oliver the map: oliver’s travels

Daddy learned from a long-time friend of his that her son, Grant, who was born four days before you, is speaking in complete sentences. Things like: “I like that one, Momma.” “I wanna wear these shoes.” In your defense, he has an older brother, and I’m pretty sure that speeds up learning, since he wants to do everything his big brother does. I don’t feel any concern that most of your communication is still sign language, babble or simple words. I’m certain you understand everything we say to you, and we get along just fine with the rudimentary communication we have. You can produce simple phrases like, “Bye-bye, Da-da,” and that’s plenty good for me. Your new favorite is “uh-hoh.” The second syllable has a very pronounced beginning “h” sound, and you use the phrase for more than just when you drop something.

You also have a language all your own—a babbling that shows up when you are pretending to read junk mail or talking on your cell phone. It’s hilarious! There are pauses, inflections and a wealth of guttural sounds. You love to pretend to talk on the discarded cell phone we gave you. You wander and chat, as if you’re multi-tasking—picking up a toy here or placing something over there. You’ll laugh and pause and say uh-huh. It’s so much fun to watch and wonder if that’s what I look like to you when I’m on the phone. 

I had what must be a quintessential parent experience a couple of weeks ago. You’d found my Crocs and were very determined to put them on and walk in them, which is no easy task. It was so amazing to see your tiny feet in my shoes and to watch you try and mimic something I do. Precious. I held your hand so you could slide your feet in, and after a couple of shuffles, you walked right out of them. We did this off and on for 10 minutes.

Daddy thinks I’m making you stupid. I never really committed to letting you watch TV, but Aunt Dixie gave you a Baby Genius DVD of nursery rhymes, and I figured that offered early cultural awareness. What harm could there be in that? Since we never officially took a stance on digital entertainment/education, you only have the one video, and you watch it at least once most days, especially rainy days. You call them your “shows,” and you crinkle your nose and add a “ch” sound right after the “s” when you say it. You request it regularly now, so I have to consider if this is a good thing or if I should try and phase it out. It’s all about moderation, right?