Language development

I know I haven't written in a loooooooooooooooong time about words Max says--and well, that's because starting around his two year birthday, Max has been ridiculously verbal. So much, in fact, that there really isn't a word that Max hasn't said (that he's been exposed to). If you ask him to say something, he will repeat it, and usually very accurately, too.

There are, however, two words that Max will not correct his pronunciation of. Momo and cuckoo. I have no idea how Momo became Max-speak for "monkey" and how "cuckoo" became Max-speak for "cookie," but so be it.

He definitely goes through days where he likes to say one thing over the other. Right now it is still "not yet." (See my post from a few days ago.) Things I enjoy hearing him say because it cracks me up:
--wait a second
--work day? (When I pick him up from Lindsey's he asks me if I was at work today. He phrases it like a question, too, and tilts his little head when he asks it.)
--check it out (He points to something and wants me to look at it.)
--cool INSERT NOUN HERE. I especially like it when the cool NOUN is something completely uncool, like a beat-up Dodge Neon.
--Stop it, Momma/Dada! Stop it NOW!!!!! Go to bed now! Stop it! Night! (We must sound really mean when we put him to bed because when he pretends to put us to bed, that's what he tells us to do. And he uses his "mean voice, too.")

On a related note, Max has shown some skill with using proper pronouns. Seriously. I thought kids weren't supposed to know pronouns till later, but Max already has a good grasp of them. He can accurately use "I" and "you" and properly inserts Max as a subject or someone/thing else as a subject as well. He is using 3-5 word sentences at this point (usually 3-4 words per sentence). He uses the adverbs "too" and "really" properly and he uses them A LOT. Nothing is ever just big, but instead it is "really big." He can ask questions and respond when asked a quesition, and he has been doing all this since he turned two (although then it was 2-3 word sentences).

Other milestones: He can count to 10, knows his colors, knows the shapes (triangle, circle, square), can say all the sounds of the alphabet and identify them all (he has been doing this for a few months know) but cannot recite the song (but neither can Brandon). He knows directions and recognizes places really well--he remembers how to get home and tells me to TURN NOW and he remembered where Brandon got his hair cut (even though he got it cut there forever ago).

In short, I think he's a pretty smart lil dude.