theparkerfamily

The quick brown fox jumped over the good, but lazy Parker family.

“daddy, i can do it”

Saturday, 9 April 2011

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just because she isn’t talking, doesn’t mean she isn’t communicating.even though her only legitimate word remains “up” she can somehow very clearly communicate that she’s not a little girl anymore and should be allowed to push her own stroller (up hill, for three to four blocks), push her own tricycle, and now carry her own groceries.

oh, and work the remote. and the computer. and get in and out of desk chairs, pushing them back when they’re done. and she’s even starting to try and wipe her own bottom.

and while all of this is great — really, i swear — next week is sparklet’s 18 month checkup, and friends tipped us off that the doctor would be looking for evidence of a 5 to 22 word vocabulary.

here’s what sparklet’s mommy has been rehearsing:

  • sparklet’s got baby sign language down for “more”, “all done”, and “juice”.
  • she’ll randomly pick up one of our phones and bark like a seal into it — something approximaiting “ai!”
  • she’s seriously comprehending in two languages. we can say “give that to me,” “put this in the trash” and “where’s your shoes/ball/socks” in both English and Spanish, and sparklet knows/acts on exactly what we’re saying.
  • her first word (“up”) isn’t an object, but a concept — and she knows the different usages between “pick me up and carry me”, “you get up off the couch”, and “put me onto the bed” or “i want into the crib.”

so, while all that’s keeping me from committing “i’m an aweful parent” hari kari, i’ve conveniently double-booked myself during her appointment and won’t be able to join the family for that particular festivity.

UPDATE: sparklet had her 18 month appt. and is still as impressive as ever — he’s 30 lbs. and 34 inches, both puts her above the 97% threshold.

the pediatrician did NOT yell at us about her vocabulary (for all the reason’s above), but said if sparklet doesn’t have 10 words by 21 months, we should probably think about getting a professional to help her jump start the language process.