Dear readers, I'm pregnant! Fourteen weeks in.
And admidst my worries about taking care of an infant while parenting a three-year-old, I remind myself of this: the one thing that I know I won't struggle with is immersing this new baby in French. Unlike during my pregnancy with Griffin, I speak French every day while "Unicorn" grows in my belly. Unicorn hears the cadences of both languages in utero.
When Unicorn arrives, I won't have to scramble to learn a new lexicon that encompasses diaper blow-outs, onesies, pack-n-plays, bassinets, and bouncy chairs.
I won't have to force myself to carry on yet another unnatural-feeling monologue in French wherein I narrate everything I do for an uncomprehending baby who only cries in response, because I'll be holding meaningful conversations in French with a preschooler about what's going on around us, a preschooler who understands most of what I tell him (even if he chooses to ignore some of the directions).
I won't be trolling the Internet during middle-of-the-night nursing sessions--okay, so I probably will, but this time it won't be to buy French books and toys and CDs and DVDs on eBay, because we've got a substantial collection already. Unicorn will have several shelves of French books awaiting his/her arrival in his/her room. (Assuming, of course, I can manage to transfer all the stuff from my home office into the basement and transform the office into a nursery by July, that is.)
On Monday mornings, I'll take Unicorn and Griffin to French playgroup, and every other Friday we'll attend French storytime, so they'll both grow up knowing other kids ages 0-5 who speak French.
Griffin and I know and love dozens and dozens of songs and comptines that we will sing to Unicorn--I won't have to worry about expanding my repertoire because I get bored with the same ten songs, like I did with baby Griffin and baby Carl (my nephew).
I haven't been to France since 2005, when I supervised a group of US students taking classes in Grenoble for a month, or to a Francophone country since 2007, when my husband and I spent a few days on the small Caribbean island of St. Martin (on the French side, though almost everyone we met spoke English). We haven't had the time or the energy or a compelling reason to take a trip to a French-speaking country with Griffin. However, I'm really jonesing to be surrounded by French speakers and a different culture, so it's conceivable that Unicorn will have accompanied us to some Francophone place somewhere by the time he/she is Griffin's age!
So, while the idea of bringing another baby into this world makes me very anxious for a lot of reasons, I'm not nervous about being a non-native speaker bringing up baby bilingual: it worked for Griffin and me when I was starting from scratch, so it'll work for Unicorn, Griffin, and me.
Right? Right??? Please tell me j'ai raison!
.JPG)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
fun with français in the Boulder area
Since co-founding a French storytime at the Lafayette Public Library, I have been gathering information about other French activities for kids in the area. Eve at Blogging on Bilingualism asked me to publish all the details in one place so she can Tweet about it (merci, Eve!), so here goes:
"Il Etait Une Fois" (Once upon a time) Storytime
A storytime in French at Lafayette Public Library
Books, stories, songs, rhymes, and fingerplays
With a different theme each time
Led by Francophone (and Francophile) parents
Everyone is welcome!
The 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month from 4:00-4:30:
January 28: Dinosaurs
February 11: Love
February 25: Bugs
March 11: Food
March 25
April 8
April 22
May 13
May 27
Other French activities for children:
NEW! French storytime at the Louisville Library, second Friday of the month at 10:30
French playgroup at Parenting Place (Boulder), Mondays 10:00 am-12:00 pm
"French with Véronique," French class for kids at WOW! Museum (Lafayette)
"The French Mommies and Me" Meetup (Lone Tree), stories and crafts,
The Language of Food (French cooking classes for kids in Boulder)
French storytelling at the Main Boulder Public Library, first and third Tuesdays of the month, 10:15-11:00
And of course, the Alliance Francaise in Denver offers classes for children and teens.
Others? Email me or add them in the comments!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
three years of wonder
Joyeux anniversaire, mon amourson!
My beautiful boy turns three years old today. It takes my breath away. Griffin amazes me every day (and often in good ways!).
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
carnival coming!
