I can't recall whether I've written before about being concerned that Evie wasn't learning her words. Being in our previous playgroup, it seemed like Evie was somehow behind in this venture. Her peers were quoting all the sounds of animals, attempting colors and shapes, and repeating words as their moms' said them. Evie, on the other hand, was mostly babbling. I talked to Will many nights wondering if we'd have to take her to a speech therapist like we've heard of others doing. I was saddened by the idea that I was doing something wrong as her mother, or worse, that something was wrong with her developmentally. I kept hearing false words of comfort from strangers who'd ask (when she didn't say much around them) "oh, she's x months old? Is she the youngest? Oftentimes the youngest don't work on words because they have siblings to translate", or "you can tell she's piecing it together. The words will come any minute." I tried never to show Evie my concern, and didn't start subjecting her to flash cards or pop quizzes. I tried to keep my calm and decided to be 'certain' that she was perfectly on track.
And she is.
Suddenly, her words are just flying out. Things we had no idea she'd ever heard or understood. She's piecing them together in attempted fragments. Currently, her most favorite is "mama, nope." But she has a ton. We drive Will to the train every morning, and without prompting she'll say "Bye Bye, Dadu. Choo Choo. Work". I made homemade crackers tonight and when she saw them she proclaimed "Cracker. Please. Please, cracker". Without a doubt, she knows the word for cookie, despite only having one every blue moon.
If I had to list all her words, I'm no longer certain I could. I used to obsess over it. Prompted by other moms who'd say "Oh, s/he has over twenty/thirty/forty words at this point. How many does Evie have?" I'd try to count, and come up with maybe 7 (mama, dadu, nana, grandpa, banana, no, and do (short for "I do", which also means "yes")). I would try to hide my disappointment when I realized how few she had. And now, I really don't think I could count. It's like it happened over night. She repeats almost everything Will or I say. It's suddenly become imperative we watch our language!
What's more is that she's recognizing letters. As we read a book, she'll point to an "e" and say "me! or E-e", or an "m" and say "mama", a "d" and say "dadu", and so on so forth. At a minimum, she can identify a, c, d, e, g, i, m, n, p, and q and offers accompanying words for most of them. To say I'm proud is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, I am not the type of mother who is determined that my child must read by preschool, and that if she's reading by kindergarten that she's behind. I'm not the type of mom who feels Evie should have a certain number of accomplishments by a certain number of months. But, I am the type of mom who wants Evie to at least be tracking with her peers. To not somehow start off on the wrong foot or be behind because of missteps of mine. I guess that's the pressure I put on myself of this being my full time job. Most important is that she has a loving, warm, nurturing childhood. Second is that I don't somehow screw it up.
And now that the words are coming, Will and I joke that we're so eager to hear all that she has to say, but yet both a little terrified that it means we can no longer pretend we don't understand what she's asking for.
And she is.
Suddenly, her words are just flying out. Things we had no idea she'd ever heard or understood. She's piecing them together in attempted fragments. Currently, her most favorite is "mama, nope." But she has a ton. We drive Will to the train every morning, and without prompting she'll say "Bye Bye, Dadu. Choo Choo. Work". I made homemade crackers tonight and when she saw them she proclaimed "Cracker. Please. Please, cracker". Without a doubt, she knows the word for cookie, despite only having one every blue moon.
If I had to list all her words, I'm no longer certain I could. I used to obsess over it. Prompted by other moms who'd say "Oh, s/he has over twenty/thirty/forty words at this point. How many does Evie have?" I'd try to count, and come up with maybe 7 (mama, dadu, nana, grandpa, banana, no, and do (short for "I do", which also means "yes")). I would try to hide my disappointment when I realized how few she had. And now, I really don't think I could count. It's like it happened over night. She repeats almost everything Will or I say. It's suddenly become imperative we watch our language!
What's more is that she's recognizing letters. As we read a book, she'll point to an "e" and say "me! or E-e", or an "m" and say "mama", a "d" and say "dadu", and so on so forth. At a minimum, she can identify a, c, d, e, g, i, m, n, p, and q and offers accompanying words for most of them. To say I'm proud is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, I am not the type of mother who is determined that my child must read by preschool, and that if she's reading by kindergarten that she's behind. I'm not the type of mom who feels Evie should have a certain number of accomplishments by a certain number of months. But, I am the type of mom who wants Evie to at least be tracking with her peers. To not somehow start off on the wrong foot or be behind because of missteps of mine. I guess that's the pressure I put on myself of this being my full time job. Most important is that she has a loving, warm, nurturing childhood. Second is that I don't somehow screw it up.
And now that the words are coming, Will and I joke that we're so eager to hear all that she has to say, but yet both a little terrified that it means we can no longer pretend we don't understand what she's asking for.
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