Almost Whatever I Want to Say

I'm growing my verbal skills by leaps and bounds!  I'm communicating with mommy and daddy in multiple word sentences now, and I'm understanding pretty much everything they say.  Once in a while they have trouble understanding me, but I will patiently repeat things over and over.  Sometimes they get it; sometimes they don't.

Today they asked me what I did at school, but I didn't tell them.  I didn't really get the question, frankly.  It was school.  What else do they need to know?!

My new favorite word (and activity) is "hug."  Mommy and daddy both give me great hugs whenever I want one!

Another Day, Another First

• Yesterday, Friday August 28, was my first day of school; I fit right in with only about 8 seconds of crying when mommy and daddy left.
  
• I have started saying words of more than one syllable, repeating things mommy and daddy say, like "average" or "dojo."  I've had a few words like this in the past ("popsicle," "vegetable," and "cockroach") but not very many.  Words are getting a lot easier now.
  
• When daddy points at numerals I can say the names of "1", "2", "3", "4", "6", "7", "8", "9", and "0".  I still haven't figured out "5" yet, but give me another day.  I'll have it down in no time!
  
• Today I played Lego with daddy for an hour and a half straight, while mommy was selling scones at the Studioplex market.  I love Lego!

Grocery Adventure

Two nights ago on Thursday mommy and daddy took me to Trader Joe's for our weekly shopping trip.  Only this time, for the first time, they let me walk around the store instead of riding in the cart.  How great is this!  Daddy pushed the cart, and mommy went around taking things down off the shelves and handing them to me.  I would then run over to the cart and reach up and drop the things into the basket.  Over and over and over I did this.  It may qualify as one of the funnest things I've ever done!  Mommy and daddy smiled a lot watching me, but they got a little bit concerned when I chose a few items on my own to put in the cart.  They took those things out and put them back where they came from.  Hey, at least I tried!

Mommy seemed to get doubly concerned when I selected a few choice items to take off the shelves and put into other people's carts!  I mean, the point of shopping is to put things into carts, right?  Maybe there's more to it, but who cares?!  I love this new way to be in the grocery store!

What Else?

Big day today.

This morning I went to my first funeral.  A friend of my daddy lost his brother in a car accident a few days ago.  I was feeling quite happy and excited all morning, on the drive, and walking into the funeral home, but as soon as I saw everyone in the reception room, I got very quiet, put my head on daddy's shoulder, and didn't move or say a word for about 10 minutes while daddy talked to his friend.  I felt that a lot of people were sad.

Before we left, daddy and I stopped to look at some signs and pictures that the six-year-old daughter of the guy that died had put together.  I pointed to several hearts that had been glued on the board and said "heart" over and over.  Daddy hugged me.

This evening, mommy and daddy and I walked (OK, I was in the stroller) down to Oakhurst to watch a guy daddy knows (he was introduced to me as Garrett) play guitar and sing.  Mommy and daddy ordered beers, and I sat in my high chair and looked around the room at everything.  An accordion, the guy's guitar, the coasters.

Then I got thirsty.  So I pulled on daddy's arm.  When he leaned down to listen to me, I said "juice!  bubbies!"  (That means "bubbles", which is bubble water.)  So daddy got up and got me a plastic cup of cranberry juice and soda water from the guy working the bar.  I had never had cranberry juice before, but after the first sip which made me pucker up a little, I drank the rest of it no problem.  Daddy thinks I'm a big boy now for going to a bar, hanging out, and ordering my own drink!

When Garrett started singing, I listened to everything he sang, and I even started singing along with him.  And when he said he had written one of the songs about his daughter before she was born, I turned to mommy and daddy and said "baby!"  "That's right!" they told me; "this song is about a baby!"

Today it was a funeral and a bar, ordering drinks and singing.  What else is out there for me to learn about?

Life is Rich

In the last ten minutes I:

• Drove a car for the first time (my mom and dad's big white van, down Green St., sitting in my dad's lap, of course)
  
• Picked tomatoes
• Learned tenchi nage
  
• Learned to bow to my training partner (I like playing "dojo," as I call it)