On language development

Jamie is fast getting the hang of speaking; however at the moment many of his words sound the same. For example, I observed yesterday that "Wiggles" and "Bob the Builder" (his two great passions in life) are sounding very similar. I asked him to say one; then the other:

Me (enunciating): "Wiggles"
Jamie: "Bobbles" (with an extra emphasis, just for me, on the "s")

Me: "Bob the Builder"
Jamie" "Bobble-er"

Aah!
Obvious!

This afternoon, before nap-time, he'd been a bit fractious. He didn't want to eat lunch:
"no boc-boc!" (no broccoli - not that there was any broccoli in there, lol!)

So, OK, he didn't need to eat it if he didn't want to. That's always the choice in our house. But there's rarely any alternative offered. If you don't want to eat what's on offer, that's fine. But you'd better eat, if you're hungry.

Then, when I gave him his Spot book to take to bed with him, he threw it on the ground in a fit of a toddler tantrum.

So, we went to the bedroom. I put him in his bed. He cried.
"no boc-boc!", sobbing

I reassured him. It's OK. Popcorn's in the bed. (Popcorn is the teeny teddybear he's had since he was baby). He calls him "boc-boc". As in popcorn, also known as broccoli.

I asked him if he was still hungry. Yes, snivel, he nodded.
So, we went back to the kitchen and he ate another few mouthfuls of lunch... maybe half a dozen or so, and then didn't want any more.

Attempt 2. Back into the bedroom we go. I put him in his bed. We load up the bed with Popcorn, Bunny, Teddy. The crying starts again. I hand him the Wiggles book.

"No boc-boc!" The crying gets louder.

I hand him the Bob the Builder book.

"No boc-boc!" The sobbing's really in earnest now.

I hand him the Teddy Book.

"Teddy boo-ook" he sobs pitifully, by now the crying is heart-rending.

So I pick him up and we sit on the chair and he sobs into my chest. You'd think his heart is broken. Big wrenching sobs. Not just "putting off going to bed" sort of antics. This is serious.

Between the sobs, I try to work out what's wrong.

"No (sob) (sob) boc-boc!"

"But Popcorn's in your bed," I say.

"No boc-boc! (sob) (sob) (sniff)"

"Are you still hungry?" I ask.

"No-o! No boc-boc!"

At my wits end to understand what has this little boy so upset, I say "well, is it something you can show me? Get down and show me."

Back out to the living room we go....

"Boc-boc!" he says with relief... and runs to the Spot Book he hurled to the floor some half hour earlier.

OMG.
not
"Boc-boc"

but
"Pot-book"

"Spot Book". What was I thinking!

And with that he happily went back to bed. We lay the Spot Book alongside his pillow; he sighed a big sigh, smiled at me and went to sleep.