Lollies and Beekets
Leah has always done everything her own way.
She didn't want to walk and insisted that people carry her around everywhere to the point that her Aunt Jennifer (Jerm's sis) started calling her tiny, unused trotters "Lotus Feet."
It sounded cute until I discovered that's what they call the women's wrapped feet in China. Accurate for Leah's penchant for not walking, but a disturbing image all the same.
Anyway, once she finally decided that her feet should be used, she's pretty much just floated through the house on her dainty tootsies.
She has also taken her time with speaking (which is fine), but I think that is mostly because she has been sizing up life in general and is still forming her opinion on us all and all the shenanigans that go on in our house.
So, I was surprised a while back when I heard this faint little chirping coming from her. She was repeating what everyone was saying in her quiet way, as if feeling it out.
Much to the delight of her brother and sisters, she will now repeat most things they ask her to, and all sorts of silliness and laughing is produced, and is always finished with a giant, satisfied Leah grin.
But that sort of communication can only go on for so long. She has found the need to use other words to express herself.
But English words aren't good enough for her. She insists on using words she has made up and gets very cranky when we can't figure out what she's trying to say.
She was sitting in her high chair one day with a very petulant look on her face. She started to squirm as she exclaimed, "LOLLIES!"
I was at a loss.
What is a lollie?
I looked around the kitchen and started naming things.
"Do you want an apple."
"NO!" More squirming. She scrunched up her face.
"Do you want some bread?" I knew that wasn't it since she could say bread, but I thought I'd try.
"NOO!" Squirm squirm, eyes shut tight.
"...do you want some water?"
Leah's eyes popped open and she smiled big and nodded.
"Okay! I'll get you some lollies, er, I mean water!"
So, every dinner, without fail, once handed her plate of vittles, she calls out, "Lollies, eeez!" (eeez = please)
As cute as it is, I sort of hate it since she does this right as I'm about to put a bite of food in my mouth. Every. Single. Time.
Jeremy, knowing this, waited until I had just sat down to eat breakfast one morning and said in a sugary voice, "Lollies, eeez!"
He's lucky I didn't pour my oatmeal on his head. I was hungry, and it was too sticky to make him really dirty, so it wasn't worth the effort.
Anyway, once she had schooled us on lollies and it's proper usage, she decided to add another word into our vocabulary.
Leah was dragging her feet through the kitchen one day fussing about something.
"Beeket..." she muttered. "Beeket..."
It wasn't too hard to figure out that one, and I handed her her blanket.
She then popped her thumb in her mouth, threw the blanket on the floor, and then collapsed on top of it.
And that's Leah.
She's all sorts of fun.
She didn't want to walk and insisted that people carry her around everywhere to the point that her Aunt Jennifer (Jerm's sis) started calling her tiny, unused trotters "Lotus Feet."
It sounded cute until I discovered that's what they call the women's wrapped feet in China. Accurate for Leah's penchant for not walking, but a disturbing image all the same.
Anyway, once she finally decided that her feet should be used, she's pretty much just floated through the house on her dainty tootsies.
She has also taken her time with speaking (which is fine), but I think that is mostly because she has been sizing up life in general and is still forming her opinion on us all and all the shenanigans that go on in our house.
So, I was surprised a while back when I heard this faint little chirping coming from her. She was repeating what everyone was saying in her quiet way, as if feeling it out.
Much to the delight of her brother and sisters, she will now repeat most things they ask her to, and all sorts of silliness and laughing is produced, and is always finished with a giant, satisfied Leah grin.
But that sort of communication can only go on for so long. She has found the need to use other words to express herself.
But English words aren't good enough for her. She insists on using words she has made up and gets very cranky when we can't figure out what she's trying to say.
She was sitting in her high chair one day with a very petulant look on her face. She started to squirm as she exclaimed, "LOLLIES!"
I was at a loss.
What is a lollie?
I looked around the kitchen and started naming things.
"Do you want an apple."
"NO!" More squirming. She scrunched up her face.
"Do you want some bread?" I knew that wasn't it since she could say bread, but I thought I'd try.
"NOO!" Squirm squirm, eyes shut tight.
"...do you want some water?"
Leah's eyes popped open and she smiled big and nodded.
"Okay! I'll get you some lollies, er, I mean water!"
So, every dinner, without fail, once handed her plate of vittles, she calls out, "Lollies, eeez!" (eeez = please)
As cute as it is, I sort of hate it since she does this right as I'm about to put a bite of food in my mouth. Every. Single. Time.
Jeremy, knowing this, waited until I had just sat down to eat breakfast one morning and said in a sugary voice, "Lollies, eeez!"
He's lucky I didn't pour my oatmeal on his head. I was hungry, and it was too sticky to make him really dirty, so it wasn't worth the effort.
Anyway, once she had schooled us on lollies and it's proper usage, she decided to add another word into our vocabulary.
Leah was dragging her feet through the kitchen one day fussing about something.
"Beeket..." she muttered. "Beeket..."
It wasn't too hard to figure out that one, and I handed her her blanket.
She then popped her thumb in her mouth, threw the blanket on the floor, and then collapsed on top of it.
And that's Leah.
She's all sorts of fun.
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