Abigail from the Speaking in Tongues blog is hosting the January Blogging Carnival on Bilingualism next week, so send her your posts about languages and kids soon! Here's the info:
Please send your links to blogger@speakingintonguesfilm.info no later than this Saturday morning, January 29.
Please send your links to blogger@speakingintonguesfilm.info no later than this Saturday morning, January 29.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
bursts of French
Griffin definitely speaks more English than French--entirely normal and to be expected. He does seem to understand the two languages equally well, which thrills me. And very now and then, he'll burst into song in French, or count out loud in French, or recite a nursery rhyme to himself in French. Such fun for maman to hear!
But recently, in one single day, he used three long sentences--ten words or more!--entirely in French, grammatically correct French, no less!
As we walked out of the warm house into the cold weather:
Il y a de l'air chaud dans ma maison. [There is warm air in my house.]
This is notable for being unprompted by anything I said to him--it was his immediate reaction to the cold outside air. His first flawless ten-word sentence?
Le Père Noël apporte des jouets aux enfants qui sont sages. [Santa Claus brings toys to the children who are well-behaved.]
This is certainly an explanation he had heard before in English and French, but here too, nothing prompted him to say it at that moment. And check out that relative clause!
And finally, while crunching into an apple:
Je croque dans les pommes, dans les poires, et dans les biscuits. [I bite into apples, pears, and cookies.]
Thirteen words!
But recently, in one single day, he used three long sentences--ten words or more!--entirely in French, grammatically correct French, no less!
As we walked out of the warm house into the cold weather:
Il y a de l'air chaud dans ma maison. [There is warm air in my house.]
This is notable for being unprompted by anything I said to him--it was his immediate reaction to the cold outside air. His first flawless ten-word sentence?
Le Père Noël apporte des jouets aux enfants qui sont sages. [Santa Claus brings toys to the children who are well-behaved.]
This is certainly an explanation he had heard before in English and French, but here too, nothing prompted him to say it at that moment. And check out that relative clause!
And finally, while crunching into an apple:
Je croque dans les pommes, dans les poires, et dans les biscuits. [I bite into apples, pears, and cookies.]
Thirteen words!
Sunday, January 09, 2011
2010: A Year in Words
Griffin, January 2010
(Note: this will probably only interest die-hard Griffin fans, like his grandparents, but I'm going to post this veeeeery long list anyway!)
1/10/10
Maman, on her way out the door to go to work, leaving Griffin's grandfather in charge of lunchtime and naptime: Griffin, finis ton tofu et puis fais dodo. Dodo bientôt. [Finish your tofu and then go nighty-night. Sleep soon!]
Griffin: Griffy take nap. Grandad take nap.
1/15/10
Maman: On va aller au restaurant ce soir! [We're going to a restaurant tonight]
Griffin: No cooking!
1/25/10
Griffin, whenever he sees the mailman, which is facteur in French: "Fucker! Fucker!" [It's taking him quite a while to master consonant clusters.]
Griffin, whenever Maman yawns especially loudly: "Mommy fucky-gay!" [his unfortunate pronunciation of fatiguée]
1/31/10
He remains very bossy, yet very loving. (Sometimes simultaneously, in fact, as in when he ordered his father one morning last week, who had kissed him good-bye and then me, "Now Daddy kiss Grandpa!")
2/4/10
Griffin: Mommy chatch off read-it book fauteuil bascu Mimi Bear come in!
Translation: Mommy, take off the blanket (chatch is his pronunciation of couverture, "blanket") and read me a book in the rocking chair (un fauteuil à bascule). I want Mimi and Bear to sit with us too.
2/7/10
My pants fall down again.
2/8/10, as he chews pensively on an uncapped marker:
No don' put in mouth.
2/15/10
"My écrire!" as he grabs at a pen his maman is currently using. Écrire means "to write" in French, but I don't know if he meant "I write" or "my pen," because he tends to use "my" as the first person subject pronoun (eg "My running! My off shoes! My take a bath!"). But I suppose that either way, it means the same thing to him: he wanted the pen and he wanted to write with it.
2/25/10
My love oo Mommy, my love oo, je t'aime, je t'aime.
