Words and numbers

Rip's vocabulary is growing, perhaps not always in the most useful arenas. This comprehensive list of additions is included mostly so you can enjoy the topic breakdown:

Rowa- roller (as in, the construction truck)
Bull-randomsecond syllable- bulldozer
(Sometimes possibly also bull- bowl?)
Ment Mi - CeMENT MIxer
Moto - motorcycle
Backhoe - backhoe, yeah!
Car or sometimes just ccccc - car
Tuk - truck
Dida - digger
Apple
Buh- bus
Bowl
Pull
Book (usually compounded with the truck sign)
Nene - night-night
Up - this one is slowly replacing the lap/chest whack as a signal that he'd like to be carried.
Wow, Uh-oh - self explanatory.

There's something that sounds a bit like "beans" and also "bread" that he's uttered at times when it seems appropriate, and he sort of tries to say milk and more with those signs, too. But, yeah, mostly it's all about trucks still. He is so pleased to be able to communicate about things that matter to him. One of his favorite library books involves a rhyming question and answer format and he is always over the moon to be able to identify what the appropriate truck is.

He's also had his first ever pun: after we'd played with playdough for a long time with a lot of rolling and smashing (super-big hit, Rip played for over an hour, Jolly lasted an epic 3.5 hours of uninterrupted playdohing without any interruption), the next day I asked him if he wanted more pretzel roll or if he was done. He proceeded to take the pretzel roll and rolled it around on the table like playdough while cackling. This time it was definitely a joke with him, unlike the time Ephiny talked about getting out the wok and Rip got very confused that she wasn't walking him around holding hands.

Speaking of walking, Rip is very confidently walking around our house unassisted, now. When there aren't people outside our family, especially. Take him out of the immediate comfort zone and back to the butt-scoot. Or, he just stands there, waiting for a parent to come back and hold his hand.

Because this is a very Rip-centric update, I want to share a few things about Jolly:

He came very close to having his first stereotypical covetous tantrum while shopping a few weeks ago. What was atypical: he wanted to buy an economy pack of fresh fish, which he identified by name correctly. I am pretty sure the sentences, "I WANT THAT TILAPIA! NOOOOOO! I WANT TO EAT A LOOOOOOT OF TILAPIA! RIIIIGHT NOWWWWW!" have never previously been uttered by a child under the age of four. I had a really hard time not cracking up.

He's working on handwriting now, at long last, after ignoring those parts of the activity books. He's also gotten really good at phonics! I'm really proud of how hard he's worked at both of these things. But, the most important big milestone is that his number recognition solidifying all ten numerals meant that he could join me at Bingo!

Ballard Senior Center Bingo time:

But lo, it is not just regular bingo, it is Rainbow Bingo! With drag queens to serenade you!

And Jolly got to help with the bingo-matic!

AND, we won! A basket of smoked salmon! Which, you know, is no tilapia, but is actually preferred by everyone in our family.

Clearly, it was an awesome evening out!

This is really the best picture ever, even if it draws attention to how direly I need patriotic headwear! (Jolly dressed himself, naturally, as always.)(It has to be said that Rip is now ALSO very opinionated about clothing and dressing himself.)