Words, Glorious Words
I'm such a new mom.
I'm keeping a running list of all of my son's new words. It grows every day and my pride swells with the list.
It's such a thrill to hear him using words in context too. At 16 months, he knows enough to say "Ah-dee" (all done) after something is finished such as a meal or a diaper change. Then he claps for himself.
I've also noticed that he has switched from the babyish "Mama" and "Dada" to the very grown up versions "Mommy" and "Daddy." When do they graduate to "Mom"
and "Dad?" No matter. This new "Mommy" phase is music to my ears. That is, except for at 6 a.m. when it's shrieked into my ear via baby monitor.
Also, what's up with our eagerness, as proper English-speaking adults to adopt a toddler form of a word with glee? Speech therapists would probably shake their heads at me, but I'm all too happy to call my son's milk "gawk" because I think it's adorable the way he says it. He's not likely to grow up and ask for "gawk and cookies" at a friend's house, right? Recently, he's started calling Elmo "Ah-nee." And the other day I asked him if he wanted to go to sleep with Ahnee and then silently reprimanded myself. It is my job is to write correct English. Surely I shouldn't be perpetuating this type of behavior in my son. Ah well.
Back to Jack's glorious words. I thought I'd share my running list. And I've translated some of the Jack-speak for you phonetically, for words like "A-loo" and "Li Li." Because, as you moms know, there are always secret code words that no one can decipher except mom and dad.
Appa (apple)
Dee (teddy)
Dada, Daddy
Mama, Mommy
Nan
Li Li (Grammy)
Gawk (milk)
Cook cook (cookie)
Allie
Papi
Pop Pop (Papa)
Din din (dinner)
Hot
Hi
Aloo (I love you)
A-dee (all done)
Stop
No
Woof woof
Goggy (doggy)
Eat
Hat
Duck
Nick
Bubba (bubble)
Mee (Moo)
Wally (Red Sox shout out)
Tigga (Tigger)
Lau (cloud)
Up
Hop
Ah-nee (Elmo)
Clock
TuscMoms.com Editor Kristi Palma is an award-winning journalist with a Master's Degree from Northeastern. But she's first and foremost a stay-at-home mom to Jack, a blue-eyed banana-lovin' little boy born in November '06.
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