Words and Things

Simon had his first cold recently. My sister and Aidan came to visit 2 weeks ago, and I think Aidan brought a cold with him. Both Simon and I got sick, but nothing too bad, just a lot of snot! That didn't stop us from having fun with Karen and Aidan, though. We went swimming, visited a petting zoo, ran around outside, had a slumber party, and did other fun things. Simon was thrilled to be around Aidan. He doesn't know any other little kids (although Aidan prefers to be called a "big kid"), and he was excited to make a friend (as much as an 11-month-old can make a friend). Unfortunately, I think Simon's teething again--he had some pretty cranky and touchy moments while Karen and Aidan were here, and he still acts like his gums are bothering him every now and then.

Here are some things that Simon knows:

* The word "more." When he wants more of something he says "moh." It's cute.

* If I ask, "Where is your mouth?" he touches his mouth.

* If I ask, "Where are your ears?" he grabs one of his ears. I don't know how he learned this. I've only casually mentioned that those things on the sides of his head are called "ears."

* If I ask, "Where's the bunny rabbit?" he touches one of his stuffed bunnies.

* If I ask, "Where is Elmo?" he touches his Elmo toy.

* If I ask, "Where is the Tickle Pig?" he touches a little pink stuffed pig. I named him the Tickle Pig because he loves to tickle Simon's feet. That pig sure loves to tickle!

* If I ask, "Where is Total Sweetie?" he grabs this horrible stuffed-potato-wearing-a-straw-hat toy that Michael jokingly named Total Sweetie. Do understand, Michael bought this rotten thing at a thrift shop two years ago. Why? Sheer contrariness, I guess. Simon made the choice to incorporate it into his playtime.

Okay, let's speed this up. Simon also knows these words:

*Frog, duck, dog, kitty cat, ball, baby, up, down, airplane, car, Thomas (the Tank Engine), no.

I'm sure he knows more, but I can't think.

Now, what words does Simon say? Not many. He says: ball, baby, more, bye-bye, dog. He has been known to say mama and dada, but only rarely. He knows the words, he just doesn't like to say them.