Friday, October 7, 2005
Ya Ya Yo. 

I know I blogged about this recently, but Ruby’s vocabulary is continuing to expand prolifically.  I wish I could learn at that pace.  At least three or four times daily, I wonder where in the world she learned to say what she just said.  Often, at first, I have no idea what she is trying to tell me, and she gets mad, repeating herself at an ever increasing volume until something else catches her mind’s eye, and she veers into another path of newly acquired language.  I usually realize what the previous words were a minute or two later, while I should be trying to figure out the next ones.  She likes to point at everything and tell me what it is; a recent trip to the grocery store sounded like this:
“Oh brolly”
“Yes Ruby, that’s broccoli.” 
“Oh Munoons, Monkey! Monkey!” 
“Mmm Hmm, those are balloons, and that is a picture of a monkey!” 
“Oh Pummin” 
“Right… It’s a Halloween pumpkin!”
“Oh Vrum” “What?”  “OH VRUM”  “I’m sorry sweetie, what?”  “VRUM VRUM VRUM VRUUUUUUUUUM!!!”
“Ok Rubes… what ever you say.” 
“VRUUUUUUUUM!!!” 

Then, a few minutes later, on my way out of the store, I realized that she was pointing to the promotional display with a little car, and telling me that it went Vrooom.  Now I know for next time.  Vrum=car.  Got it.

She’s also starting to put multiple words together, and she understands possessives.  She can tell the difference between my nose, her nose, and your nose. She understands that momma’s nose can be described as her nose, as can Kiko’s nose.  I confused myself writing that sentence, but Ruby would get it.   

Our house is now full of animal sounds.  She loves to tell anyone who will ask her what each animal says.  My favorites are “‘bit” for the frog’s ribbit, the lion’s “rawr” which, for some reason, is always whispered, and the elephant’s response, which is a high pitched raspberry accompanied by Ruby’s raised arm mocking the large beast’s trunk. 

Old Macdonald is a favorite sing along book here at home, and she likes to help, mimicking the animal sounds after a helpful prompt.  “Ya Ya Yo” is her rendition of Eee I Eee I Ohh. 

Following the example of this barnyard call and response schema, Ruby has told her first joke.  It took very little manipulation:  just one rehearsal, and now it is part of her repertoire:

“Hey Ruby, What does a sheep say?” 
“Baaaa”

“What does a horse say?”
“Neigh”

“What does James Brown say?”
(With eyes squinched and in a raspy voice) “AAAAOW!”

Keep Funkin' the Funk, little one.

That’s my girl.