Thursday, March 18, 2010

Practice Makes Perfect

When KJ was learning to walk, and sure enough to walk on his own without using the furniture, he would practice. He would do laps in our living room. He would walk from one end to the other, over and over and over. Sometimes for what seemed like half an hour to forty-five minutes. It probably wasn’t that long, but it seemed like it. We would just sit in amazement and watch him go back and forth and back and forth. He seemed determined to master this walking thing. And he did master it. Of the three, he is the most sure footed right now. He does have his spills and slip-ups, but compared to the girls, he is steady on his feet.
In the past couple of weeks we have noticed he is starting to repeat everything we say. I mean everything. And not just repeating while he plays. He is focused on what you are saying and then repeating it. It seems to be his sole task. Sometimes he will look to us for approval after he has said something, like he wants to make sure he’s saying it right. We think he has found something new that he wants to master: language. He seems determined to get the pronunciation of every word he hears just perfect, and I don’t think he’s going to stop until he gets them all right. Thank goodness Gretch and I don’t cuss much. Now we just have to warn the rest of the family!

2 comments:

  1. Isn't it incredible how intense they can be? I love how you describe KJ learning to walk! I can't wait until Ronan starts talking... I'm sure I wont say that once he does, but it seems like such an important milestone. So amazing that KJ wants to do it JUST RIGHT. :)

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  2. M has done the same thing with words. He hears a new word and repeats it and wants you to verify that he is saying it right. In a year he has gone from barely talking to 4-5 word sentences. Mostly with the correct grammar now too. Now if J would say more than the occasional word!

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