Within the last few weeks Elliot has increased his vocabulary exponentially and become much more stable physically. Even just last week, he fell off the couch and landed on his head pretty much once every day. This week? No major injuries to report and its already Friday! (I hope I'm not jinxing this good luck by posting about it).
Mostly, though, its his communication skills that thrill me. It's so incredible when suddenly you realize you are actually communicating with your child. I remember loving this stage with Owen, too. I can say something like "Take your book and put it in the basket by the door", and I can watch his brain working and figuring it out. The look of pleasure and satisfaction on his face is so pure when he knows he is truly understanding the world around him.
Among the dozens of new words he uses, these are my favorites because they are always accompanied by a physicalization that fits just perfectly:
1) I'll put his food on the table and he'll look at me quizzically and put his hand directly on the food and ask "Hot?" and wait for me to say yes or no. If it's yes, he'll blow on it and then taste it. "Hot!" he'll answer in smug affirmation.
2) If you ask him if something is heavy he'll go around the room pretending to lift things like the couch, the chair, the table (or me!) and as he grunts in fake exertion he exclaims "Heavy!!!"
3) When he's done with something (the bottle, the food, the toy, the book) he'll hold it up in the air and shout out "THERE YOU GO!" to anyone who may be nearby to take it from him.
And he carries on a pretty fine conversation in gibberish, too, with rhythmic cadences, questions, statements and answers. Sometimes we have whole discussions about things where neither one of us has used a proper English word, but somehow, we totally get each other. It's fun.
3 comments:
This so exciting. I feel the thrill in the reading of your account. He is SO cute! I had a pleasant recall of Luke was Elliot's age, he also loved the word "heavy" and would try lifting various things and then declare, "HEAVY" with just the right amount of drama added to it. We love you so much, Elliot. GG
Today we were in a parking garage where there were huge concrete pillars, maybe three feet in diameter, which support a hotel above. Elliot ran to one, hugged it as best he could, and shouted "Hebby", which of course is how he says heavy...
I dare say it is the heaviest thing he's attempted.
Paul
Isn't this age cute?? And leave it to you, Lisel, to carry on a conversation in gibberish!! I can just see the picture of him trying to lift that concrete pillar!! It is going to be so much fun to see his personality develop!!! We already got Owen pegged--a very perfectionistic little boy that knows almost as much as I do!! I don't want to race him on a suduko, he'd probably win!!! :-)
Aunt Carol
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