Turning 2 apparently is a significant milestone in a toddler's life. "He's gonna start talking non-stop once he turns 2. Just you wait and see," one friend said to me. Well, so far we haven't witnessed a torrent of words from our little one but his speech has become clearer after our trip to Perth earlier this month and it's no longer just incessant babbling.
Some of the things Kieran has chosen to say tickle us. Very often he will go "oh oh!" which he picked up from an alphabet song that I sing frequently to him. He hasn't taken a shine to circles or triangles but is fond of saying "oval shapes" which he learned from his favourite book "Farmyard shapes". And he likes to respond with "No" when asked to do something which amuses and exasperates Hubby D and I at the same time! I read somewhere in a book that around this age, children are starting to be aware of themselves as individuals and are learning to assert themselves.
Kieran is also taking tiny steps (hopefully) towards being bi-lingual. He can say 我爱你 or "I love you" in Mandarin although he can't grasp "you" so accurately. I've made more of an effort to speak to Kieran in Mandarin because I reckon if I don't do it now, he's not going to be interested in the Chinese language at all. And it's paid off in small little ways. : ) He will now say 谢 which means "thank you" frequently and can rattle off at gunfire speed "this and that" in Mandarin. It comes out 我要这个那个这个... ! when he wants something.
It's really amazing to watch our little one grow. Now he will understand when we tell him why it's wrong to do something and speaking to him in a firm but reasonable manner gets the message across much better than raising our voices at him. Toddlers are great imitators and will holler right back at you!
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