When I was pregnant with Luka and went home to Anchorage to visit in early September 2002, my family had a birthday party for me. My brother Charles gave me a book called The Little Book of Knock Knock Jokes. A the time, I read it with my niece and nephew. Their favorite one was:
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Dwayne.
Dwayne who?
Dwayne the bathtub, I dwowning!
Once I got home to Colorado, I set the book aside and kept it until "the baby" (who turned out to be Luka) was ready to read it with me. We came across it a few months ago in his closet and, though I thought he might be a bit young still, we started reading it. It has become one of his favorite books to read and we often tell knock knock jokes at parties (hee hee) or to each other during the day.
He thinks they are hilarious. At the beginning the book's pictures helped a lot, and he still likes them, but he can do them without pictures now too. It has been fun to see how, even over 2 or 3 months, how he has become more sophisticated in understanding knock knock humor. Now, he he gets it a bit more that one person says "knock knock" and the other says "who's there?" but, even if we say all the lines together, the punch line at the end is always very much appreciated by his two-year old little mind.
His #1 favorite:
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Shelby.
Shelby who?
(Sing) Shelby comin' round the mountain when she comes...toot toot! (and keep singing if you like).
We heard "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain" the other day on one of our CD's and he got all excited: "Shelby, Mommy, Shelby!" We had to use the REPEAT ON button the stereo to play it over and over.
Luka surely does not consciously remember it, but I sang this song to him - with many verses - a lot when he was a little guy (up to a year old or so). So, maybe it takes him back to his "childhood" - ha ha.
The close runner up:
Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Thad.
Thad who?
(Sing) Thad's the way , un huh, uh huh, I like it. Uh-huh, uh-huh.
Other ones he knows and has fun with:
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Little Old Lady. Little Old Lady who? I didn't know you could yodel!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Alaska. Alaska who? Alaska a teacher, she'll know the answer!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Tuba. Tuba who? Tuba toothpaste!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Pencil. Pencil who? Pencil fall down if you don't wear a belt!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? House. House who? House about a kiss? Mmmmmm-smack!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Luke. Luke who? Luke through the key hole and find out!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Yvonna. Yvonna who? Yvonna buy a duck?
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Amos. Amos who? Amos -quito bit me.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Andy. Andy who? Andy bit me again!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Mary Lee. Mary Lee who? Mary Lee, Mary Lee, Mary Lee, Mary Lee, life is but a dream.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Ivan. Ivan who? Ivan awful headache.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Wayne. Wayne who? Wayne, Wayne, go away, come again another day.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? William Tell. William Tell who? William, tell everyone to be quiet!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Gorilla. Gorilla who? Gorilla me a cheese sandwhich, please.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Lion. Lion who? Lion your bed and go to sleep.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Dogs. Dogs who? Dogs don't hoot, but owls do.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? A Caddillac. A Caddillac who? A Caddillac mad if you step on his tail - rarng!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Beast. Beast who? Beast still, I'm trying to think.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Rhino. Rhino who? Rhino something you don't know!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Lettuce. Lettuce who? Lettuce in, it's cold out here!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Ketchup. Ketchup who? Ketchup, or you'll be left behind. (Breathing hard) Wait for me!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Olive. Olive who? Olive you, a bushel and a peck.
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Dishes. Dishes who? Dishes da police - open up!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who? What's wrong? I didn't know you were crying!
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Thistle. Thistle who? Thistle be the last knock knock joke!
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
A Day in the Life of Luka & Mommy
Tuesday and Thursdays, Luka does not go to day care and is home with me. This Tuesday (yesterday) we had a fun filled day at home. We went out in the garden by 9 a.m. because I needed to do a bit of maintenance on some plants (Reynald does it mostly, but there was a bit I could do without too much strain on my pregnant body) before it got too hot.
Luka loves to play in his yard and often asks to go out there. We had a fun time with him helping me with his little rake to "clean up" leaves that had fallen. He also was happy to help water various plants with the hose. He also ended up happily spraying himself and getting drenched with the hose when it was laid on our new back yard tree to make sure it got enough water. It was hot out, so he did not mind the cold water on his bottom and front, I guess!
Then, we had a big time with two super soaker squirt guns (that I had purchased before he was born for when Keri and I went on a canoe trip on the Dolores River in Colorado). He thought it was hilarious to squeeze the guns and watch me jump around in this water stream, or just shoot the stream off and watch it fall back to earth in a shower. We filled up both water guns several times. He didn't mind being squirted either, but preferred being the one doing the squirting! :)
We also played with bubbles. He is a good bubble blower and likes to take a turn at doing that. However, he did end up dumping two bottles worth of bubbles in the grass (oops), so hope it isn't strong enough to kill it...! He also is an expert at running around popping the bubbles that Mommy blows.
Of course, we also had snacks (Scooby Doo cookies - in the shape of dog bones - it makes me feel like I am eating dog food, but they don't taste bad, so am sure they are for human consumption).
Another fun day at home....
Luka loves to play in his yard and often asks to go out there. We had a fun time with him helping me with his little rake to "clean up" leaves that had fallen. He also was happy to help water various plants with the hose. He also ended up happily spraying himself and getting drenched with the hose when it was laid on our new back yard tree to make sure it got enough water. It was hot out, so he did not mind the cold water on his bottom and front, I guess!
Then, we had a big time with two super soaker squirt guns (that I had purchased before he was born for when Keri and I went on a canoe trip on the Dolores River in Colorado). He thought it was hilarious to squeeze the guns and watch me jump around in this water stream, or just shoot the stream off and watch it fall back to earth in a shower. We filled up both water guns several times. He didn't mind being squirted either, but preferred being the one doing the squirting! :)
We also played with bubbles. He is a good bubble blower and likes to take a turn at doing that. However, he did end up dumping two bottles worth of bubbles in the grass (oops), so hope it isn't strong enough to kill it...! He also is an expert at running around popping the bubbles that Mommy blows.
Of course, we also had snacks (Scooby Doo cookies - in the shape of dog bones - it makes me feel like I am eating dog food, but they don't taste bad, so am sure they are for human consumption).
Another fun day at home....
Monday, June 13, 2005
French, English or Luka-speak?
Now, Luka talks pretty clearly but back in the Fall (2004), he had some very endearing Luka-speak. And, even now, of course, sometimes he pronounces things a little off.
Some recent funny ones
“Mommy, I want to do it in Spenlish” (= English)!
“Petit Papa Noël, quand tu descends pas du ciel" (should be "quand tu descendra du ciel" – or else, how would you get any presents ?!)
When he was asked what his little brother's name was going to be by his teachers at school, they asked me later how to say brother in French, because he was telling him that #2's name is "petit frère" ("little brother"). This is true - this is what we call him at our house. :)
"There was a farmer had a dog and mingo was his Nemo… b-i-n-g-o…” (He loves flamingos and used to call them “mingos”…and we all know Nemo.)
