Boom boom

A lot's happened since I last wrote anything here.

The best development is definitely Yann's vocabulary. He's been saying Mama forever and Papa for quite a while. He woofs a lot (at all animals) and says brumm brumm for car. He's been able to say ball clearly but not regularly for a couple of weeks now. As I got him out of his car seat this afternoon he pointed at a ball on the floor and said the word at the same time. I was thrilled.

Yesterday he started saying boom boom / bonbon. It was so funny to see him pointing at the cupboard well out of reach of any children where we keep sweets and demanding bonbons and anytime he slips or drops anything he grins and says boom boom. I think he's really proud of being able to say things.
He's a bit late at starting to speak (although earlier than his sister was) but has a very good excuse as he has to deal with three languages.

It's normal that multi-lingual children start speaking later but I think my monkeys might have been later anyway as they are so extremely mobile and lively. They're too busy bouncing to think about speaking. Charlotte's latest achievement is sianding on her head and Yann likes me to hold his hands so he can walk up me and push himself off to do a backwards roll in mid-air. I'm amazed each time he does it.

I'm sure that second children have a big advantage in being able to copy the first-borns. Yann has been slightly quicker with almost everything so far.

I have a lot of ideas at the moment and could go off at a tangent on many things. Backwards rolls to role models to public toilets...
I used to live near a train station with very fancy public toilets and of course, had to use them from time to time. Don't worry this isn't going to go into any intimate details, it's just about a funny translation.
Next to the toilet paper was a sign with "For new Role push button" written on it. I had to think of Mr Benn and wonder what role I would get if I pushed, a zoo-keeper, a cowboy or a clown?

This leads me to a lovely mistake that Charlotte makes in her German. The Germans have a lovely word for finishing work and freetime starting. The translation is perhaps finishing time but it's used much more commonly than that and has a much more positive connotation. It's Feierabend (this literally sounds like "party evening"). Charlotte has taken this idea of a party and connected it with fire (pronounced the same as Feier). therefore she thinks Feierabend is a barbecue and often asks me if she can go to so-and-so's fire abend when she hears them saying it.

I could continue (I have those role models to write about) but I think I'll leave that for another time.
Tomorrow's going to be a busy day and as I couldn't get to sleep last night (you won't believe it but I stayed up till all hours wrapping Christmas presents and then couldn't sleep. I got up at about 5 this morning and started re-organising my living room cupboards!) So I need to get to bed at a reasonable time today.