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Apr. 8th, 2006
On the baby and Ana...
Apr. 8th, 2006 03:28 pm
The baby isn't yet six months, but she's changed a lot since I posted about her, so I thought I'd update the interested parties again.
Here she is! Her development!
This is where she will be in a few weeks, most likely... And, for comparison, the developmental table for a few weeks ago.
More on the six-month baby
( The details )
As for Ana... ( Read more... )
I've come up with a minor solution to her not listening (whether by choice or not) - if it's something important, I've dragged up the "What did I just say?" question. Ana's not so sure about this, but I suspect that repeating what I said may help her remember it - so if I tell her she has to warn me before leaving an area, she may be more likely to do so, and slightly less likely to just wander off. I hope.
In other news, I'm apparently Deniz' favorite adult. Deniz is a four year old friend of Ana's.
I don't know why her mom thinks I'm good with kids. Four year olds are just easy to be with. ( Read more... )
Here she is! Her development!
This is where she will be in a few weeks, most likely... And, for comparison, the developmental table for a few weeks ago.
More on the six-month baby
( The details )
As for Ana... ( Read more... )
I've come up with a minor solution to her not listening (whether by choice or not) - if it's something important, I've dragged up the "What did I just say?" question. Ana's not so sure about this, but I suspect that repeating what I said may help her remember it - so if I tell her she has to warn me before leaving an area, she may be more likely to do so, and slightly less likely to just wander off. I hope.
In other news, I'm apparently Deniz' favorite adult. Deniz is a four year old friend of Ana's.
I don't know why her mom thinks I'm good with kids. Four year olds are just easy to be with. ( Read more... )
On politeness...
Apr. 8th, 2006 06:12 pm
Or, rather, on not being outright mean.
A lot of people seem to be of the feeling that "If you can't say anything nice, you shouldn't say anything at all". I hope you know what I think about *that*! Important things generally aren't nice - but they have to be said.
There's another view, which is "Since that rabbit is stupid, I shouldn't bother about being nice. I don't care about these people". I'm inclined to agree with that view, really - except when I want to change somebody's mind or actions.
It's very easy, when you know somebody does something INCREDIBLY STUPID that you disapprove of, to call them out for it in no uncertain terms, especially if they're not "real people" - that is, not people you care about and expect to have to worry about. It's equally easy, especially with people you care about, to not mention it at all, even when they're risking something.
So you get the strange place where somebody's offhand comment about voting Republican leads to "OMG! YOU HATE PEOPLE! YOU ANTI-AMERICAN TWIT!" and similar, but your mom's constant spending of money faster than it's earned gets nothing. Like there's no line between very nice and rude.
Problem is, neither method is very helpful, is it? If you want people to do whatever it is you like, and your method of correcting them is to, apropos of nothing, call them stupid, hateful, uncaring, or the like - odds are you're just going to make them even more determined to do whatever-it-is. (And don't even talk to me about not bringing it up.)
There's a place to insult people, but it's generally not the first step you should take.
(I know, I've made this rant before, bear with me.)
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why people should make an effort to be marginally courteous with others, of course. Not for silly reasons like "You care what they feel" or "You wouldn't like it if they did that to you", but because being mean is ineffective. Flies, honey, vinegar.
This is basic stuff. So basic, I don't want to see anybody getting it wrong for another three months, okay? I'm not perfect in this department, but I make the attempt, with things I care about, to be polite in the first few tries to tell people they're completely and totally incorrect. Well. At least, I mean, I don't start off as though we're down to hour 20 of the all night flamewar.
A lot of people seem to be of the feeling that "If you can't say anything nice, you shouldn't say anything at all". I hope you know what I think about *that*! Important things generally aren't nice - but they have to be said.
There's another view, which is "Since that rabbit is stupid, I shouldn't bother about being nice. I don't care about these people". I'm inclined to agree with that view, really - except when I want to change somebody's mind or actions.
It's very easy, when you know somebody does something INCREDIBLY STUPID that you disapprove of, to call them out for it in no uncertain terms, especially if they're not "real people" - that is, not people you care about and expect to have to worry about. It's equally easy, especially with people you care about, to not mention it at all, even when they're risking something.
So you get the strange place where somebody's offhand comment about voting Republican leads to "OMG! YOU HATE PEOPLE! YOU ANTI-AMERICAN TWIT!" and similar, but your mom's constant spending of money faster than it's earned gets nothing. Like there's no line between very nice and rude.
Problem is, neither method is very helpful, is it? If you want people to do whatever it is you like, and your method of correcting them is to, apropos of nothing, call them stupid, hateful, uncaring, or the like - odds are you're just going to make them even more determined to do whatever-it-is. (And don't even talk to me about not bringing it up.)