Sometimes mixes up "facile" and "difficile" or "pas facile" and "pas difficile" actually, that is understandable. I am sure a lot of adults learning French do too. :)
Some of Luka’s pronunciation from Sept and Oct 20004
(some of them were right on even then)
First and Favorite French Words from Fall 2004
FOR LUKA SAID Yaourt Yato Gâteau Gâteau Montagne Mont-ta-ta Avion was “abu” then “a-ion” Pantalon Patata Bisou Bisou Bonjour Beau-jour People People Au revoir au voir Flamingo mingo Calin ca….ca
Drapeau (flag) – one of his first words, and probably the first unprompted one – a big surprise (he still loves to pick out flags) was perfectly pronounced as “drapeau,”then mutated to “drapeau – rrrrrr” (can blame that on Mommy’s pronunciation, I am sure), now it is “drapeau” again (usually, that is).
Chapeau (hat)
Bye bye
Baby / Bébé
Maman
Papa (was “maman" for a long time too – both parents were “maman”. Then, nothing for a while as he sorted it out, then “baba” and then, finally, Papa!)
First Animal sounds (Fall 2004 and before)
Cochon (pig) – Luka would snort instead of saying oink oink (English) or groink groink (French). Got that from me too, I think…
Gorille (gorilla) – unhhh unhhh! Ohhh ohhh!
Cheval (horse) – (neigh in either language)
Chat (kitty cat) – meow / miaou
Chien (dog, or as we call it, “woofie” – as in Papa Woofie, Mama Woofie or Baby Woofie) – originally, Luka made the dog sound as “vvvvvv” then it because “woof woof.”
In October of 2004, he also said "All done" (learned at day care) and "fini".
Some Favorite Phrases around February 2005
These phrases were particulary popular in the Spring of 2005.
"Ce n'est pas de tout marrant"
"Ce n'est pas de tout rigolo"
"Ce n'est pas drôle"
(all these often said in succession at the same time)
"That is not funny"
Additions
06/28/05 - lately Luka has been confusing "faster" with "louder". Sort of the same idea, if you think about it. When he wants to hear his favorite songs on the car CD player louder, he will say, "Faster, Mommy, faster!"
07/06/05 - My friend Corinne just reminded me about Luka saying, "Maman, goblet n'a pas de visage" when referring to his Sponge Bob sippy cup(s). (He has a set of 4 that we rotate.) "Goblet" is almost like a stuffed animal or other "friend" in that "he" has taken on special importance. Often, when Luka mentions members of his family, he will include Goblet along with Mommy, Papa, Gorille, Baby, etc. One day he told me that Goblet did not have a face. Well, he has some pictures of Sponge Bog and friends faces on him, but Goblet himself, it is true, does not have a face. But, he is still our good buddy. :)
08/10/05 - Luka likes to say, "Hang loose, baby" and make the Hawaiin sign with a modified fist, with the pinky and thumb sticking out. Mommy taught him this one day when he was in the car with us because it looked like that is what he was doing with his hands.
08/23/05 - When Luka was around one year old, that Christmas, we read him a book about Santa (French Santa) looking for his reindeer that Jean-Claude and Annick had sent. In it, there was a candle and from the very beginning, he loved the word "bougie" (candle in French). He would laugh his head off every time we said it. He was also fascinated by real candles. That has somewhat subsided now, but he still likes candles if we light them and, at the time, he was really tickled by them and loved that word.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Favorite Songs
Luka loves to sing and he knows lots of songs in French and in English. He learns lots of songs in English at school (day care) that we also sing with him if he asks us to. And, we have taught him a lot of songs in French. My own family knows a lot of (Anglophone) folk songs, and I like those type of traditional songs. I have worked to learn the same type of songs in French and teach them to Luka. Also, since he was born, we have received and/or bought a lot of CD's with songs in French. Some are traditional and others are newer, but still lively and fun.
When I was pregnant with Luka and Mom and I were in Aix-en-Provence together on our trip to France, I purchased three books called Chansons françaises - volumes 1, 2, and 3. There was a volume 4 published at one time, but I have not been able to find it. Those inexpensive books turned out to be a great investment as Luka adores singing from them and the very colorful pictures that accompany each song. He loves to find the corresponding picture/music when he hears a particular song on one of CD's. We also can sing most of them on our own and often have a sing-a-long before he goes to bed (with Reynald and/or myself). For the few we don't know in those books, Luka has learned the phrase "Celle-là , on ne la connais pas." Often, during the day, Luka will ask for a song or "break into song" on his own.
When he was very little - 2 months - I started him in a baby music class (Musikgarten method at our church) and French class for babies (which is basically singing and Frencnurseryey rhymes). I think that earlier exposurencourageded his genetic propensity for being musical -- on both sides of the family: grandma and great grandma music teachers; mom who sang and played some instruments here and there; papa who played classical guitar; auntie and uncle who are accomplished musicians, etc. I will have great memories of snowshoeing with Luka in the winter and singing lots of songs.
Some of his French favorites are:
- La chanson papa or Papa ne me regarde pas comme ça - or (real title) C'est pas moi from a French CD called Les Questions that is written/sung by a friend of Reynald's cousin in France (they are both educators). Reynald's mom gave us this as a gift and we love it. I have tried to find it online to buy it for others, but I think it was a small production with a regional release. This one we just have on CD and Luka loves to hear it over and over in the car.
- La chanson maman - or (real title) J'appelle Maman - see notes above on La chanson papa.
- Au claire de la lune - with many of these traditional songs he knows several verses because of the books we have that list multiple verses. He particulary likes to sing the part in the second verse in this one where the neighbor bat le briquet.
- Nous n'irons plus au bois - or as it is known at our house Sautez, dansez...! - this one is a favorite when it is heard on CD and I often put it on auto repeat as Luka wants to hear it (and dance to it) again and again.
- Gentil coquelicot - the refrain is particularly fun (Gentil conqu'licot Monsieur....ooops! Ce n'est pas ça Maman - qu'est-ce qu'on dit? ... Monsieur? Oiseaux? ... Gentil conqu'licot Mesdames!)
- Il est né le divin enfant - one of the all time favorites (whether it is Christmas or not) and oft-requested as the "Bébé Jésus" song (which also can apply to "Jesus Loves Me" which is an English favorite, with those great arm motions as well as "Jesus Loves the Little Children"). He loves to review the picture for this song and has learned a lot from it: Jesus was born in a manger, there were kings, shepherds, animals and the baby's mother was Marie (Mary) and his father was Joseph.
- Il était un petit navire - or as we call it, the Matelot song. He like it when the little sailor almost gets eaten....! ;)
- Jeanneton prend sa faucille - this one Luka likes well enough, but if you know what it meant, you'd wonder that it was a kids song!!!!!
- Maman, let p'tits bateaux - those boats don't really have legs, do they?
- Sur le pont d'Avignon, that old favorite (along with a similar one in English, Ring Around the Rosies - always a fun till you grow and find out what it really means!).
- Prom'nons nous dans les bois - a real favorite and kind of (fun) scary too. Lately, we have been replacing the loup (wolf) with a zèbre (zebra) and that always gets a laugh.
- ABC's in French - he's known this since he was 14 months or so - we also sing it when we are putting on a new (kid) tattoo while it transfers.
- Petit Papa Noël - a Christmas song, but we are listening to it a lot lately on the car CD player. He likes to sing the words and when the song ends, to open his arms wide in dramatic style: "Petit Papaaaaaaa Noooooooooooooooël!" He is just tickled when this song comes on the CD.
