Russell Language

For a long time, Russell's doctor was worried about his language skills. I never was because I knew it was probably because he didn't hear lots of speaking being at home with me. And, I was right. Russell doesn't seem to have any problem at all now and at times won't shut his mouth.

If you want to talk with Russell it is important to know the following words/phrases:

digger-dump: construction machines in general, his John Deere digger tractor and dumper in particular
chaduh: tractor (good thing we live in the country so he can see lots of them)
chain: train, and he can tell you if it is a steamy or a diesel by the sound of its horns/whistles
woo wah: any vehicle that has a flashing light on top; specifically fire truck, ambulance, or police car
dumper: any large truck until we correct him and he identifies what type of truck it is--semi, tanker, pick-up, etc.

He is also a very good singer. I think singing songs helped him develop the confidence in saying words because he would always sing along with me when we sang songs before nap time or in the car. Here are some of his favorites:

Old MacDonald (with a digger-dump, train or tractor on the farm)
Happy Birthday
ABC Song
Twinkle, Twinkle

And, my most favorite part of his language development is when he says "I love you".  At first it was just a regular "I love you", then it turned into "I love you. Mommy." while pointing his finger a la Uncle Sam wants you poster. Now it is "I love you, Mommy, Daddy, baby Meggie, me (and any other person around like Aunt Janet and Brooke while we were with them the other week).

Now if only I could convince him to be quiet again.