Joker

You're a funny boy. For a while, you've "teased Daddy" by purposefully changing words. "Miho", which you can say perfectly well, becomes "yoyo"; "Deyika", "gaga"; "Maka Paka" is "gaga gaga" and recently "peanut butter" has become "barnard butter". Your best practical joke came this week. You asked me to inflate my cheeks - as you do - so that you could "pop" them to a raspberry sound by slapping them. You said "again" twice and slapped the air out. On the third time, you got me to inflate my cheeks, made to pop them and then  feigned popping before poking me in the glasses to much hilarity. Today we have laughed about your imagining of alternative police vehicles. This consists of you putting the word "police" before various modes of transport: "police taxi", "police double decker" etc. You're a  little joker.

Bridges etc

For a long time, you have enjoyed little conversations that proceed along the lines of me asking you questions and offering response after response as a suggestion that you say "no" to until I ask the question again and you reply. First of all, this was "Who...?" and the response you'd give was "Baby Rock". We still do this: "Can daddy sit on the chair?", "No," "Can mummy sit on the chair?" with everyone you know (nainai, yeye, Alicia, Ayaka, Deyika, Faisel, Emiko, Julie etc) and more recently, it revolves - as I've said before - around taking a number 17 bus to London Bridge (you love bus rides). "Shall we go to Tower Bridge?" "Shall we go to Millennium Bridge?" ... "Where shall we go?" Rock: "London Bridge". "How shall we go there? Shall we go there by train?" "No" "Shall we go by helicopter/ambulance/truck/motorcycle etc?" "How shall we go there?" "bus". "What number bus? Shall we take the 205?" etc. "What colour is the bus? Is it dark blue?" You get the picture. You enjoy the conversations and so do I, son.

Joining Daddy on his latest interest

Ca-ter-pil-lar

Your first four-syllable word is caterpillar. Your development thrills me and your mum. In the last couple of days you've started using "another" (pronunciation will improve yet) and love talking about the bridges over the Thames you've been to. "Number 17 bus London Bridge" is a favourite little phrase of yours after successive weekend visits to the river.

Creative

You are 20 months old. After your bath today, you wanted the sponge. When I gave it to you while your mummy was drying you, you squeezed it in the middle and said "ba". "Ba" is the Mandarin word for 8, which a squashed-in-the-middle sponge looks like. However, you still say "ba" for a butterfly, which I've been trying (especially in the last couple of days) to get you to say the whole word for (and you've done so very well). I asked whether you meant "butterfly" and you replied "ocho" (Spanish for 8). You are not only multilingual and creative, but able to adapt to what you understand my perception of what your understanding is.
Your mum has called you a genius for a long time. I have been more cautious (babies learn lots and fast). Today I thought your mum could well be right. You can count to 10 in 4 languages and know colours and body parts in the same. We use your the names of your "teachers" to get you to speak different languages. For example, "What colour is the sofa?" "ojo" (your "R" is not very good, yet). "Ayaka (your Japanese teacher) iu to?" and you answer "aka". We just need to keep the stimuli going. You are doing amazingly, son.

Kick ball

Your first verb and object combination.

Rock the Alphabet