Growing Comprehension

Norah is working so hard at communicating these days, and quite often is very successful. She regularly uses the signs for "hungry" and "more." She no longer needs the sign for "all done" because she excitedly says, "ahhh doonnnnnnne" at the end of every meal instead.

But while I have been amazed at how well she can communicate with so few words, what really strikes me right now is how much she understands. We often test her comprehension by asking her to do something like take a book and put it on the shelf. Or, find a particular toy.

This was a while ago, but I remember one day Seth asked her if she wanted to go outside--which is not necessarily a word we thought we used a lot--and she walked over and started shaking the gate at the top of our stairs. Then when they got downstairs she started pounding on the front door (we usually go out through the garage).

Quite often when we ask Norah a question - whether she wants something in paticular to eat, or wants to do something - she typically responds by smiling and giving one big nod. This can either mean yes or "I don't really know what you are asking but it sounds good." If she understands but the answer is "no" she gives us a serious head shake.

The bottom line is that we are having so much fun with our sponge of a Peanut. It really is exciting to observe her develop so quickly and head straight into toddlerhood.