Word

Having a toddler is awesome.  Literally, awe-some.  He leaves me in awe quite often.  Currently his awe inspiring feat has been his ever expanding vocabulary.

It wasn't always that way, however.  At 12 months, and then at 13 and at 14 months, too, I thought there was something wrong.  As much as the baby babble flowed, he didn't really say words.  And even without an M.D. behind my name I knew that he should be saying more by now.  At his 18-month well child check up Jason and I racked our brains trying to think of every real word he could say.  Does "uh oh" and "oof oof" count?  After we had exhausted the list Dr. Mogenson kindly told us to "keep an eye on it."  He was doing well on everything else, surely it would come soon.  The whole way home we kept rattling off the words he knew to make sure we hadn't missed any or miscounted.

Like his mom, it seemed that Owen didn't like the thought of coming up short.  Within days he was saying new words, and they haven't stopped coming since then.  (If only we had scheduled his appointment for the next week.)

Owen's first word, according to his baby book, which, as we all know, is the official, legal, binding record, was "ma-ma" at 11-months old.  We won't mention that, for the life of us, we haven't been able to get him to say it for the last six months.  But, of course, he will scream "DA-DA!  DA-DA!" when Jason drives up or even when he sees his photo in the frame on our end table.  If it wasn't so stinking cute, if it didn't sound like he was using every bit of his air and strength to force his love out of his lungs, and if I didn't absolutely adore their daddy-son bond I might be a little jealous.  Honestly, I treasure the way that he looks up to his dad, and am thankful that he has such a wonderful man to aspire to be.)

His favorite word, by far, is "ball."  Or, as he would say, "BA!!"  On our vacation to Kansas City he screamed "BA-BA!  BA-BA!  BA-BA!" endlessly when we walked into Kauffman stadium.  It drew a few stares and several smiles - mine the biggest.

His newest words "book" and "poop," sound oddly similar making it difficult when he goes into the room where the changing table and shelf of books are next to each other.  

"ti chu" and "meaz" as "thank you" and please".  I love that he is learning manners.  I seriously would like him to say "Yes, ma'am," and "No, sir," eventually.

His most random word is, without a doubt, "Applebee's."  Who knew?  He has never been there, and I don't think I've ever said that word in his presence.  The commercial came on one afternoon, and he said it as clear as day.  "ap bees."  It makes me realize that we should turn the t.v. off a little more and find something else to be the inspiration for new words.

Doesn't it make you wish you had a toddler?  So funny, so adorable, so awesome.  I have no idea how many words he knows now, and by the time I figured it out he would know more.  Instead, I'm going to focus my energy on protecting his innocent ears to keep an innocent tongue.