Farm Animals

Lillian is really picking things up very quickly lately.  Every night, part of her bedtime routine is to read a story.  I have her books placed in bins on the floor with the covers of the books facing out.  (Research says young children read more when they can see the covers of books)  I let her pick the book every night, she brings it over to me and we read it in the rocking chair.  She has always loved books but lately she picks the same book every night; again this is a common thing among kids since they like routine and predictability.  She likes one called "Down on the Farm" and it goes through various farm animals and I make the noises for each page.  From the first night we read that book she started making the animal noises, even only after hearing it once or twice.  It amazes me how smart she is and how quick she picks things up.  She even knows what the book looks like because I have hidden it so we could read a different story and she picked one of jungle animals but the same style of book as the farm one.  We read it but she kept wanting to turn the page before I was done reading it and she'd make a noise (the same noise she makes when she wants to know what something is)  as if saying "wait that's not what I remember,  where's the page with the dog (because she kept saying "woof, woof").  After I read the jungle one she got down and found where I hid the farm one and brought it to me!  So of course we read that one too. 

For Christmas her Great Aunt Traci got her a farm puzzle that makes animal sounds when you put the pieces back in the appropriate spot.  She has quickly learned the animals and can say almost all of them and she imitates the sounds they make.  I took video of us playing with it this morning and it is shown below, she is a little cut off on it since I had to set it on the desk and she kept moving.  I was quite amazed how much she recognizes the animals.  In the top corner of the puzzle where the sound comes out there is a picture of a cow in a barn with a rooster on the top and chickens on the ground.  I have never pointed out that picture before and this morning she  pointed to the cow and said, "cow".  She is just too smart!