Little Miss Smarty-Pants

I can't believe how fast Ariel's learning things! She knows all of her colors, and almost all of her shapes, upper- and lower-case letters and numbers (she does get mixed up on a few sometimes), and has even started counting.

She can count to two, but yesterday morning she actually added in her head (or seemed to; perhaps she was just saying what number came next?)... After she woke up I opened one window shade, leaving four others to open, two on one side of the room, one on the other, and one in the bathroom. I showed her the two that were closed, asked her how many, and she said, "one... two." I showed her the other closed one and asked her how many, thinking she'd just say "one," like she did the day before. She thought for a few seconds, then said, "three!" so I showed her the bathroom shade and asked how many, and then she said, "one" :o)

Last night in the tub I got out Ariel's foam bath numbers, put up 1-9 in order on the tub wall (she was playing with the "0"), and she could name them all. Then she surprised me by holding up the 0 and saying "zero!" and she wanted to count the numbers over and over again, then say what they were at random. We've been counting the steps while going up and down the stairs, and reading "This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story" by Laura Krauss Melmed, and that has really helped her learn her numbers. (Along with her My First Leap Pad books.)

A couple nights ago Ariel also surprised me... When I give her a bath I play Celine Dion's "Miracle" CD to help her wind down and know that it's bedtime. The song "If I Could" was playing, and Ariel said "be" out of the blue, and I was trying to figure out what she was talking about, I thought she meant a bee, but doesn't have any bee bath toys! Then she said, "me" and I heard the song and realized that she was repeating certain words from the song! She was doing it again last night, only repeating "you", "to" and "do" :o) Here are the song lyrics:

If I Could

if I could
I'd protect you from the sadness in your eyes
give you courage in a world of compromise
yes, I would
if I could
I would teach you all the things I've never learned
and I'd help you cross the bridges that I've burned
yes, I would
if I could
I would try to shield your innocence from time
but the part of life I gave you isn't mine
I've watched you grow, so I could let you go
if I could
I would help you make it through the hungry years
but I know that I could never cry your tears
but I would
if I could
yes, if I live
in a time and place where you don't want to be
you don't have to walk along this road with me
my yesterday won't have to be your way
if I knew
I would try to change the world I brought you to
and there isn't very much that I could do
but I would
if I could
oh baby
I just want to protect you
and help my baby through the hungry years
'cause you're part of me
and if you ever ever ever need
I said a shoulder to cry on
or just someone to talk to
I'll be there, I'll be there
I didn't change your world
but I would
if I could

Which brings me to rhyming. Yes, Ariel has begun to rhyme! A couple times I've said a word for some reason (asking her if she wants something, or telling her what something is), and she's said a word she knows that rhymes with it!

Ariel is talking up a storm these days, so happy and full of laughter, she is such a joy to us, and we are so thankful that God has blessed us with her :o)