Some attempts to communicate with my daughter throughout the day.
“Good morning little wonder, how are you?”
“Enough?” She answers with her hands in the air trying to reach me.
We enter the kitchen; we see Thomas sleeping in the armchair.
“Look Ephia, it’s Thomas! Thomas!”
“Tatasssssss!” she says pointing at him and smiling.
Outside, walking hand in hand to the bakery to buy bread and other goodies. We step inside and I say “Ciao”
“Ciauuuu” Ephia repeats after me, waving hysterically her left arm.
“Do you want anything?” I ask, watching her starring at the glass window where all the biscuits are winking at her.
“Uuuuu!!!!” she answers while lifting her index finger in the air and waving it in negation. (Sometimes that movement is accompanied by a firm nod; very confusing)
Strolling hand in hand around the neighborhood. A bus passes us.
“Aaaa, ciauuuu, ciauuuuu!!!!” Ephia is making hand signs at the bus to stop and starts laughing.
“Do you want us to take the bus around the neighborhood?”
“Yes!” she answers very quickly, this time in Romanian.
We get off the bus and walk home. She doesn’t forget to say “Bye” to the bus driver after he closes the doors behind us.
At home while watching Ratatouille. Screaming and shouting when the little rat appears and laughing insanely when he figures out how to control the human. She imitates the boy perfectly and raises her hands in the air when the rat is pulling his hair in order to control him. This goes on for half an hour.
While having lunch. She refuses to eat all the food.
“Ephia you must eat.”
“Why?” she asks me while raising her shoulders.
“Because you need to grow and in order to do that you have to eat.”
“Enough?” she asks and bribes me with a smile.
Later while listening to children’s songs in English.
“Twoooo, faveee (five), teeee (ten)!!!!” Laughing and showing me her fingers.
“Are you counting? One, two, three, four, five!”
“Five!” And puts her hand up in the air to meet me for a high five.
While playing with Thomas. Thomas is quietly sleeping in the armchair not noticing the menace that approaches him. She puts her head next to his chest and rubs it just like she sees him do with us when he wants to be petted. She barely touches him with her fingers and starts speaking a language of their own that apparently the cat understands because he wakes up and guides her to the balcony; that way, they can play without me watching them. I hear laughter from the balcony. Inevitably the cat gets bored of her at some point and climbs a cabinet where she can’t reach. She pouts and comes to me:
“Enough? Tatas, enough?”
“Thomas is tired. You can play with him later. Do you want some water?”
“Watter, Aqua, Apa.” she repeats the word in all the languages she knows, as if she wants to amplify her need of water.
When D comes home.
“Tata, tata, tataaaaa!” (that’s dad in Romanian) “Uaaaaaa!!!!! Uiiiiii!!! Aiiiiiiii! Ciauuuu!”
“High five!” D encourages her and they meet hands for a welcoming high five.
Evenings, while reading a book. She sees the picture of a cat.
” Meow! Meow!” She points at the cat.
“Good job! You’re right that’s a cat. Where is the cat? Is Thomas a cat?”
“No!” and she starts doing the negative gesture with her index finger in the air again.
“Thomas is a cat too, Ephia.”
“No!” and she starts pointing at the cat from the book. “Meow! Tatas, no!”
As you can see our cat is not a cat, he is just Thomas.
Sometimes when I am cooking. The loud noise of a slammed door is coming from the hallway. I go look and open the door to her bedroom.
“Get out!” she frowns trying not to smile and pushes me out of the room.
“Ok, you need your space. That’s fine, but I was thinking I still have fourteen more years until that will happen.”
Bed time after I read her a story. She hands me a stuffed version of Chip from Chip and Dale to invent a little scenario for her.
“Hello Ephia! I am Chip, your best friend. I am a happy chipmunk! Now I will cover you with kisses, smooch, smooch, smooch!”
She giggles and pushes him away then pulls him back for more.
I wave her goodbye, kiss her and tell her goodnight before exiting the room.
“Ciau!” She waves her left hand and turns around to find Chip.
[…] fours months ago, I wrote here, about some attempts to communicate with Ephia throughout the day. Let’s go back and […]