Questions: We were at the bookstore in early January, looking at a display of stuffed-animal toys. Madeline was naming them - bear, bunny, doggy - and then she got to a fanciful pink creature that was sort of a mix between a unicorn and a dragon. Instead of faking something, she simply looked at me and said, "What's this?" It was her very first question, and since then she's been peppering us with interrogatives more and more frequently. "What's this?" "Who's that man?" "Where's mommy?" I love this development because it opens so many avenues for conversations with her, and gives her curiosity a more precise outlet.
Names: Somewhere along the way Madeline learned her parents' real names. And she uses them at the most opportune times. I was buttoning up her onesie after a diaper change one afternoon and clumsily snapped the buttons out of alignment. When I realized the error and started to re-button, she looked at me and said, her voice dripping with mockery, "Come on, Jeremy!"
Filling in: As Madeline takes her linguistic skills in new directions, she's also filling in the cracks of her basic foundations. She's now often includes the smaller parts of speech in her sentences - the conjunctions, the pronouns, the articles. Instead of pointing and saying, "Doggy!" she now will say "That's a doggy." Her sentences are getting longer and longer as she adds these smaller elements. One of the better examples has arisen from our efforts to get her to ask for things nicely. Instead of yelling, "more cereal!", she'll say, "Please may I have another bite of Daddy's cereal, please," with every word fully formed and enunciated (though not necessarily sincere).
Here are some pictures from the past month:
Madeline had a blast exploring Maymont's Nature Center. It was the perfect antidote to a frigid winter day.
Madeline got to get up close and personal with some of the Nature Center's inhabitants, many of which were almost as big as she was.
The highlight, though, was the river otters that swam and frolicked right in front of us, and even came over to investigate Madeline.
This scene was typical of the last few weeks - finding ways to entertain ourselves indoors. It also shows Madeline's pretty blue eyes!
We got a few days of spring-like weather, and didn't waste a minute getting outside. Here Madeline goes for a ride on her scooter with a little help from Mommy.
And then it was winter again. We spent some time outside trying to catch snowflakes on our tongues. The snow was deep, but soft and powdery enough for Madeline to walk through pretty easily.
If you spend enough time indoors, you find new places to sit, such as this spot in the laundry basket, complete with blanket, pillow and several books. Not a bad way to spend a cold winter morning!
Madeline is really coming into her own when it comes to phone conversations. She would probably talk for an hour or more if her interlocutor was willing.
Nothing beats a mug of hot cocoa after a jaunt in the snow. In fact, Madeline was having a great time outside when I casually mentioned we could have some cocoa when we got in. And thus the outdoor adventure ended rather abruptly.
