Babies

Of all the classes I took in college my education classes were the easiest and most enjoyable aside from the PE classes I took. I really enjoyed them and learned a tremendous amount about how to relate to people and ways people learn. One class I took was child development. It started from conception to adulthood. It was a neat class and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

While I was learning about babies I knew all about how quickly they learn and develop new skills. I took tests demonstrating my knowledge of the material. However, nothing could substitute the real thing. Over the past several months the baby has really been learning how to do things. She says Dog and Dada at will, in context and even those not around babies and unable to decipher their language can understand these two words. Unfortunately for mama she is inconsistent with the actual MAMA sounds but I think she says NANA to also refer to mommy. The things that blows my mind is that she understands words she can't say. She will sit down, stand up, give a hug, give a kiss and one or two other commands like clap or make the Indian sound with her hand and mouth.

She can point to your nose, eyes and tummy when asked, although she doesn't point to her eyes or nose if you hold your finger out she'll move her nose or eyes to touch your finger. She LOVES being asked where her tummy is, probably because she knows you'll tickle it once she points to hers.

She imitates a lot of things we do. If she sees you clapping she'll clap. If she sees you whistling she'll pucker her lips. If you point to an object she'll look and maybe say gibberish about it. She imitates words you are saying. This week I've noticed she gets close to saying what you're saying and sometimes nails it on the first try although she is just imitating and doesn't really LEARN a word it is neat to hear a baby repeat after you. I dropped something and said, "Oops!" and she said exactly, "Oops!" so clearly I thought it was my sister-in-law. Of course she never used the word again in our attempts to repeat the incident but it was just neat to hear it happen.

I know the process, I knew the process but now I'm living the process and it is amazing. Much better than any book or teacher could describe. Babies are amazing, I wish I was as versatile at learning as they are.