The sweet things she says!

NOTE: This is a long posting filled with things that might only be interesting to me, Louie, our respective families, my girlfriends, & my e-friends. I just wanted to warn you in case, at the end of the posting, you're thinking..."I've just wasted several minutes of my day!" If so, I apologize in advance.

Before Catalina came home, I heard this phrase about 982 times..."They're sponges at that age. She'll learn English so quickly. It will be so easy for her." I would always answer, “Yep, you’re right,” or “That’s true.” But, I always felt uneasy about the language thing, on top of the all-out fear that most future-parents have over their ability to raise their little miracles into happy and productive members of society.

Then, in February, Catalina and Gus came home. And, yes, I definitely found out that going from zero to two children is a tough adjustment (am I right, Jenny and Lauren??) But, for that first month or two, the most difficult and upsetting things for me were 1) that Catalina hated my beloved dogs and 2) the language barrier.

If Catalina was climbing on a bookcase in our house, all I could say (in broken Spanish) was, "No, it's very dangerous." If Catalina fell and hurt herself, all I could say was, "I’m sorry. It’s okay." When I was overwhelmed by what huge blessings she and her brother were in our lives, all I could say was "I love you, little angel." It was excruciating for me because sometimes there was just so much more to say than that.

We went for a long time without seeing much improvement. I think the first phrases she learned were "How are you?" and "A lot, or a little?" (accompanied by hand gestures to help her communicate how much juice she wanted or how badly her ouchie was hurting or how much she loved us).

Then, out of the blue, her English came on like a freight train. I would never describe it as something that happened quickly or easily, but after all that time and effort, it seemed to kick in overnight instead of gradually. She started using all these little phrases that Louie and I use, but she would mix together English and Spanish words (only now, after almost four months, is she using some English in complete sentences).

It's just so precious to hear her speak. Not only are her voice and her Spanish/English mix adorable, but she's also a very clever and sassy little girl, so the stuff she says is just downright funny. I've been thinking lately that I should really write this stuff down. Since I'm not likely to write them in a journal, I thought I'd post them here. This is more for my benefit (so I won't forget them) than anyone else's, but I hope that you find some of it cute and sweet, too.



- For the longest time, she would say to us "Te quiero mucho a lot, so much." [I love you a lot a lot, so much]
- Some of the funniest, cutest things she says are directed at the dogs. If they are fighting in the backyard, she will put one hand on her hip and point at them with the other, yelling at the top of her little lungs "Estop it, puppies! Estop it!"
- Once the dogs had just come in from the backyard and they were still playfully fighting. Catalina assumed the position (one hand on hip, the other hand pointing at them) and yelled, "Estop it, Murphy and Doc. Estop it! Es no outside! Es inside! No more fighting inside!"
- Just last week, Cati said in a tattletale-y tone, "Mama, Doc es smelling mi leg." And I said, "That's how doggies greet each other. Their sense of smell is how they can tell who you are." And Cati said, in a very 'duh' tone, "Doc, es Catalina Caputo!" (pronounced 'Tatalina Taputo')
- After pretty much anything that you say to her, she still asks, "A lot, or a little.”
- She really overuses the word “Sooooooo” when describing something. Both Louie and Mary Ann were quick to tell me that she got that from her mama (and I totally agree with that assessment)! She’ll say, “Mama, look at Murphy. He’s soooooo cute!” “Look at Gus-Gus hugging that bunny. He’s soooooo sweeeeet.” “Mama es soooooo silly.”
- She still to this day always says “quiero” instead of “want.” “Mama, Gus-Gus quiero Mama.” “Cati quiero a little snack, please.”
- When you give her something, whether it is food, or a toy, or a coloring book, she wants to know to whom it belongs and who is allowed to use it. For example, if I gave her a new box of crayons, she would ask, "Es for niñas y niños, or for bebes, or for mujeres y muchachos?" I would say to her, "It's for girls and boys and men and women, but it's not for babies." And then she would confirm by saying, "Es for niñas y niños y mujeres y muchachos, but no por bebes?" And then she expects you to agree or disagree. She's seriously obsessed with this line of questioning. I can't even begin to count how many times I've had this conversation over the past few months. She's nothing if she's not thorough.
- When she wants to know the name of something, she asks "Como se llama this one?" and then points at whatever it is. Last week, someone was here working on our security system. Cati said to me, "Mama, como se llama that guy?"
- These next three also happened last week…Doc stepped on her foot and she said (oh so dramatically), “Mama, mi foot is so sad and hurt.” I had to try really hard not to laugh.
- One night, Louie took a bite of dinner and said, “Mama, this is really good.” And, Cati said, “Really, really good job, Mama.”
- During lunch, I was feeding Gus while Cati’s lunch was in the oven. She was starving and I felt bad for making her wait. I said, “Cati, I’m so sorry your food is taking so long. I know you’re hungry, so I’m sorry you have to wait.” She said, “No sorry, Mama. Mama es perfect mother.” (I’m pretty sure she picked up that little nugget when she heard my sweet husband saying it one of the many times I have been convinced that I am a horrible mother.) I thought I had misunderstood her for a second, so I asked her to repeat it. “Mama es perfect mother.” I started to cry and she asked, “Mama, sad or happy?” I said, “Mama is happy.” Cati: “A lot, or a little?” Me: “A lot. Soooooo much.” (sigh)

Okay, that’s enough for today. I wish you could actually hear her say all of these things because reading them doesn’t even do them justice. Her little accent is just the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. If I didn’t think she might get made fun of in school, I would force her to say “Estop it” forever.

Y’all have a good weekend. We’re down here enjoying some much needed rain...but Cati is not enjoying the thunder.