Others we like include:
Trois jeunes tambours; Il était une bergère; Frère Jacques; Auprès de ma blonde; Compère Guilleri; Colchiques; Le bon roi Dagobert; Il pleut, il pleut bergère; Savez-vous planter les choux?; Ainsi font, font, font; Bon voyage, Monsieur Dumollet; Dans la forêt lointaine; Meunier, tu dors; Malbrough s'en va-t-en geurre.
Some of his English favorites are:
- Wheels on the Bus - we like adding our own verses too: T'Choupi on the bus, Gorille on the bus, Doudou on the bus, Goblet (his Sponge Bob sippy cup) on the bus (Maman, goblet n'a pas de visage), Luka on the Bus, (his) Daddy on the bus, (his) Mommy on the bus, etc. I used to have sing all the (real) verses and all our own verses before he would go to sleep...!
- The Bumblee Bee Song (I learned this one so I could sing it with him - he'd learned it at school): I got a little baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me....
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (with motions - one of his first songs he could sing all on his own).
- ABC's in English
- A new one lately is the Dinosaur Song (I looked that one up on the Internet too so I could sing it with him): One little dinosaur went out to play, on a spider web one day, he had such enormous fun, he called another dinosaur to come ... HEY DINOSAUR!!!!
- Jingle Bells - I was singing this with him at Christmas and realized he already knew it from school. He still sings it around the house from time to time - I am sure when he hears it everywhere at the holiday season, he will be thrilled.
Updates
06/28/05 - a new song added to Luka's most frequently requested favorites is Pirouette cacahouette and Une souris verte (the part about "un escargot tout chaud !").
When I was pregnant with Luka and Mom and I were in Aix-en-Provence together on our trip to France, I purchased three books called Chansons françaises - volumes 1, 2, and 3. There was a volume 4 published at one time, but I have not been able to find it. Those inexpensive books turned out to be a great investment as Luka adores singing from them and the very colorful pictures that accompany each song. He loves to find the corresponding picture/music when he hears a particular song on one of CD's. We also can sing most of them on our own and often have a sing-a-long before he goes to bed (with Reynald and/or myself). For the few we don't know in those books, Luka has learned the phrase "Celle-là , on ne la connais pas." Often, during the day, Luka will ask for a song or "break into song" on his own.
When he was very little - 2 months - I started him in a baby music class (Musikgarten method at our church) and French class for babies (which is basically singing and Frencnurseryey rhymes). I think that earlier exposurencourageded his genetic propensity for being musical -- on both sides of the family: grandma and great grandma music teachers; mom who sang and played some instruments here and there; papa who played classical guitar; auntie and uncle who are accomplished musicians, etc. I will have great memories of snowshoeing with Luka in the winter and singing lots of songs.
Some of his French favorites are:
- La chanson papa or Papa ne me regarde pas comme ça - or (real title) C'est pas moi from a French CD called Les Questions that is written/sung by a friend of Reynald's cousin in France (they are both educators). Reynald's mom gave us this as a gift and we love it. I have tried to find it online to buy it for others, but I think it was a small production with a regional release. This one we just have on CD and Luka loves to hear it over and over in the car.
- La chanson maman - or (real title) J'appelle Maman - see notes above on La chanson papa.
- Au claire de la lune - with many of these traditional songs he knows several verses because of the books we have that list multiple verses. He particulary likes to sing the part in the second verse in this one where the neighbor bat le briquet.
- Nous n'irons plus au bois - or as it is known at our house Sautez, dansez...! - this one is a favorite when it is heard on CD and I often put it on auto repeat as Luka wants to hear it (and dance to it) again and again.
- Gentil coquelicot - the refrain is particularly fun (Gentil conqu'licot Monsieur....ooops! Ce n'est pas ça Maman - qu'est-ce qu'on dit? ... Monsieur? Oiseaux? ... Gentil conqu'licot Mesdames!)
- Il est né le divin enfant - one of the all time favorites (whether it is Christmas or not) and oft-requested as the "Bébé Jésus" song (which also can apply to "Jesus Loves Me" which is an English favorite, with those great arm motions as well as "Jesus Loves the Little Children"). He loves to review the picture for this song and has learned a lot from it: Jesus was born in a manger, there were kings, shepherds, animals and the baby's mother was Marie (Mary) and his father was Joseph.
- Il était un petit navire - or as we call it, the Matelot song. He like it when the little sailor almost gets eaten....! ;)
- Jeanneton prend sa faucille - this one Luka likes well enough, but if you know what it meant, you'd wonder that it was a kids song!!!!!
- Maman, let p'tits bateaux - those boats don't really have legs, do they?
- Sur le pont d'Avignon, that old favorite (along with a similar one in English, Ring Around the Rosies - always a fun till you grow and find out what it really means!).
- Prom'nons nous dans les bois - a real favorite and kind of (fun) scary too. Lately, we have been replacing the loup (wolf) with a zèbre (zebra) and that always gets a laugh.
- ABC's in French - he's known this since he was 14 months or so - we also sing it when we are putting on a new (kid) tattoo while it transfers.
- Petit Papa Noël - a Christmas song, but we are listening to it a lot lately on the car CD player. He likes to sing the words and when the song ends, to open his arms wide in dramatic style: "Petit Papaaaaaaa Noooooooooooooooël!" He is just tickled when this song comes on the CD.
Others we like include:
Trois jeunes tambours; Il était une bergère; Frère Jacques; Auprès de ma blonde; Compère Guilleri; Colchiques; Le bon roi Dagobert; Il pleut, il pleut bergère; Savez-vous planter les choux?; Ainsi font, font, font; Bon voyage, Monsieur Dumollet; Dans la forêt lointaine; Meunier, tu dors; Malbrough s'en va-t-en geurre.
Some of his English favorites are:
- Wheels on the Bus - we like adding our own verses too: T'Choupi on the bus, Gorille on the bus, Doudou on the bus, Goblet (his Sponge Bob sippy cup) on the bus (Maman, goblet n'a pas de visage), Luka on the Bus, (his) Daddy on the bus, (his) Mommy on the bus, etc. I used to have sing all the (real) verses and all our own verses before he would go to sleep...!
- The Bumblee Bee Song (I learned this one so I could sing it with him - he'd learned it at school): I got a little baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me....
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (with motions - one of his first songs he could sing all on his own).
- ABC's in English
- A new one lately is the Dinosaur Song (I looked that one up on the Internet too so I could sing it with him): One little dinosaur went out to play, on a spider web one day, he had such enormous fun, he called another dinosaur to come ... HEY DINOSAUR!!!!
- Jingle Bells - I was singing this with him at Christmas and realized he already knew it from school. He still sings it around the house from time to time - I am sure when he hears it everywhere at the holiday season, he will be thrilled.
Updates
06/28/05 - a new song added to Luka's most frequently requested favorites is Pirouette cacahouette and Une souris verte (the part about "un escargot tout chaud !").
