Rules are for...

Well, we've reached the stage where we try to make and enforce rules for Fidget. Her speech is often reflective of those rules. With the addition of NWC, we've been somewhat protective of him since he can't really fight back against the exuberance and love shown by Fidget for her little brother. Fidget really just doesn't have the motor control yet to temper her hugs or the strength of her pats, and we don't want her hitting NWC's soft spot and making him "soft" in the head permanently! So, the rule quickly became a general prohibition of, "[Fidget], don't touch [NWC]!!" Now, when Fidget does manage to lay a hand on NWC, or better yet, give him a big hug, she will usually tell us emphatically, and somewhat defiantly, "I touch him!!" This works with objects too - Kd had instructed Fidget not to touch the presents that were being wrapped for Christmas; when Kd turned back around, there was Fidget, index finger planted on a present, proudly telling Mommy, "I TOUCH IT!!!".

The other phrase Fidget has learned from us is, "not funny," for those things that she really shouldn't be doing or have done. It got turned around the other night as we were reading a lift-up flaps book that a few months ago was turned into a coloring book by Fidget. Fidget subsequently learned from Mommy that it was, "not funny" that she had colored in it. Usually, instead of completing the sentence in the book that is covered by the flap, Fidget will tell me as we lift up the first flaps and reveal her handiwork, "I did it," or, "I color it," followed by a, "not funny". For some reason, this time around, she went straight to, "not funny," in a very serious tone and expression on her face. I started to laugh, partly at Fidget's delivery, partly at the irony of the guilty party stating quite clearly and earnestly that whoever had colored in her book was in the wrong. Since I plainly did not understand, Fidget repeated more emphatically, "NOT FUNNY," with a frown on her face, which caused me to laugh even more. The more I laughed, the more emphatically Fidget told me, "NOT FUNNY" while frowning at me. I finally managed to stop laughing before Fidget got too upset and continued reading the book.