Tot Talks and Babe Squeaks
There's a bit of irony in me posting this blog piece now- as it's about tot talking....and tot has been pretty poorly this week... therefore she has not really talked! However, before this week- and as of today, with Tot feeling better- she's been chatting away!
If you read my previous blog post, you'd have seen she was calling her baby sister: 'Sticker.' Well...this has developed over the week to 'Sticky' and then on to 'Sia,' which, quite honestly, called me to quickly photograph our little babe like this:
I've had 'I'm gonna swing from the chandelier-ear' stuck in my head all week! (Also- complete aside note- but is the real Sia called Sia because you can't 'Sia?!?' Ha ha.)
Anyway...there are so many words that Tot has suddenly come out with- it's incredible. It's also a bit worrying- we've really got to watch what we say!
I'm pretty sure she recently told a little boy in the play park to: "Go away!" I must admit, I was stumped. I wasn't sure whether to acknowledge it or not: had I heard correctly? Could she possibly know what she was saying- and in context? (To be fair to Tot, he was kinda irritating- he'd been following us around, giving us a running commentary about Tot:
"She's got her shoes on."
"She's going on slide."
"She's got eyes."
"Yes, yep, yep," was much of my reply, wondering who'd signed me up to be Nanny McPhee of the play park...)
I didn't want to tell Tot off, as I couldn't be sure it wasn't just unfortunate babble, but then the little boy looked at me and said: "She tol' me to go way!" Oh great.
The start of an inquisition?
"Oh...did she?" was my vacant reply (terrible tactic, slap my wrists!)
And I followed it with, "I do apologise," which, on reflection, was the most formal thing I've ever said to a three year old! Poor kid. I do feel sorry for him now.
The majority of Tot's talk is (honestly!) still babble though- but it obviously means something to her....Like, for example, the fact that she calls the Bumbo seat, 'Steve.' No idea why. Steve the Bumbo it is.
Our littlest babe is also starting to 'join in' the conversation now that she's 9 weeks old, too. She does a few random baby squeaks! Oh- and she smiles now! It's a cracker of a cheesy grin! Lovely!
Talking of our little babe, she's getting good at communicating too, by the good old trick of mouthing her own hands when she's hungry. My Husband and I refer to this as her 'gammin,' which I believe is a made up word, to be said in a farming-style twang. "The baby's gammin 'er 'ands fer nammit!! Oo er!"
We were chuckling at one point this week, thinking how funny it was that she 'gams' at her hands like that- I might do it when we next go to a restaurant and see what sort of reaction I get. I'll order a starter, then I'll just slowly nibble my knuckles- and then resort to wailing and crying, biting my own fingers frantically until the waiting staff bring out the mains!
To be fair, it's rare that babe has got to the frantic part because it's usually obvious what she wants with the initial hand gammin.
Either that, or if she's upright, she nuzzles your shoulder like a burrowing rabbit crossed with the Churchill nodding dog. And I mean that in a nice way! She's so very cute!
With Tot at 21 months and Babe at 9 weeks, most of my day is spent deciphering hand gams; decoding toddler talk; and talking in tones that'd put Mr Tumble to shame. Sometimes I wonder whether I'll lose the ability to effectively talk to adults. Or whether I'll lose the ability to teach teenagers without saying, "Uh dear!" every time they drop a pen.
But I love this communication malarkey; I find it pretty fascinating. And it's pretty cool that we understand each other just by knowing each others' ways. Amazing little people.