Friday, June 03, 2005
Bed Time & Chocolate
Bed Time
Like I mentioned below, Luka is now in his big boy bed. I am currently in the process of making him a little summer blankie for his bed to encourage him to stay in it. Every night he says, "Mommy, laisse la porte ouverte (leave the door open)," all smiley and cute. Then, I say, "Pourquoi (why)?" and he says, "Je veux sortir (I want to leave my room)" Ha ha. He is still not able to lie yet - he will always tell the truth (such as when he gets in trouble. Me: "You can come out of your room if you promise not to scratch Mommy again. Will you scratch me again?" Luka: "YES!") In any case, then, I have to close the door or he will run around and never go to bed, and then he cries and I feel bad... oh well! Then, we open it after he has fallen asleep so that he can be free to go pee pee or whatever during the night - and get up in the a.m. (he has been coming in our bed between 6:45 and 7:15 a.m., but that is another issue...)
Chocolate
Luka never had chocolate till he was around 16 months old or something... That is good, because he has turned out to be chocolate man! When we were on our cruise in February, I asked him one evening what he wanted for dinner, and he said, "Chocolate, Mommy!" You can have whatever you want to eat on a cruise, that is, unless your mommy is there! :)
Like I mentioned below, Luka is now in his big boy bed. I am currently in the process of making him a little summer blankie for his bed to encourage him to stay in it. Every night he says, "Mommy, laisse la porte ouverte (leave the door open)," all smiley and cute. Then, I say, "Pourquoi (why)?" and he says, "Je veux sortir (I want to leave my room)" Ha ha. He is still not able to lie yet - he will always tell the truth (such as when he gets in trouble. Me: "You can come out of your room if you promise not to scratch Mommy again. Will you scratch me again?" Luka: "YES!") In any case, then, I have to close the door or he will run around and never go to bed, and then he cries and I feel bad... oh well! Then, we open it after he has fallen asleep so that he can be free to go pee pee or whatever during the night - and get up in the a.m. (he has been coming in our bed between 6:45 and 7:15 a.m., but that is another issue...)
Chocolate
Luka never had chocolate till he was around 16 months old or something... That is good, because he has turned out to be chocolate man! When we were on our cruise in February, I asked him one evening what he wanted for dinner, and he said, "Chocolate, Mommy!" You can have whatever you want to eat on a cruise, that is, unless your mommy is there! :)
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Thanks T'Choupi
I have realized that the T'Choupi DVD's are teaching Luka several French phrases in a more natural way. I am pretty sure that is where he got "oui" from in his current usage of it. It was a real favorite for a while but now is more relaxed in usage. He knew the word before and its meaning, but I think the T'Choupi flicks help him to use various phrases more naturally in his speech. Including:"Mesdames et Messieurs !" (as in "je vous présente" okay, that is not real natural, but he has fun with it)
"Bonne nuit, Maman" (of course, that could come from us repeating it since he was born)
"J'arrive... Papa et Luka arrivent... etc."
"Je ne sais pas quoi faire."
"S'il te plaît..."
"Ma petite maman." (Not sure if this one is from T'choupi, but it sure is cute."
... I know there are some others that I am too tired to recall right now - however, I just thought it was interesting, that in this case, TV (or more correctly DVD's) are very helpful in providing a forum in which French is spoken in a true French context (product) from which he can learn to speak more natively/fluently.
For more on my musings on raising kids bilingually, see my corner at our web site:
http://www.bodeuxinternational.com/per/Eve/Eve.htm.
Luka's Shower and Monkeys
Luka's First Big Boy Shower
Luka - at 2-1/2 - took his first "big boy shower" today. By that I mean, he took a shower all by himself - using the removable shower head down at his level, soaping up, washing himself and rinsing. He told me he wanted to take a shower "tout seul" (al by himself) and I was on the outside of the shower (we have clear shower doors in our master bath) to make sure he was okay. He decided this at around 3:30 in the afternoon when we went upstairs to get something and he passed Mommy and Papa's shower.
But, he did not want me in there, "Maman, laisse-moi tranquille" ("Leave me alone" - meaning "I can do it!"). He had a blast soaping up repeatedly with his liquid kid peach soap and then rinsing. The only problem was that he put a bunch of soap in his hair, so at the end, I had to get in to help him wash and rinse his hair. He does not like that part and sometimes will put his head back to avoid getting in his eyes, but sometimes, we just have to rinse it and some water gets in his eyes (the case this time). When we get out, he wants to make sure his feet are covered by a towel also. "Mes pieds aussi!" This time, he also wanted his face covered (?): "Le visage aussi!" Despite the crisis at the end, he was very proud of taking a shower on his own.
No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Luka [jumping on his bed]: Mommy, call the doctor!
Mommy [with banana to ear if available]: Hello, Doctor? This is Mommy. I have a monkey here who is jumping on the bed and he just fell off and bumped his head. What do I dooooooo?
[Luka jumping up and down and laughing]
Mommy: Uh huh, uh huh, okay - I'll tell him. Bye! Luka, the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Luka - at 2-1/2 - took his first "big boy shower" today. By that I mean, he took a shower all by himself - using the removable shower head down at his level, soaping up, washing himself and rinsing. He told me he wanted to take a shower "tout seul" (al by himself) and I was on the outside of the shower (we have clear shower doors in our master bath) to make sure he was okay. He decided this at around 3:30 in the afternoon when we went upstairs to get something and he passed Mommy and Papa's shower.
But, he did not want me in there, "Maman, laisse-moi tranquille" ("Leave me alone" - meaning "I can do it!"). He had a blast soaping up repeatedly with his liquid kid peach soap and then rinsing. The only problem was that he put a bunch of soap in his hair, so at the end, I had to get in to help him wash and rinse his hair. He does not like that part and sometimes will put his head back to avoid getting in his eyes, but sometimes, we just have to rinse it and some water gets in his eyes (the case this time). When we get out, he wants to make sure his feet are covered by a towel also. "Mes pieds aussi!" This time, he also wanted his face covered (?): "Le visage aussi!" Despite the crisis at the end, he was very proud of taking a shower on his own.
No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Luka [jumping on his bed]: Mommy, call the doctor!
Mommy [with banana to ear if available]: Hello, Doctor? This is Mommy. I have a monkey here who is jumping on the bed and he just fell off and bumped his head. What do I dooooooo?
[Luka jumping up and down and laughing]
Mommy: Uh huh, uh huh, okay - I'll tell him. Bye! Luka, the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Luka's Activities Memorial Day Weekend-ish
Memorial Day Weekend
We had a busy Memorial Day weekend hanging out with the Lindemuth clan in Aurora. Uncle Jack's family came to spend time with him and visit their mother at the hospital over the long weekend. Luka and I had a lot of fun visiting them on Saturday and Sunday (Reynald was climbing Blanca Peak and 2 other 14'ers those days in Southern Colorado) for playing and dinner. Luka had a fantastic time playing with his cousins (2nd cousins once removed for those who are interested in that sort of thing): Emma, Julia, Anna, Claire, Erik, Alyssa, Arianna, Leila and Kyle. They had a great time with frisbees, playing hide and seek and playing "get the monster (Jim)" - though Luka was a bit shy for that one and stood to the side and watched with a worried look on his face (Mommy told him to jump on the monster with the other guys, but I guess I was not that convincing). The first night, we played Skunk and Luka helped me out by throwing the dice - almost literally (throwing them), but we got him to lob them across the table. During the day on Saturday, we went with Julia and Emma to the Children's Museum and had an awesome time (see pictures on our web site). Luka had a great time fishing, playing in the garden, "working" at the computer, filling up his basket with all the available fruit and veggies in the "store" and playing hide and seek with Julia and Emma in the big tunnel - Luka dressed as a mouse and Julia dressed as an eagle. Before the museum, we took a historic trolley ride that follows the bike bath south and then back to REI and back to the museum. After the museum, they kiddies had fun playing in the outdoor park just next door (and Luka decided to go pee pee outside while climbing up the equipment - oops - I just taught him to go pee pee outside, but we will have to work on when that is appropriate - Uncle Jack's yard is definitely not either!).
