3 words - Sorry, Please, Thank You

Bielet is a talker. She loves giving presentations, chatting up passer-bys or service staff and talking on end with the phone. Not that we really understand what she is saying though.

The first words we could decipher was mummummummummummum. Talk about buttering up to Mama :):):) She uttered that on 14 Aug 2011, and followed up with papapapapapapapapa two months after on 11 Oct 2011. She can since repeat her version of the other family members' names, but clams up and is all bashful when you ask her directly. Silly girl. So far though, I think the most difficult words I've tried to get her to say are Sorry, Please and Thank You.

Thank You
The closest she achieved was Tank. I do believe, however, that others might not appreciate her gratitude in the form of a heavyweight, armoured vehicle. When we were in Taiwan, we were greeted everywhere with a slight bow of the head and a Xie Xie. She quickly caught on so we have contented with that. When she is feeling shy, she still expresses her thanks but only with a slight nod (sans the Xie Xie). Hopefully, she'll come full circle to Thank You when she is more confident in her speech. 

Sorry
When Elton John and Blue sang that "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", they knew a thing or two! I suppose that's a good sign? Because it means that Bielet understands that she is in the wrong when we scold her and ask her to apologise thereafter. After a long period of her just sulking and giving a mega pout, she has started a soft Sorr. Now to get that E.

Please
Of the three words, Bielet got started on this one first. Her version, that is. Instead of a pleasant sounding Please, she used to shout out an emphatic PAH, which sounded instead like an enthusiastic trumpeteer gone wrong. Not sure how that came about, but it soon became a 'word' that everyone in the family got very accustomed to hearing, especially before snacks and BabyTV. Come start of June, my sister started asking her PAH who? and Bielet learnt to reply with a PAH Yiyi. Not bad, eh? So I started on that tactic too.

Day 1
Me: PAH who?
Bielet: PAH Yiyi
Me: I'm not Yiyi, I'm Mama. You should reply PAH Mama when I ask PAH who? (Pauses) PAH who?
Bielet: PAH Yiyi who who
Me: No, it should be PAH Mama. (Pauses) PAH who?
Bielet: PAH YIYI WHO WHO

Day 2
Me: PAH who?
Bielet: PAH Yiyi who who
Me: You should reply PAH Mama when I ask PAH who? (Pauses) PAH who?
Bielet: PAH Yiyi who who Mama
Me: No, it should be PAH Mama. (Pauses) PAH who?
Bielet: PAH YIYI WHO WHO MAMA

Day 3
Me: PAH who?
Bielet: PAH Yiyi who who Mama
Me: You should reply PAH Mama when I ask PAH who? (Pauses) PAH who?
Bielet: PAH Mama
Me: Yes! Clever girl! Let's try again, PAH who?
Bielet: PAH MAMA

Day 4
Me: PAH who?
Bielet: Mama
Me: Where's your Please? You should reply PAH Mama when I ask PAH who? (Pauses) PAH who?
Bielet: MAMA
Me: How come your Please is lost? Can you say PAH Mama?
Bielet: MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA

And so, now her Please has morphed into Mamamamamamamamama - with a jiggle to boot! She sways her hips from side to side and shakes her head as she calls out Mamamamamamamamama in her singsong voice. Two weeks and counting. Help. I lost Bielet's Please.

[Update: As I scheduled this post half a week back, Bielet has since regained her Please but it sounds like she's a-screaming PEE. Progress, nevertheless!]