Typical 2 yr old behavior

The photo above was taken when we visited the Cap Karma Ladies last week. You can read all about it here.

We've compared notes with Ashish (in North Carolina) and Saadia (in Sunnyvale), two people with toddlers around the same age. Both reported that their toddler does the same thing that M does! And all this time we had thought this behavior was just an M-ism...

Barking orders.
M has gotten very good at barking orders. Pointing at a location and telling someone to "sit". "Sit mama", "Sit gagm (grandma)", "Sit floor", "Sit Carpeh (carpet)", "Mama cheh (chair)". Demanding that something be fetched for her.

Saying "no" when they really mean "yes".
"Do you want some grapes?". "No". Take the grapes away, and you get borderline-about-to-cry protesting. "Do you want grapes?". "Uh" in affirmation.


I think there was something else, but I can't remember what it was. I'm sure it'll come back to me later...

French CDs ousted from car

Slowly, one by one, my French CDs are being ousted from the car. It began with one of M's CDs, then another, and another. So out went Jean Jacques Goldman. Out went Francis Cabrel. Now they're all her music. That's not too bad. I don't mind listening to her CDs, but it does get a little old when she wants to hear one specific song (currently "Mommy & Me" from Mommy and Me: More Playgroup Favorites) repeatedly. She does that I'm about to cry thing when track #2 starts and goes on for too long. Needless to say, I finally figured out which button to press to automatically repeat one track...

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We've been very busy lately because we have spent most of our weekends house hunting. Last weekend was a perfect example and I am still surprised at how much we accomplished...

Saturday morning was spent getting through morning breakfast and then rounding up M for Musical Lapsit at the library. I think it is one of the highlights of her week. Ann (the Childrens Librarian) does finger plays, reads books, and sings songs. All the kids love it. Then it's back home to fix M some lunch before heading out to look at Open Houses in Sunnyvale (an hours drive away). After all the running around, we are pretty exhausted when we return home. Sunday was spent visiting the inlaws in Fremont (also an hours drive away), where M could show off her new M-isms. She is talking a lot more now, and also speaking her mind. With all the go-go-go of the weekend, it was a surprise that I even managed to 5(!!!) loads of laundry and some other misc house things. I felt like I blinked and the weekend completely passed us by. We saw two Open Houses in Fremont, in the same neighborhood where my inlaws live. We liked one of the houses and thought about making an offer on it. They were asking $960k. Unfortunately we were not able to make an offer because when we called the selling agent on Tuesday, he told us that the seller accepted the first offer he received on Monday. So it was back to looking, looking, looking...

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We went to look at a house in Sunnyvale this past Friday and we liked what we saw. After perusing the disclosure package, we decided to make an offer. So we met with our agent to sign all the paperwork required when making an offer. Offers are due Monday (tomorrow). We heard that there will probably be at least 10 offers. It is not looking hopeful for us. But we are trying our luck. I hope we get the house. Living in Sunnyvale will definitely cut down DH's daily commute.

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We had a little more excitement than normal this past Thursday when our water heater decided to leak at 4pm. It for fortunate that my mom had come over and happened to be downstairs in the garage when the water heater started leaking, otherwise we might not have discovered the leak until much later. We went into panic mode because water was leaking and it was flowing towards a bunch of storage boxes in the garage. As a result we totally forgot about the hot water shutoff valve. Instead, we turned off the water main, which helped slow down the leak. So I immediately plopped M in front of the TV with The Wiggles while I went to move all those storage boxes out of the path between water heater & drain and my mom mopped up the water on the floor.

We called a water heater repair company to see whether they could come over to take a lookie. Fortunately they were able to send someone. Due to meet current codes, we had to elevate the water heater by 16 inches. A regular height water heater would not have enough clearance, so we would need a "40 Shorty" type water heater. Unfortunately they guy who came said that they only carry one of those on the truck and he had already used it earlier in the day. He had to come back Friday morning to install the replacement.

On the upside, he was able to turn off the hot water so we could turn on the water to the house and have cold running water until the replacement was installed. Cold water is better than no water at all.

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Wednesday is free day at the zoo. DH is planning on taking the day off so we can take M there. DH hasn't seen the zoo yet, however M has gone there twice so far. She seems to enjoy it, especially her last visit when she discovered the playground. I just hope it does not rain on Wednesday...

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Cackle, Cackle, Mother Goose

Cackle, cackle, Mother Goose,
Have you any feathers loose?
Truly have I, pretty fellow,
Half enough to fill a pillow.
Here are quills, take one or two,
And down to make a bed for you.

M has a thing for pens and tries to get her hands on one whenever she can. She knows how to pull the cap off. Unfortunately she's not very good about keeping the tip of the rollerball away from her clothing. I have to do a lot of spot cleaning and hope it comes out in the wash. She also knows how to push the button on the ball point pens too. She sometimes likes us to hold her hand to help her write the alphabet. She isn't quite ready to write them on her own.

