Just add -er

It is amazing to me to watch my almost 4 year old grow her vocabulary. Not sure if that is a girl thing, or a coming-home-at-9-months thing. Although Luke picked up on the English language quickly after coming home, he is still not "fully language developed" 4 years later. He often gets tenses wrong, he mixes up word order, and he sometimes doesn't pronounce things correctly.

Emma, on the other hand, speaks and speaks and speaks and speaks. And then talks some more. With words I am *shocked* that she knows. (Nothing bad - just big words for a 4 year old.) With Luke, he will only use a word if we tell him what it is. For example, he never would've known what a tree was if we hadn't said, "Luke, do you see that tree?" Emma on the other hand would just one day say, "Mommy, did you see that beautiful tree with all the leaves and the birds in it and (blah blah blah blah)?" That is a silly example, but a good example of their language development. Emma just picks up on words and Luke doesn't seem to as much.

I have no idea if they are technically on the same language proficiency. Emma came home at 9 months old - and came from a loving foster home. So she had the one-on-one attention, love, nutrition, etc. (Even though it wasn't English, she still heard loving communication.) Luke came home at 3 years old, but came from an orphanage. He was developmentally delayed, physcially delayed, emotionally delayed.

Luke has been home almost 4 1/2 years; Emma is almost 4 years old. So perhaps, they have the same language proficiency. I am no expert, this is just my mom-guess.

It is hard knowing what to chalk up to boys vs. girls, being in an orphange vs. being in foster care, or coming home at 9 months old vs. 3 years old. Or perhaps - it's just the way God made them. Different and unique, but both very special :)

So while I'm on the language topic, I wanted to jot down a cute "habit" Emma has gotten into. She just adds -er to everything. It is hysterical! I mentioned the way she says "maker" (which means cook) in an earlier post but I wanted to add a couple more.

"Mommy, if you would put me to bed every night (Joe and I switch each night with the kids), you would be the best bedder."

(Emma and I would go to Pizza Hut every Wednesday after her school and one waitress would really fuss over her) - "Mommy, I sure hope the best bringer is there today."

It makes me smile every time :)