Mats-speak

Here is a guide to Mats current vocabulary (probably only intelligible to his parents, but oh well) in order of acquisition (for the record and for the linguist in the family - Evelien):

1. "DA!" = dag (Dutch for good-bye)

2. "Mamama" = mama or "I'm frustrated" (I guess in his mind it's one and the same....)

3. "Papadada" = papa/dada. It was just papa (whispered), but then I guess he figured out that papa and dada are the same thing, so now it's papadada all in one breath

4. "Ungh Ungh" = woof! woof! This is the sound Mats makes whenever he sees or hears a dog....or cat....or goat...or giraffe as we learned at the zoo today

5. "Ball" = ball (surprise!) This is Mats' favorite toy and he loves to point them all out - tennis balls being chased by dogs, basket balls being shot through hoops, his favorite blue squishy ball, and yes, even balloons from afar look enough like balls to be greated with an enthusiastic BALL!

6. "Buh" = book. He's not a big reader, so this is usually used to mean "I want to destroy that book - especially if mom or dad is reading it"

7. "Nye-nye" = Nijntje - the name of his little orange Dutch lovey. Luckily for our babysitters, "nye nye" is what American kids say when they want to go to bed (="night night"), and it also usually means Mats wants to go to bed since he sleeps with Nijntje.

We'll keep you posted on any additions (or improvements)....