The reader
It's been awhile since we posted. I wish we had some exotic excuse like another trip to Florida, but the truth is that I've just been a little lazy. There, I said it. I'll try to be better :-)
Since I last posted a blog entry I am pleased to say Anna has developed an adorable obsession with books. After hearing so many stories about other kids who love books, I was hoping that Anna would take more than a passing interest in them. It's not that she disliked books, but until recently I felt like I was pushing them and she was just going with the flow. Turns out, I shouldn't have worried. Anna LOVES books right now and wants to read them all day long.
When I go to her crib and pick her up first thing in the morning, she smiles and nuzzles into me, giving me hugs (can you hear the sound of my heart melting?) - and then immediately starts pointing to the books on the shelf. When I take her into the living room and set her down on the floor so I can get her oatmeal ready, she immediately crawls over to the bookshelf and starts pulling down little books. It's like she's on a mission. If I pick up a book and read it to her, she doesn't even pause before handing me another book, often it's the same book and I just read it to her again. She's obsessed and it's quite funny.
Because Anna's so tiny, she tends to just grab the corner of the book and hold it up... for about 2 seconds until her arm gets tired. And then she takes a brief rest and then lifts it up to you again, continuing to do this until you read it to her. It's so adorable. In fact, if you "don't see" Anna doing it because you've already read that book three times in a row and you desperately need a cup of coffee before you take a fourth crack at it, then she starts to grunt and crawl over to you, shuffling the book towards you with her arms and legs as she crawls.
Anna has never had one particular item that she loves and carries with her like a blankie or a stuffed animal. So this new love for books has provided us with a new element to her personality because she really does gravitate towards them every time she enters a room. And, she actually focuses on them and pays attention (to the extent a baby can, of course). I wish I knew what was going through her mind. Anna only understands a few words, but is she getting the concept? I tried ditching the long sentences and instead just saying things like, "Bear was so sleepy. Mouse gave him a cup. Bear drinks from a cup." rather than going through the backstory of a long winter hibernation, etc. I thought it might help her understand the story more, but who knows.
Her favorite books at the moment are the Maisy books. We've joked that the little mouse should be an unofficial member of our family. I'd say we read a Maisy book probably 10-12 times a day. We've even started psychoanalyzing Maisy's little fictional friends. Mike thinks Charley the alligator is a mooch and Tallulah the chick is too pushy. I personally still think they're all adorable. Not that it matters because I none of you have any idea who these little characters are. This is the sign that I am focusing WAY too much on a fictional mouse.
Perhaps I'll just close this post with the same refrains that Maisy uses in her books...
Good job, Anna!
Good job, Maggie!
Good job, Mike!
Hooray!
5 comments:
Here's my analysis of Maisy:
Tallulah is a lesbian. (If you have the Maisy Takes a Bath book, you know what I'm talking about.)And Eddie is in the closet. Don't get me wrong, we don't mind the homosexual undertones. We actually get a big kick out of those books. They're popular with Lila as well.
I can't wait to do my aunt duties and read to Anna when you guys come in town. It will give you a break from reading. Way to go Anna!
Okay, funny you should say that, because we only have 1 Maisy book so far (the one about counting), but I wasn't sure from it whether Maisy was supposed to be a girl mouse or a boy mouse. Maisy seems like a girl's name, but I found myself referring to him/her as a "he" while reading this book to Georgia. And then again sometimes as a "she." So, they've got some nice gender ambiguity going. Or maybe it's just me.
Is Maisey holding a birth control pack in that picture? Kind of offensive to babies don't you think?
We (by we I mean Anna and Mac) are big Maisy fans at house too!!! Not to worry, there are others out there over analyzing everything our little ones do!!!
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