Toddler Lexicon

Jess and Evelyn are still speaking English with a strong toddler accent. You'll want to consult this list as a guide to translation before your next visit. It's not exhaustive by any stretch, but it will help. Wherever an entry is specific to one of the kids, I've indicated as much with an (E) for Evelyn, or (J) for Jesse.

"bee-see" = "blanket" (E)

"buhp" = "book" (J)

"ish" = "orange"

"ray-ray" = "raisin"

"Oh-see" = "Oatmeal"

"peace" = "please"

"Ah-vee-see" = "elephant", more specifically, "get out the elephant game" (E)

"upupupup" = "pick me up now or I'm going to pitch a fit"

"bahkka" = "bottle", as in water bottle (J)

"pawkey" = potty (J)

"goak" = goat (J)

"eyebeeyow" = eyebrow (E)

"but" = barett

"wewe" = video

"whoa-shee" = lotion

"massy-mah" = medicine (E)

"massy!" (with hand extended) = "my hands are messy, get me a napkin"

"poon" = spoon

"nas" = snack

"I beeped" = "I slipped" (J)

"shock-a-my" = "Cotton-eye Joe" --their new musical fixation thanks to a Christmas toy from Oma and Pops (a truck) that plays the song (E)

"shaggy" = "Sarah", our nanny (E)

"cool shoe" = "I want to wear my red shoes that have the race car on them" (J)

Other amusing tidbits:

Jess blows his nose and then holds out the tissue and says what I'd swear sounds like "yellow". As I cannot recall ever commenting on the color of tissue-contents this is his own little observation.

Evie has started adding the word "too" when she wants to express that she wants both x and y. So, for example, the other night she woke up crying and when I went in to comfort her she said "daddy too". When Brent came in and I left to go to the bathroom, she fussed: "mama too".

Evelyn and Jess both like to improvise on the "Elmo" song. Sometimes they improvise on the song to talk about things they want. For example, the other day, while coming down the stairs for breakfast Evelyn was singing: "ya-ya, bubay sah, ya-ya nana sah" (which translates: "la, la, la-la blueberry song, la, la, la-la banana song" ). They also use it to comment on things they see or hear. Recently Evie was inspired to sing "ya-ya, tootie sah" (I'll let you figure out the translation but, for the record, it was Jess who was the source of her inspiration.)