They say boys start talking later than girls, and every kid has their own timeline. But there are days I am amazed at the creative ways Liam has learned to communicate with us when just learning the WORD would be so much simpler! He gets his point across (most of the time) and with some real creative flair. His "language" can be categorized three ways: Words, Sounds and Charades. Here are a few of the latest additions to Liam's "vocabulary":
WordsUm mum mum - Any guesses? That one is "ottoman." Aka, he wants the toy box opened.
Er-raj - Garage. Aka, "Hey Mom, Dad's home!"
Thhhhhh - Soother. Liam's preferred method for tending to Sarah's squawks.
SoundsKsssshhhhhh - Water. Or the sound that water makes when the tap is running.
Kssh - Coke. Or the sound a tin of coke makes when the tab is opened.
Snort. Not the word, but the sound that is made by pinching your nose and blowing. Usually in response to Mojo sneezing.
CharadesLiam's charades are a series of routines that get more detailed all the time. For example, a month ago when Liam asked for Dad, I would say "Dad's at work" and he would rub his head as if shampooing. Still not sure where that comes from, but to Liam maintaining clean hair is a tough job. Especially if there's ketchup around. Now when I say "Dad's at work" Liam makes the following gestures:
Rubs his head for a nice, bubbly lather.
Says "coo!" (His word for car, and how Matt gets to work.)
Points to eye....because Matt wears glasses when driving.
Turns wrist side to side....he's turning the key in the ignition, of course.
Sways head left to right a couple of times.....because you listen to music in the car.
He's got it all figured out. Now if only he would say "milk".....
Correction. This WAS the playpen that Liam slept in (with relatively little fuss) on such days.
Naptime at Grandma and Grandpa's house now takes place in a travel playpen...that has a zippered lid!
Back off, Mojo!...
One of Liam's favorite park activities is to put pea gravel, wood chips - whatever is dirty and available - on playground surfaces. Much to the horror of a pig-tailed 3 year old girl, the surface du jour last Tuesday happened to be the base of the slide. She was on the swings at the opposite end of the playground at the time, but announced with absolute certainty that no good could come of Liam's handiwork. She was probably right, but being preoccupied with feeding Sarah at the time I may have pretended not to notice his actions or her indignant protests. Tattle tale.
Once on solid footing we still managed a few giggles in Monika's direction....
And an obliging pose for Mom....
Last but not least, we have Desperation Park....the playground that's so close even Liam gets there on his own two feet. We go to this one when it looks like rain but we are going STIR CRAZY in the house. It's a lame park. Even Liam thinks so. But there's gravel and a slide and very rarely are any little girls there to tell him off for making piles. Everyone wins.
And what do I do at the park? I have a big responsibility: I am entrusted with holding the "special" rocks...
