Tag: speech

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Josie-isms

Here are a few fun Josie anecdotes I have collected so far this year:

New words

Josie writes “JTL” on her DoodlePad. Then she adds an “E” at the end.

“The ‘E’ is silent,” she explains.

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Birds of a feather

Joseph: “There’s a firebird! Let’s shoot it! BOOM!”

Josie: “Look, there’s a smoke pigeon!”

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The secret

Josie: “I’m gonna whisper something in your ear.”

A moment later she whispers: “‘B’ is for ‘beach.’ Don’t tell anyone!”

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Practicing phonics

Josie: “M. Y. … My!”

“… Like, ‘My Prreeeecioooouussssssss!!'” (in her Gollum voice)

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Must be the metal

Me: “I. Am. A. Robot.”

Josie: “Can you change your voice? I don’t like robots. I’m allergic to them.”

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Do me a favor and say “por favor”

Joseph is a very polite boy. From a small age he has always said “thank you” and “you’re welcome” (in two languages).

But he also he can be very stubborn. For a long time, Joseph has said “por favor” only using sign language. He simply would not speak “please.”

This morning we had a little showdown. He wanted a second helping of cereal. I wanted him to speak “please” or “por favor” aloud. At first he would only give me signs, over and over. I kept repeating to him that I wanted him to speak the words. Then he started saying “I can’t!” (a phrase he learned from his sisters)

After a while I went back to my newspaper as he sat there sucking his two fingers. Yoli was talking to me, then she said “Did you hear that?”

And there was Joseph saying “por favor.”

Amid exclamations of “good job” and “bravo,” Joseph got his second helping of cereal.

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Joseph-speak

Joseph is learning to say new words daily. He can say complete words like Mamá, Papá, apple, pie, come, luna (moon), and “no hay” (there’s no more). He also has his own language. Here are a few examples:

“Ia” = Jadzia
“Lulu” = Ludi
“Ali” = Josie
“Galle” (ga-yeh) = cookie
“Awa” = agua
“Io” = “E-I-E-I-O” = his speak-and-say toy
“Gunta” = “mantita” = blanket
“Nomé” = “don’t do that to me!”

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Overheard in the minivan

Ludi: “…let’s have a surprise party for Papá!”

Jadzia: “Shhhhh….”

[much whispering ensues].

Ludi: “Papá, did you hear what we’re talking about?”

Me: “Maybe!”

Jadzia and Ludi together: “Forget! Forget!”

Josie: “Daddy, it tastes like grass!”

Me: “Don’t eat it!”

Josie: “It’s spicy!”

Josie: “What’s your name?”

Me: “Papá.”

Josie: “Not Papá. Daddy! … What’s MY name?”

Me: “Josie Joy.”

Josie: “Not Josie Joy. Beauty and the Beast!”

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Them kids keep a-growing

A couple milestone notes of interest.

  • JOSEPH has apparently decided he’s done nursing. A couple days ago he just quit. Cold turkey. Yoli, obviously, wasn’t keen on this turn of events. She has tried over and over, but hasn’t been able to get Joseph to nurse since then. Thankfully we retrieved her pump from the (broken) house, so she’ll be able to relieve her pain.
  • JADZIA continues to make leaps and bounds in her reading and writing abilities. Her spelling has improved, as has her ability to interpret parent-spelling-speak. You know what I mean: “Hey baby, are there any C-O-O-K-I-E-S left over from last night?” Jadzia would now respond: “I know what you said!” She is very pleased with herself. I guess we’ll need to start spelling in Spanish.
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Josie’s speaking ability

Josie’s speech is growing by leaps and bounds every day. She does a lot of babbling, peppered with real English and Spanish words.

In the last few weeks we have heard her begin to sing a little bit of “A B C,” for example. She begins the song but cuts it off quickly and gives a little smile.

Today while changing her diaper, I was singing the chorus of “Angels We Have Heard on High.” To my surprise, Josie began to sing it after I finished. It wasn’t exact by any means, but I could definitely make it out.

She seems to learn a new word each day. One that she has been using a lot lately is “paper.” She has begun coloring for her own amusement without help.

Here are a few of her more baby-esque words. I want to record these before I forget them — and before she stops saying them.

  • goon-goon: poop
  • ja-ja: Mister Rogers
  • jag-oo: jacket
  • ta: short for mantita, which is Spanish for “blanket”
  • jad-zee: Jadzia
  • loo-ee: Ludi
  • day-day: this is her way of saying bebé, by which she usually means Joseph
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A 3-year-old with a political future

Jadzia likes to employ her powers of suggestion throughout the day. Her requests usually run something like this: “I think you can take us to the Whistle Stop for ice cream.”

It doesn’t matter how many times her dreams are denied. The requests will keep coming. And coming.

Yoli thinks Jadzia is destined for a future career as a lobbyist.

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Ammy-ville

Today I was with Jadzia and Ludi at the school, playing on the playground. As things were winding down, I was talking with Jadzia about airplanes, reminding her about our upcoming trip.

“We’re going to take TWO airplanes. We’ll take one from St. Louis to Miami. Then we’ll stay in Miami a few hours. Then we’ll take another plane from Miami to BOLIVIA!”

Without missing a beat, Jadzia replied, “No, we’re not going to YOUR ‘ammy.’ We’re going to MY ‘ammy!’ “