New Developments

Yet again, I have grown in obvious ways, and most likely in many invisible ways, too.

1. Some of my new signs are toast, dirty, bird. I am definitely learning signs faster. My mama says, I am "ready," meaning I am a little sponge for information. I stare at my mama's face and hands to see what is happening. I mimic a lot more. Mostly though, I watch for an instance, a day, a few weeks and then I try myself when I put it all together. Dirty I have only seen now and again, but more lately; I just signed that one out of the blue last night. Well, it wasn't out of the blue because my dad had made a "That's dirty" kind of sound and face. Toast also came up now and again, but one day I really watched my mama for the first time and I signed it immediately after watching. Bird has been a long, long time coming.
2. I now have a full body dance repertoire -- I move my head, my arms, my body, my legs and feet.
3. I can now dance and sing at the same time. I move my body in rhythm and sing a little song.
4. I clearly am drawn to rhythm. If my mama or daddy is saying something rhythmic or I hear it from somewhere. I stop, go over and stare and then try on my own at any random point. In this way, my parents show me a rhythm over and over now and again throughout a day or week, and I will just bust out with the rhythm all of a sudden. Usually, though, it seems to my mama like I use my whole body to learn and let the easiest body part start first. Some rhythms it is my feet, some my hands, some my whole/upper body and some my voice.
5. I am now reading books. I sit by myself with a book, turn the pages, mimic little sounds that are my favorite when my parents read, and make up my own little stories as I point to the things on the page. If I had to choose, though, I love to back my little buns up into a warm lap and listen to someone else read a book.
6. I have now fulfilled my mama's vision of me having full access to the second floor (which for me means the two bedrooms and the hall). I wake up in the bedroom (the room I was born in), roll and stretch and sing and talk for a moment, climb out of bed, pull open the door (ajar), walk through the "baby" room and pull open that door (ajar), walk into the hall, and come into my play room where my parents are waiting for me to wake up and play. Yesterday, after a short nap, I came in with my swaddle still on (because if I want to I can get my arms out and walk in this stretchy swaddle). I had on my face the biggest of smiles seeing my mama there. My mama and daddy had a big smile on their faces. It was a wonderful moment. It feels pretty good to feel able to do that.