Bath?

I've been meaning to get this on video for a few weeks. Elise understands SO much and constantly amazes me with the things she remembers. She knows where all of her favorite things are in the house, so if you ask her to get a book, go to the piano, take a bath, etc, she will go to the room where she does those things. She hasn't added any new words to her vocabulary over the last few weeks, but the 10 or so that she knows are said more frequently.

Bath? from Stephanie Powell on Vimeo.

She has been using "Mama" to get my attention when I am not looking at her. A few weeks ago I was checking my email while she was playing with toys, and she walked over to me, put her hand on my knee, and said "mama.... MAMA!" and then grinned when I looked at her. She especially likes to say "Mama" in the car and twist her head around to see me from her rear-facing car seat. She almost always says "bye" or "byebye" while she waves goodbye. A few weeks ago, she started folding her hand in half when she waves instead of waving with her arm. When she hears Boss barking, she says "Bah" and looks for him. She will actually walk around the house looking for him or she will go to the back door and point to him outside.

I have made an effort to communicate with her during mealtimes and it has paid off. She uses "more" (sometimes says it, sometimes signs it) when she wants more food (if the tray is empty) or some water. I tried teaching "drink" but she hasn't picked up on it. She also uses "all done" (both hands up) when she is finished eating. As soon as she signals she is finished, I remove the tray or else she will start dropping pieces of food on the floor. Boss loves that part. Tonight, she wanted to nurse about 30 minutes early, so she used the "milk" sign instead of waiting for her usual time. I am now going to focus on teaching "please".

Here is another funny video that was taken a few weeks ago. Her boyfriend is a very talented musician and conductor!

John the pianist from Stephanie Powell on Vimeo.