(I moved this over from our willphyl.com site. Our blog actually started in June 2005.)
Well, we still can't get our photos off the camera, so I'll give you a written update on Jaan instead of Christmas pictures. Jaan did enjoy his Russian Christmas yesterday.
Jaan is still not much of a talker, but his vocabulary is growing. In addition to "Mama," he says "uh-oh," "bir" (bird), "Tata" (Papa), and "mo." "Mo" actually makes up the bulk of his conversation. We're blaming this word on our friend Nathan, who came to visit and left Will with a CD of songs by a guy named Mo. That CD has been a favorite around here lately.
Here are some examples of the versatility of this word:
"Mo," said while signing "please" means "give me food!" (In this case it comes from the English root word "more.")
"Mo-mo," said in the exact tone of voice used by a certain mother and while emphatically shaking his finger means "no-no."
"Mo," said while signing "milk" means that he wants to nurse. (And the Russian word for milk does actually start with "mo.")
"Mo," said while signing "tea" means that Jaan wants a drink from his cup.
"Mo" can also mean "nose," when Jaan is pointing to someone's nose. This actually sounds like it starts with a N every once in a while.
A recent conversation:
Jaan came running into where I was sitting, shaking his finger and saying, "mo-mo."
I asked, "What are you doing?"
His reply was, "Uh-oh!"
He then led me to a cupboard forbidden to him, where he likes to make big uh-oh's i.e., remove all the contents and strew them around. He had just opened it, and he wanted me to be aware that he was getting ready to wreak his havoc, if I didn't stop him.
As you can see, we do communicate, even if Jaan still has a ways to go in the language department. (And if we're not communicating with you much these days, it is because of computer problems. This update was typed with great difficulty. However, God has provided, and a new computer is on its way to us.)
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