The things she says at 2

I used to keep 3x5 cards around the house so that I could jot down a new word Astrid said right at that moment. After about 100 words it was more difficult to record and keep track of so many new words. Also, when I was working I just never got around to posting about it. Since staying home with Astrid since May, her language has grown exponentially. Everyday, every hour she says something new.

She amazes me when she asks me if we're going to "gymnastics class" (with perfect pronunciation) and points out an overhead "airplane" or "helicopter" (her current fascination), or a passing "choo choo train" or things that I don't even remember telling her what they were called, like when she pointed and said, "Mommy...fountain!"

And her single words have turned into multiple word sentences and expressions. For instance:

1. "Eat."
2. "Hungry."
3. "I hungry."
4. "I'm hungry."
5. "Mommy, we eat soon? Yeah?"

When she started saying "I" it was a milestone.
"I tired."

Now she's using the contraction "I'm".
"Mommy, I'm tired."

Before I forget, I wanted to jot down some things Astrid is saying at age 2 that tickle me:

"Whew. Hot day!" (Very appropriate for our heatwave in LA.)

"member?" (remember?)

"Oh heavy!" (She says this not only when it's "heavy" but also when it's difficult like walking uphill, when she can't move something or put something together and needs my help.)

"Bye..see you morrow." (tomorrow)

"Nissan" (Said with a lot of urgency when she's pointing to something she can't reach and wants me to get it for her - Thiiiiiiis one.)

"Bance." (Dance.) "Mommy bance with Astrid."

"Mommy sing to you." (Mommy, sing to me. - I think this comes from me asking "Do you want Mommy to sing to you?")

I Spy
She loves telling me about everything that she sees. This goes for magazines and books as well. Flipping through the pages she will point out everything that she can name.

She asks to see my Windows photo gallery - "Mommy see pictures." She likes to see photos and point out herself, me, papa, grandma, grandpa, our dog, and my parents' dog - oh and of course then there's the beach which she LOVES.

Expressing herself
One of the great things about her language development is that she can express what she wants rather than just crying out of frustration. So she can tell me when she wants a different blanket, or she's thirsty, or what she'd like to eat or wear. I remind her occasionally to "use your words."

Memory
She can also tell me what we did that day, and that she remembers certain things. Like the fact that we left her favorite blanket at Grandpa and Grandma's house (and she's okay with it.) Or that she was playing in the sand and got her hands dirty and the sand was hard to get off. Or that she pet her favorite neighborhood cat, "Jerry" and he was so nice. And when we get ready to walk the dog she reminds me that our dog is going to go poop.

Questions - repeat - Questions
Another thing to note is that a lot of statements are made in the form of questions. Like when we're going to the beach, she will ask "Mommy? Beach? Astrid, Mommy beach?" Over and over again. It's like she needs reassurance that we're actually going to the beach, as if being dressed in her swim suit, sitting in the car with our beach gear, driving to the beach is not enough assurance. If you say, "Yes" it's not enough - she needs to hear "Yes, Astrid we're going to the beach." Her dad was in the car with us to appreciate just how many times she will repeat the same question over and over again and after many reassurances he finally said, "Astrid, you have to stop. You sound like a crazy person."

Her favorite word she likes to repeat is Mommy
Before I had a kid, I never understood how a mom standing at the check out line could ignore her kid who was jumping up and down shouting "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Now that I have a 2 year old, I get it. After acknowledging your kid for the umpteenth time, you realize you have to hit that "ignore" button sometimes in order to get the task at hand done - or else it'll just prolong the pain. Meaning the "Mommy" repeat sequence is sometimes synonymous with whining.

There are things that I can do to avoid the whining and subsequent tantrums like having her help me load the groceries on the conveyor belt, or sitting her on the counter when I pay so she can see and push the green button to okay the credit card transaction - but sometimes nothing works and there's a line of people behind us waiting - and that's when the last resort "ignore" button has to be used to get the hell outta there.

And furthermore, sometimes they just like to shout "Mommy" for no reason other than to get your attention. Many a time Astrid will shout "Mommy" only to smile at me or to say, "Ummm" when asked what she needs.

I can only hope she gets old enough to understand that Mommy's nerves can only stand so many shouts of "Mommy". I can only hope. Or maybe Papa's crazy comment will resonate more with her when she can understand what crazy is.