Dancin', Dancin' DANCIN' .. dancin' machine!
She's talking up a storm, folks.
At least a dozen glorious words that we're aware of. Words!
And not at random, either. We're talking real-live honest-to-goodness, I-see-it, I-know-what-it-means, it-has-a-name cognition.
Excuse me while I brag about my daughter....
We're up to dadda, mama, bath, book, bear, cat, baby, bye, may-may (as in Maryann, our sitter) milk, pig and greg. (I think she got that from our sitter's four-year-old daughter, who is very bright and calls me by name.)
The amazing thing isn't the words. It's seeing her know what they mean.
She gets into the tub and say "bath" and splashes happily, as previously noted. She sees her stuffed bears or stuffed pig and says "bear" or "pig," hugging them with a warm grin on her face.
More amazing: She sees a picture of a baby in a magazine and says "baby."
Even more amazing: Asked to point to the baby's nose, she does it, over and over.
My girl is smart.
This intimidates me. I am charged with nourishing and cultivating this young learner to the best of my ability ... me, academic basket case. Me, chronic scholastic underachiever.
Some of you out there in the know might think this is quite ironic and funny. But I don't think so. Not because I don't have a sense of humor about it -- I do. Because like any parent I want the best for my child and want her to have all the advantages her smarts can offer.
But for the time being, I will enjoy the spark of recognition in her eyes when we sing "if you're happy and you know it" that leads to her clapping her hands.
Did I mention she claps her hands?
