Mine and Yours and Other Subtleties of Language

Eleanor is communicating so well these days. We are so happy to be able to have small conversations with her. When she produced her first sign (bird) around one year old, we were astounded to know just what she was thinking about. Now as her language progresses, we are still astounded and impressed at the way her little mind is growing and working.

These days, she seems to have a lot on her mind. She is sorting out the idea of possession. She will attach the possessive "s" to our names - Mama's, Henry's, Dada's - and also to things such as numbers - three's, four's. I think she may be figuring out that the s doesn't necessarily go with the numbers though. She also is attempting to communicate that things are hers by using the word "yours". I figure that she hears me telling her "Those are your noodles" or "Those are yours". It took me a couple of times to figure out what she was saying, she would say "yours" and pat her chest with her hands. I finally realized when she was talking about one of her toys that she meant "mine".

In addition, she is constructing many simple sentences and phrases. Her current favorite train of thought is "closed eyes sleeping", which she uses for anyone or anything with closed eyes -- Henry, characters in books, stuffed animals, etc. She has also been thinking about our neighbors Sarah and Karl's daughter, Baby Anna, who came over yesterday for a bit. Baby Anna's parents have a dog named Hailey so all morning she has been talking about "Baby Anna, Dog Hailey, kiss" and then gives her hand a kiss. Apparently she remembers when we were over at their house and Hailey licked her hand. Another thing that is often on her mind are some of the things that "scare" her. She seems fascinated with and also terrified by trains, trucks, and anything especially large and motorized.

Henry is still communicating with howls, shrieks, screams and the occasional smile. I can't wait to hear what he has to say when he is ready to tell us all about what is on his mind.

On many occasions I have thought about language development but it still amazes me to think what kids are able to do in the first few years of life. When I was in Panama learning to speak the Kuna language, I would get so frustrated and physically exhausted from trying to soak it all in. It is no wonder that kids need so much sleep, not only are they building vocabulary and learning to put sentences together, but they are also learning to use the muscles in their mouths to produce the necessary sounds and growing at incredible rate. It is sometimes hard not to get irritated with a toddler or baby when they throw tantrums, but I always try to think that they must be frustrated as well, trying to make themselves understood and trying to make sense of everything at the same time.