Published: July 28, 2008 03:31 pm            

DADDY'S GIRL: Brevity effective for toddler

Sometimes, it really does only take two words to say everything you need to say.

As Penny begins her second year on this Earth, the time has come to begin focusing on her speech.

She’s amazed some relatives by blurting out their multisyllabic names completely out of the blue — and frustrated others by not uttering their simple names despite repeated prompts.

Penny has learned a handful of words, recently saying for the first time “more,” “grandma” and “no” (we thought we had more time until she started saying that last one).

A two-word phrase suffices for most other points Penny makes, however — “hi baby.”

Depending on the inflection, circumstance and look on her face, it can mean any of the following:

• If said with a swinging jazz feel — “hi behbeh” — she’s usually greeting someone new into the house or room.

• An elongated “hhhiiiiiii” is generally accompanied by a smile and a little jig, and is reserved for those with whom she’s closest.

• The dog even gets her own greeting;. Any interaction with Bella begins with a “hi bayyyybbeeeee,” with a real emphasis on the second syllable. Penny can sometimes get out a “hi da gah” or “hi Bahlla” in this situation, as well.

• If she sees something she likes on television, Penny usually drops the second word and goes with a repeated, “hi, hi, hi, hi.”

• She’ll alternate between one word and two when she wants something or someone’s attention — “hi, hi baby, hi, hi baby” — with a small whine or cry usually soon to follow. If that doesn’t give away her intentions, the elongated hand making the grasping motion usually does.

That’s not to say “hi baby” is all she can muster. In fact, she’s quite proficient in at least one foreign tongue. She conducts sophisticated conversations with her toys, using a language that’s apparently native to whatever piece of farmland the Cabbage Patch Kids came from.

I am proud to say that I come second on Penny’s identification list, with a “hi daddy” or “hi dada” being used to greet me most of the time ... well, it’s also said to greet her mom, her dolls, SpongeBob and her favorite song, but it’s still good progress.

Work ensues to get her to use her words more in general, with an emphasis on the CORRECT words whenever possible — saying “more” or “baba” when she’s hungry for example. We usually get a “hi baby” with her arms outstretched and accompanying grunts to let us know she’s reaching a long way to get dinner, but as long as it’s not just a mini-tantrum we let that stand for the time being.

One thing that’s clear is that she knows what she wants and what it is, even if she doesn’t know how to say it. She does the dance of joy whenever I carry her with me to make a bottle in the kitchen, and she gives me the saddest look (and accompanying wail) when I’m about to leave for work.

The trick will be to get her to pair her words with her actions. With a lot of repetition and a bit of patience, it will surely come.

Either that or we really need to buy an English/Cabbage Patch translation book.

Contact editor Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.

        

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