Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Hug-eee!

Alexander's vocabulary has suddenly exploded. For months he's been using a nice comfortable group of a couple of dozen words, but within the last week he has ventured into new territory. It's like he's sifting through the dictionary when we're not looking.

One of the cutest was the other night when we were about to partake in our bath-time/bed-time ritual. (Usually there's some settling down time, a bath, warm milk, a snack, then stories, then sleepy-time). As I was trying to get him to come upstairs for his bath, he stood in the kitchen saying "Hug-eee! Hug-eee!" Since he likes group hugs (being sandwiches between Fran and myself in a family hug), that's what we thought he was saying. So we gave him a group hug. But he then said "Milk" (okay, it was actually "Milke" - I love the way some of his words come off with an "e" sound on the end of them, as if he's speaking some Chaucerian Olde English language) -- it was then we realized he was saying he was hungry. He now uses that word when it's time for lunch, breakfast, supper, or one of the dozens of snacks he has every day.

And yesterday, of course, when we were heading off to vote and I was telling him about the importance of exercising our democratic rights and our civic duties, he kept saying "Vote!" -- of course, in fitting with political gesturing, it was a foggy night, and so he was also saying "Foggy" -- he was most proud of the way in which that word rolled off his tongue.

I'm continuing to look forward to what new batch of words he's saying when I get home from work tonight. Or tonightee, as Alexander would likely say.

4 comments:

lime said...

ooooh, that language explosion is really my favorite stage in a young child's life. it's just so amazing to see and hear it happen. and it's such a door into their little minds. amazing every single day!

Franny said...

That is so sweet! Nice to come home to.

Phain said...

yeah we spend three years teaching the lil' buggers to talk, then spend the next 15 trying to get 'em to shut up! :)

Georganna Hancock M.S. said...

Observing my child's progress in using the English language was the best part of parenting for me. I never understood, though, why (in baby talk) water came out as "wungee".