One thing about parenthood that I hope I have learned is to stop worrying so much. Deep down, I know she is developing normally, but that doesn’t mean that small, annoying doubts don’t creep in. Mere days before Claire she started crawling, I started getting concerned that she wasn’t crawling. I started getting antsy that she wasn’t walking, and then she suddenly started walking days later. And then the same thing with her talking.
Part of the problem is that I have always been terrible at figuring out what toddlers are saying. I guess I was under the illusion that I would have some innate ability to understand my own flesh and blood, when in reality it’s time that matters. She will say something over and over, and then it will suddenly click in my own mind and I will realize what she is trying to say.
Mmmm, watermelon
She doesn’t always use the words in the correct context, but there are many occasions when she does, so I think she pretty much knows how to use these words, but perhaps she is testing out other possible contexts, or she might even just enjoy making those sounds.
In no particular order, some “Claire-isms”:
“A-Two” (Thank You) – We usually say “Thank you” when she hands something to us, so she uses it when she gives something away. Close enough!
“Uh-oh” – This was probably one of the first things she said that we immediately understood. She doesn’t quite get that one is not really supposed to say “Uh-oh” when purposefully throwing something on the floor.
“Hi”
“Bé” (Bye) – This is almost always accompanied by a wave.
“Ma” – Well, this one is tricky. I think that this sometimes means me; other times it means milk, and yet other times it just means that she wants something.
“A-Da” (All done) – The cutest is when she says this and throws her hands out at the same time. This is probably one of her current favourites (in close competition with “Uh-oh”), and thus she uses it when she is not actually done whatever she’s doing (eating, looking at a book, playing with a toy).