We spend a lot of time doing Mother Goose rhymes, it has really helped her speaking skills. She's picked up a lot of words, and is getting better at pronouncing things and imitating what we say. She is refining a lot of the words she says. For example, she can now say "wah-ter" where she used to say "wa-wa".

She makes requests for specific Mother Goose rhymes. She wants to hear Cackle, Cackle, Mother Goose when she says, "kah-koe kah-koe." She wants to hear Mary, Mary Quite Contrary when she says, "may may may." And she wants to hear Rain, Rain Go Away when she says, "ray ray ray ray."

She's getting better at saying her ABCs. She still skips a few letters here and there, but her memory for the sequence of letters is so much better now. As for numbers, she knows 1 through 10, and recognizes 11 through 20, although she can't quite say these numbers yet.

We've been playing a CD I checked out of the library, Mommy & Me: More Playgroup Favorites, which she loves. She tries to sing along to familiar songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". She'll say a word here and there, and she is saying more words as she listens to the CD more frequently. I've been playing another CD, Raffi's Quiet Time , during nap time in the car. I don't know if it helps, but I think the slower softer soothing music can't hurt. She'll sing along to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".


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Exploding Vocabulary

M's vocabulary is exploding. She is getting better at trying to imitate what we say. She can put two words together. She mostly has to work on pronunciation.

You can see some of her vocabulary words from Jan/Feb 2007 here:
http://coindesmariek.blogspot.com/2007/01/m-speak.html

This post will contain some new words she is saying now. I didn't want to keep adding to the first list indefinitely. This second list should make it easier to see how her speech has progressed. Like the first list, this one will be a work in progress...

We're starting to teach her our names and has the right idea but needs to refine her pronunciation. I figure it could possibly come in handy in the future, for example in the situation where she gets lost and needs to tell someone who her mommy & daddy are. It doesn't help others if all she says is "mommy" and "daddy".

This last was last updated on 4/21/2007.

Ah-beh Dor = open door
Ah-da-doon = okey dokey
Ah-done = all done (with food)
Ay-Jay Juice = orange juice
Ah-mor-eee-sin-ah-geh-tah = The More We Sing Together (a song she loves to sing, she says this when she sings it or when she wants us to sing it)

Baby-boll-chee = Babybel Cheese (the little round ones in the red wax)
Baby-Car = I think she's saying she wants to go into the car, or she's looking for her car.
Baby-sit-ah-chair = baby sit in chair
Bah-deh = spider
Bear-ah-gare = Bear in the Square (book)
Bear-home = Bear at Home (book)
Bear-town = Bear about Town (book)
Big-Mowf = mig mouth
Boo-beh Wah-foe = blueberry waffle
Boo-guy = blue sky
Bruh-ah-tee = brush teeth
Bye-deh = spider

Car-Key = car keys (she loves playing with my car keys and the turtle key fob that is attached)
Cell-foe = cell phone (she's starting to say this instead of cell-yo)
Come-Hair = comb hair
Cor-Fake = corn flake cereal

Daddy = daddy (she said this for the first time on 4/19!)
Dah-doon-neh-annie = Daddy name Andy
Dah-doon-sih-teh = Daddy (is) sitting
Dee-eee-wah-boe = Diablo
Die-Per = diaper
Duh-(ah)-buh-deh = Dust Buster

Ev-Vee = heavy, usually said when she's slipping while you are holding her

Fih = fix (as in "fix hair")
Foll-down = fall down, usually referring to her pants falling down
Fooit = fruit
Fow-wer = flower (a refinement of her previous, "wa wa.")
Fry = fries
Fum = thumb

Gah-veh = garbage
Goo-mor-neh = good morning
Goo-nigh = good night

Han-rail = hand rail
Heh-Heh = hanger
Ho-Vo = hold me

Ip-Boe = lip balm

Lie-down = lie down

Kam-Mah = Camera
kay-kay = Stand (I want to stand)
Keem = cube (rubik's cube)
Keh-Teh = carrots
Koe-Beh = Koda Bear (stuffed bear; the one on the right in the photo above)

Lawn-nee bah-kit ih bak = laundry basket is black (she's starting to form full sentences!)

