The Influence of Others

Every week we notice something new about Ena. She is always learning and growing. She has become much more social lately, looking to us for a response to whatever it is she has done. (For example, she just grabbed my computer monitor and smiled at me mischievously).

She has become an expert at turning off lights, waving, clapping, cruising around the room holding onto furniture, and hiding. She can gesture for something she wants and she has a sign for up (lifting her arms in the air).

She is so curious about the world. Whenever we go out she grows quiet (for her) and just looks around, observing people and studying everything around us. It is fascinating to watch her face as she does this.

This past weekend we visited with E's family again. It was his grandfather's 89th birthday as well as E's birthday so we had a big celebration. Because Ena has become so social it was a great experience for her. She was just lovely to watch. She seemed so stimulated by everyone - her cousins playing, her granddad fooling around with her, her nanny singing to her. By the end of the weekend she had perfected her kissing skills, learned to say da da, and learned how to move her tongue side to side in her mouth making bl, bl, bl noises.

I was reminded again about how important it is to have her interact with people other than us. I am not sure how to make this happen on a more regular basis but I can see just how valuable it is. She is a little sponge and can learn much more than E and I think to show her. She seems to be a social butterfly (unlike her mother) and to thrive on activity.