Josiah's Chinese

Josiah has chosen this past week or so to begin speaking Chinese. On his own. I remember the first phrase he blurted out, I did a double-take...then laughed. It was so cute! Here are some he's been saying lately (again, they just come to his mind in certain situations that he has observed, and he spits 'em out! toddler brains = amazing):

- mei shi (may sher): "it's ok" or "no problem" He says this as he waves his hand, which is what the Chinese do.

- bu yao (boo yow): "don't want" He says this mainly when he doesn't want something to eat. He'll say "mei shi. buyao." haha

- zhen bang (jen bong): "super!" Ayi (our auntie who helps us out) says this to him all the time and always gives a thumbs up while saying it. Josiah hasn't figured out the thumbs up sign, so he just points up in the air. :)

- zhe ge (jay guh): "this" We say this often, so I'm not surprised he picked it up. But when he says it, it's on repeat.

- #s to 10: Again, within the last week, he has started counting (with help) to 10 as we enter our apt building. He counts the mailboxes at the bottom, and sometimes the stairs. He got the English #s down a while ago. The Chinese are coming along fast.

- wo wo shou (wuh wuh show): "shake hands" He hasn't actually said this yet, but it's a command he knows well. Shaking hands with xiao peng you (little friends) is a daily occurrence. Parents and grannies don't want their child to pass up the opportunity to shake a foreigner's hand, so they are quite adamant about making it happen. Josiah does well with it, even if sometimes the Chinese kid is too afraid.

I hope we can continue teaching him Chinese. Better yet, I hope a Chinese person can teach him some! I love his little sponge brain right now and just want to keep soaking it!