The "e" "ah" Show
Abbie still isn’t talking yet. I’m not worried yet; it’ll come, and if it doesn’t then we may survive the next 18 years with only one phone line.
We’re working on vowel sounds. I’m trying to make her say words, but instead making her say the whole word or some approximation like nana, I’m settling for the vowel sounds, or just the first vowel sound. If she wants to play ball, I want to hear “aw.” That’s not a problem since she’s been whining in “aw” and “ah” since birth. If she wants milk, I want to hear “ih.” That’s more of a problem, but eventually she accidentally belts out the sound while complaining. If she wants to eat something off my dinner plate, I make her say “e.” That one is a major problem since she still can’t say “e” on command. She can say “e” when she stops thinking during non-verbal activities such as stacking blocks or ripping apart books, but ask her to do it and all we hear are the “aw” and “ah” complaints.
Tonight during dinner, Abbie really wanted some broccoli off my plate. As charming as it is to have a toddler who loves broccoli to the point of being willing to rip the plate from your hands to get it, I wasn’t about to just give her some without making her earn it. Before every bite I took, I asked her to say “e,” and every time she said “ah.” I’d ingest, grab another chunk, and repeat the process. Our “e” “ah” dance continued through my entire plate, and not once did she make an “e.” I finally gave her my last piece because I can’t deny a broccoli-loving toddler forever.
I grabbed a bowl of ice cream for dessert thinking its sweetness would lure an “e” out of her. Again we did the “e” “ah” tango, but she never made an “e” sound. That’s unfortunate because it was cookies & cream, and I think she would have liked it.
Later that night the three oldest members of our family sat on the couch for family time, defined as “watching football while Abbie climbs over us.” We started a call and response routine where someone makes a sound, and the others imitate. When Abbie makes the sound, we end up with kiss sounds and inhaled squeaks, sounds with limited English language applications, but may come in handy for communicating with the indigenous peoples of whatever eastern-hemisphere country she decides to hike across while taking a year off from college. When mommy and daddy make the sound, they’re more useful noises. Mommy tried making her say “e,” and I think we had a breakthrough. Abbie didn’t say “e” in the sense that she could actually use it in language, but she did make a high-pitched squeal on command, the kind of “e” a really small computer like an iPod would make if you were teaching it to talk. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress. Next time she makes that sound on command, I’ll give her some of my ice cream, even if it’s mint chocolate chip.
We’re working on vowel sounds. I’m trying to make her say words, but instead making her say the whole word or some approximation like nana, I’m settling for the vowel sounds, or just the first vowel sound. If she wants to play ball, I want to hear “aw.” That’s not a problem since she’s been whining in “aw” and “ah” since birth. If she wants milk, I want to hear “ih.” That’s more of a problem, but eventually she accidentally belts out the sound while complaining. If she wants to eat something off my dinner plate, I make her say “e.” That one is a major problem since she still can’t say “e” on command. She can say “e” when she stops thinking during non-verbal activities such as stacking blocks or ripping apart books, but ask her to do it and all we hear are the “aw” and “ah” complaints.
Tonight during dinner, Abbie really wanted some broccoli off my plate. As charming as it is to have a toddler who loves broccoli to the point of being willing to rip the plate from your hands to get it, I wasn’t about to just give her some without making her earn it. Before every bite I took, I asked her to say “e,” and every time she said “ah.” I’d ingest, grab another chunk, and repeat the process. Our “e” “ah” dance continued through my entire plate, and not once did she make an “e.” I finally gave her my last piece because I can’t deny a broccoli-loving toddler forever.
I grabbed a bowl of ice cream for dessert thinking its sweetness would lure an “e” out of her. Again we did the “e” “ah” tango, but she never made an “e” sound. That’s unfortunate because it was cookies & cream, and I think she would have liked it.
Later that night the three oldest members of our family sat on the couch for family time, defined as “watching football while Abbie climbs over us.” We started a call and response routine where someone makes a sound, and the others imitate. When Abbie makes the sound, we end up with kiss sounds and inhaled squeaks, sounds with limited English language applications, but may come in handy for communicating with the indigenous peoples of whatever eastern-hemisphere country she decides to hike across while taking a year off from college. When mommy and daddy make the sound, they’re more useful noises. Mommy tried making her say “e,” and I think we had a breakthrough. Abbie didn’t say “e” in the sense that she could actually use it in language, but she did make a high-pitched squeal on command, the kind of “e” a really small computer like an iPod would make if you were teaching it to talk. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress. Next time she makes that sound on command, I’ll give her some of my ice cream, even if it’s mint chocolate chip.
posted by Matt at
10:46 PM
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