Proclamations to the World

Oliver has started talking in full sentences and it is pretty funny to hear what he has to say. He still has some pretty bizarre articulation issues (like the way he pronounces "house" as "fouse" and couch as "fouch") but his grammar is impeccable. He speaks with the halting manner of someone learning a new language, or rather, someone using a phrasebook to speak a foreign language "ou. se. trouve. les. toillets?"

On Saturday we went to the Genworth family Christmas party where Oliver declared, "I. Do. NOT. Like. Santa." Alrighty then, no sitting on Santa's lap. We got it, kid, your message was heard loud and clear. Not that he would have had trouble communicating his feelings about Santa without a strong command of the English language...he sent pretty much the same message last year with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

He, like his mom, is a sucker for praise. We are pretty generous with praise around here but even when it's not forthcoming from us, Ollie supplies his own. He will look down proudly at the elaborate train track course he's made and announce, "I'm a good train worker man." Except that "worker" sounds like "wusser," which doesn't exactly sound like praise if it were to come from us. According to Ollie is also a "good eater man," a "good puzzle man" and a "good boy" (He often tells his mom that she is a good boy, too. Thanks, buddy.)

He has been a sport about eating lately, too. His palate is extremely limited but he is starting to enjoy some of the things that he does eat. For instance, he will take a sip of water and says "mmm...good water!" as if he were tasting some exotic beverage or fine wine. The other day he licked something off his finger and remarked with great enthusiasm, "mmmm...GOOD booger!" I must have given him a look that clearly signaled my disgust because he quickly corrected himself, "good EAR booger!" Oh, you are eating your own ear wax, that's SO much better than pickin' and lickin' your nose! Way to go kid!