Rye's language is exploding. He has tons of new words. He has trouble with some blends and digraphs and says "ff" with an "sh".... so "fish" comes out as "shish." He also has trouble with the R and L and K sounds. [Digraphs are two letters together that make one sound, such as the "ch" in "chips" or the "sh in "wash," blends are two letters together that each make its own sound, but you combine it really quick such as the "sn" in "snail" or the "sp" in "special" or the "br" in "brush."] Multi-syllabic words are sometimes a challenge, sometimes not. A "button" is a "butt." But he said "dinosaur" clear as a bell three weeks ago, and gave a fair rendition of "sunglasses" last week. He knows bicycle ("bice"), pretty ("pee-ee"), pants, ball, keys, nice, trees ("sheece"), light ("eyete"), dark, and much, much more.
But his comprehension and usage is starting to stagger us. Last week I put him in the carseat in a thick sweater and buckled him in, and he touched the straps and said, "Tight." Yesterday he saw a sunny highlight on some chrome in the bathroom, and he said, "Eyete. Pee-ee" ("Light. Pretty.")
He wants to express a lot of things like adults so he will say a fake sentence with 'upspeak' to ask for something: "Sha da da da da da da da da booo?" Which means something to the effect of: "What about that book over there, can we look at that one?" When he really does not want to do something, he shakes his head and says, "aNingAningNingaNingNingNing..." We don't know where he picked that one up, but it's pretty funny.
He pushes his high chair around the dining room saying, "Choo. Choo. Choo. Choo." He has various noises for other toys that fly or move (with imagination) across the floor.
I asked him to "back up a bit" so that his head didn't get smacked when I opened a drawer, and as he was backing up, he said, "Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep," in a high-pitched voice just like the worker trucks he sees and hears. Which was HILARIOUS.
Last week I took the big red stock pot out of the refrigerator, and Rye said, "Soup." On the same day, he showed me the blue Lego crane truck and said, "Boo. Truck."
Last month he talked in his sleep during a dream, he said: "Trucks." Last week he talked in his sleep and he said, "Sounz! (sirens!)" He is crazy for firetrucks and ambulances and any vehicle with a flashing light (or is red) is a "siren." He likes buses, too, and any vehicle that looks bigger than a car (or is yellow) is a "bus." He got two really great wooden firetrucks (with ladders!) for Christmas and they are both in heavy rotation, along with a wooden food set that you can cut apart. Y mas.
He loves to watch the trash and garbage trucks on trash day. He likes his train book, his toy train and riding the train at the park. He LOVES reading books, but he won't sit still for plot — he still likes books with a lot of visual content but does not always listen to the story. Like: Richard Scarry, I Spy, etc. He will listen to the whole story for Curious George and the Bunny, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (sometimes), Where's Spot? and Boynton's The Going to Bed Book.
He also is really into ball. "Baaal. Baaa. Baaa. Baaa." "Yes, Rye, that looks like a ball. It's called an orange." "Baaa.Baaal.Baaa.Baaa." He loves Clementine oranges: they are just his size, and he likes to eat them, too. The tomato from the cutting food kit is about the same size, and Mommy has removed it from play as Rye just wants to throw it like a ball.
He has reached the developmental stage of Accessorizing; he likes to try on bracelets, scarves and necklaces, anything he can wrap around himself. He even wore his kid sunglasses last week, which he hasn't done in months. He also still loves putting objects into containers, and unpacking...anything. He currently enjoys a game I call Going Fishing, wherein he opens some drawer he's not supposed to be in, fishes around and grabs something that feels "cool," then takes off running with it so he can check it out and play with it. He is a little like a crow in that way.
Cutting up some carrots and bread.
The monkey-in-the-box wasn't too big of a hit, at first. photo by Grandpa.
Making dinosaur sounds with Grandma and the felt storyboard.
Playing hide-and-seek with Daddy.
Riding the mini train at the park when Grandpop and Sitti were in town.
Fascinated by the model train at the park when Grandpop and Sitti were in town.
Sheep!
Goats at the petting zoo area of the local zoo, with Grandpop and Sitti.
Grandma reads about mice and bears that stomp: "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Grandpa reads about the mice and bears.
