My mailbox runneth over with holiday catalogs sparkling with shiny plastic toys, but yesterday the only thing my adorable grandbaby needed to entertain herself was a slice of raw carrot. She gummed it with glee and then waved it around with an expression of sheer joy, as if to say, "You won't believe this amazing thing I've just discovered!"She was less impressed with the chunk of parsnip in her other hand. At first she alternated between the carrot and parsnip and then briefly tried to stuff both in her mouth at once, but she finally shook the parsnip free and settled in to study that carrot from every angle.
Every time we see her she's learned a new skill and on the verge of developing another. Now she's using her hands together to grab and pull things (watch out for your glasses!), and she rolls effortlessly over and over to get from one side of the room to another. When Grampa plays the harmonica, she turns her head and looks intently until she locates the source of that interesting sound, and then she stretches out her hand to try to reach and touch this amazing new thing.
A baby's life seems simple--eat and sleep, roll and play, eat and sleep some more--but she's exploring her world with the diligence of the Mars Rover, moving a little further every day and building a vast repertoire of skills and knowledge. In fact, she's making so many discoveries that her days are filled with one "Eureka!" after another.
Maybe that's what all that babbling means: Eureka! I found it! Come and see this amazing thing! And she's right--it is amazing, even if it's just a chunk of carrot.
No comments:
Post a Comment