3/2/10
Maman, holding Griffin tenderly in her arms at bedtime: Je t'aime de la tête aux pieds. [I love you from your head to your toes.]
Griffin, looking at the lamp above Maman's head: Je t'aime de la tête à la lumière. [I love you from your head to the light.]
5/15/10
Maman: Qu'est-ce que tu as planté dans le jardin aujourd'hui? [What did you plant in the garden today?]
Griffin: Worms.
5/23/10
Avion vole comme un aigle! [The plane is flying like an eagle.]
6/9/10
Time out for owie! [He wanted to put his injured knee in time-out.]
6/15/10, speaking to his maman:
Hi beautiful!
1/10/10
Maman, on her way out the door to go to work, leaving Griffin's grandfather in charge of lunchtime and naptime: Griffin, finis ton tofu et puis fais dodo. Dodo bientôt. [Finish your tofu and then go nighty-night. Sleep soon!]
Griffin: Griffy take nap. Grandad take nap.
1/15/10
Maman: On va aller au restaurant ce soir! [We're going to a restaurant tonight]
Griffin: No cooking!
1/25/10
Griffin, whenever he sees the mailman, which is facteur in French: "Fucker! Fucker!" [It's taking him quite a while to master consonant clusters.]
Griffin, whenever Maman yawns especially loudly: "Mommy fucky-gay!" [his unfortunate pronunciation of fatiguée]
1/31/10
He remains very bossy, yet very loving. (Sometimes simultaneously, in fact, as in when he ordered his father one morning last week, who had kissed him good-bye and then me, "Now Daddy kiss Grandpa!")
2/4/10
Griffin: Mommy chatch off read-it book fauteuil bascu Mimi Bear come in!
Translation: Mommy, take off the blanket (chatch is his pronunciation of couverture, "blanket") and read me a book in the rocking chair (un fauteuil à bascule). I want Mimi and Bear to sit with us too.
2/7/10
My pants fall down again.
2/8/10, as he chews pensively on an uncapped marker:
No don' put in mouth.
2/15/10
"My écrire!" as he grabs at a pen his maman is currently using. Écrire means "to write" in French, but I don't know if he meant "I write" or "my pen," because he tends to use "my" as the first person subject pronoun (eg "My running! My off shoes! My take a bath!"). But I suppose that either way, it means the same thing to him: he wanted the pen and he wanted to write with it.
2/25/10
My love oo Mommy, my love oo, je t'aime, je t'aime.
3/2/10
Maman, holding Griffin tenderly in her arms at bedtime: Je t'aime de la tête aux pieds. [I love you from your head to your toes.]
Griffin, looking at the lamp above Maman's head: Je t'aime de la tête à la lumière. [I love you from your head to the light.]
5/15/10
Maman: Qu'est-ce que tu as planté dans le jardin aujourd'hui? [What did you plant in the garden today?]
Griffin: Worms.
5/23/10
Avion vole comme un aigle! [The plane is flying like an eagle.]
6/9/10
Time out for owie! [He wanted to put his injured knee in time-out.]
6/15/10, speaking to his maman:
Hi beautiful!
6/18/10, singing
Griffin's pants are falling down, falling down, falling down
Griffin's pants are falling down
My fair baby
Daddy's pants are falling down, falling down, falling down
Daddy's pants are falling down
My fair daddy
Mommy's bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
Mommy's bridge is falling down
My fair mommy
6/22/10
Need me go on the alligator, Maman. [He meant "escalator."]
6/27/10
I love my penis.
7/2/10
In the Appleton airport, upon seeing a display of stuffed animals in the gift shop, after Ed just won him a garish orange bear out of one of those toy machines with the claw you pay to operate in hopes of grabbing a cheap and tacky stuffed animal to placate your child after you realize that you left his lovey back home in Colorado:
Griffin: I need a toy.
