Story Time
Those of you who have only seen the quiet, shy Anna in public would be amazed to witness the non-stop chatterbox that we experience at home. She talks, she sings, and lately, she tells stories...which is absolutely priceless.
Mostly her stories are about things that she remembers seeing or doing. You'll say something that jogs her memory, and she'll start telling you about that time she was doing whatever it was and see saw this and that and what-have-you. Of course, we are dealing with a not quite two year-old, so her sentences still consist of 2-3 word subject/verb combinations, not exactly the stuff of smoothly flowing and easy to follow narratives.
Sensing this, she augments her sputtering monologue with exaggerated gestures. It's like a cross between Charades and Taboo. Honestly, "What Is This Toddler Trying To Tell You?" would be a killer party game.
Our favorite (and most frequent) story to date is the one about the bird at Nana and Papa's house about a month ago. Evidently, a bird had swooped down to splash around in the birdbath in their backyard. After he was sufficiently wet, he flew up to the power line, where he preened and ruffled his feathers dry. Nana and Papa watched with Anna, while Karen was working and I was out playing golf. At face value, not that interesting of a story, right?
But to hear Anna tell it, it was the most exciting thing ever:
Daddy: "Anna, can you tell me about the birdie at Nana and Papa's house?"
(Anna's eyes grow wide and her mouth drops open in excitement)
Anna (cautiously): "Birdie...? Nana-Papa...?"
(Anna nods her head up and down eagerly, as if to ask, "Are you ready for this? You're not going to believe what happened!" Upon getting confirmation that, yes, I really do want to hear the story, she continues.)
Anna (swinging her hands up and down as if she is splashing in water): "Birdie...splash! Birdie wet!"
Anna (lifting her hands exuberantly into the air): "Birdie fly!"
Daddy: "Then what did the birdie do?"
Anna (calmly at first, then growing more excited until she can't contain herself any longer): "Birdie sit...shake...tushie dance!!!"
(Anna breaks into a huge grin and shakes her butt in the infamous "tushie dance" that Nadya taught her a while back. Apparently, she thought the birdie was doing the tushie dance up on the power line.)
Anna (seemingly sensing doubt and looking for support): "Nana see! Papa see!"
Daddy: "Did Mommy see?"
Anna (shaking her head sadly): "No. Mommy working."
Daddy: "Did Anna see?"
Anna (smiling big and nodding): "Yeah."
Mostly her stories are about things that she remembers seeing or doing. You'll say something that jogs her memory, and she'll start telling you about that time she was doing whatever it was and see saw this and that and what-have-you. Of course, we are dealing with a not quite two year-old, so her sentences still consist of 2-3 word subject/verb combinations, not exactly the stuff of smoothly flowing and easy to follow narratives.
Sensing this, she augments her sputtering monologue with exaggerated gestures. It's like a cross between Charades and Taboo. Honestly, "What Is This Toddler Trying To Tell You?" would be a killer party game.
Our favorite (and most frequent) story to date is the one about the bird at Nana and Papa's house about a month ago. Evidently, a bird had swooped down to splash around in the birdbath in their backyard. After he was sufficiently wet, he flew up to the power line, where he preened and ruffled his feathers dry. Nana and Papa watched with Anna, while Karen was working and I was out playing golf. At face value, not that interesting of a story, right?
But to hear Anna tell it, it was the most exciting thing ever:
Daddy: "Anna, can you tell me about the birdie at Nana and Papa's house?"
(Anna's eyes grow wide and her mouth drops open in excitement)
Anna (cautiously): "Birdie...? Nana-Papa...?"
(Anna nods her head up and down eagerly, as if to ask, "Are you ready for this? You're not going to believe what happened!" Upon getting confirmation that, yes, I really do want to hear the story, she continues.)
Anna (swinging her hands up and down as if she is splashing in water): "Birdie...splash! Birdie wet!"
Anna (lifting her hands exuberantly into the air): "Birdie fly!"
Daddy: "Then what did the birdie do?"
Anna (calmly at first, then growing more excited until she can't contain herself any longer): "Birdie sit...shake...tushie dance!!!"
(Anna breaks into a huge grin and shakes her butt in the infamous "tushie dance" that Nadya taught her a while back. Apparently, she thought the birdie was doing the tushie dance up on the power line.)
Anna (seemingly sensing doubt and looking for support): "Nana see! Papa see!"
Daddy: "Did Mommy see?"
Anna (shaking her head sadly): "No. Mommy working."
Daddy: "Did Anna see?"
Anna (smiling big and nodding): "Yeah."
Comments
- Nadia
"Nadi"