You can say that again

Ever since R first started to talk she has had darn-near-close-to-perfect pronunciation. Most kids don't have complete mastery of all their sounds until sometime between 6 and 8. But, R was saying all her sounds correctly by the time she hit 2.5 - even those supposedly hard to attain sounds of the English langauge - /r/, /th/ and /s/ that vex many a preschooler.

A, on the other hand, has had her various foibles with the English language that are just so darn cute - particularly since I didn't get the benefit of chuckling under my breath when R was still in this steep learning curve phase of language acquisition. In fact, as a certified Speech-Language Pathologist I was quite proud of how quickly and accurately R picked up on the subleties of language. And of course I chalked it up to the fact that I do have a degree in helping people learn (or re-learn as the case may be) how to talk.

Of course, now I have little Miss A who is being her own individual self with her own strengths and well, let's just say "areas that need a little extra help." She seems to have good body awareness skills and a good grasp on her gross motor skills - she loves gymnastics, riding her bike, and climbing on the playground structures and seems to master these things quickly. As for her language skills, she is actually (in my professional opinion) in the average or perhaps slightly above average range. It' s just that language has always been something that R excelled at (to a fault - she likes to use language so much that it serves as a great catalyst for many arguements that could flummox even a well-seasoned attorney) so much so that A seems somehow less proficient (but in reality she is completely normal -- I am just guilty of making comparisons between my children).

Anyway, all that as a opener for my list of cute phrases and words that I've heard A say recently or in the not-too-distant past (most definitions are compliments of answers.com):

biggle: n. A glazed, ring-shaped roll with a tough, chewy texture, made from plain yeast dough that is dropped briefly into nearly boiling water and then baked.

yogret: n. A custardlike food with a tart flavor, prepared from milk curdled by bacteria, especially Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, and often sweetened or flavored with fruit.

crotch sitch: n. A double stitch forming an X in sewing and embroidery.

joonastics: n. Physical exercises designed to develop and display strength, balance, and agility, especially those performed on or with specialized apparatus.

indigment ring: n. a ring given and worn as a sign of betrothal

are chudder: As used in a sentence - "Let's chase are chudder." (Let's chase each other.)

Lasterday: n. The day before the present day.

Leak Pad: n. Educational toy by Leap Frog Learning Systems (see picture below)


velvet: n. small, formed pieces of latex with tiny holes that, when placed in a "spill-proof" kids' cup prevents liquid from spilling out of the lid of the cup (see picture below).

maynedic: adj. having the properties of a magnet. (Used in reference to her maynedic dress-up dolls like this one.)

And on and on it goes. I'm sure there are others - in fact, I know there are many more but my befuddled, sleep-deprived brain is having a hard time bringing them to the surface right now (I think I need a memory upgrade after the years of abuse this one has survived, or not survived as the case may be).

I enjoy hearing these little linguistics missteps. They make me realize how little she still is - even though she seems so mature and worldly when she is showing E how to turn the pages of a book or "reading" the book using her own words to go along with the pictures. When I hear those funny, slighly askew words and phrases I know she is still my little girl - and in some ways she always will be.