I have 2 word stories and 1 about numbers today.
I’ve noticed recently that Reid says “merote” instead of “remote”. It’s a perfectly normal transposition of sounds but I’ve noticed it because she used to say “bemote”. There aren’t many words that are still mixed up in Reid’s lexicon but I’m savouring the few little girl pronounciations that persist and forcing myself to use the correct word.
One of the reasons that Reid doesn’t have many baby words remaining is that she has decided to use proper pronounciations. One night recently Reid was trying to ask why I had moved the humidifier that sits on the table next to her bed. She started with, “Why you move that — what you call it?” (Points at the humidifier) I supply the word and Reid says “humidfer” to herself and then starts over. “Why you move that — what you say?” (Again pointing at the humidifier) I spoke more slowly and, I hope, more clearl. Reid picked up on an additional syllable, repeating “humidifer” to herself before starting to ask me again why I’d moved it and we went through the pronounciation advice one more time before she nailed it (more-or-less)and got her question out. I was pleased with myself for not jumping in with the answer but even more proud of Reid for her determination to acquire the word that she needed. Since then, Reid has used “humidifier” regularly and with perfect accuracy. This is the first word that I can remember Reid tackling a word head on. I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Reid was working on her calendar on Saturday. When she learned that it was March 1st, she went and chose the number 1 from its pocket and then said she was going to put up a number 2 as well. I told her if that she did that, it would be a “12″. Reid protested that the 1 was the littlest number – “it’s tiny” – and she made herself small to emphasize her point. It was clear, to Reid at least, that poor, little 1 was too tiny to stand alone. Ken is more of a numbers person than I am and he came up with the solution: Reid could put the zero up before the 1. (I didn’t say that it was a Rubik’s Cube type challenge. ;+)