There's a place to insult people, but it's generally not the first step you should take.
(I know, I've made this rant before, bear with me.)
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why people should make an effort to be marginally courteous with others, of course. Not for silly reasons like "You care what they feel" or "You wouldn't like it if they did that to you", but because being mean is ineffective. Flies, honey, vinegar.
This is basic stuff. So basic, I don't want to see anybody getting it wrong for another three months, okay? I'm not perfect in this department, but I make the attempt, with things I care about, to be polite in the first few tries to tell people they're completely and totally incorrect. Well. At least, I mean, I don't start off as though we're down to hour 20 of the all night flamewar.
Here's an interesting anecdote...
Apr. 8th, 2006 08:10 pm
A few weeks ago, I was at the SICM in the bathroom. Ana was sitting on the toilet, and I was sitting on the floor in front of her so I could make sure she didn't destroy all the toilet paper.
A woman came in, observed that I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom holding a baby, and began saying there were places I could do that, I didn't have to go into the bathroom.
After a minute or so of this, I realized - she thought I was nursing Eva.
And I give up. I do. If the casual observer can't observe that I'm *not* breastfeeding an infant, I can't think of any argument against nursing in public that I'm willing to listen to. Not that I could before, but I pretended. Because I care? Nope - because not listening isn't a great way to change people's minds.
But now I'm even more adament - You Really Can't Tell. That'll be my new slogan. You Really Can't TellTM!
Is she breastfeeding? Or is she merely sitting? Who knows? Because (say it with me now) You Really Can't Tell!
Apparently.
It could just be that this woman was supremely unobservant, or attempting to be polite by not staring (an example that I believe others would be wise to observe, in any situation)... but I don't know. Maybe it's just that You Really Can't Tell!
The whole thing was pretty amusing in retrospect.
A woman came in, observed that I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom holding a baby, and began saying there were places I could do that, I didn't have to go into the bathroom.
After a minute or so of this, I realized - she thought I was nursing Eva.
And I give up. I do. If the casual observer can't observe that I'm *not* breastfeeding an infant, I can't think of any argument against nursing in public that I'm willing to listen to. Not that I could before, but I pretended. Because I care? Nope - because not listening isn't a great way to change people's minds.
But now I'm even more adament - You Really Can't Tell. That'll be my new slogan. You Really Can't TellTM!
Is she breastfeeding? Or is she merely sitting? Who knows? Because (say it with me now) You Really Can't Tell!
Apparently.
It could just be that this woman was supremely unobservant, or attempting to be polite by not staring (an example that I believe others would be wise to observe, in any situation)... but I don't know. Maybe it's just that You Really Can't Tell!
The whole thing was pretty amusing in retrospect.
The weirdest thing about how Ana's language develops (and by weird I mean "interesting" not, y'know, weird) has to be how she makes up new coinages I *know* she hasn't heard.
She doesn't say she wants us to unVERB something. It's always that she wants us to VERB backwards. So we "zip up jacket backwards" and "put shoes on backwards" and similar, instead of unzipping and taking off (well, she says that one too, but she never says unzip).
It's just beyond cool.
The second weirdest thing is how fast it moves, even when you think you're beyond the point of being able to discern explosive language growth. Friday, Ana and I were out walking, and she saw a broken balloon on the ground.
Ana: OH! Dey bwoke ba-yoon!
Me: Yes, I guess they did.
Ana: I want bayoon. I ask Daddy for bayoon. And Mommy. I ask Mommy and Daddy for bayoon yater.
Me: Okay. What color balloon do you want?
Ana: Uh... Owange. I yike owange. I ask Daddy for owange bayoon when he gets home.
This conversation would not have been possible a few months ago. I'm not even sure it was possible a few weeks ago. But a few days ago, we had it. We had an actual conversation, referencing events that might happen in the future. Just a short while ago, the conversation would've stopped, at best, after her statement that she wanted a balloon - or even just after her comment that the balloon existed.
When Ana had just turned two, we met at the museum another little girl who was about the age Ana is now. And we couldn't get over how talkative and clear she was. Sure, Ana talked a lot, but not like this!
And we didn't believe my mom when she told all of us that Ana'd be like that a year from then (that is to say, now). But she is. She really is.
She also dances. Well, you knew that. She'll be playing, and then she's half spinning back and forth (you know, turning one way, then the other?), or she'll be shaking, and she's dancing she says.
It's just a bit irritating when you want to talk to her about why (say) we DO NOT pull on electrical cords. Because that's when she... is... well, she's more likely to be dancing sans music then*. (Well, she calls it dancing, though without music I'm more inclined to call it Ana-stimming, because that's what it looks like to me. Seems to fit the same purpose, too.)
