Express yourself

Claire has reached the point where she can express her emotions and feelings using words, rather than resort to guttural screams and wild gestures.    I’m not sure what the “typical” age is for reaching this milestone, but it’s pretty cool to see this in action. 

It was on our trip to the Midwest in July that I noticed Claire was starting to do this.  She was sitting in the highchair eating, and all of a sudden, she sighed a really big sigh and said, “Claire sleepy.”  I was shocked!

“Claire, are you sleepy?  Are you tired?”  She nodded her head.  “Claire sleepy,” she said again as she sighed again and cocked her head to one side, resting it on her shoulder.  Wow, this is a pretty cool development!

Since then, she’s done this numerous times with the word “happy.”  We’ll be playing, and she’ll stop what she’s doing and say, “Claire happy!  Claire happy!” and then continue playing.  Or, she’ll look at me when I’m laughing about something and say, “Momma happy!”  Yes, I am…very much so, in fact!

She’s even been able to tell me when something is hurting, like her tummy or her teeth.  I realize those aren’t technically emotions, but the ability to verbally express what she’s feeling is amazing to me.  Sometimes I’ll test her just to be sure I understand her correctly.  She’ll say, “Tummy hurt,” and I’ll ask if her tummy hurts, and she’ll say it does.  Then, I’ll ask her if her tummy feels good, and she’ll tell me it doesn’t.  Of course, since the source of contention has been properly identified, I’m able to rub her tummy, and we’re well on our way to a happier Claire.

On the flip-side, how does Claire express that she isn’t happy?  Well, the full-blown tantrum seems to get that point across rather effectively, but it’s pretty comical when she stops flailing for a moment and says, “NOT HAPPY!” with dramatic inflection.  Really?  Claire isn’t happy?  Thanks for letting me know.  Now, if we could just forego the tantrum for the corresponding verbal expression of displeasure, that would be awesome.