Watch Her Grow...

This Week's Foci: Movement and Language

 Interactions with Materials

• This week Q-ball was practicing how to make items move.  She loved rolling found cylinders across the room- an old cardboard oatmeal container, a metal cylinder container, and Mason jars.
• We've started to increase the amount that we are listening to music. While in her room, I will play a CD that her Great Grandma gave her.  She reacts to the music- getting excited and dancing to happy beats, and looking around and trying to figure out what happened during the silence between songs. 
• Q-ball loves playing with Daddy's bedside table that includes three drawers- all full of socks.  She likes to open each of the drawers and move the socks from one to the other.
• Favorite materials:  anything cylindrical, picnic basket from Great Grandma N.

Interactions with Others

• She is now very smiley with strangers when she sees them in public. And, has even said "hi" and waved at the appropriate times!

Interactions with Space

• Pretty much all "getting around" is now in the form of walking.  Very little crawling takes place anymore.
• She's still practicing carrying items from place to place.
• She has enjoyed playing games with object permanence this week. Using a small object like a stone, I will play the game that magicians play when the put something in one hand then it shows up in there other hand (except in my case, Q-ball can watch it move...), and she thinks it is very funny.  She has also been playing with a picnic basket that had a lid that closes.  She enjoys placing items in the basket, closing the lid, and then opening it again to see that the items are still there.

Interactions with Life

• Daddy and I feel that Q-ball is really starting to understand language much more this week.  We both found times that we think she said her own version of "Barnum" (our cat and her best friend).  Additionally, she seems to be taking more notice of the sign language we are using with her.
• She now makes a "ba..." as "peek-a-boo" when we play.
• She has 3 or 4 top teeth coming in all at once!  So far, it doesn't seem to be causing too much pain, but she has certainly enjoying sucking and chewing. 

To see the rational and purpose for the Watch Her Grow series, please check out this post!