Mommy/Kid Hike in Boulder
Tuesday, we went hiking with Ada and her mommy Corinne to the Anne U. White Trail in north Boulder. Ada and Luka had a blast at all the stream crossings "fishing" and fighting over the "snake stick" - until Luka got an elephant stick which was also an object of desire. Eventually, both sticks got left in the woods. Throwing rocks in the stream and "fishing" were never so much fun. This trail was great for the kids (and not bad for me big pregnant lady) with only a few hills to climb and lots of flowers, butterflies, "fishing poles," etc. Also, I was lucky that Corinne was there to help with getting Luka across the stream crossings. They were not bad, but my balance is not dependable these days (she carried Luka, not me!)
We had a busy Memorial Day weekend hanging out with the Lindemuth clan in Aurora. Uncle Jack's family came to spend time with him and visit their mother at the hospital over the long weekend. Luka and I had a lot of fun visiting them on Saturday and Sunday (Reynald was climbing Blanca Peak and 2 other 14'ers those days in Southern Colorado) for playing and dinner. Luka had a fantastic time playing with his cousins (2nd cousins once removed for those who are interested in that sort of thing): Emma, Julia, Anna, Claire, Erik, Alyssa, Arianna, Leila and Kyle. They had a great time with frisbees, playing hide and seek and playing "get the monster (Jim)" - though Luka was a bit shy for that one and stood to the side and watched with a worried look on his face (Mommy told him to jump on the monster with the other guys, but I guess I was not that convincing). The first night, we played Skunk and Luka helped me out by throwing the dice - almost literally (throwing them), but we got him to lob them across the table. During the day on Saturday, we went with Julia and Emma to the Children's Museum and had an awesome time (see pictures on our web site). Luka had a great time fishing, playing in the garden, "working" at the computer, filling up his basket with all the available fruit and veggies in the "store" and playing hide and seek with Julia and Emma in the big tunnel - Luka dressed as a mouse and Julia dressed as an eagle. Before the museum, we took a historic trolley ride that follows the bike bath south and then back to REI and back to the museum. After the museum, they kiddies had fun playing in the outdoor park just next door (and Luka decided to go pee pee outside while climbing up the equipment - oops - I just taught him to go pee pee outside, but we will have to work on when that is appropriate - Uncle Jack's yard is definitely not either!).Mommy/Kid Hike in Boulder
Tuesday, we went hiking with Ada and her mommy Corinne to the Anne U. White Trail in north Boulder. Ada and Luka had a blast at all the stream crossings "fishing" and fighting over the "snake stick" - until Luka got an elephant stick which was also an object of desire. Eventually, both sticks got left in the woods. Throwing rocks in the stream and "fishing" were never so much fun. This trail was great for the kids (and not bad for me big pregnant lady) with only a few hills to climb and lots of flowers, butterflies, "fishing poles," etc. Also, I was lucky that Corinne was there to help with getting Luka across the stream crossings. They were not bad, but my balance is not dependable these days (she carried Luka, not me!)
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Eve's Trip to AZ - celebrate 40!
For 5 days near the end of May, I (Eve) took a trip with 3 of my best college friends to celebrate the year we all turn 40: Karen M, Karen P & Laurie A. Keri A was not able to be with us - and her birthday was during the trip dates! - but we thought about her a lot and even were able to catch her on the phone and sing (I must say, a lovely version of) Happy Birthday!'
.We chose Sedona, AZ and stayed in the Hilton Resort there. It was a very nice studio. The weather is normally in the mid-80's at this time of year (or so we read), but it was record-breaking and I think the high was 109° with it reaching 105 several days. When we left, it was in the high 90's - almost "cool." We had a good time together though - hiking in the early morning (getting up between 5 and 6 to beat the heat), relaxing, checking out the local stores and eating at interesting restaurants. I even got a massage - so did Laurie - and also had a pedicure. Luka liked my big toes with rhinestone flowers on them when I returned home. 
Luka and Papa held up the home front. They had a great time - going to SesameStreetLive and seeing Elmo and all his buds in real life - along with a Elmo balloon that is still floating around the house. They also went on a major hike on Sunday where Luka went about 1.5 miles on his own power up hill (or so I heard). We may just have to buy him some expensive REI hiking boots yet!
This was the first time I had been away from Luka overnight and it turned out great in the end. He talked to me one or two times a day on the phone - and hearing him from the other end was an eye-opener as to what a good talker he is now. He told me a lot about his days at school, with Papa and what he was having for dinner. :) I thought it would be more traumatic for both of us than it was - but I'd say that we were also both glad when I came home.
Back to the trip with the girls - we had such a good time we are talking about doing it again next year (somewhere new) rather than waiting for the big 45 or the big (gulp) 5-oh.
.We chose Sedona, AZ and stayed in the Hilton Resort there. It was a very nice studio. The weather is normally in the mid-80's at this time of year (or so we read), but it was record-breaking and I think the high was 109° with it reaching 105 several days. When we left, it was in the high 90's - almost "cool." We had a good time together though - hiking in the early morning (getting up between 5 and 6 to beat the heat), relaxing, checking out the local stores and eating at interesting restaurants. I even got a massage - so did Laurie - and also had a pedicure. Luka liked my big toes with rhinestone flowers on them when I returned home. Luka and Papa held up the home front. They had a great time - going to SesameStreetLive and seeing Elmo and all his buds in real life - along with a Elmo balloon that is still floating around the house. They also went on a major hike on Sunday where Luka went about 1.5 miles on his own power up hill (or so I heard). We may just have to buy him some expensive REI hiking boots yet!
This was the first time I had been away from Luka overnight and it turned out great in the end. He talked to me one or two times a day on the phone - and hearing him from the other end was an eye-opener as to what a good talker he is now. He told me a lot about his days at school, with Papa and what he was having for dinner. :) I thought it would be more traumatic for both of us than it was - but I'd say that we were also both glad when I came home.
Back to the trip with the girls - we had such a good time we are talking about doing it again next year (somewhere new) rather than waiting for the big 45 or the big (gulp) 5-oh.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Poo Poo and in Search of Toddler Sheets
Luka had some antics recently that will be remembered as the famous poo-poo bed incident... but, we won't go into the gory details here - it is just too much about poop. The upshot is that we realized he needed to get out of his crib. I always thought he liked it, and I think he did, but it obviously was a bit confining. We had dropped the drop side, but it was still something he had to climb over. In any case, last night, he spent the first night in his "big boy bed" - the crib converted to toddler bed - three sides with slats still and one side free for him to climb out of.
He was very excited and, as Reynald converted the bed, ran around his room saying, "Je suis content ! Je suis content !" Or, in other words, "I'm so happy!" Gee, I guess we should have done that a while ago!
