new doctors and William at 20 months

One of the key things to find when you move especially if you have any sort of medical condition and kids - are good doctors.  Hopefully I have started tackling that mountain.

Yesterday I saw 3 doctors!!! It just so happened that I got some references and my act into gear and appointments all bunched up.

The first was a gynaecologist; he was lovely as well as German, fluent in English, married to a Greek woman pediatrician, father of 3 kids, trained in Munich and ready to take the time to explain all possible contraception that might work for me. I nearly had the impression I had gone for coffee with a friend. 

The second was a very renowned endocrinologist (for my thyroid) and although I am a bit wary of the "very renowned" as they can be professor-ish and not good with patients, I really liked this one. He also took a lot of time to explain things and checked my thyroid (with his hands) and prescribed blood tests that made sense. We talk on Monday.

The third was for William - we saw his pediatrician, Poppy, for his pneumococcal vaccine. We also measured and weighed him and so we have some numbers.

William, 20 months:

• 86 cm tall
• 12,5 kg
• very smily and happy and still not very talkative except for:

1. Mamaaah 
2. Papap' 
3. Mameuuuh
4. nez (nose in French)
5. teuk (take or tiens we are not really sure and perhaps neither is he)
6. ça (this in French)
7. up (for pick up, put up, go up the stairs but also sometimes for open)
8. "co" for "encore" (more in French)
9. "haa" for hot
10. Aema (Emma)

In our case, girls are really faster talkers than boys!

What else?

• nods his head for "yes", shakes for "no"
• points and pulls you and shows you where to sit if you are not sitting in your usual place
• brings you his plate when he is hungry
• loves emptying the dishwasher and putting things away (only one glass broken so far!)
• still has the cutest walk (kind of swings his hips and shoulders like a tough bodyguard)
• at bed-time in his bed, tucks my arm under his body so I can't leave. (heart melting)

 

William this morning in the kitchen playing with the serving spoons

Da da da

I am not sure, but it does kind of seem as if he's trying to say something...

40 + words

At the risk of raining on the parade of family members - who, when they see Emma, inevitably think that they've just taught her a new word in the bat of an eyelash, I wanted to run through her current vocab as she hits the 18 month mark.(!!!)

The mix of languages means that recently, the kindegarden teacher thought she was saying "Achtung!"("careful" in German) and not "Attend!" ("wait" in French)...

1. "Aïe" = "Ouch" in French (sometimes used to make us stop doing something even if I am pretty sure nothing is really hurting)
   
2. Emma - pronounced "Amma"
3. Attend - "wait" in French
   
4. Balle - pronounced "baaa" (ball in French)
   
5. Bain - "Bath" in French
6. Baby
   
7. Boire - pronounced "béa" (to drink in French)
8. "Njam njam" is for food, hungry, meal, lunch, dinner, etc.
9. Dodo - kiddie French for "sleep"
10. Bravo - pronounced proudly "bavo" or "bavow" (definitely a favorite!
11. Hello - pronounced "Allô" (for hello on the phone or hello in the street)
12. Salut - "Hello" in French which she pronounces as "ya-uuu"
13. Bye bye
    
14. Tschüss - an informal "Bye Bye" in German (she often says "Tchü-u" like "chew" in English)
    
15. "Datzi" - this she says as "thank-you" and is a mix of "danke" and "merci"
16. "Dako" - d'accord is "ok" in French
17. Thé - tea in French
    
18. Papà - Daddy in French, but also "bye bye" in German and Serbian kiddie talk
19. Maman - pronounced "môman" - also sometimes "Mama" or "Mum"
20. Deda - Grandpa in Serbian
21. Nonna - Grandma in Italian
22. Pata - for Patricia (her Grandpa's wife)
23. Gogo - for her other Grandma
24. Tatayéyé - for her aunt Annabel
    
25. "Yapu" or "yapeew" - Il n'y a plus = "there is no more" in French (--> finished)
    
26. "Ko" - for "encore" = "more" in French
27. "Bah" - when something is dirty or disgusting (nappies, garbage, mud...)
28. Pas bon - (literally means "not good" in French) when she does not like something
29. Lait - milk in French
30. Non! Non! Non! - also the German version "nein". Goodness she says this a lot!
    
31. Nez - "nose" in French pronounced "né
    
32. Opalah - Pronounced "Opaya" meaning something has fallen or that she has dropped it
33. "Vao vao" means dog - but she sometimes uses it for other animals like reindeer
    
34. Quack quack - for duck
35. Mao - for cat (she means "meow")
36. Muuu - for the cow
    
37. Schatzi - pronounced "tatzi" is what one of her favorite teachers at kindergarden calls her (kitten in German)
38. Tiens - "here" in French (literally "hold") both when she hands us something or wants us to hand her whatever she is pointing to
39. Woilà - from the French "Voilà" = (t)here you go
    
40. Chaussures (shoes in French) - pronounced "shushur"
41. Poo - for "Winnie the poo"
42. Poh-poh - for when she's done her business, only she "lies" about this sometimes
    
43. Beep beep - (from the refrain in the song "the horn on the bus goes 'beep beep beep' all day long")
44. "Wa-und wa-und" - (from the refrain in the song "the wheels of the bus go 'round and round" all day long...")

Gosh, I hope I've got them all now...

She recognizes way more words than she actually uses herself, although it seems that she is learning new ones very quickly at the moment - she actually watches our lips move as we say things and conscientiously tries to imitate the sounds we produce.

There are, however, some things she says we have not been able to identify (are they Emma words, German words or a mix of languages?) like "Ebaiiii" that she sings out so joyfully. Is it perhaps "bonne nuit" (good night in French)?