“I do it!!!” In those simple three words, Maia is speaking volumes, and speaks more and more every day. One of the funniest/cutest things is how she adds “me” onto the end of phrases to explain that she wants to do it. Some examples:
- “Mama sleepin’ me.”
- “Holdin’ me.”
- “Unwa (underwear) me.”
She’s like a little parrot too, and repeats all the short phrases that we say. You can imagine how fun this is for both Keana and Maia. Luckily Keana uses this mostly for good and not evil. And even though Maia has more words and phrases than we can keep track of at this point, she still balances her new skills with traditional growling and screaming. The girl has got a scream. What better way to fend off a sister twice your size than with a super-sonic “NOOOO SISSY!!!” or an ear-piercing scream? Quite effective. Keana covers her ears and runs the other way. It’s also interesting to see the parallels between acquiring language and gaining independence in other realms too. Maia is a fierce dresser, much like her sister, in the fact that she knows exactly what she wants to wear and there’s no talking her out of it. Most of the time, it’s perfectly reasonable, except for those times she chooses long sleeves when it’s 100 degrees outside or a little dress when it’s 55. Once the clothes are chosen, as you prepare to help her dress, she quickly says, “I do it, I do it.” Of course she prefers to just run around naked most of the time, but also really enjoys her new underwear- since she only wears a diaper at night- and changing in and out of different outfits all day long.
On the flip side of that, Keana, who is extremely articulate, has recently reverted in the language department. We think it may be influenced by her best friend at school who is not nearly as articulate as she is. It may also just be that all 4-year-olds prefer fart noises and silly rhymes to well-formed sentences. It’s hard for me not to be too hard on her and let her have her fun. I just try to remind myself that in spite of her silliness, she is an amazing communicator and seems way above average in the language and comprehension department. Her language skills really shine in her imaginary play when she’s by herself. She tells very elaborate stories and handles both sides of the dialogue, often breaking into songs that are beginning to actually make sense with lyrics that sometimes rhyme. The way she changes her voice inflections to create drama and suspense is awesome, especially when she slips in some ominous music in between lines. One of the really funny things I’ve noticed lately is that she narrates her toy set-up like a commercial. In a tone like a TV announcer, she’ll say things like, “Cinderella, in a beautiful rubber dress, sparkling for your enjoyment!” We don’t even have regular TV any more, so she gets it from the advertisements that show before some of her movies I guess.
One of the funny things about being a parent is that when your kids are young, you absolutely love their little baby voice with its baby accent, mispronounced words, and unconventional phrases. So much so, that when they finally learn to talk properly, you’re sad it’s gone. You look at old videos and say to each other, “Ohhhh, wasn’t it so cute when she talked like that?!” Then it’s not long before you’re criticizing them for saying things like, “Me do it!” or “Why does it be that way?” I guess you just have to always try and appreciate whatever phase their going through or whatever thing they’re experimenting with, all the while steering them towards learning words and speaking properly so their thoughts can be clearly voiced and understood.