Annabel is going through one of those developmental bursts that is awesome and frightening. She will bring a book over to me, sit in my lap, and say, “Book!” Her word comprehension expands every day. And, to go along with that, she repeats any word she understands…with sometimes mixed results.

Doggie = any animal, regardless if it is a dog

Bah = bye

Shit = sit (usually said while pointing at a barking Rigby)

Lo! = hello

Mike and I decided to tell Annie “Stop” instead of “No” when she’s getting into trouble, but somehow she picked up both words. So now, if we tell her to stop doing something, she’ll shake her head and go, “no no no.” And, if we’re doing something she doesn’t like (pulling her off a piece of furniture she’s scaled, lifting her out of the sand at the park), she’ll scream “stoooooooooop!!!!”

That always goes over well in public.

There are a few words that get a total rise out of her: outside, bath, night-night, cookie, up, and stroller. If she hears one of those words, she reacts. Usually with excitement, but sometimes with a stream of NONONONONONONONOs. So we’ve started spelling out those words to spare our eardrums.

The other day Mike, Annie, and I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some essentials. Mike and I separated and conquered the store in about seven minutes, also known as “Annabel’s Tolerance Level For Being Strapped Into A Shopping Cart.”

Waiting in line at check out, I looked over our items and then said to Mike, “You didn’t get Annie’s things.”

Mike: What things?
Heather: You know. Her C-O-O-K-I-S. The ones we give her after she eats all her dinner.
Mike: I’m sorry. Her what? Her “cook is?” What is cook is?
Heather: Her cookies! What, can’t you spell?
Annie: Cookie?
Mike: What, can’t you spell? You didn’t spell that right.
Heather: What? Yes I did.
Annie: Cookie!
Mike: No, you spelled “cook is.” C-O-O-K-I-S. I’d use it in a sentence, or tell you its point of origin, except it’s not a word.
Heather: I am certain I spelled it right.
Mike (to the checker): Did she spell it right?
Grocery Checker: No. She spelled “cook is.”
Annie: COOKIE!!!!
Heather: WHATEVER! I find it hard to believe you BOTH didn’t know what I was trying to spell!
Annie: COOKIE COOKIE COOKIEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Mike: Look, your inability to spell has turned our daughter into “that child” at the grocery store. “Y-A-Y!”
Heather: Fine. I will just meet you outside! You guys enjoy your awesome spelling abilities!
Annie: OUTSIIIIIIDE!

Talking with her mouth full
Take me outsiiiiiiide for a cooooooookie!

Sigh. I guess if Annie is listening to everything I say, I need to brush up on my spelling.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has been watching our video – we’re currently in the top 6! I know YouTube is slow to update view counts, but they do eventually catch up and every view counts! In fact, why not watch it again?