Talking

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that Barak took a, how shall we say, relaxed approach to meeting his milestones. Have you seen the What to Expect book for the first year (I forget the title and am not going to bother to google it)? There's a list of what your baby may possibly be doing, what s/he might be doing, what s/he will probably be doing, and what, if they're not doing, they're doomed to a lifetime of remedial reading, math, and shoe-tying classes. Barak rarely, if ever, did anything in the last category on time. He didn't babble till almost nine months, he didn't sit up unassisted till eight and a half months, he didn't crawl until almost eleven months. He didn't pull up, he didn't stand--nothing. Oh, and he didn't talk.

That last one had me worried. I wasn't that bothered by the motor skills, because I figured he'd get those eventually. But that he wasn't even saying mama when he was one... well. That had me nervous.

His first word was "Abba," at around, I don't know, maybe thirteen months. After that was "yeah," and then "cracker" and "bubbles." "Amma" came a while later (that was me) followed shortly by "Amama" (that was the cat.)

At two and almost-a-half, he is now talking up such a storm that he is more and more clearly not a baby every day. Before I forget, here are some recent ones:

1. He's just learned about "just." As in, "No yogurt. Just granola" and "No poop potty. Just ice cream." Yesterday, in a moment of weakness, I offered him some chocolate milk. His reply: "No milk. Just chocolate please."

2. His standard formula for "Give me that" is "Barak hold it please." I never really thought about how this came about. But over Rosh Hashana it hit me. My FIL was here and mentioned that he thought I pushed the please and thank you a bit too much. (I respectfully disagreed.) He told me about a cousin who was forbidden to ever utter the phrase "I want." And then I remembered how I'd reacted when Barak first said "Gimme!" and "Mine!" I said, Barak, we don't talk like that! So now, instead of saying gimme or mine, he says "Hold it!" and "Barak's!" Which, for whatever reason, bother me less. Not really rational now that I think about it, but there you go.

3. The way Barak formulates his sentences bears the distinct signs of someone just figuring out pronouns. "Barak hold it duck, 'kay?" or "No Imma nurse it baby!" or "Imma help you Barak please!" or "Barak go innair room?" or "Polar bear go splash! Polar bear watch it!"

4. In the fabulous box she sent some months ago, Grandma E. included a copy of "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins." Never has a book been loved so much by someone so small. Those goblins, they are so scary! Goblins so scary terrifying! Goblins huge! Hershel crush it egg, squeeze it! Door whoosh open Hershel goblins so scary! Goblins Hershel so scary Imma read it! Imma read it please!

Oh, the baby just woke up. I'll add to the list when I think of more things, bli neder.