Vocabulary Explosion

Grandma and Grandpa Gant arrived yesterday. It's been 3 months since their last visit, and they are completely amazed at the difference in Jasper's vocabulary. When they were last here, he was just saying "hop, on, off." Now, there is no limit to what he's saying. As long as he can get the word to initially roll of his tongue, he'll say it when he hears it. Then if he finds it particularly fun or funny, he'll say it repeatedly. The sampling of words below just can't even begin to demonstrate everything he's saying, but it's a taste.

Earlier this week after our trip to the grocery store, we were unloading the bags and I was telling Jasper everything we had bought. He found "soup" to be particularly funny and laughed out loud when I'd say it. Then he repeated it and laughed. Over the weekend he started saying "cool" and liked the response he was getting from us. He then heard it repeatedly on Tuesday morning, overhearing an adult conversation. Since then, "cool" has been a staple of his vernacular. Fire trucks are especially "cool."

Speaking of fire trucks, Jasper still remembers the visit from the fire truck over two weeks ago. He's retell it the following way: "two firetrucks" or "big firetruck" ... "stop" ... "our house" ... "cool!" We figured he says "two firetrucks" because the fire truck passed the house twice, and clearly Jasper can't differentiate it was the same truck.

This morning Jasper got out of bed, came into the kitchen and asked Grandpa to come with him to his room. He said "bed" ... "on" ... "read." In the course of their reading, Jasper learned "awesome" and has been saying it since.

When we go out for drives, it's fun to listen to him call out everything he sees - particularly trucks. He says "backhoe" the most distinctly, and for a couple weeks there was a backhoe we'd pass multiple times on our way in and out of the neighborhood. He calls out dump trucks, garbage trucks, semis, choo-choos, cement trucks, buses, fire trucks, ambulances, pick-ups, airplanes, daddy's car (every time he sees a Toyota 4Runner the same color as ours), tractors, and if there were any we could see from the road I'm sure he'd call out the combines. I really need to find a farm to take him to. His favorite book these days is a big, john deere farm book. He loves the combine and all the tractor attachments - knowing the hay baler, baler fork and plow.

We'd gotten to the point where I can ask Jasper what he wants to eat. He can tell me: chicken, meatballs or quesadilla (which he can't say much at all - but he tries). He can also tell me peas, carrots, cauliflower, grapes, apples, pears, strawberries, craisins, muffin, crackers, cheese, milk, water, cheddar bunnies and of course ... Cheerios. And in the morning, as he's walking around while Drew is getting ready, he'll hold onto Drew's insulated coffee mug (closed) and say "coffee" as he lifts it up to his mouth like he's going to drink some.

This morning we're hearing "grandpa" repeatedly. I know Jasper loves his nana and grandma, but wow! does he ever attach to his papa and his grandpa. It's funny.