Watch Her Grow...

This Week's Focus: Language and Emotional Regulation

  Interactions with Materials

• Q-ball remains very interested in pretend play.  Her animals tend to do everything she does around the house. It's really fun to watch, especially when she is clearly having a great time with the games.  She often will just start laughing by herself in the midst of play.
• Puzzles also continue to keep her attention.  On a recent trip to visit family, she enjoyed playing with a puzzle that allowed her to use a fishing pole to pick up all of the pieces with her great-grandfather.

Interactions with Others 

• Tonight marks another period of separation for Q-ball.  A family friend will again come and play with her while Mama and Daddy are out.  The parents are again very nervous about the separation, and from the conversations I've had with Q-ball, I think she's in denial.  Hopefully, she'll soon learn to have fun without Mama or Daddy.

  

  I entered the living room one day and found Q-ball had set this up to read to her rabbits.

  
  

Critical Thinking

• This age is wonderful as we can now have full conversations with Q-ball.  She is really enjoying making analogies, comparing behavior between Mama or Daddy, or explaining that her stuffed animals are doing things just like her.  I'm constantly amazed at the connections made.

Interactions with Life 

• She is now in the full blown "do-it-herself" phase.  I have added about 20-30 minutes unto each planned outing as this is how long it takes to get her to get herself into her shoes, carseat, close her own car door, etc, etc.  Or, calm down any tantrum that is caused by my ill-timed assistance.  "No, no- me!" is the most common phrase in the house right now.  Last night, she was actually saying this in her sleep.
• As she is trying to work through emotions that are much bigger than she is, she is very observant of others' emotions.  She'll often watch me and say, "Mama happy" or "Mama mad" (it happens...), or watch a crying baby and say, "baby sad."

 An Announcement
    In other news in Q-ball's life, she is very excited to be expecting a new baby brother in late August or early September.  She loves reading books about new babies and is very excited about explaining how she is going to help Mama with the baby and that she is ready to share so many things with the baby (her water, her clothes, her potty.)  Hopefully, she's able to hold on to the excitement for another 4 and a half months!