It’s been far too long since my last post. I’ve got a habit of not writing blogs, partly because I doubt myself and think that I’ve got nothing to say and when I do have something to say it’s not that profound or interesting, but partly because I have started to write more mini posts on facebook, and that seems to be about all I can write sometimes. I will keep nudging myself to write, though, and remind myself of my main goal of helping someone, anyone, with their parenting journey. If I happen to become famous/rich/etc then that would be just grand. Improbable, but grand. Heck, I’d even take some freebies to product test. Could do with a new vacuum….
Today’s topic! Now we’re talking. No, really, we’re big on talking now! Up until now Sophie would only say the odd word; Mama, Dada, woof (or “Wuh”) and so on, but she’s steadily building her vocabulary, and while I am looking forward to the day that we have long conversations about dinosaurs and cake I’m really enjoying each occasional new word that she comes out with. This week, the words have been coming thick and fast, (she hasn’t said “thick” or “fast” yet though) and we’ve had such a laugh with her! Luckily we’ve avoided any rude or embarrassing words so far but I’m sure those words are just around the corner.
Despite evidence showing the opposite, I still had a slight flicker of worry that because Sophie had been learning Baby Sign she would take longer to start speaking, maybe because she was able to communicate one way she wouldn’t feel the need to learn to talk. This is one of the big misconceptions around signing (I mean, we all sign anyway without thinking; clapping, waving and pointing to name a few!) and although it was nestled in the back of my mind, it was not entertained and I happily threw myself into teaching her all the signs I could cram into my own head. Now at 19 months she knows over 100 signs and is suddenly trying to say anything she hears, so I’d better learn to calm down my road-rage a bit…
At the start of October I had a bit of fun with her and taught her to say “brains” whenever I asked “What does a zombie say?”, and by Halloween I had the cutest little zombie! It is so rewarding and sometimes just hilarious when they come out with a new word, and this afternoon Damien and I were in stitches when I appeared around the door, startling Sophie ever so slightly that her usual greeting of “lo” became a perfect little “Hel-lo” as she punctuated her surprised exhale with the first syllable. Sounds silly and possibly mundane to anyone else, but right there at that moment, the first time she’d said more than “lo” and what led her to do it was just one of those unforgettable moments.
Days like this remind me that she won’t be as she is now for long, she’s always growing and learning and surprising me, and one more big reason to blog is her. The more I write down before it fades from my memory the longer these little moments will live on. That, and the 18375890 photos I take every day.