Like a stone rolling down a hill, some developmental leaps just keep coming faster and faster. This has been a week, maybe a fortnight but certainly no longer than that, of developmental leaps for both Master Z and myself.
Linguistically, Master Z is making the connection of possession and “for”, as in “for somebody”. He understands when we ask “Where’s your ….?” as well as “Where’s Z’s ….” He has also started using “me” to express wanting something for himself, or wanting something done for him. Example: “Me book” – book for me/read me a book”
He can say so many animal sounds, and both Nanny and Grandma have been working diligently with him to teach him new animal sounds. There are many sounds which he has clearly absorbed over the months of us saying them, and singing “Old Macdonald Had a Farm”, but I didn’t realise that he could say them until two weeks ago when driving home from playgroup and I was using “Old Macdonald” as a way to keep him awake. I exhausted the animal sounds that I knew he could say (sheep, cow, cat, kookaburra) and started on the ones which I thought we’d have no luck with it. I couldn’t believe it when he proceeded to respond to my question “What does ….. say?” with the animal sounds for horse, snake, mouse, duck, crocodile and dog. His repertoire has expanded even more to include owl, lion, bear, tiger. He says the cutest “Grrr” for bear! His “woof” is more of a “ff”, but definitely getting there.I’m starting to run out of animal sounds to teach him!
I used to think that parents who would insist on going through the cycle of “showing off” their child’s latest linguistic acquisitions, particularly the acquisition of animal sounds, was a little bit like asking an animal to perform a trick. It seemed a little disrespectful and show-off-y to me. Silly, silly me. I get it now. Master Z is so happy to show us what he has learnt and to express the things that he can express, that he *loves* to be asked the questions, and loves answering them. And we keep doing so because we still can’t quite believe that he really can say all those things. And it’s pretty cute. Still, I try and limit my showing off of him to just two or three animal sounds.
As for me, well, I really feel properly motivated and energetic in the first time in what feels like forever. I have so many photography projects to get stuck into, and blog posts rattling around in my head waiting to get onto the screen, as well as the house extension to keep pushing along and fine-tuning……so I’ve gone and gotten a job! Not a job I ever imagined doing but I’m really excited about it and I can see so much potential for it being something ongoing which will mould around whatever our family life is at the time. Plus, the sexiest plastic-ware will be filling our house.
Yes, that’s right! I am now a Tupperware consultant!!!
It’s perfect. I love organisation, but we’ve never completed the organisation of our pantry or kitchen cupboards. Part of the extension will involve turning our current euro-laundry into a pantry, at which point I intend to set it all up properly. I was happy with the few OXO containers that we have been using, but having been introduced to Tupperware, the contest was over. Liquid-tight, air-tight, different colours (always an important consideration), different sizes and shapes, lids that don’t take up 5cm of space in the container. I can’t wait!
I have already considered the possibility of this sort of job once the children got to school-age so this is just bumping things forward a bit earlier, and with a different company. I really love everything that I’ve seen so far, so even if it doesn’t work out as a career, I will not lose because I will have the Tupperware which I intend to get anyway. Setting my own times means that I can still do what I’m doing, being a stay at home mum, and just book parties in for a couple of evenings a week. It’s a win-win situation to leap into. So leaping I am.
I have also been meditating in the evenings again, which is lovely. I attended a workshop at a friend’s house two weeks ago and at the end we did a small 5 minute meditation, which made me realise that it was possible to meditate for just five minutes at a time, and I could really do that each day. It feels good, like a bit of balance coming back. Given how much my mind is racing right now, I think that it has re-integrated into my life at just the right time. Speaking of which, it is time for me to go and meditate, and pause all thinking until tomorrow.
