. His babbling now is what one of my books called "jargoning"--saying a comibination of sounds, not just repeating one over and over again. I recognize some words in his talking--he says a lot of "bubba"'s, which is an endearment we've used for him since he was born. Here's a few of his other words (the ones we definitely understand):

Ada (Daddy--he's also been known to say "Hi Ada!" and wave...a whole sentance!)

Mum Mum (roughly translated: Mommy, where's my pacifier)

Arla (Charlotte)

Dora (yes, *that* Dora...Charlotte watches a couple episodes a week)

Wipe ("Swiper"...as in "the Fox")

BackPack (sense a theme here?)

Duck

Quack

Book

Bubba

lunch (usually sounds like "nch"...definitely means food to him)

cereal (he said that one this morning--all 3 syllables plain as day, while looking at the Cheerios box)

That (more of a "da"...he's beginning to point when he says it sometimes too)



Not to be outdone, Charlotte's vocabulary is taking off too. She is telling long, complex stories, and recalling events that happened months or even years ago. She makes up stories and songs (sometimes she borrows an existing tune, sometimes both the tune and the lyrics are brand new). She is also turning into a fitness guru. Her daycare offers an extra exercise class called "Stretch N Grow" where a lady named "Coach Tammy" leads the kids in a variety of exercises, and teaches them about muscles and bones and staying strong and healthy. Charlotte does this adorable routine that involves stretches, toe touches, and waist twists as she chants "We Stretch! We Stretch! We Groooow!", in a scary imitation of the cheerleading coach from my Jr High (No, I wasn't one...but I had her in class...come to think of it, her name was Tammy too).

I think one of the best things Char has learned from her exercise class is what she now calls her bottom: her "bootius maximus", or occasionally it's her "maiximus bootiness".


Talk about cute!