Maman: Nous venons de t'acheter un nouveau jouet! [We just bought you a new toy]
Griffin's pants are falling down, falling down, falling down
Griffin's pants are falling down
My fair baby
Daddy's pants are falling down, falling down, falling down
Daddy's pants are falling down
My fair daddy
Mommy's bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
Mommy's bridge is falling down
My fair mommy
6/22/10
Need me go on the alligator, Maman. [He meant "escalator."]
6/27/10
I love my penis.
7/2/10
In the Appleton airport, upon seeing a display of stuffed animals in the gift shop, after Ed just won him a garish orange bear out of one of those toy machines with the claw you pay to operate in hopes of grabbing a cheap and tacky stuffed animal to placate your child after you realize that you left his lovey back home in Colorado:
Griffin: I need a toy.
Maman: Nous venons de t'acheter un nouveau jouet! [We just bought you a new toy]
Griffin: I need two toys.
7/5/10
Daddy: Griffin, stop kicking.
Griffin: Noooooo!
Maman: Griffin, Daddy a dit "non." [Daddy said no.]
Griffin: I said yes!
7/12/10, 1:15 a.m., on the shuttle between concourses at Denver International Airport after eight hours of delayed and canceled flights, accompanied by two parents who feel like zombies:
Wheeeee! Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga choo choo! We going fast.
7/15/10
Maman: Qu'est-ce qui est dans ton ventre? [What's in your tummy?]
Griffin: Foods.
Maman: Quelle sorte de nourriture? [What kind of food?]
Griffin: Petit dejeuner. [Breakfast.]
7/5/10
Daddy: Griffin, stop kicking.
Griffin: Noooooo!
Maman: Griffin, Daddy a dit "non." [Daddy said no.]
Griffin: I said yes!
7/12/10, 1:15 a.m., on the shuttle between concourses at Denver International Airport after eight hours of delayed and canceled flights, accompanied by two parents who feel like zombies:
Wheeeee! Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga choo choo! We going fast.
7/15/10
Maman: Qu'est-ce qui est dans ton ventre? [What's in your tummy?]
Griffin: Foods.
Maman: Quelle sorte de nourriture? [What kind of food?]
Griffin: Petit dejeuner. [Breakfast.]
7/27/10
That's not good soup. I don't like soup. I want a crouton.
8/1/10, while holding his loose-weave belt over his eyes and trying to peer through it:
Lunettes de ceinture! [belt glasses]
8/4/10, while eating Life cereal for breakfast, looking down at his empty bowl:
Boucles d'or a mangé mon Life! [Goldilocks ate my Life.]
8/15/10, singing while watching a peacock, paon, at the zoo:
Sur le paon d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse [This is a great pun--the tradition song is "Sur le pont [bridge] d'Avignon", and he picked up on the fact that pont and paon sound very similar!]
8/17/10
This caca tomber, Maman. I attraper caca. 'Nudder big one in dere. [This turd fell out of my diaper. I caught it. There's another big one sliding down my pants.]
That's not good soup. I don't like soup. I want a crouton.
8/1/10, while holding his loose-weave belt over his eyes and trying to peer through it:
Lunettes de ceinture! [belt glasses]
8/4/10, while eating Life cereal for breakfast, looking down at his empty bowl:
Boucles d'or a mangé mon Life! [Goldilocks ate my Life.]
8/15/10, singing while watching a peacock, paon, at the zoo:
Sur le paon d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse [This is a great pun--the tradition song is "Sur le pont [bridge] d'Avignon", and he picked up on the fact that pont and paon sound very similar!]
8/17/10
This caca tomber, Maman. I attraper caca. 'Nudder big one in dere. [This turd fell out of my diaper. I caught it. There's another big one sliding down my pants.]
Explanation: His daycare provider apparently put a new diaper on him but didn't attach the tabs. Fifteen minutes later, we're at the library and he hands me what looks like raisins. Nope, not raisins. Little turds. The diaper had come completely loose and slid down one pants leg. The turds were trickling out all over the library. In front of my boss. And her boss.
Don't you think daycare owes me a refund for today?!
It's time for potty-training.
8/24/10, chanting while playing with a teddy bear and eating breakfast:
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
[looking at the table and getting inspired] Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the table
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the milk
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the Cheerios
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the mommy
9/2/10, singing:
I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me, I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee, it's trash!