I wanted to buy him some new sheets to make the transition as momentous as possible. He and I went to Target in seearch of some toddler-sized prize with Sponge Bob, Spiderman or other commercial on it. But, it was not to be. Target carries no toddler sized flat sheets! That is the key, you see, because a "toddler" fitted sheet is just a crib sheet. To make it a "real" big boy experience, he needs a flat sheet like the rest of us big people.
He survived his first night in the big boy bed with a double sheet made to fit his bed. But, we need something more exciting than Reynald's old sheet from his bachelor pad days! (By the way, he did end up on the floor and told me so the next morning, "Mommy, j'étais sur le sol - Mommy, I was on the floor!" He had the imprint of the rug on one side of his body to prove it :( but didn't really seem to mind....)
So, I went online thinking it would be easy to find him a bed-time prize. But, alas, this was not the case. I did find "toddler bedding sets" at places like Wal-mart (where I usually am able to avoid spending my money...ick). However desperate I was, I was not going to buy him cheap-o poly/cotton blends - which, even on other sites, seem to be the norm. Also, it seems most stores include a comforter in their "toddler set". There are a couple of problems with that. First, it is over 90 degrees today, so paying for and/or using a quilt is just silly at this time. Also, he may go up to a twin bed in the fall, so we don't need that extra piece.
I called Pottery Barn Kids. They said that a lot of people ask for toddler flat sheets but the only place they have heard of that sells them is JCPenney catalog. (This is very odd, I'd say, because Pottery Barn and several other stores sell high-end TODDLER BEDS. What do they expect us to use on them?! Hello, Pottery Barn marketing department - new product idea!)
I called Penney's, but the lady could not find them. She sent me the kids bedding catalog and maybe I will have some luck there. In the end, I did find some 100% cotton sheets at the BabyCenter Store - good old Baby Center who sends me weekly updates on my pregancy progress and monthly updates on Luka's toddlerhoom. I have never spent money on their "things to purchase" site, so I guess it is about time.
There - more than you ever wanted to know about finding toddler sheets (and not more than you ever wanted to know about poop disasters - consider yourself lucky on that account).
update at 8:41 p.m.
Luka was going to sleep on the floor again, so we moved his actual mattress on the floor. He seems more comfortable with that and is now on his way to dream land.
He was very excited and, as Reynald converted the bed, ran around his room saying, "Je suis content ! Je suis content !" Or, in other words, "I'm so happy!" Gee, I guess we should have done that a while ago!
I wanted to buy him some new sheets to make the transition as momentous as possible. He and I went to Target in seearch of some toddler-sized prize with Sponge Bob, Spiderman or other commercial on it. But, it was not to be. Target carries no toddler sized flat sheets! That is the key, you see, because a "toddler" fitted sheet is just a crib sheet. To make it a "real" big boy experience, he needs a flat sheet like the rest of us big people.
He survived his first night in the big boy bed with a double sheet made to fit his bed. But, we need something more exciting than Reynald's old sheet from his bachelor pad days! (By the way, he did end up on the floor and told me so the next morning, "Mommy, j'étais sur le sol - Mommy, I was on the floor!" He had the imprint of the rug on one side of his body to prove it :( but didn't really seem to mind....)
So, I went online thinking it would be easy to find him a bed-time prize. But, alas, this was not the case. I did find "toddler bedding sets" at places like Wal-mart (where I usually am able to avoid spending my money...ick). However desperate I was, I was not going to buy him cheap-o poly/cotton blends - which, even on other sites, seem to be the norm. Also, it seems most stores include a comforter in their "toddler set". There are a couple of problems with that. First, it is over 90 degrees today, so paying for and/or using a quilt is just silly at this time. Also, he may go up to a twin bed in the fall, so we don't need that extra piece.
I called Pottery Barn Kids. They said that a lot of people ask for toddler flat sheets but the only place they have heard of that sells them is JCPenney catalog. (This is very odd, I'd say, because Pottery Barn and several other stores sell high-end TODDLER BEDS. What do they expect us to use on them?! Hello, Pottery Barn marketing department - new product idea!)
I called Penney's, but the lady could not find them. She sent me the kids bedding catalog and maybe I will have some luck there. In the end, I did find some 100% cotton sheets at the BabyCenter Store - good old Baby Center who sends me weekly updates on my pregancy progress and monthly updates on Luka's toddlerhoom. I have never spent money on their "things to purchase" site, so I guess it is about time.
There - more than you ever wanted to know about finding toddler sheets (and not more than you ever wanted to know about poop disasters - consider yourself lucky on that account).
update at 8:41 p.m.
Luka was going to sleep on the floor again, so we moved his actual mattress on the floor. He seems more comfortable with that and is now on his way to dream land.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Nicknames, Easter Eggs & Santa Pajamas
Nicknames
Luka has had lots of nicknames since he was born. Actually, more from me than from Reynald. Luka did not have a formal name until he was 4 days old. But, that didn't bother us any -- we called him Little Man, Mister and I am sure some other things. So, the nickname thing started early (actually, pre-birth and/or conception as I have that proclivity that runs in my family to give funny names to people, it seems). Since then, he has had lots of nicknames. Some that come to mind:
Easter Eggs
It is several months past Easter now, but Luka had such a great time finding hidden Easter eggs and "hiding" them for us to find, it is still a game he likes to play. Just today, he asked me to get out the (plastic) Easter eggs so he could hide them. He opened them up to hide little treasures (fish crackers) in them and shook them to make sure they were filled. Then, he hid them in the living room for me to find. "Maman, je suis prêt !"
The funny thing is, he always "hides" them on the glass table with the lamp on it -- in plain site. So, he kind of gets the idea, but not exactly. Then, together, we look under the coach, under the coffee table, under the new chair, under the bench, etc. Until, finally, we notice that they are - voilà! - on the table! Now, he is mainly the one who hides the three plastic eggs we have left, but he also likes to search for them when we hide them (and in that case, they are a little more hidden). He also still thinks about the Easter Bunny -- today he told me that his buddy Monsieur Bunny brought him the plastic eggs. He came up with that moniker on his own! (At first, he kept telling me it was Santa Clause who brought Easter baskets, but we got that straightened out pretty quickly.)
Luka & Monsieur Bunny
Santa Pajamas
Right around Christmas, he needed some new pajamas -- the kind that are like long johns, but cotton. The only ones I could find in the right size were at Old Navy and they have a snowboarding Santa on them. Luka loved them then, and since (see above) little kids aren't yet brainwashed by the rest of us to associating holiday figures with certain times of the year, he is still excited about wearing them (in mid-May). Hey, next year he will be too big for them at Christmas, so might as well get the most wear out of them that we can. He also insisted on wearing the top to school a few weeks back (under neath his "real" shirt).
That reminds me of when, a half a year or so now, he liked wearing one red sock and one blue sock. At his day care, I wonder what they thought of that :) They probably are used to (worse than) that from all the little kids they deal with and know it is not due to a remiss mommy. In any case, it was actually pretty creative on his part, so I let him do what he wanted.
