Sarah and I were playing in our backyard on a warm sunny fall afternoon. Sarah frequently wanted me to play with her (and often assume the role of "Little Sister"), so I was interrupted a lot when trying to write down her utterances. The following transcript therefore has a lot of "holes" in it; in real life the transitions were much less abrupt. But it gives an idea of what Sarah sounds like these days, as well as how she likes to direct her imaginative play.
S(arah): You're not supposed to have bad guys out here [gesturing around the yard] when you're sleeping.
L(ise): Which bad guys?
S: Bad guys in the movie like [unintelligible.]
S [climbing on her playhouse and swinging on its Dutch door]: Little sister, look at this! You say, 'I want to do that too!'
L: I want to do that too!
S: You can when you're bigger, little sister. You say, I want more dessert!
L: I want more dessert!
S: No, you can't have any more dessert. It will make you sick.
L: It will make me sick?
S: Yes, your tummy will feel funny.
S [bringing me a dandelion blossom]: Smell!
L: Mmm!
S: It smells yummy!
S [bringing me her musical toy]: I thought you would like some music!
L: Thank you!
S: You're welcome!
S [on her toy telephone, then turning to talk to me]: Sorry, your friend can't come to your birthday because she had a bad owie. [One of Sarah's friends really did have to miss Sarah's birthday party because her mom was sick.] She can come next year. You're the kid, and you say, 'I want her to come!'
L: I want her to come!
S: Sorry, she can't because she's really sick. You cry now.
L: Wah!
S [consolingly]: I can call up her house and speak to her big sister. [On her toy phone] Hi , big sister, do you feel better? [to me] Your friend can come -- first she can't come but her sister is getting some medicine for her.
S [putting rocks and leaves in her toy dump truck]: I'm filling up my dump truck with empty dirty yucky things. [pushing her dump truck up her slide and speaking to it] Want to go back up? Stay where we were. Wheee weee weee, this is fun. That wheel got broken.
S [picking dandelions and placing them on the back step of her tricycle]: First I have to get something to eat. These are ice cream, yummy ice cream. [referring to the tricycle] We have to turn it around. You say, 'Is that an ice cream truck?'
L [astonished and delighted]: Is that an ice cream truck?
S: Yeah but my bike is stuck so I can't give you any ice cream right now. But when I get a little closer I can give you some. What kind do you want?
L: Chocolate.
S: We don't have any chocolate.
L: What kinds do you have?
S: We have chocolate mixed in with blueberries and raspberries. Do you want that?
L: Okay.
S: That's five dollars please.
L: Wow, that's expensive ice cream. Is it really really good?
S: Yes it is.
L: Okay then, here's five dollars.
S [handing me a dandelion]: Thank you. Do you want some more ice cream?
L: Yes, chocolate chip mint, please.
S: That's this many dollars [holding up two fingers] -- two dollars. You say, 'I have no more money.'
L [devastated]: Oh no, I have no more money!
S: I can get some more money for you. It's at the police station. I can pedal right there. [rides tricycle 3 feet away, speaks to imaginary officer] Can I have some money please? [to me] Here's some money for you. [hands me two dandelions] You give them to me. [I hand them back.]
[Our neighbour Steve starts up his circular saw, out of sight in the next yard. Steve often works on his house, and we saw him earlier, so we both know it's him.]
S [holding her hands over her ears]: How about I will give you some ice cream when that noise is over? [hands me back the dandelions, then turns tricycle away] Now I'm going to pedal this back to the police officer. He will like ice cream. He might say yes he might say no.
[We hear Steve breaking up some old boards in his yard. ]
S: Is he breaking up their house?!
L [laughing]: No, it just sounds like that!