The Kids Lives

Phew! The past few weeks were a whirlwind of activity both at home and at work. The weather seems to be giving us more energy (or at least the kids) and we’re spending more time outdoors and allowing later bedtimes (much to my wife’s chagrin).

Each child has made some remarkable leaps in their developments, so, let me update you all on some of these:

Joey

Thursdays, I pick Joey up from school and bring him home. Jenny has class that night and needs to be leaving the house at the time I’d normally be departing work. This past Thursday, I left a little early to pick Joey up. Upon arriving, I was able to come inside to find him sitting on the rug listening to the day’s last story from one of his teachers.

On this particular Thursday, a teacher (and fellow neighbor of ours whom got us into Joey’s school in the first place) pulled me aside to inform me about an amazing breakthrough Joey had made that very day.

She handed me a few pages that were stapled together (something we get every day and we save like the good stock piling parents we are).

On the first page of his take-home paper work was a list of 6 equations. The instructions at the top of the page listed ‘=’, ‘>’, and ‘<’ as possible answers. The students were to look at the series of numbers, and choose which of the three numerical comparison operators fit between them. Joey had correctly identified 5 out of the 6 (and he proudly explained to me what he had been doing as well “Dad, this one is bigger than that one, and this one is the same as that one…”). The second page was a series of 9 math equations similar to the many we remember from our past as well. Examples:
1+4
2+7
0+9

Using a technique he had learned at the school, Joey had made a series of dots next to each number and used them to count the total for each equation. He got ALL of the equations correct.

Now, to most, this action may seem trivial, but you need to remember, this kid just turned 5 and has not even started kindergarten. I know that for myself, personally, I was not even exposed to the alphabet until my half-day kindergarten class started them, and I was 6, not 5.

Joey not only knows the alphabet, but he can spell a large number of three and four letter words, he has learned phonics to help him sound them out, and is now starting into math.

This kid amazes me every day.

Jessamyn

Every morning I drive Jessamyn to school. 20 – 25 minutes each morning, just the two of us. Each morning, Jess insists I start her ‘Princess Music’ while we commute. This is a CD of Disney’s best songs sung by their famous (and revered by Jess) list of official “Princesses.” We have Jasmine from Aladdin, Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, and Sleeping Beauty to listen to.

After six or eight months of listening to the same songs over and over again, the normal person would either pull the CD out and smash and burn it, or drive into the nearest large object to escape the monotony. But, in the past six months, our little daughter has grown quite the set of pipes on her as she has started to sign these songs… word for word.

Now, this isn’t any normal “babble” that so many non-child exposed adults would chalk the somewhat incoherent ditties up as being. Nope, these are word for word reproductions, with melody, of each song that Jess has heard over the past 8 months.

We first became aware of her abilities as she usually sings along with the music in the car (something I insist upon… to keep me from running into the previously mentioned solid objects), but we quickly became aware that she had strong knowledge of each tune’s lyrics as she was able to sing from start to finish without missing lines AND singing in key.

Even now, you can ask her to sing you a song (without accompanying music) and she will start right off and singing happily along. She has even incorporated the Sound of Music, songs from ‘The Muppets’, and some top-40 artists heard on the radio (thanks to Mommy) into her vast repertoire.

I think I’ve finally found a “front man” for my band… now to get Joey and Jocie to play bass and keyboards.

Jocie

Our now well accomplished walker has opted to exercise her toddler-given right to expand her “private space” and broadly explores all geography available.

As she grows into a child, I felt the need to quickly document some of her early language skills.

“ah-bum” – My favorite word, which also has a derivant ‘ah-bu-ba-bum’. This means that Jocie is generally happy and is merely trying to communicate with someone in her immediate presence. Likely translation: “Hi, I’m happy, you should be too.”

“hi-yah” – Always accompanied by a clenched right hand to her ear. This is Jocie’s interpretation of a phone call. We often have lengthy short-distance phone conversations with Jocie (often from within 1 or 2 feet of her) using this catch phrase: Likely translation: “Hi there, I’m on the phone with you.”

“ma ma ma” – Jocie uses this word interchangeably when referring to a parental figure. Jenny, Brooke, or myself are affectionately known by this word. Likely translation: “Parent, come help me. Pick me up.”

“oey” – This is universal Jocie speak for either of her two siblings (or both).

“uh oh” – Same meaning to Jocie as to us. When she drops something (often deliberately), she immediately states this. She has very appropriate usage of this word, especially in public places where she KNOWS she can get gobs of public attention by boisterously dropping a sippy-cup into an isle way and immediately screaming ‘uh oh’.

“owie” – Any time she hurts herself, she immediately claims this word. She is also aware of this condition when relating to others: she recently pointed to one of Jessamyn’s many cuts and bruises and while touching it, stated ‘owie’. Likely translation: “boo bo”, “injury”, or “you’re hurt here.”

“eye yie yie yie” – I learned this just the other day when she bonked my head accidentally and I said ‘ow’. Jocie immediately turned around, gave me a big hug, and stated this word over and over again. Likely translation: “sorry” or “I love you”.

“kit tee” – Means either cat or dog to Jocie.

From the Joey phrase book, I’ve got to post this one here (since only he would ever say/sing this to us):

“ooo – dee – doh” – We have no idea? But it was really cute when he did it!

jp