"Nonunions?" = a grandma tale ;-p!

     A couple of days after Analyse had come to live here for a bit, she had asked me to sing "One, Two Nonunions". I hadn't a clue what she was talking about. So I repeated what she had said, in the form of a question. "you want me to sing "one, two nonunions"?". She stopped moving, looking at me ever so intently. Her eyes showed me that she was giving great thought to what I had just said. With a kind of perplexed expression, she repeated her request, adding emphasis to the last word.
    I was still totally lost. What song has the other grandma taught her this time, that I'm not catching on to, my brain silently questioned. Think, think, think. I had nothing.
    So I questioned just the word. Pronunciating it to the max. She cocked her head side ways (a trait I'm sure she picked up from Boo {;-p}). She then again requested that I sing "one, two nonunions".
    "One, two onions?" I questioned. Definitely a no. But it did earn a silly giggle with the response. ;->
    After about the fifth time of me questioning her, her look changed to one of disappointment, mixed with frustration. It was as though she was silently questioning why this grandma didn't know this song, and/or why I couldn't understand her. In her mind, she was saying it ever so clearly. But what her two and a half year old mouth was pronouncing, was not clear to this grandma's ears. Mind you, she sounded ever so cute, I just couldn't clearly decipher the word.
    But there was absolutely no way I was going to allow that disappointment to continue!!! Not on my watch!!! She's been working hard at her talking and pronouncing skills, and I didn't want her feeling negative over not being able to communicate with me. So, I did what I often do, I fudged it.
    I started making up both a tune and words, as I went along.
    She smiled, then she giggled, then she again cocked her head sideways, indicating to me, that this was most definitely NOT what she'd had in mind. But she kept smiling. And every single time I said the word "nonunions", she'd giggle with glee. I sighed inside, and smiled too.
    She enjoyed it to the point that when I was done, she put up that adorable little finger and requested "One more time".
    By the eighth "one more time", I chose to try and teach her a new song. Yes, a real one this time. o;-p
    The next day, she requested the "one, two nonunions" again. In-fact, she did almost every single day for two weeks time. And during that span of time, I still had no more of a clue as to what it was she was really requesting that I sing, then I'd had the first time she'd requested it. She seemed to 'get' that, but it also seemed to add to the merriment for her. For she'd giggle with delight every single time I'd say the word "nonunions", and by the end of my made up tune, she'd be out and out laughing. What a wondrous sound!!! For the sound of that laughter, I could easily swallow my pride and sing it "one more time".
    Then, t-h-e-n, one day when she requested it, as I started to sing, the huge light bulb over my head finally lit up. You know, that free hanging light bulb that hangs over every person's head and lights up when you get inspired as well as when you finally catch on to something. Yup, THAT light bulb. It lit up, because suddenly I had more than just a clue as to what she had been requesting all along, I totally "knew"! :-]
    I stopped singling my made up dingy and asked, "Do you mean "One, two Indians?" Her face BEAMED!!! She laughed ever so hard and while doing a little happy dance, said yes!  "All righty then" ;-p
    But wouldn't you know it, this time we had an audience. All of those other times, no body had been around to help me figure out what it was she'd been saying. But this time, this time as I had yet again started in with my made up jingle, and then mid note caught on to what she really wanted, this time her grandpa, my husband, was sitting not three feet away.
    His roaring laugh over our little exchange, told me that he had totally caught on to the whole situation. Sigh. So-o embarrassed.
    But with more happy dancing and giggling, Analyse kept requesting the song. So, o/~ "one little, two little, three little Indians" o/~ I sang. When I was done, up went her little finger, requesting "one more". So off I started again. Only this time, when I said the word "Indians", she giggled and said "no, nonunions".
    I was sitting on one of the couches. She had come forward and put her hands on my knee, peering at my singing with all her might. If I said the word 'Indians', she'd say "no, 'nonunions' ". If I said 'nonunions', she'd giggle and say, no 'Indians'. And even though there wasn't a whole lot of difference in her pronunciation of the two, I totally got the different distinctions.
    After about the fourth time of stumbling through the song in such a manner, just for kicks, I used the word "onions" instead. She laughed ever so hard, and clapped those little hands, and turned to tell "pappy" what I had said, as though he hadn't heard it himself. What a delightful time we had. What silliness. What wonderful memories were created!
     Almost every day after that, for the next two weeks, she would again request the song, and again insert "no, ___ " stating which ever word I hadn't used. And I'd again give in to her requested "one more" for several times, just to see her delight.
    Aww my Analyse, the things you do to this grandma's heart. :-D

   In these pictures, she is proudly strutting about in "Auntie Kayla's" heels - and keeping her balance while doing so! That girl has quite a thing for shoes.... but that's a story for another posting. ;->

   (It use to be quite the thing for Ladies to wear pumps with heels with their pajamas o;-p)