Doctors

One of Julia's favorite things to play at the moment is her self-created game of "Doctors." This is very much unlike your typical child game of doctor, in which the doctor examines a patient (clothing optional) and gives a full check-up. Instead, Julia's game of doctors involves putting alphabet and number stickers all over her face (and the face of whoever else is the doctor,) then taking care of the patients, who can range from baby dolls to actual other people in the house. The stickers that the doctors wear are called "intillegy stickers." For those not familiar with the term: "They're doctor stickers that doctors use in the hospital. They put them so they know who they are. So the patients know who they are." Still confused? Julia has a very logical definition of the word intillegy: "[Intillegy means] so important contracts and we shall come."

When she is not concocting and defining new words, Julia is often using words that are new-to-her in sentences, though not always quite correctly. Today on the way to church she told me, "Uh, Mom, did you know that the book Jeannie brought to read to me is by the same composer who wrote my princess and fairies book?"

Madeleine, similarly, continues to ever-expand her vocabulary. She even has a new multi-word combo - "Hee go!" As in: after rummaging around in the bin of binders up in the church choir loft and scattering a big pile of loose sheets of music all over the floor, she began picking up one individual sheet at a time and handing it to me, cheerfully exclaiming, "Hee go!" with each new page she held out for me.

At least she was willing to clean up her mess!