some of the most recent gems

Leona's language has really exploded these past couple months. When we were in Taiwan, we got a comment or two regarding her lack of language ability - not that we took it to heart as she's an excellent communicator with signs, and she has three languages she's picking up so we expect a later explosion, but still, we can say she didn't have a particularly overflow of words then, that's for certain.

Recently I filled out a questionnaire for her 2-year check-up, and in the language category I suddenly realized she now says TONS of words.

And what is super exciting is she's currently working really hard on stringing two and three together. Like the 'poot papoo papi' I mentioned earlier. She also has 'mama sit chair' and other such combinations.

And then there are her comparisons, using her head for the affirmative and negative (mama ut - shake head; Noona ut - nod head...meaning 'I know you're going to stay inside while I go out on the balcony').

With all this exciting development there are a few super cute things that have developed. We have a 't' ending - poot--poop, sout--soup, soat--soap, moot--move (over); papis (spicy); [sounds like ocean without the n] (喝水, drink water...but she uses it for water - all and any kind); a'gn (avocado); mice (knife); gases (glasses); pack-back (back-pack); butt (butt and button); ah-gah-i (I got it); cucapapa (cucumber); nammeh ('I want that') and babao (bib) - not sure how these two came about; and many, many more.

And like 'much' for a lot or very much. The other day we were getting up in the morning and she wanted to bring the four stuffed animals she sleeps with to the living room. When she handed me her dog I said that she could carry them if she wanted to bring them out, and she looked at me and said "muuuuuuuuch" (Common mom, can't you see I have way too much to carry? Can't you please help me this time?).

Or 'back'. She loves to look meaningfully at us, nod her head and say emphatically 'back, back' (I'll be right back), then walk away so she can come back and say delightedly 'baaack' (I'm back).

And 'two' for any amount more than one, and when she's excited or serious about it, she adds her two hands, palms open and out, around shoulder or face hight, and emphasises with them when she says 'two'.

And then we have the opposites: Help you = help me, and vice versa, and 'hochu (hold you) means please hold me (up) so I can do something (wash hands, put something away, get something, etc.).

One of the cutest things, though, is 'another'. Example: she sees a bus. "Bus!" She sees another bus: "A'-a' bus!" and then she sees yet another one: "A'-a'-a'-aaa' bus!"

We are seriously LOVING this stage.

She also currently loooooooooooves playing outside, wearing her turquoise shirt (with a dinosaur riding a motorcycle on it) and purple pants, people watching, rocks (still), describing what she sees at all times but especially when looking out the window (lady, bus, car, truck, tractor, dog, kid, a'-a'-a'-aaa' of any and all of these, play, ball), discussing things in size (big, or big with a shake of her head for 'not big') and color (red, gee-grean, boo-blue, papoo-purple, pick-pink, yellow, a'ju-orange - and several of these in Norwegian as well), jumping (especially on the bed, and landing on her bum like she's going to participate in seat-wars), running, sliding, going on swings, throwing rocks into the ocean, drawing, reading, playing with play-doh (only has my home-made stuff as of yet) and duplo, and pulling her little catapillar around (which she calls a-pus...octopus).

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