Maze, Uh Oh, and Outside: The Growing but Sometimes Limited Vocabulary of a Toddler

Maze
While eating Anna started pointing and yelling, “maze, maze.” I thought, what in the world does Anna want. Half the time I cannot understand what she is trying to say. She kept pointing and yelling, “maze!” louder and louder. “What is a maze?” I looked around for what she was so emphatically wanting. Then I saw Elise, who had rubbed spaghetti all over her hair and face and was covered in red sauce, noodles, and meat. I hollered, “Oh no Elise, what a mess!” Then Anna sat back, smiled at me said, “A maze.”

Uh Oh!

If anything isn’t quite right, or if Anna spilled something on the floor, etc. Anna always says, “Uh Oh” to get our attention, and let us know something is wrong. It is funny because if we don’t pay attention her, she will keep yelling it louder and louder in a sterner voice until we pay attention. Sometimes it goes like this, “uhhh, ohhhh,” “ Uhhh, Ohhh,” “Uhh, Ohh,” “Uh!!, Oh!!” I guess those are the only words she really knows to tell us there is something wrong.

Outside

Yesterday evening Kent called to let me know he was on his way home from school.  I thought, I wonder where Anna thinks her dad is all day. So I asked, “Anna, where is dad?” She looked at me and thought for a moment, then motioned in the direction of the door and said in a nonchalantly, “Outside.”