9/3/10, on seeing a grown-up sized toilet after getting used to his little potty:
Ca c'est pour les grandes fesses! [This one is for big butts.]
9/8/10, just beginning to figure out potty training with the help of his beloved Elmo underpants:
Elmo don't want caca on him!
9/20/10, upon seeing a picture of spaghetti and meatballs:
Oh look Maman! It's a poor meatball!
9/27/10
Maman: Ce livre s'appelle "Simon et la plume perdue." [This book is called "Simon and the Lost Feather.]
Griffin: De Robert Munsch? [By Robert Munsch?]
Maman: Non, de Gilles Tibo. [No, by Gilles Tibo.]
Griffin: Oh. J'aime Robert Munsch. [Oh. I like Robert Munsch.]
10/9/10
Maman: Je vais faire jouer des berceuses pour ta sieste, d'accord? [I'm going to play some lullabies for your nap, okay?]
Griffin: No, Mozart! I want Mozart.
10/15/10
Maman! J'ai des griffes! Comme les Maximonstres! [Mama! I have claws! Like the Wild Things!]
10/16/10
Maman: Tu as bien dormi? Tu as fais de beaux rêves? [Did you sleep well? Did you have sweet dreams?]
Griffin: Yeah.
Maman: De quoi as-tu rêvé? [What did you dream about?]
Griffin: Monstres. [Monsters.]
Maman: Des monstres? Quelle sorte de monstres? [What kind of monsters?]
Griffin: Des monstres recyclés. [Recycled monsters.]
10/18/10, at the end of storytime, to Miss Karen, the librarian:
Thank you for coming!
10/20/10, after peeing in his beloved Elmo underpants, while plaintively clutching the sodden garment to his cheek, hugging it to make Elmo feel better:
Elmo est triste. [Elmo is sad.] Sorry Elmo! Sorry Elmo!
10/21/10
Maman: La lune est pleine ce soir. [The moon is full tonight.]
Griffin: What's in it, Mama?
10/25/10: Some creative uses of prepositions
I'm ups-and-down! [upside down]
Now I'm ups-and-up! [rightside up]
Mommy, are you awake-up?
10/29/10
Maman, opening a box for a jigsaw puzzle of the 50 states: Tu sais ce que c'est? [Do you know what this is?]
Griffin: Texas pieces!
10/30/10
Daddy, a little exasperated: We need to get you a sticker that says, "Hello, My Name is Broken Record."
Griffin, proving his point: I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker!
11/5/10
Griffin is "cooking" with his toys; here are the flavors he concocted:
--Pizza with "vanilla, ice cream, and citrouille" (pumpkin)
--Pizza with "vanilla and dog"
--A sandwich with "vanilla and bristle blocks"
11/9/10, after pooping in the potty unprompted! Hallelujah!
You fière, Mommy. [proud--right you are, my boy!]
11/15/10, song lyrics revisions:
Shoo fly, don't bother Grandpa....
Chou-fleur, don't bother me.... [cauliflower]
Sunflower, sunflower, running in the sand.... [This is a parody of his favorite Music Together song, "Sandpiper, sandpiper, running in the sand"]
11/30/10
Talk me another story, Mommy.
12/2/10: Griffin's first poem?
Swim, swim, don't swim.
Swim, swim, don't swim.
Swim, swim, don't swim.
There's no more water.
12/6/10: Every time he walks into the family room:
Ohhhhh! Sapin de Noël! [Christmas tree]
12/8/10, upon hearing Christmas music:
Oh! I need my jingle bells!
12/20/10, decorating Grammy and Grandpa's Christmas tree:
Maman: Accroche le fromage sur le sapin de Noel! [Hang the cheesehead ornament on the Christmas tree]
Griffin: No, I want to dance with it. [frolicks around the room] Now I'm taking it to market.
8/24/10, chanting while playing with a teddy bear and eating breakfast:
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
[looking at the table and getting inspired] Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the table
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the milk
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the Cheerios
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the mommy
9/2/10, singing:
I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me, I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee, it's trash!
