BG is using pointing and occasional sign language to convey her needs now. It is absolutely incredible.
Today she smacked her lips and moved her hand towards her mouth to gesture she was hungry for breakfast.
She also woke me up by bringing me her 'phone' (a very old zen that looks like our cell phones) and putting it by my ear. Yes, she's mimicing.
The learning she's doing is incredible and it reminds me every day how I am her example and I need to set good examples for her.
She put her phone to her ear and starting 'talking' and then passed it over to me. When I was sleeping and my eyes were closed, she grabbed my hand and placed the phone in my hand. That slays me. She does that with her flash cards as well. When she wants me to pronounce what is on the cards, she brings it to me, grabs my hand, opens it palm side up and sticks the card in my hand. She's a sponge. She's absorbing so much.
I started using this to my advantage and now after meals I 'brush' my teeth so she can mimic me brushing her teeth with her tiny toothbrush.
She's also slowly feeding herself with the spoon. She tests me now and then by appearing to drop the spoon by the dog but when I say 'no', she brings it back to her mouth and smiles. When she wants more, she gives me the empty spoon to fill up.
I can do this with foods that stick on the spoon but other items, like yogurt need to wait until she's mastered the motor skills to spoon things.
She's also a champ at finger foods and can eat nearly half a banana in a sitting.
She also lets us know when she needs a diaper change. She's not signing diaper although she understands it but vocally she makes this sentence that we don't understand but it's clearly interpreted to be "diaper change, please".
I do find that she seems very curious and likes when I name things for her. She already knows and sort of says:
Mama
Dada
MmmWah (the kiss sound) She says it when my husband goes out the door.
Button
Purple I'm not sure she knows the color purple but associates it with a shaped object instead.
Bed
Bath
Of course, no one understands her as much as her parents who sometimes don't understand her either.
She also knows how objects work and is eager to learn how other things work. She has a speak and say and she knows if she pulls the lever the middle arrow spins and a song or animal sound is heard but she's not that strong yet so only gets it to spin but not speak. So she'll bring the speak and say to me and take my hand and has me pull the lever with her.
I also mentioned before how she learned which knob was the volume knob on our receiver and when she found my husband removed it to prevent her from playing with it, she found the knob and tried to put it back in its slot.
She'll patiently sit with her colored shapes and happily pick them up so I can name them for her and show her where in the shape sorter they fit.
She dances. She'll turn on the music in her one sided home and move her shoulders and torso to the rhythm. She also likes AM 70's rock. Nothing gets her her torso moving as much as the piano keys on an Elton John song.
This is a fun time for me. Can you tell? I can see her brain growing and learning. It's fascinating and makes me strive to be a better role model for her. Sure, I'm apprehensive of the 'toddler years' that are waiting ahead but I'll survival hopefully a little less battered than some. It's just a wonderful thing to watch your child grow and learn. I can sit there for days and watch those cogs turn.
