clown time is.... starting

L seems to never use a word when three or four will do. She's a talker and has been for some time now. Her sentences extend 7 and 9 words in length, and have for some time now, but what we're realizing is that her comprehension isn't quite up to her verbal skills. She can talk beyond her understanding. That's probably relatively normal for 2yo kids, but we've been taken in by her ability to talk.

She'll hear K say something and will take it on as her own. This could be something like "It's really raining outside." That becomes, in L-speak, "Ith really rainin' outthide." Whether or not it actually is. She regularly wants to "Tell you thomthing!" but when we say, "Yes, what is it?" she's frequently stumped and has to fall back on something she's told us before ("One time L fall off windowtheat." "Ith really rainin' outthide.")

"I need pwivathy" she'll tell us when she goes off to poop and wants to be left alone. I'm not sure she knows what "pwivathy" is, but she knows when to use the word. "S" seems to be a stumbling block. "You cwachy" she tells me as she rubs my chin.

Hamthrax? Boardshorts!

K's been sick with a fever for 6 days now, and so is somewhat subdued, but L seems as vital and strong as ever, providing humor and distraction for all of us. Last night after I gave the girls their baths, K was having chills and we bundled her into her covers while I picked out some pajamas for her to wear. L went to pick out her own PJs and came back with some pants and boardshorts from K's drawer.

me: "You want to wear those pants?"
K: "This my pajamas!"
me: "Is it ok if she wears them?"
K: "Um... ok."
me (dressing L in her chosen pants): "You need to pick a shirt too."
L: "And thith." (waving the boardshorts)
me: "L, those are boardshorts!" (looking over at K on her bed) "She wants to wear boardshorts."
K (starting to giggle): "Boardshorts!" (more giggling, in which we all join in)
L starts to run circles around the room, wearing pants and waving the boardshorts over her head and yelling nonsense.
K (laughing harder still): "Boardshorts!"

It made me happy to hear K laughing, and I was intrigued watching L clearly playing to the crowd. She's got the makings of a class clown, with all the parenting challenges that suggests. At 12 or 16 she's likely to be a real handful!

(L will also make up words to songs, nonsense words, silly things, and K loves it. "Sing that silly song," she begs her sister, and L will sometimes do so, though as often she'll be contrary just to get a reaction, and sing the original.)