9/3/10, on seeing a grown-up sized toilet after getting used to his little potty:
Ca c'est pour les grandes fesses! [This one is for big butts.]
9/8/10, just beginning to figure out potty training with the help of his beloved Elmo underpants:
Elmo don't want caca on him!
9/20/10, upon seeing a picture of spaghetti and meatballs:
Oh look Maman! It's a poor meatball!
9/27/10
Maman: Ce livre s'appelle "Simon et la plume perdue." [This book is called "Simon and the Lost Feather.]
Griffin: De Robert Munsch? [By Robert Munsch?]
Maman: Non, de Gilles Tibo. [No, by Gilles Tibo.]
Griffin: Oh. J'aime Robert Munsch. [Oh. I like Robert Munsch.]
10/9/10
Maman: Je vais faire jouer des berceuses pour ta sieste, d'accord? [I'm going to play some lullabies for your nap, okay?]
Griffin: No, Mozart! I want Mozart.
10/15/10
Maman! J'ai des griffes! Comme les Maximonstres! [Mama! I have claws! Like the Wild Things!]
10/16/10
Maman: Tu as bien dormi? Tu as fais de beaux rêves? [Did you sleep well? Did you have sweet dreams?]
Griffin: Yeah.
Maman: De quoi as-tu rêvé? [What did you dream about?]
Griffin: Monstres. [Monsters.]
Maman: Des monstres? Quelle sorte de monstres? [What kind of monsters?]
Griffin: Des monstres recyclés. [Recycled monsters.]
10/18/10, at the end of storytime, to Miss Karen, the librarian:
Thank you for coming!
10/20/10, after peeing in his beloved Elmo underpants, while plaintively clutching the sodden garment to his cheek, hugging it to make Elmo feel better:
Elmo est triste. [Elmo is sad.] Sorry Elmo! Sorry Elmo!
10/21/10
Maman: La lune est pleine ce soir. [The moon is full tonight.]
Griffin: What's in it, Mama?
10/25/10: Some creative uses of prepositions
I'm ups-and-down! [upside down]
Now I'm ups-and-up! [rightside up]
Mommy, are you awake-up?
10/29/10
Maman, opening a box for a jigsaw puzzle of the 50 states: Tu sais ce que c'est? [Do you know what this is?]
Griffin: Texas pieces!
10/30/10
Daddy, a little exasperated: We need to get you a sticker that says, "Hello, My Name is Broken Record."
Griffin, proving his point: I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker! I'm a broken cracker!
11/5/10
Griffin is "cooking" with his toys; here are the flavors he concocted:
--Pizza with "vanilla, ice cream, and citrouille" (pumpkin)
--Pizza with "vanilla and dog"
--A sandwich with "vanilla and bristle blocks"
11/9/10, after pooping in the potty unprompted! Hallelujah!
You fière, Mommy. [proud--right you are, my boy!]
11/15/10, song lyrics revisions:
Shoo fly, don't bother Grandpa....
Chou-fleur, don't bother me.... [cauliflower]
Sunflower, sunflower, running in the sand.... [This is a parody of his favorite Music Together song, "Sandpiper, sandpiper, running in the sand"]
11/30/10
Talk me another story, Mommy.
12/2/10: Griffin's first poem?
Swim, swim, don't swim.
Swim, swim, don't swim.
Swim, swim, don't swim.
There's no more water.
12/6/10: Every time he walks into the family room:
Ohhhhh! Sapin de Noël! [Christmas tree]
12/8/10, upon hearing Christmas music:
Oh! I need my jingle bells!
12/20/10, decorating Grammy and Grandpa's Christmas tree:
Maman: Accroche le fromage sur le sapin de Noel! [Hang the cheesehead ornament on the Christmas tree]
Griffin: No, I want to dance with it. [frolicks around the room] Now I'm taking it to market.
A wish from Griffin and Sarah: May your 2011 be full of wonderful words and ideas too!
Griffin, December 2010, stealing his daddy's slippers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)