Sarah and Adam: The Next Generation

Language among the boys

Two interesting things this week. First, Gus performed some feat he felt deserved recognition, and he called out "I did it!" We never taught him to say this, but Jasper says it all the time in the same circumstance. So Gus picked it up from Jasper.

Second, this morning the boys woke up extra early, so Sarah let them watch a Bob the Builder video. When it was over, the list of available videos was on the screen. Gus started babbling but Sarah couldn't understand any of it. Then Jasper said, "Gus is saying 'Tubby.' Gus wants to watch Teletubbies." To which Gus responded "Yes!" (in his funny pronunciation which sounds like "Nyah").

A Joke

(Sarah here:) The other day, Gus was sitting in his high chair, with a few pieces of waffle in front of him. He picked up a piece of waffle, threw it on the ground, and grinned at me.

I was very disappointed, as this used to be the way he finished all meals, but in the past 2 months, he'd finally learned to say 'all done' and let me simply remove the uneaten food, rather than having to throw it on the floor. So I came over with a serious face and said, "No throwing food on the floor!" 

Gus's smile faded and he looked up and me and said, "A joke! A joke!" Then he grinned again.

I couldn't help grinning a little, as I couldn't believe our 17-month old could say "A joke" and actually use it correctly!  Then I put my serious face back on and said, "No! No throwing food!"

Gus looked a little sad again. Then we heard Adam downstairs on a conference call, and suddenly Adam bursts out laughing. Gus hears this laughter and shouts, "A Dada!" and grinned again, as if that was validation of his joke.

Jasper-isms

Jasper read a book about a first grader who lost a tooth. Then a first grader he knows lost a tooth and showed Jasper a wiggly tooth and a tooth-shaped hole in his mouth. And then Jasper got a CD with a song called "Wiggle my tooth.' Today he said:

"Mommy, I was in first grade and I lost my tooth and I had the tooth fairy came and gave me two dollars and I went to the cafeteria with Farmer Alfalfa [a Richard Scarry character."

Also, our favorite Jasper-ism lately is that when he touches something soft (a turtle, woodchips, a blanket, etc) and you ask him what it felt like, he says without hesitation, "It felt like blood."

Obedient Gus, the literalist

We have a bean table in our house, with lots of dried beans in it that are fun to play with but primarily fun to throw on the floor. When Adam's parents were here recently, Gus stepped on a bean on the floor and it stuck to his foot. He was limping around and came over to Grandma for help. She said oh, you've got a bean stuck to your foot, and took it off. Then she handed him the bean and asked him to put it back. So he sat down and stuck it to the bottom of his foot.

Also, Jasper has recently developed verbal filler: well, really, actually, seriously. Today he said, "Well, um, seriously, I have a pretend dump truck."

The evolving complexity of Jasper's mind

Sarah and I were just discussing the fact that Jasper rarely pees in the potty anymore. Sarah was saying it's intentional behavior, that he'll hold it through hours of running around naked and then pee as soon as we put a diaper on him.

A moment later, Jasper threw a metal water bottle at the window, for no obvious reason. Sarah told him she was mad (he responded, "Gus threw it!") and that he should go to his room for a time-out. Instead, he went straight to the potty and promptly sat down and peed.

In a moment of desperation earlier this morning Sarah had told Jasper he could have a cookie if he peed in the potty. So now that Jasper had just made a conciliatory pee, Sarah found herself saying the following: "OK, you have a choice, you can either have a cookie and go finish your time-out, or you can have no cookie and no time out." (Jasper chose cookie and time-out.)

Amusing coda: A few seconds later, he came back into the living room, said "I think I'm sorry."

Gussy can talk! Gussy can talk!

That's what Sylvia shouted this week, delighted that at last, baby Gus can talk.

A few examples of how his language skills have exploded, even in the past week:

- This morning he walks into the bedroom where Sarah is, and he's chewing something. She asks, "Gus, what are you eating?" To which he replies, "Muffin."
- At the zoo today, he said "Jaguar" and "Gorilla".
- Tonight at dinner when we give him some veggie dog bites, he shouts, "A Dip! A Dip!"  When Adam responds with, "OK, would you like Mustard or Ketchup," Gus responds with, "Mustard."

It's partly that he has more words, and is better able to articulate, but also that he is increasingly able to hold a conversation - more than just pointing at things and shouting, he can respond to questions.

Gus turns into a little boy

Over the last couple months, Gus has turned from a baby into a little boy. Watch before your eyes!


Jasper recounts the Blue Angels, jumps in a bouncy house, and eats his Cheerios when he's supposed to be playing with them.