What's on her Mind?

Lately, Ella has been doing lots of talking--all the time! Most of that has been in sentences. She has a great memory (like Rob) and is really good at making connections from things that happened days ago. Sometimes we forget when we are talking with her that she's not even 2 years old, yet.



Here are some conversations you'd overhear if you were a fly on our wall:



(Ella and J playing inside)

Ella: I make you coffee, Mama?
Me: Yes, please.
E: (runs over to her kitchen to put a cup in the microwave...pushes the pretend buttons and makes beeping noises aloud)
E: Ding! It's done, Mama. But it's too hot...blow on it...like this (blows on it)
J: Thanks, it's delicious--yum!
E: I taste it, too---YUM! It's good. I save it for later...put it in frigerator.


Ella likes to help me read certain pages of her books that we read as part of her bedtime routine. She has been doing really well with inferring meanings from the pictures and talking about the characters' feelings:


(looking at a picture of happy dinosaurs at a party and sad dinosaurs with a broken balloon from this Sandra Boynton book....)

(image from amazon.com)

Ella: Those dinosaurs are happy...having party. Uh, oh, those dinosaurs are sad. He's crying...the balloon's broken. That dinosaur share with him..make feel better.



(looking at pages in this Curious George book where a little bear is escaping from his cage and George is blowing a trumpet to get the attention of the zookeeper as the bear is running away....)

(image from amazon.com)

Ella: Little bear's climbing out of his cage. George blows horn real loud (toot, toot), says, 'Hey, hey, help, help!' George rides bike uh help little bear come back uh zoo.

(uh= to)




(Rob and Ella outside on the porch)

Ella: Dada, I hear music.
Rob: What is that?
E: It's ice cream truck driving down road!



(3 of us eating dinner)

Ella: i'm eating cantelope. Mommy's eating cantelope, too. Daddy, you like cantelope?
Rob: No, Daddy doesn't like fruit.


(Ella singing while baking strawberry shortcakes with J)

Ella: la, la, la,.....
J: That's pretty singing.
E: Oh, thanks, Mama.
J: Who taught you how to sing like that?
E: Jesus!


(J getting drinks for friends at the house)

J: Ella, do you want a drink, too?
E: Oh, no, Mommy, I fine!


(Ella rubbing soap on her hands in the bathtub)

Ella: Look, I rubbing hands together. I cleaning off all germs...all clean now!