Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose!

So, Miss Annabelle has been a busy little girl since I last blogged. This past weekend, my husband, Annabelle and I met some friends (that we had gotten to know when we lived in Knoxville, TN) at a log cabin near Pigeon Forge. The cabin was awesome, and my husband and I are now dreaming of buying some land in the mountains to build a little (okay, hopefully a big) log cabin in the near (reality: far) future.

We left around 2:00 p.m. on Friday, November 16th, and we arrived in Pigeon Forge to meet them for dinner at the Apple Barn around 6:30 p.m. Before we left, I stopped by the public library with Annabelle to check out "James and the Giant Peach." (Why doesn't this blog allow you to underline? Books are supposed to be underlined, and that annoys me very much).

So, anyhow, "Annabelle's Mommy" (and this doesn't refer to me) has inspired me to try and read a novel to my Annabelle. "Annabelle's Mommy" is currently reading "James and the Giant Peach" to her Annabelle, so it sounded interesting to me as well. Of course, we will see how well Annabelle does with this new book. She is very much into the picture books right now. She loves to look at the pictures and just continuously points at them until I tell her the name. It is so funny to watch her though because she got the pointing from me. I have always tried to point at objects and at pictures in books for her, and I will move my finger up and down while I'm pointing at a picture or object as I state the name of the object. Well, she caught on, and now she'll point at the pictures in the book (the same way I do) for me to tell her the name of the picture.

So, anyhow, this particular book does not have many pictures, but I still think it makes a lot of sense to read a chapter or two a day to her just so she can get used to more advanced vocabulary. I used to read my books to her when she was an infant because I did not think the subject really mattered. Then, we started reading books more age appropriate all of the time (instead of just some of the time). But, I am hoping that reading a novel to her on an ongoing basis will help to increase her vocabulary (in the long run) and also keep me entertained!

Sometimes I get tired (and frankly bored) of pointing at objects and saying "Cow" or "Spoon" or "Red Spoon," etc. But, I try my best to constantly label objects as I think it is very important to constantly talk to your children (whether or not they can understand you). I would talk to Annabelle at the grocery store, etc. when she was just a few months old, and I know that some people must have thought I was crazy! They probably looked at me wondering where my "Blue Tooth" was hidden. And, Annabelle, if you are reading this 30 years from now, a "Blue Tooth" is a little headset or earphones that is connected to your cell phone (but it is wireless) so that you can talk on the cell phone without holding the handset.

Okay, so anyhow, I wanted to have "James and the Giant Peach" for our 4 hour trip to Pigeon Forge, and I was able to get it from the library! So, I started reading it to her in the car, but I barely finished the 1st chapter before Annabelle started getting fussy. So, I pulled out one of her picture books because these always seem to settle her down for a good 15-30 minutes or so (normally more like 30 minutes or more). She was entertained for a long while until she finally fell asleep around 4:30.

Well, while I was "labeling" the pictures in the picture book, we came across a picture of a hand. And, it was only the hand...no arms, elbows, etc. She pointed at the hand in the book, and I said "Hand." Then, I held one of her hands in front of her face and said, "Hand." She looked at the book and then she looked at the palm of her hand, and then, she turned her hand around and examined the top of her hand. She got it! She made the connection between the picture of the hand and her hand, and she understood they were related. It was such a precious sight to see!

And the best part, she was looking at the book a little later on (after she woke up from her nap), and she looked at the picture of the hand in the book, and I didn't even say "Hand" to her, but she immediately (before I could even say anything) looked at both of her hands (front and back). It is truly priceless to see her progress! It really makes me feel like I am truly making a difference by staying home with her. I guess she would eventually learn the same things if she were in daycare, but I'd like to think that she's learning it faster because I am with her 24/7.

And to top it off, I started asking her where her nose was (during the same car ride and after she found her hands), and she put her hand to her nose. Then, I asked her, "Annabelle, where are your ears?" And, she put one hand on her right ear. By the end of the weekend, she found both ears, but at that time, she knew she at least had one. Then, I asked her, "Annabelle, where is your mouth?" And, she put her hand to her mouth as she opened it. She finally got it! I have been trying for months to teach her nose, and she would not pay me any attention. Of course, I do think that Grandmama has a little something to do with Annabelle finding her nose as Grandmama plays a little game with her of "I've got your nose." Grandmama acts like she takes Annabelle's nose from her (with her thumb between two fingers and the thumb is the "nose"). But, whatever, the point is that Annabelle is now learning her body parts! And, she seemed to get it (for the ears, mouth and nose) all in the same day.

We are still working on finding our eyes though! Maybe next week?