dog and pony show

While I may have failed miserably at teaching Winnie the basic obedience commands, my latest pupil shows much greater aptitude in acquiring new skills. I remember the first time I saw the wheels of comprehension spinning in that hairy little head....she was about 4 months old, and I said "Do you want to see the fishies?" and she turned to look at the tv. (The fishies is a tropical fish show Bill had recorded on tv. She still loves watching them swim around.) I was amazed how that tiny little baby was already processing information and responding accordingly. Every day since then has been an educational adventure, even though I admit I am nowhere close to being qualified as a teacher. But I always remind myself, even though there's such enormous emphasis on structured learning in our society, the way she learns best right now is through play and interaction. There's a mind-boggling array of 'educational' toys and gizmos and tv programs that are touted as improving your toddler's IQ, but I'm not buying them. All of my research on child development which I used in creating playground designs pointed out the obvious fact that seems to get lost in our formal-education-crazed society: children learn best through unstructured play, plain and simple.

Keeping that in mind, here's a bit of a dog-and-pony show of her latest tricks, achievements, and activities. We've had a lot of fun just goofing off and being silly and playing outside and reading books and working on gross motor skills.

• She still loves reading books, whether with me or by herself. I've noticed now when she's reading some of them by herself, she attempts to mimic the noises that go with each page (smacking her lips when reading the page about kitties eating, howling when reading the page about doggies howling at the moon.)

• She is happy to demonstrate where her tongue is located.

• She's also eager to show you where her head is located.

• She is wildly enthusiastic about climbing stairs. I can't decide if this is a good thing (adapting to her environment) or a bad thing (cracked skulls and broken limbs as she tumbles down a flight of stairs.) I have adamantly resisted putting up the baby gates because it will be a logistical nightmare in terms of dog, baby, and 3 flights of stairs. But I know the time has come, because whenever I put her down she makes a beeline for the stairs. On the upside: yay for gross motor skills! 

• She's starting to use words in their correct manner as opposed to incoherent babbling. The other day after I finished feeding her she seemed a bit fussy and I heard her say 'nom nom'. I wondered if she was still hungry so I got another jar of baby food and offered her another bite. Sure enough she devoured the rest of the jar. 

• We enjoy reading her family photo book several times each day and she's learning everyone's names. Here she's identifying my grandmother, MaMa.

• She also clearly recognizes nana! We're still working on 'granny and pawpaw' but I suspect those are a bit harder to say.

• And of course, being a girl after my own heart, she adores spending time doing anything outside. Playing at the playground, strolling, riding bikes, or just crawling around in the grass at the park (and possibly eating a few leaves in the process). This is one playtime habit I'm happy to indulge! Playing outdoors is wonderful for development across all spectrums, so we've been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather in Houston and spending lots of time outside!

Thanks nana for the bike seat! We love it!