nick? Nick? neck?

English is such a challenge especially for an almost 4-year-old whose vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds everyday.

Tonight at dinner, we were talking, and Hana blurted out the line that Rocky always uses in his self-introduction at concerts where he is explaining how he got the name Rocky. When she did that, I decided to ask her if she knew Daddy's "real" name. She said, "Yea, Rocky!" I said, "No that is Daddy's nickname, what is his real name?" She looked rather confused and then said, "I don't know." So I told her that it is "Hiroaki". She thought that was pretty funny but then she said the funniest thing. "Rocky is Nick?" and I said, "yea, it is a nickname." and she said, "Daddy's not Nick." and I said, "Oh no, I'm not talking about Uncle Nick (one of our missionaries at our church) this kind of nick is different, it's called a nickNAME." and she said, "Ohhhhh, a neck." As she raised her chin and grabbed her neck. Rocky and I both laughed and continued to try to explain what a nickname is! What a riot! She might be upstairs at this very moment, lying in bed pondering why we have given Daddy's neck a name, and why we call him by that name all the time! LOL Watching her language develop is so fun.

She has got the cutest pronunciation of some words right now. I am going to be so sad when these disappear.

accident = askident
computer = pacuners
conditioner = dishconer
piano = pinano

That's the most I can think of right now. I've got to get video of her saying all those words before she gets them right!

I am sad to report that "hold you!" is now gone. Sometime while we were in the states she started saying "hold me" and we rarely hear "hold you" anymore. She had been using the word "me" correctly otherwise long ago, but this way of saying "hold you" was one of my favorite things. I am so sad that it is gone. Sometimes I still make her say it that way for me before I pick her up. Silly Mommy!

Otherwise she is speaking both languages like a pro. And she translates for herself sometimes. She'll take off in one language and realize she meant to speak in the other, stop, and repeat the exact same thing in the other language. It just makes me smile when she does that.

She picks up English books and pretends to be reading in English. Japanese books, she pretends to read in Japanese.

Such a smart little girl! And so much fun!