Which, I know, that one's not on the normal side of things. But when I'm not trying to impress upon her the importance of not touching dangerous things, I'm glad she's happy doing things that make her, ah, happy.
...
That last sentence isn't very clear. Or well-constructed. I'm sorry.
*I should clarify - it irritates me then because it distracts me and makes it hard for me to concentrate on what I'm saying. When I'm talking about something important, I do like to get my point across. Plus, I suspect she's doing that in part to keep from listening. That's why we're going now on the "what did I just say" idea - if I find out she listens better when not dancing/stimming/fidgeting, we'll have to find a way to work on that. If I find out she listens better when she *is* doing such, then I'll be the one with work to do, won't I?
She doesn't say she wants us to unVERB something. It's always that she wants us to VERB backwards. So we "zip up jacket backwards" and "put shoes on backwards" and similar, instead of unzipping and taking off (well, she says that one too, but she never says unzip).
It's just beyond cool.
The second weirdest thing is how fast it moves, even when you think you're beyond the point of being able to discern explosive language growth. Friday, Ana and I were out walking, and she saw a broken balloon on the ground.
Ana: OH! Dey bwoke ba-yoon!
Me: Yes, I guess they did.
Ana: I want bayoon. I ask Daddy for bayoon. And Mommy. I ask Mommy and Daddy for bayoon yater.
Me: Okay. What color balloon do you want?
Ana: Uh... Owange. I yike owange. I ask Daddy for owange bayoon when he gets home.
This conversation would not have been possible a few months ago. I'm not even sure it was possible a few weeks ago. But a few days ago, we had it. We had an actual conversation, referencing events that might happen in the future. Just a short while ago, the conversation would've stopped, at best, after her statement that she wanted a balloon - or even just after her comment that the balloon existed.
When Ana had just turned two, we met at the museum another little girl who was about the age Ana is now. And we couldn't get over how talkative and clear she was. Sure, Ana talked a lot, but not like this!
And we didn't believe my mom when she told all of us that Ana'd be like that a year from then (that is to say, now). But she is. She really is.
She also dances. Well, you knew that. She'll be playing, and then she's half spinning back and forth (you know, turning one way, then the other?), or she'll be shaking, and she's dancing she says.
It's just a bit irritating when you want to talk to her about why (say) we DO NOT pull on electrical cords. Because that's when she... is... well, she's more likely to be dancing sans music then*. (Well, she calls it dancing, though without music I'm more inclined to call it Ana-stimming, because that's what it looks like to me. Seems to fit the same purpose, too.)
Which, I know, that one's not on the normal side of things. But when I'm not trying to impress upon her the importance of not touching dangerous things, I'm glad she's happy doing things that make her, ah, happy.
...
That last sentence isn't very clear. Or well-constructed. I'm sorry.
*I should clarify - it irritates me then because it distracts me and makes it hard for me to concentrate on what I'm saying. When I'm talking about something important, I do like to get my point across. Plus, I suspect she's doing that in part to keep from listening. That's why we're going now on the "what did I just say" idea - if I find out she listens better when not dancing/stimming/fidgeting, we'll have to find a way to work on that. If I find out she listens better when she *is* doing such, then I'll be the one with work to do, won't I?
Oh, wow....
Apr. 8th, 2006 10:14 pm
I have to do this next year. This year. NOW!
I guess I'll just head out to the all night egg 'n onion store, then.
I guess I'll just head out to the all night egg 'n onion store, then.
Mmm. I think she's posted this before...
Apr. 8th, 2006 11:38 pmI know I've seen it before, anyway.
Still, I think this is time for me to ressurrect my Plan To Take Over The World... I mean, to Change the English Language, One Word at a Time! (This plan is better, it has fewer majuscule letters.)
I'll wedge this into my New Year's Resolutions - I'll try to add one new (but really old or dialectical) word into my vocabulary, on a regular basis (not just knowing it and never using it, these have to be useful words which express concepts that are hard to otherwise say) every other week.
Starting, I believe, with hardel and handsmooth.
To help me with my endeavour - any of you have obscure, obsolete, foreign, or otherwise uncommon-in-English words you'd like to contribute to the cause?
Still, I think this is time for me to ressurrect my Plan To Take Over The World... I mean, to Change the English Language, One Word at a Time! (This plan is better, it has fewer majuscule letters.)
I'll wedge this into my New Year's Resolutions - I'll try to add one new (but really old or dialectical) word into my vocabulary, on a regular basis (not just knowing it and never using it, these have to be useful words which express concepts that are hard to otherwise say) every other week.
Starting, I believe, with hardel and handsmooth.
To help me with my endeavour - any of you have obscure, obsolete, foreign, or otherwise uncommon-in-English words you'd like to contribute to the cause?