Testing Gravity, Tiger Sitting, and Other Things I Don't Want to Forget

Gravity Test, Iteration #429

Grace is at the dump-everything stage. One of her favorite ways of playing with toys right now is loading up a basket or bin with toys, then raising it above her head and dumping it so the toys rain down on her head and around her. She smiles and starts loading up the basket again. Definitely some impressive Sisyphean clean up sessions for me or Jeff or Miss Cindy, but it is so fun to watch her start her experiment again as gravity continues to work and pull those toys over her.

Another fun game/routine we have is that when it is time for Grace to nap or go to bed, we get her jamis or sleep pants on, then say, "Do you want a bottle?" She starts saying "Ne ne," her word for drink, and goes to sit on her tiger. We hand her the bottle and she lies down with it on her tiger. The unspoken rule is that from then on she has to stay on her tiger until we put her in her crib. After she finished her milk and passes it off, we snuggle on the tiger. She started a fun game last week where she scoots off the tiger about a couple inches and smiles mischievously. We say, "Are you on the tiger?" She belly-laughs and throws herself smiling on the tiger. I love her games.

Prep for Gravity Test Iteration #437

Additionally, Grace's understanding of what we are saying has increased significantly in the past month. Two nights ago, Jeff and I were in the kitchen and Grace was charging around working on her projects. Jeff was saying that Grace had been frustrated earlier in the day because he did not do the correct (by her definition) hand movements for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She would set the song to play on one of her toys and ask him to join her in doing it. I asked if he would like to learn the hand movements. I had started to show him when Grace came charging in with her laptop toy, pressed the button that plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and started doing the movements with me. She did not miss a thing in our conversation. I am sure a couple of weeks from now, this will be standard and not all that impressive. But to see these connections for the first time is really pretty cool. We have always included her in conversations and I know she is taking in a lot, but this lets me know that even if it appears she is busy and distracted, she is soaking it all in.

Laughing and smiling and dancing and growing --- not just referring to Grace, but to all of us.