monkey see monkey do

After many months of waiting for some real communication, it's finally happened. Sadie has shown us five new signs/gestures in the past two days! Most of it she's learned through imitation, but it's clear she gets the context. For example, when she waves bye-bye, she looks at the front door to see who's coming or going. When you say "Sadie, where's the christmas tree?", she POINTS at it now. It's all pretty amazing. So at the risk of bragging about our child genius, here's her repetoire:

- The Point: I first saw it today when she pointed at a helium balloon in the grocery store. Naturally I bought it for her after such a prodigious display. Now she points at anything you ask her about---the balloon, the tree, the ball, daddy.

- The Wave: Not the kind you do in a football stadium, though we're working on that too. She waves at you anytime you say "bye-bye Sadie" and leave the room. She even waves at Curious George when on the last page of her book it says, "Goodbye George."

- The High Five: Reid has pioneered this one, and I have to say she's getting it after only a few tries. She holds her hand to yours palm open-and-face-out, but has yet to master that satisfying SMACK! sound.

- Clap: Hooray! There's nothing cuter in the world than a happy baby, grinning from ear to ear and clapping with gusto. All you have to do is say "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" and the ovation begins.

- More: As in, give me more of that applesauce. Or that yogurt. Or those sweet potatoes. Please not included.

- Aaaah: Okay, this isn't a sign, but a sound. And an expression. And it's the funniest thing we've ever seen. You know how when you take a drink of something really refreshing, like ice cold water or beer, you might open your mouth wide and say "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" for emphasis? Yeah. Well, she does that after every drink of water from her sippy cup. I did it once---at lunch, about three weeks ago---and she hasn't stopped since. It never, ever fails to crack us up.

- Book: Although she doesn't sign this herself quite yet, she understands it. When we say, "Sadie, go get a book" (in conjunction with the sign for 'book'), she crawls over, picks up her book du jour, and brings it over for you to read.

When I start to think about the fact that she's learned all of this in less than 3 days, my mind starts to reel. Just imagine what the next year will bring...