Adjectives and other words

No Isobel does not know her nouns from her pro-nouns yet, It's just that I have been amazed at hr a child's language develops.

First it was little girl's correct use of 'too' that surprised me; 'mummy too' when going to the park with daddy etc

But recently things have become 'really stuck' or Isobel is suddenly 'really busy mummy' just when it is bathtime.

Isobel and Elif were having a long conversation about buses the other morning:

I: 'Bus!'
E: 'Bus!'
I: 'Big bus'
E: 'Red bus'
I: 'Bus really heavy'

You can't argue with that, can you.

Arse from my 'obel

Over the Christmas hols I am not the only one to have gained, but while it's pounds I've amassed Isobel has been busily adding to her vocabulary.

This is in danger of being a proud mummy post, but actually I'm putting it down here because I am worried I will forget.

Over Christmas I was impressed that Isobel had added a new body part to her list. Apparently my daughter had learnt where her elbow is.

In fact she had learnt where it was and kept repeating it.

Except it wasn't her elbow, her mother was being rubbish.

She was actually saying her name, she had mastered the concept of 'me' and 'mine'.

It's 'Obel'.

I have now assumed what will undoubtedly be my identity for many years to come: I am 'Obel's Mummy'.

Along with her name Isobel now knows the difference between hot and cold and light and dark. She knows when things are 'ninished'; can tell her mummy to be 'fareful'; knows about 'now', 'rain' and 'sunshine'; can point out buses; name all her favourite tele programmes (the shame!); ask for her favourite dinner, rice fish and peas, pasta, pizza; and she can make her own scrambled eggs.

Morbid-go-round? Walkies?

Another weekend has passed and there are sooo many things I could blog about...

Isobel choosing to play among the headstones rather than the swings.



The new words: door, ball and cheese.

The counting: one, twoooo, freeeeeeeeee!

The mother of all tantrums because I wouldn't let her play with the snip-snips (nail clippers), and how helpless I felt.

Isobel eating my linguine rather than her pizza pie (yes, these are PDs gorgeous pics, I'm sitting next to her within linguine grabbing range)




Or Isobel taking her daddy (who still isn't sure of how to handle off-piste napping) for a walk.



Maybe, just maybe, I should find some words to describe how it felt when all my little girl wanted was to hold my and PD's hands at the same time...

I would take a picture if I could, but it would get wet

In the mornings I tend to pop Isobel back in her cot while I shower.

She knows it's not sleep time because she isn't in her sleeping bag, the light is on, and she has books.

Sometimes she grumbles a bit.

But from my viewpoint in the shower, I can see her and I know she is just trying to make me feel bad.

Other times I have my shower to the the strains of 'uh-oh, oh-no', this means she is reading 'We're going on a bear hunt'. You know how it goes:

'Uh-oh, long wavy grass
We can't go over it
We can't go under it.

Oh-no! We'll have to go through it!'

If it's The Gruffalo I hear my current favourite Isobel word 'Twit-twoo' from her it sounds more like 'bwit-woo' but I know she is talking about the owl. (Sss = the snake)

This morning though it was 'e-i-e-i-o' obviously for Isobel it is a pig farm that old MacDonald has because her piggy grunt was the animal noise I heard.

And then, when Isobel laughs at me from her bed, I like to think it's because I'm playing peek-a-boo and not because I'm naked.

Ps. This evening she actually said Gruffalo, well at least I think she did, and because I am the Mum I must be right.

A little more conversation

I wouldn't say my child is a genius, but she is fairly bright.
(actually I'm being kind of modest; of course I think my child's a
genius, it's part of the job description isn't it?)

Anyway, Thursday afternoon I was having a little sit down in the
bathroom and Isobel was running around. Yes, the door was open and I
have LONG got over the fact that there are somethings you'd rather do
alone. One day ...

From my vantage point I noticed Isobel too had been busy so I asked
her: "Have you done a poo, do we need to change your nappy?"

"Yes." Came the reply as she ran off.

She returned with the babywipes, lay herself down on the bath map,
merrily singing "Doo Doo".

Since then if I miss the 30 seconds she spends concentrating on
apparently nothing, or fail to notice her new aroma, it's ok because
she tells me "doo doo". *

Thursday evening her synapses were definately firing because where as
the night before I had only managed to get her to point to the cat and
dog, that evening we kind of got a "woof" well maybe it was a "doof".

But we definately got a "twit twoo". And the feat has been repeated
many times!

For once I actually mean 'we', PD was there too.

Of course he agrees: little girl is a GENIUS!

*for those in SA please note, she is definately saying poo not sleep,
you see here doo doos is something a dog does on a pavement, not
something you do on a pillow. (Mind you I don't know you all that
well...)

Sent from my iPhone

Jolly good company

A few weeks ago I muttered the words 'I'm not enjoying Isobel that much'. I'd had a groundhog week (yes, only a week!), the sun had been shining and I was picturing happy young folk sitting by the river with a nice cold glass of Chablis in their hands wandering home when it go too cold to sit outside anymore.

And what was I doing? I was doing the the same thing I do EVERY day I was going home to pick up my little girl. I felt trapped and I was mourning my loss of freedom. (Just typing these words makes me sad all over again.)

But you know what? As soon as I'd said it and gone through all the emotion I'd been trying to deny, things got miraculously better.

I don't know if Isobel was frustrated by not being able to walk, or if we were just feeding off each other's negative emotion, but I have to say my walking and not-really-yet-talking little girl has become the best company ever.

She wanders around the house bringing me presents with a 'Ta', she cuddles, she kisses, she plays and she likes to sit beside me.

You and me girl, we are going to go far.

Isobel's favourite word..

is bloomin' 'Daddy'

We get home and as we reach the front door it's 'Daddy, Daddy, Daddy'.

And he doesn't even live here.

Short but sweet

Yesterday Isobel said 'Mum' not mama not a mamamama whine; nope a
full blown, beautifully articulated

'Mum', no one else heard it, she's not repeated it.

Not like Daddy, which is the first thing she said when we got home!

Hmph!

Sent from my iPhone

Clear as a Bel

Isobel has articulated very clearly her first proper word.

I don't mean mama or even dada, nor any of the other sounds that sound
like words.

Nope, today Isobel very clearly said 'Daddy'! And she said it
approriately. I'm not spitting as many chips as I thought I would be!
I just tell myself it's because I taught it to her. (You just knew I'd
take the credit somehow.)

Oh, she also said 'bye', not the ba ba we've known to be 'bye' for so
long.

Love her, she has been absolutely delightful today.

Sent from my iPhone