Reading

Darcey and I have tried to prioritize reading books to Leah since she was born and have had limited success until just recently. Leah was just too squirmy or fussy to sit in our laps and concentrate on a book. We actually started reading to her after she was in her crib for the night because it was the only way we could get a captive audience.

But something has happened over the last couple of weeks where Leah now wants to be read to. She brings books over and sits in down either in my lap or directly in front of me while I read. She seems to have two favorite books. One is about Elmo and one is about a duck. She doesn't really want to have anything to do with any of the 30 or so other books that are on her bookshelf which means I now have Elmo and the duck memorized.

Like just about every other development, a switch seems to have been turned on somewhere inside of her. She has a new focus and concentration which has also carried over to her understanding of words. Although she still isn't saying anything but "uh oh", she knows the words ball and duck as well as Daisy, Kitty, Mommy and Daddy. I see her learn new things whenever we have playtime together like how to make her favorite toys play music. She even laughs at a game she made up where she crawls to a corner of her bedroom and waits for us to ask her why she is over there. It's the funniest thing she knows and she does it almost everyday.

I never knew a child her age had so much mental depth and am always excited to see what she will learn next.

-Sefton