Mac-an-chee = Mac & Cheese
Mah-Sah = Marisa (she is starting to refine how she says her name, she said this for the first time on 4/9/07)
Make-ah-beh = make the bed
Make-ah-toe = make toast
Mama-ho-vo = Mama hold me (pick me up)
Mama-neh-seh-tah = Mama name Stella
Mama-sih-teh = Mama (is) sitting
Mah-Goo = Mother Goose (she wants you to read mother goose to her)
Mah-Neh = Marisa
Mah-Neh = monkey
Mah-Neh-Goo = Mother Goose
Meh-Neh = morning (as in, "good morning")
Mit-Boll = meatball
Mor-Gip = more grapes
Mor-Keem-Kor = more cream (style) corn
Mor-Sai = more slide (she loves the slide at the park)
Music-ih lyap-sit = musical lapsit (at the library on Saturdays)

Nih-Poo = Winnie the Pooh

Oop-pee = oopsie

Pay-Peh Towel = Paper towel
Pee = please
Peh = pen (bah-peh = black pen)
Peh-Peh = pillow, Pooh pillow
Pih = plate
Pih-Sah = pink socks
Poo-Beh = Pooh bear
Pur-Poe Boe = purple bowl
Pur-Poe Cup = her purple plastic tumbler
Pur-Poe Pih = purple plate

Reh-Booh = read book, she wants you to read a book to her
Reh-(ah)-Gin = read again (she likes you to read a book repeatedly)
Reh-Juice = red juice (berry/grape flavored juice)
Roll = California Roll
Roo = Roo (stuffed kangaroo)

Sah-Beh = strawberry
Sah-Beh-Teh = strawberry
Sah-Gat-Teh = sunglasses
Sih-Sak = sleepsack
Some More = some more (when she wants more of whatever she is eating)

Tah-Toe = calculator
Teh-phone = telephone
Teh-teh = container
Tih-kel Meh-Seh-tah = Chicken Marsala
Tofu = tofu. (yes, she can say this!)
Too-bruh = toothbrush
Tur-Toe = turtle (sometimes referring to the turtle key fob attached to my car keys)

Wah-ah-boe = wash the bowl
Wah-ah-dair = walk up stairs
Wah-ah-teh-teh = wash the dishes
Wah-ter = water (she's modified her pronunciation from "wa wa")
Wee-toe-far-tee = Wiggly Safari DVD
Wee-wee-bah rown-eh-rown rown-eh-rown = Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round (book)
Weh-At = wear hat
Weh-Gato = wear jacket
Weh-Sun-Gat-Teh = wear sunglasses
Wep-High = wipe hand (she's asking for a napkin or baby wipe to wipe her hands clean)
Why-sah = white sock

Yellow teh-teh = yellow container
Yummy = yummy

Zah-Foo = Zoboomafoo (an animal tv program)
Zip-Boe = lip balm



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Fluorescent green house

I saw this house across the street from the old front entrance of the Zoo (viz. Sloat). Well, I'm sure it makes it easy for them to give directions to their visiting buddies. Just drive down Sloat until you see the fluorescent green house with the bear face.

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San Francisco Zoo

M visited the zoo for the second time. Fortunately for us it was not a cold and rainy day, so it was much more enjoyable for her.

M spent 1/2 hour at the playground in the zoo. She loves the swing and slide. I think she liked this playground because there were so many other kids to see.

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M loves her fries, and has figured out how to dip them into ketchup. She also knows how to use the fries as a means to get the ketchup; sometimes she just licks/sucks the ketchup off before dipping it again...

M wants to drink out of cups & bottles like Big People...

Here are some of the things we saw today. M got tired after the bears, so we didn't stop by the sections we saw on our last trip to the zoo. We'll try to hit them at our next visit.

This is the carousel at the zoo, although I don't remember it being call that when I was there as a kid (decades ago).

Here's what it looks like inside. Not very exciting, it looks just like many others. Sorry so blurry, I'm not very good with taking photos of moving objects.

Guinea pigs ...

... and rabbits.

Prairie Dog. Aren't they cute?

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Of course I had to take some photos of these guys for V who is into Meek Rats.

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Meek Rats love to dig...

There was an area with a bunch of large birds....

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In some ways it is nice to view them out in the open, however, it seems a bit cruel to have them attached to chains. They can't really wander too far from their perch...

This was tho only one who decided not to sit on his perch. He was sitting on the ground by a tree near his perch.

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Domestic turkey, I think.

Ducks near the petting area...

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Wild turkey...

There was a peacock by the playground area. She closed her wings by the time I got close enough to take a photo. :-( But she's still very pretty and graceful. There were these stupid kids who tried to touch her or chase after her, so she'd try to run away from them. That certainly doesn't help encourage her to spread out again.

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Kangaroo...

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Bear on his way to join his buddy...

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Polar bear...

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This bear was walking towards the big tub of water where another bear was relaxing...

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... and decided he wanted to get in too!

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"Hey, whadya think you're doing? There isn't enough room for both of us!!!"

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The bear that was originally in the tub was ousted ...

Oops! The supplanter overturned the tub...

There was apparently some object inside the tub that he was trying to get at.

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"Now look what you've done! Neither of us can use the tub now..."

"Guess we'll just have to find something else to amuse ourselves with."

Pair of polar bears...

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Giant Anteater who was pacing back and forth...

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Just some daffodils I felt like taking a photo of...

Flamingos.

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