Sentences

Anna continues to amaze Ange and I. It's not that anything she does is particularly amazing when compared to other children her age. It is just that Ange and I don't have any experience with children her age.

So, an example: last weekend we were on or way into London to see Emily, Armando and Stella. Emily was going to babysit Anna so Ange and I could go to the theatre. On our way into the city, traffic became increasingly insane. At one point, three lanes became one, forcing cars, lorries and motorcycles through a tiny lane with little notice. With no warning and London tending generally on the busy side, it caused a degree of traffic chaos. Vehicles jockeyed for position. A massive lorry (truck) simply pushed his way in front, nearly raking the side of a a little Citreon. All the while, impatient motorbikes and scooters buzzed through any space left by the other vehicles. Some became stuck, not able to move forward or back and generally adding to the confusion. A jerk in a BMW tried to race down the side and get in ahead: the whole mass of vehicles quickly inched forward in solidarity to not deny the BMW. In itself an impressive feat given how little space there was to begin with. Sociologists would have been bemused.

We sat in our little Toyota Carolla bubble. It was that temperature outside (and inside) where one can't quite decide if air conditioning is actually necessary. A children's nursery CD provided background noise rather than entertainment and all three of us looked out the window. As the lorry moved into a space and a scooter shuffled backwards towards us to get out of his way, I commented flippantly to Ange, "London is crazy." Ange agreed. And then, out of nowhere, so too did Anna. "London crazy," came from the back seat. We both looked back as we laughed. Both our initial and subsequent laughter is, of course, the positive reinforcement necessary to declare the craziness of London on a nearly daily basis. And it really is too funny to hear her say it. But Anna's observation of London's traffic problems were just the beginning. Sentences have come fast and furious this week. They include things like, "Stella's in London," and "More porridge please."

Other little language developments provide humour for us too. A personal favourite (and one for anyone who enjoyed the not-so-recent movie redo of Starsky & Hutch), is when Anna would like to do something herself: "Do it!"

And, of course, there are early indications that Anna might be developing an English accent. Water sounds like "wahr-tah," while the intination on other words certainly isn't Western Canadian. We'll get our speech expert Erika to listen in on Skype and give an update.

It's off to Poland in a couple of weeks! But before then, I have a sneaking suspicion we might see some sunshine. Of course, I won't be betting any money on that.