Luka has had lots of nicknames since he was born. Actually, more from me than from Reynald. Luka did not have a formal name until he was 4 days old. But, that didn't bother us any -- we called him Little Man, Mister and I am sure some other things. So, the nickname thing started early (actually, pre-birth and/or conception as I have that proclivity that runs in my family to give funny names to people, it seems). Since then, he has had lots of nicknames. Some that come to mind:
Sometimes he likes being called nicknames and sometimes he gets mad: "Mommy, je ne suis pas un poomster, je suis Luka !
Little Man Mister Mister Moo Mister Mooglie Pampoum Poomster Lovey LoveMonster Coquin Stinker Stinko Little Sweetie Mon Luka My Luka Mon amour
Easter Eggs
It is several months past Easter now, but Luka had such a great time finding hidden Easter eggs and "hiding" them for us to find, it is still a game he likes to play. Just today, he asked me to get out the (plastic) Easter eggs so he could hide them. He opened them up to hide little treasures (fish crackers) in them and shook them to make sure they were filled. Then, he hid them in the living room for me to find. "Maman, je suis prêt !"
The funny thing is, he always "hides" them on the glass table with the lamp on it -- in plain site. So, he kind of gets the idea, but not exactly. Then, together, we look under the coach, under the coffee table, under the new chair, under the bench, etc. Until, finally, we notice that they are - voilà! - on the table! Now, he is mainly the one who hides the three plastic eggs we have left, but he also likes to search for them when we hide them (and in that case, they are a little more hidden). He also still thinks about the Easter Bunny -- today he told me that his buddy Monsieur Bunny brought him the plastic eggs. He came up with that moniker on his own! (At first, he kept telling me it was Santa Clause who brought Easter baskets, but we got that straightened out pretty quickly.)
Luka & Monsieur Bunny
Santa Pajamas
Right around Christmas, he needed some new pajamas -- the kind that are like long johns, but cotton. The only ones I could find in the right size were at Old Navy and they have a snowboarding Santa on them. Luka loved them then, and since (see above) little kids aren't yet brainwashed by the rest of us to associating holiday figures with certain times of the year, he is still excited about wearing them (in mid-May). Hey, next year he will be too big for them at Christmas, so might as well get the most wear out of them that we can. He also insisted on wearing the top to school a few weeks back (under neath his "real" shirt).
That reminds me of when, a half a year or so now, he liked wearing one red sock and one blue sock. At his day care, I wonder what they thought of that :) They probably are used to (worse than) that from all the little kids they deal with and know it is not due to a remiss mommy. In any case, it was actually pretty creative on his part, so I let him do what he wanted.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Luka - what are you up to?
Thought I would start a blog of Luka's adventures -with some of our own mixed in from time to time. Have been putting down Luka's milestones and fun information on little pieces of paper and throwing them in a box, but thought this would help us remember what he does when, even if no one else reads this.
Recently, for Mother's Day, we went to lunch in downtown Denver after church and then took Luka to Cinco de Mayo at Civic Center Park. We went straight for the kiddy rides and he had a blast on the clown train, the bouncy castle and the pony rides (though that scared him a bit, he was proud to have been a "cowboy"). Also did the petting zoo which he liked till the goats started attacking us to get at the pellets of food we bought to feed them. There was a little goat that was cute and eating the carrot pieces Luka offered him, saying, "Here little goat - tu veux manger des carottes ?" But the rest of the goats were very goat-like (i.e. eating everything in sight and kind of disgusting).
Luka has a fun time at "school". He goes to day care several days a week. His best buddy is Kristin. She left for a while, which was very traumatic, but she recently started attending again - what a relief. Luka was very sad and often asked me, "Mommy, where Kristin?" and "I want Kristin!" The day care has very low (no) turn over of teachers, but it is still traumatic for a little kid when his friends no longer attend or move up to the next class. His friend Austin left several months ago and he still asks about him. (Austin was the one that bit his finger in the beginning, but they became buddies.) Josh was his friend too, but he moved up to the 3-year old class. Amy used to be his favorite, and I think they still hang out, but Kristin is the favorite now.
Luka loves puzzles and has several 24-piece puzzles that he can now do on his own. There are two Pooh ones and two Sesame Street ones. He likes Elmo a lot and likes to talk through the puzzle pictures - Cookie Monster playing the cymbals, Ernie playing the trumpet, Elmo playing the drums. Or, Elmo at the beach with his friends. Pooh has also been fertile ground - allowing us to learn some good vocabulary like "telescope" in French. If you have read our website, you know we are raising Luka bilingually. For my thoughts on that, you can check out that part of our personal site at http://www.bodeuxinternational.com/per/Eve/Eve.htm.
Little man #2 is on his way - our second son will arrive the beginning of August. This pregnancy has been somewhat more uncomfortable than the first (Luka), but in the bigger scheme of things, the inconveniences are small and we are very excited for number two. No name picked out yet -- Luka was not name till he was 4 days old. We want to have one that fits the following criteria: sounds good in French, sounds good in English, and, we like it. In any case, Luka usually accepts now that he is having a little brother (and not a little sister) and seems excited about it. He wants to look at, and pat, Mommy's tummy often and comments, "My little brother is in there."
As a last hurrah for Mommy (me) before #2 is born, and as a celebration with my college friends for the year we turn 40, I am leaving for a trip to Arizona - hiking, spa'ing, hanging out. This will be the first time I will be away from Luka overnight. I think it will be good for all of us, but am still a bit nervous about leaving my little man. But, he and his papa are planning fun things like going to see Sesame Street Live (www.sesamestreetlive.com) and I am sure they will have a blast.
Some of Luka's favorite books are T'Choupi stories, Coco the Elephant, Green Eggs and Ham (which he calls Sam I Am) and Are You My Mother (which Auntie Tammy gave him last Christmas). We just read the latter two times this morning before breakfast! He also is really into "reading" books on his own lately. He looks at each page and summarizes the story as he knows it - this is usually in French since the vast majority of the books we read are French-language. It is fun to sit back and watch him remember the details of stories and to see how he interprets them - which is usually quite accurate. I was really impressed with the level of detail he recalled and the vocabulary he used when recounting "T'Choupi fait le manège" (T'Choupi on the Carnival Rides), and others.
In the past months, he has lessened his attachment to his Baby (doll), and no longer takes her (him?) everywhere. However, Baby is still mentioned as part of the family (along with Gorille, Doudou, and sometimes, Goblet (his ever-present Sponge Bob sippy cups). He plays a lot with his Thomas the Train pieces - including Thomas, Percy and Jack along with the rail cars and the rails. He uses the magnets on them to stick them to Mommy's office chair. He also likes to take a part and reassemble the rails. He likes Baby Tad who sings in French, he likes his Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Kitty figurines, though he has played with them less lately. He also likes his Elmo that says "Let's play!" and "Tell Elmo a secret" and "Elmo loves you!" in that funny Elmo voice (that Mommy bought a few months ago at a garage sale). He also likes to color a lot and play with play dough. "Play dough" or "pâte à modeler" is a frequent request.
Hi, Mr. Potato Heads - or as we say, Mssrs. Patates!
