Get To Know Your Animals

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Here’s Tobin trying to imitate a dog (wff-wff), a cat (miamm), and birds (pee-pee-pee). He just recently started exploring animal voices, but already cracks up if i ask him whether ‘the cat says woof-woof?’ or other simple jokes. I like this phase of pre-talking … when they assign words to objects/people without being able to actually pronounce them yet.

Here’s his ACTIVE ‘vocabulary’ so far (Tobin / German / English):

Daddyyyyyyy / – / Daddy

Ma-Ma / Mami / –

‘Na / Luna (this applies to any cat)

wff-wff / Hund / dog (woof-woof)

Nein / Nein / no

Ba’ / Ball / ball

Ba’ / Banane / banana

Bau’ / Baum / tree

Lgch / Licht / light

(ah) done! / fertig! / (all) done!

Nas’ / Nase / nose

Mmmm’ / Mund / mouth

However, his PASSIVE vocabulary must be much further ahead. Here are some examples of what i could ask him to do/respond to (We talk in German, but i write it down in English for this blog. Most of it he understands in English as well):

Where is Mika/Luna/Daddy? (points)  Where is Tobin? (hides)

Where is your nose? Mouth? Eyes? Ears? Belly Button?

Please put it back in the box and close the lid.

Arms up!

Get up.   Walk.   Sit down.

Are you tired? (If yes, he leans/crashes his head onto my shoulder)

Do you need to poop? (grunts) Did you pee? (reaches down to his diaper)

Go to the living room and get an orange. Bring it over so that i can peel it for you (this being said in the kitchen, with no view of the fruit bowl)

Please close the door (this was when i was taking a shower and he had opened the door to squeeze into the bathroom as well, so it was getting cold. I was really surprised that he understood me *and* was willing and able to close the bathroom door behind him)

Please throw out your diaper (getting him started early on the household chores…)