You often hear from other people how when children are learning that they often have "explosions" where they all of a sudden just get it, whereas yesterday or even a few hours ago they didn't comprehend. This "explosion" as it were, happened with Addie about a month ago and Mitch and I have been scrambling to keep up with all the new things she is learning especially with her language skills. As a mother I've come to respect magic not as an illusionists art form but rather as something I see everyday from my one year old. It's amazing how you put her to bed at night after teaching her something that day that she just didn't quite get the hang of like the word and sign "duck" and the next day when she wakes up, before you even bring that word up again, she is saying and signing it like a pro, therefore magic must have happened in her sleep and no smoke and mirrors or special affects were necessary. Here are a few of her words and signs that she has been saying and doing consistently.

1. More= "Mo"= one hand pointing into the open palm of the other hand ( she has now started say "mo dis" and pointing to the "this" that she wants)
2. Milk= "mil"=open and closing fist (this sign she uses exclusively for nursing, and now that she figured out she can ask to nurse, she asks about every hour or so)
3. Bath = "ba"= both hands starting at chest and going down across tummy
4. Duck= "cuck cuck" or quack quack thumb and forefinger opening and closing
5. Drink= C shaped hand tipped back and forth at mouth
6. Papa= "papa" forefinger pointing to temple
7. Puppy= both hands patting chest
8. Kitty= "meow" hand sweeping across face
9. Soft Soft( her little cuddly)"Sof sof" hand sweeping across mouth
10. Light= "li" hand extended toward the light, open and close the fist
11.Snack= "sna" fingers and thumb closed together moving toward mouth
12. Belly= "ally" pat the tummy
13. Blanket= "b"
14. Baby= "ba...by" she always seems to put a pause between the two syllables
15. Hot= blowing air out in little stream
16. Shoes= "zzz's" she always finds her shoes for me when we go someplace
17. Ball= "Ball"
18. Book= "Book"
19. Up= "up"
20. Out= "ou"
21. Up Stairs= "Uh Sta"
22. Wind= "WHhi" She sits next to the heater vent when it comes on so we started calling it wind because she could feel the air moving across her hair and face.
23. Addie= "A... D" once again she puts a pause in between the two syllables.

She also tries to do the actions to some nursery songs like:
"The Eency Weency Spider" moves her hands up and down like the spider
"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" which she started doing this week ( for the knees and toes she just bends her legs up and down like she's doing a little squat, but she touches her head and shoulders)
"Once There was a Snowman" melts with me to the ground

It has been so much fun to watch her learn new things and I am constantly amazed by my little magician.