Little Sponge

Noey is a little sponge these days. You'll never know when he'll pick up on something you've said or make an association when you least expect it.

My sister was just commenting that she used to wonder how specific she should be when identifying objects for Noey, but she has decided she'll just go ahead "tell it like it is" instead of worring about dumbing it down for him since he seems perfectly capable of absorbing the information. And so have we.

So instead of "bird", we've moved on to "mynah", "sparrow", "crow" or "owl", and instead of "big fish" (courtesy of stories of Jonah), we say "whale" or "shark" or "dolphin", as appropriate. He hasn't been able to distinguish them all yet of course though to his credit, he knows "whale" and "owl".

In the process, I've also discovered how limited some of my own knowledge is, especially when it comes to plants! Yes, I must confess I don't have much of an interest in them. A botanist, I am not. We've been stuck with "tree", "leaf" and "flower" a lot. Oops. I guess it's time to brush up on my own general knowledge.

It has been both rewarding and funny as he picks things up and makes the associations. For example, he can identify clocks and watches, and it totally cracks me up when I say "the clock tells the?" and he chimes "time" in return, especially since I know there's no way he knows what he's talking about!

I was also most pleased that when we asked him, "Who put the rainbow in the sky?" at the end of the Noah story, he was able to say "God!" (Though in Noey-speak, it sounds more like "Dod!") That he probably does not know too much about either, but in time I hope he will.

However, while we've tried not to simplify things too much for him, I had to laugh when while reading to Noey one evening, DD came across a picture of a vulture and told Noey that "vultures feed on carrion". That was a bit much, wouldn't you think?? DD was slightly indignant when I pointed that out, and seriously, I'll fall out of my chair if my 17 month old baby told me that vultures feed on carrion.

But then, sometimes I don't know what to expect with my baby any more. I'm just enjoying the ride.

Conquering the world, one smile at a time