'Mano y 'Mano

Playing at the Dr's office

I sat Jimmy in his highchair in the kitchen the other day because Joey was asleep in Jimmy’s little chair and Jimmy was sleepy and fussy and whiney and I needed a place he could fall asleep comfortably. So he sat there watching me cook and clean and played with a couple of toys and ate some snacks. I noticed after awhile he was fiddling with his hands down under the tray – I figured he was playing with the straps – and then Joey started waking up and fussing/talking a little. Jimmy said “mano” and I looked over and he was still fiddling with his hands. I said “Yes! Hands! Manos!” He looked at me and I said “Where are your manos??” and he pointed at the living room. All of a sudden it dawned on me that he wasn’t saying “manos” he was saying “hermano”!!! He had heard Joey waking up and tried to tell me!

Vocabularies are really starting to explode around our house. Joey is “talking” more and grinning and is starting to get excited when he sees us and looks for us when he hears our voices. Jimmy has started saying so many new words and saying the “old” words more clearly and using them the correct way. It’s really fun and exciting to hear a new one. He gets a little shy about being put on display when we ask him to tell people a new word or phrase but when he’s comfortable in his environment he’ll yell them out! These are some of the newer ones he’s been saying lately:

-‘mano (hermano – “brother” in Spanish)
- hello
- bye (with a Texas accent)
- hola

- It’s finished (in Spanish – don’t know how to spell it cause I’m a gringo)
- It fell down (in Spanish - ….gringo)
- ‘sta? (donde esta – “where is it” in Spanish)

Yesterday he was demanding from his high chair that I put ham and then avocado on his tray. He was saying firmly and loudly “Aca, aca!” while pointing at his tray and then said “ Aca! Me, me!” I’m actually not sure if that was “me, me” or if it was “meemee” which is what the little kids at the sitters call him since they can’t seem to say “jimmy”. I was pretty impressed with him! But I had to remind him not to talk to me that way…even if he was using new words appropriately!

It seems like books might become more appealing to Jimmy soon. Up to this point books where just things to throw around and pages to turn or rip and forget sitting still long enough to actually be read to. Over the weekend Jimmy found a one page ad for a hardware store and carried it around awhile. I noticed him sitting in the chair a couple of times poring over the pictures. Then last night he found it again and stood and looked at it for a long time and then flipped it over and looked at the other side. So I got a book out for him and he looked through it several times but then ended up throwing it. Maybe we’re finally getting to a place where he’ll enjoy having books read to him and looking at the pictures. I think I’ll start bringing them out a little more often and see what he thinks.