He doesn't watch that much TV (as far as little kids go), but in past months, he has liked the Baby Einstein videos with animals. He loves Baby MacDonald (he calls it Eee-i-e-o) and also Baby Doolittle and some of the others. Some are in VHS (English), but the ones that are on DVD we can program to play in French. He also likes Carole la Luciole (Carole the Firefly) and Petit Potam (Little Hippo). He often likes to "play" Petit Potam where Mommy is Petit Potam and he is Fleure de Miel. He also likes his T'Choupi DVD's a lot - especially the story with the T'Choupi Tcha Tcha Tcha. He learns interesting phrases from these as well ("Le papi de T'Choupi dit que T'Choupi est un farceur.... Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous présente....!")
Lately, he has learned that Mommy has a name other than Mommy (Eve) and Papa has another name too (Reynald), as well as Grandma (Joan) and that Jean-Claude is his Grandpère and Annick is his Grandmère. He likes to tell people "Grandma s'appelle Joan" - but often they don't speak French and don't understand (till we translate) that he is saying "Grandma's name is Joan!"
He also has favorite things to say. Lately, he has been really into saying, "Oui" (yes). We don't say it that often, but obviously, its meaning got through to him. Months (a year?) ago, I tried to get him to say it. He would respond to questions in French with "Yeah." I am sure he got that from me....! In any case, he finally came around to it on his own and lately, he loves to say "Oui" (when appropriate), but he uses it every chance he gets and is very formal about it: "Oui, Maman, j'ai soif" or "Oui, Papa, je veux manger du fromage." It is pretty cute to hear his sweet little voice saying "oui" so seriously.
Recently, for Mother's Day, we went to lunch in downtown Denver after church and then took Luka to Cinco de Mayo at Civic Center Park. We went straight for the kiddy rides and he had a blast on the clown train, the bouncy castle and the pony rides (though that scared him a bit, he was proud to have been a "cowboy"). Also did the petting zoo which he liked till the goats started attacking us to get at the pellets of food we bought to feed them. There was a little goat that was cute and eating the carrot pieces Luka offered him, saying, "Here little goat - tu veux manger des carottes ?" But the rest of the goats were very goat-like (i.e. eating everything in sight and kind of disgusting).
Luka has a fun time at "school". He goes to day care several days a week. His best buddy is Kristin. She left for a while, which was very traumatic, but she recently started attending again - what a relief. Luka was very sad and often asked me, "Mommy, where Kristin?" and "I want Kristin!" The day care has very low (no) turn over of teachers, but it is still traumatic for a little kid when his friends no longer attend or move up to the next class. His friend Austin left several months ago and he still asks about him. (Austin was the one that bit his finger in the beginning, but they became buddies.) Josh was his friend too, but he moved up to the 3-year old class. Amy used to be his favorite, and I think they still hang out, but Kristin is the favorite now.
Luka loves puzzles and has several 24-piece puzzles that he can now do on his own. There are two Pooh ones and two Sesame Street ones. He likes Elmo a lot and likes to talk through the puzzle pictures - Cookie Monster playing the cymbals, Ernie playing the trumpet, Elmo playing the drums. Or, Elmo at the beach with his friends. Pooh has also been fertile ground - allowing us to learn some good vocabulary like "telescope" in French. If you have read our website, you know we are raising Luka bilingually. For my thoughts on that, you can check out that part of our personal site at http://www.bodeuxinternational.com/per/Eve/Eve.htm.
Little man #2 is on his way - our second son will arrive the beginning of August. This pregnancy has been somewhat more uncomfortable than the first (Luka), but in the bigger scheme of things, the inconveniences are small and we are very excited for number two. No name picked out yet -- Luka was not name till he was 4 days old. We want to have one that fits the following criteria: sounds good in French, sounds good in English, and, we like it. In any case, Luka usually accepts now that he is having a little brother (and not a little sister) and seems excited about it. He wants to look at, and pat, Mommy's tummy often and comments, "My little brother is in there."
As a last hurrah for Mommy (me) before #2 is born, and as a celebration with my college friends for the year we turn 40, I am leaving for a trip to Arizona - hiking, spa'ing, hanging out. This will be the first time I will be away from Luka overnight. I think it will be good for all of us, but am still a bit nervous about leaving my little man. But, he and his papa are planning fun things like going to see Sesame Street Live (www.sesamestreetlive.com) and I am sure they will have a blast.
Some of Luka's favorite books are T'Choupi stories, Coco the Elephant, Green Eggs and Ham (which he calls Sam I Am) and Are You My Mother (which Auntie Tammy gave him last Christmas). We just read the latter two times this morning before breakfast! He also is really into "reading" books on his own lately. He looks at each page and summarizes the story as he knows it - this is usually in French since the vast majority of the books we read are French-language. It is fun to sit back and watch him remember the details of stories and to see how he interprets them - which is usually quite accurate. I was really impressed with the level of detail he recalled and the vocabulary he used when recounting "T'Choupi fait le manège" (T'Choupi on the Carnival Rides), and others.
In the past months, he has lessened his attachment to his Baby (doll), and no longer takes her (him?) everywhere. However, Baby is still mentioned as part of the family (along with Gorille, Doudou, and sometimes, Goblet (his ever-present Sponge Bob sippy cups). He plays a lot with his Thomas the Train pieces - including Thomas, Percy and Jack along with the rail cars and the rails. He uses the magnets on them to stick them to Mommy's office chair. He also likes to take a part and reassemble the rails. He likes Baby Tad who sings in French, he likes his Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Kitty figurines, though he has played with them less lately. He also likes his Elmo that says "Let's play!" and "Tell Elmo a secret" and "Elmo loves you!" in that funny Elmo voice (that Mommy bought a few months ago at a garage sale). He also likes to color a lot and play with play dough. "Play dough" or "pâte à modeler" is a frequent request.
Hi, Mr. Potato Heads - or as we say, Mssrs. Patates!
He doesn't watch that much TV (as far as little kids go), but in past months, he has liked the Baby Einstein videos with animals. He loves Baby MacDonald (he calls it Eee-i-e-o) and also Baby Doolittle and some of the others. Some are in VHS (English), but the ones that are on DVD we can program to play in French. He also likes Carole la Luciole (Carole the Firefly) and Petit Potam (Little Hippo). He often likes to "play" Petit Potam where Mommy is Petit Potam and he is Fleure de Miel. He also likes his T'Choupi DVD's a lot - especially the story with the T'Choupi Tcha Tcha Tcha. He learns interesting phrases from these as well ("Le papi de T'Choupi dit que T'Choupi est un farceur.... Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous présente....!")
Lately, he has learned that Mommy has a name other than Mommy (Eve) and Papa has another name too (Reynald), as well as Grandma (Joan) and that Jean-Claude is his Grandpère and Annick is his Grandmère. He likes to tell people "Grandma s'appelle Joan" - but often they don't speak French and don't understand (till we translate) that he is saying "Grandma's name is Joan!"
He also has favorite things to say. Lately, he has been really into saying, "Oui" (yes). We don't say it that often, but obviously, its meaning got through to him. Months (a year?) ago, I tried to get him to say it. He would respond to questions in French with "Yeah." I am sure he got that from me....! In any case, he finally came around to it on his own and lately, he loves to say "Oui" (when appropriate), but he uses it every chance he gets and is very formal about it: "Oui, Maman, j'ai soif" or "Oui, Papa, je veux manger du fromage." It is pretty cute to hear his sweet little voice saying "oui" so seriously.
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