He's Getting It!

A few cute things have happened recently, things that let me know Mal is catching on to more and more by way of language.

To start, I've learned not to promise him something he wants until I'm ready to give it to him. In other words, I can't say, "We'll go outside after we eat," because all he hears is "outside" and he's ready to go!

Speaking of which, the other day, I said it was time for us to go, and he brought me his shoes! He hates wearing shoes, and if we're just going somewhere in the car, then getting out at a house or place where he can sit in a cart (in this case, we were going to my sister's), I don't make him wear shoes. But I let him, because... he volunteered! He's also brought me my shoes when I've said it was time to get in the car, and even though they weren't the shoes I'd planned to wear, nor did they match what I was wearing, I did use those shoes, of course.

Yesterday he made me laugh. We'd been playing in his room, and I said (not expecting a response; I talk to him a lot, because, you know, I'm around him most of the time, and because you're supposed to do that), "I want to make some cookies. Do you want me to wear you while I do that?" Dang it if he didn't walk over to his door, go around back, and take the harness off of his doorknob, and hand it to me. I seriously had no idea he understood "wearing" and did not expect him to do much of anything but reach for me if I stood up.

We've had a couple of times where he's "obeyed" (read; he felt like doing something I asked him to do) by handing me my phone when he'd started chewing on it, or sitting down on the diaper changer because he was dirty. I try to make a REALLY big deal out of that, because I would like for him to repeat it often. :)

He has two new things: "Mmmm," and "blahhh."

I guess I taught him "blahh" but I didn't mean to. I must say it a lot, like: "Don't reach into the litter box! That's cat poop and it's dirty. Blahhh." The other day, we were outside and he was trying to eat one of the wild, very seeded, already mostly eaten by a bird grapes that was on our patio. I said, "Mal, I'll go get you people grapes; those are bird grapes. Don't eat them." He said, "Blahhh." It cracked me up! Since then, any time I say something is dirty or shake my head like something's disgusting, he says, "Blahh."

Then if he's eating something he likes (or drinking water), he'll say, "Mmmm!" When we were at the tax office waiting for our number to be called, he found four-day-old French fries in a plastic baggy in my purse. He wanted to eat them, and was walking around the waiting area holding up one sad old fry at a time, going, "Mmmm!" to everyone.

Yesterday, I'd made chocolate chip cookies, and he wanted to try one. I was holding him and broke off a piece for him. As he ate it, I said, "Blahh! Chocolate chip cookies! Blahhh!" but he said, "Mmmm!" So I know he's not just copying me.

He is also getting how to put lids back onto things, which is new. He is experimenting with things like putting my shoe in his favorite saucepan or putting a small stuffed animal in our clothes hamper. It's definitely an improvement over dropping things into the cats' litter boxes.

Oh! I don't use spray-in conditioner or dry shampoo very often, but I must use them enough that it means something to Mal. He'll pull canisters out from under our bathroom sink, hand them to me, and say, "Ssss, sss, ssss," mimicking the spray sound. He's started doing that with the glass cleaner, too. (I let him play with it; it's nontoxic, but I do close it before handing it over.)

It's fun to see him latching onto things and interacting more "conversationally" in the world now. As we close out this first year, I have to say: I'm glad it's almost over. It might not be too popular a sentiment, but this is my least favorite year of parenting. I'm ready to get to know my child better! He's pretty amazing.