Public Reservations....

So after some serious thought, I realized that I feel like a deer caught in headlights when I someone speaks to me in Spanish. It's so crazy! Even though I understand what they are saying, it's like my mind is slow and isn't quite computing as quickly as I think it should. Then I get caught up in thinking about things like What if I'm not conjugating correctly? Should I use informal or formal? Is this the correct grammar or word to use? It's really rather insane to have all of those thoughts running through my mind in a split second! I know that my grasp of Spanish is at an intermediate/advanced level, but I always feel like I don't know ENOUGH Spanish just yet. Practice makes Improvement and I know I have to get over my nervousness, but it's like a brick wall sometimes. Especially in public places with my daughter! I know that this probably happens to a lot of people who speak other languages, and I just need some suggestions as to how to overcome this feeling? Will it get better over time? or Should I just throw myself into speaking Spanish randomly in public with Dimaya?

Dimaya finally speaks Spanish!

I know I haven't touched this blog for a while, but I've been busy with my new job and at the end of April I will have my second baby girl. We've had a lot going on in our household and making time to incorporate Spanish has been difficult...but possible. A few weeks ago, Steve and I decided to spend some time with each other and thought it would be nice for Dimaya to spend some time with her cousins (ages 6 and 4). When we picked up Dimaya that night, we headed home and realized that out of the blue--she was counting to ten in Spanish by herself! Just when I was thinking I should give up on teaching her Spanish earlier in that week. Keep in mind, she had never said any words by herself in Spanish before now. It was always copying the last thing I said lol!

Another crazy thing happened yesterday when she brought one of her favorite Spanish books into the living room and pretended to read it to me. It's just a book of words and numbers, but she loves it!!! I pointed to the picture of a glass of milk and asked her in Spanish what it was. She looked right at me and said, "leche," like don't you know this mom?? It was a great experience!

I've signed up for the Language Challenge 180 through Multilingual Living. If you're interested in bilingual or multilingual learning, please check this out! It's a great opportunity to get some support and be a part of something fun and educational at the same time!