Language

Yesterday's silliness aside, language development is the one greatest thing that makes you recognize higher intelligence in your previously unexpressive child. And Megan just happens to be at the point where her language is exploding. I don't think I am exaggerating to say that Megan is picking up a new word almost everyday.

First came the noun stage. Megan would name everything she knew or would pick up. She still delights in this, particularly if it is a word she just recently learned.

But now Megan is also exploring verbs and adjectives.

Outside Megan used to tell me everything she was picking up: rock, rake (her toy one), stick, leaf, flower. Now she skips the name and gives me a descripter: "lil-lull"(little), big (anything larger than a golf ball essentially), "heebee" (heavy - for the things she can't pick up), "dreen" (green), "lellow" (yellow), purple.

Megan is also starting to put word phrases together - mostly ones that let you know exactly what she wants.
"Tows (cows). pet", "tee (tree). touch... ouch" (Megan likes to touch the pine trees and then say ouch though they don't really hurt her). "food eat." My favorite two word phrases, though, are "hold you" and "carry you." Hey, she might understand possessive's, but the pronouns still need a bit of work.

Oddly, we thought we'd better understand our kid when she started talking, but really this created more mysteries.

Why does Megan stand in front of the fridge and name everything that could possibly be in there, but if you ask her if she wants any of the things she just named, she says no.

Why did it take Megan two extra weeks to master the color orange, when she could neam all the other colors left and right? My theories are that the word is too hard to say ('utch') or that she just prefered to lump all the orange things in with her favorite color yellow. And why does Megan still mix up black and white? Those two are as different as, well, black and white!

And we wonder where Megan picks up her words. Coming out of the YMCA two bikers rode by. "Cycles" says Megan. What! no one taught her that! And the day after Megan got her fingernails cut she pointed to her toenails and said "nails - cut." So we cut her toenails too, amazed she had grasped that concept without explicit teaching.

But the worst mystery is when Megan stands in front of you pleading, constantly repeating a single urgent word, but we can only stare back blankly. What are those jumbled syllables supposed to mean?? Hopefully, we'll learn soon enough.