Simonese to English Phrasebook

I love how much Simon is talking these days. He’s definitely at the stage where it’s helpful to have an interpreter (usually Mommy) around to help give some context for his very sincere storytelling.

Here are a few of Simon’s most commonly used phrases, should you find yourself in conversation with him:

Choo Choo boom! (trans. “The train crashed [went boom]!”)—This likely comes from a Thomas the Tank Engine story. It is often used immediately following a greeting—he likes to dive right into conversation. Common variations include Buzz [Lightyear] boom! and Mama/Dada boom or Choo Choo stnuck no (trans. “Choo Choo got stuck in the snow”).

Oh da. (trans. “Oh, yes”)

Eat doats (trans. “Feed the goats”)—Simon loves to feed the goats at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. He uses “feed” and “eat” interchangeably, so while “eat doats” is adorable, “Mama eat Baby” (trans. “Mama is feeding Ian” or “Mama, it’s time to feed Baby”) is rather disturbing.

Iss nine up (looking at his wrist) (trans. “It’s nine o’clock. Time to get up.”)—I have no idea where he got this, but he says either as an answer to the question What time is it? or as a protest against bedtime.

Meet Dada (trans. “It’s time to go meet Daddy.”) —Simon loves to walk to meet Jason as he walks home from work. The only problem is that he usually starts asking to go around 4 pm (Jason doesn’t usually get off work until 6).

I no poo poo! I no poo poo!—Well, this one probably doesn’t need translation. He can’t be trusted, though; he often protests even when he does need a diaper change.

I no teenty (trans. “I’m not stinky”)—See previous entry. He’ll also deny it if you say his feet are stinky or if you call him Stinky Pete (a reference to Toy Story 2).

No boots—Most everyone recognizes Simon’s yellow boots. We’ve been trying to wean him off of them, but I think he got so used to people commenting on his boots every time we’d go anywhere (every. time.) that now he feels the need to either point out (to friends or strangers) that he’s not wearing them. (If he is wearing them, he’ll say, “I boots.”)

Do meents (trans. “Two mints [please]”)—Simon is hooked on breath mints and requests them in pairs. He will also accept two “beans” (any kind of small, round candy; originally jelly beans).

Baby Een boo ice (trans. “Baby Ian has blue eyes”)—He will also tell you, “I bown ice” (“I have brown eyes”), Mama and Papa (Grandpa Carlson) have “bown ice”; Dada, Grandpa (Morehead), and Grandma (Morehead) have “boo ice”; and Nana (Grandma Carlson) has “geen ice” (green eyes).

Buzz ond! (trans. “Buzz says, ‘To infinity and beyond!’”)—Another reference to the Toy Story movies.

Dah huh! (no trans.)—He says this with great enthusiasm whenever you repeat back to him what he was trying to communicate.

Geen doghh! (trans. “Green means ‘go’!”)—I couldn’t figure this out for a long time because we’ve been saying it for quite a while with no indication that he understood. He has been saying “Top!” (“Stop!”) for a while now (but he still has no word for “red”).

I no nigh nigh/Iss no nigh nigh (trans. “I don’t want to go to bed/It’s not bedtime”)—Well, what kid does, especially in the summer?

Iss daaahhk, iss night (trans. “It’s dark; it’s night”)—An observation, seemingly unconnected in his mind to bedtime.

Ah done (trans. “All done” or possibly “I’m done”)—Lately he’s been getting up from his naps and saying, “Mama, Ah done nigh nigh.”