Category Archives for milestones

Ruby read her first word!

Ruby can identify roughly half of the letters in the alphabet and is currently very interested in letters. We have this book in our bedroom:

One day a week or two ago, we were hanging out in the bedroom and Ruby pointed to it and said “M – A – P”.  I told her the word was “map”, and it was easy for her to remember when looking at the book because the letters are made of maps.  It got me wondering if she could identify the word in a different context.

Today, I showed her the word MAP written in crayon on a piece of paper, and asked her what word it was, and she said “map!” We all did a happy literacy dance.

Birthday Gifts

Ruby’s birthday is coming up in about a month. She sort of understands birthdays (and what one does to celebrate), but is too young to go so far as to request or even expect gifts. I’m sure this is the last year she’ll be so naive, and we’d like to take advantage of it.

So, if you are family or a close friend who is already planning to give her a gift, please read on. You may be wondering what kind of toy, book, or clothing item would be appropriate to get for Ruby. The truth is that she has plenty of all of those things. She received several great toys for Christmas that have not even been brought out yet (because she got so many). Instead, we ask you to consider a gift in any amount to her college fund. This is a gift she will appreciate for the rest of her life, and she’s too young to find it disappointing to get that instead of a toy. In 15 years, your contribution will about double, so even a small amount will make a difference.

If you already have a great gift in mind for her, something you’re excited to give, by all means go ahead! This is just a suggestion for those who are still searching for an idea. Ruby will, of course, be perfectly happy to receive birthday wishes from people instead of presents.

There are several ways you can contribute to her college fund. The easiest is to give us cash or a check written to us (which we will deposit). If you’d prefer to be more discreet, let me know and I can provide you with the necessary details to send your gift directly to the college fund. We appreciate your consideration of this idea (even if you decide to get Ruby something else).

R is for Ruby

Ruby had a great time walking around the mall last night. She loved the mini billboards with different ads that scroll up and down. She liked walking along in the crowds and being carried in my arms and on my shoulders.

We were walking out when she started saying, “Ruby! Ruby!” and pointing. I turned to see what she was pointing at, but didn’t notice anything in particular so we headed back in the general direction of her pointing*. It was the big Nordstrom sign, about 15 feet long and at eye-level. It turns out, she was pointing at the “R”s! Because R is for Ruby. We tried a few of the other letters in the sign, but she only knew about her “R”s.

We turned to continue out to the car and Ruby said, very knowingly, “words”.

* sometimes, to emphasize the fact that she is pointing at something, Ruby will say, “Point! Point!” Not this time, though.

New Books

Yesterday, Ruby and I went to the Seattle Public Library and got her first library card! We checked out five books – some I chose, and some she chose – and took them home. We’ll go once a week and get five new ones. I think it may take a couple of trips before she really understands how it all works, but at least she’s enjoying the books.

I was happy to see my old friend Frances again.

Little Reader

When Ruby became mobile, we put her board books on the lowest shelf in the playroom so she could enjoy them. We moved all other books out of her reach, including the children’s books made of paper. Those we put on a shelf she could see, and occasionally we would take one down to read to her.

This week, her interest in the paper books skyrocketed. She started moving her stool over to the shelf in order to reach them and take them down. When I noticed she was reading them (instead of ripping or otherwise destroying them), I moved the paper books to a shelf she can reach.

Now, almost every time one of us is in the playroom with her, she grabs those books and asks us to read them to her. After only a few days, she already knows the name of each book (there are about 13) as well as details from the pages. When we come to the end of a book, or when she tires of it, she jumps up, asking “Two? Two?” (two more books) and runs back to the bookshelf to select new ones.

205 Words

Ruby’s vocabulary has exploded in the past month. When it comes up, I’ve been saying to people, “she must know a hundred words already.” Today I decided to count and see how accurate that was, hoping that one hundred was not an exaggeration.

Imagine my surprise when I came up with 205 words! These are all words that Ruby not just understands, but says. They’re all words that I’m confident she knows and have heard her say at least a few times. (I left off some of her most recent words in case she doesn’t really know them yet.)

I poked around online and found that the toddler “vocabulary explosion” or “linguistic leap” is a known milestone, and after it begins, children learn about 10 words a day until adulthood.

The list of words is an interesting window into Ruby’s world. Here they are:

Continue reading →

And so it begins…

This evening, Ruby walked around the playroom, declaring each thing she played with “mine!”

(Today is the first day I’ve heard her consistently use that word in context.)

Really Actually Playing

Yesterday, Ruby had a visit from her friend Gus (and his mom Becky). We were delighted to watch as they played together. Ruby has a push wagon, and she pushed Gus back and forth in it for a while, then they switched. Both kids had a blast, although while Gus enjoyed the motion of the wagon, Ruby seemed to prefer the demolition derby aspect of banging the wagon into the wall (or whatever) at the end of the run.

It was especially exciting for me because it’s the first time Ruby and another kid have intentionally done the same activity together and enjoyed it. She’s played alongside kids forever, but this was different. They were interacting, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Or videotaping…

I’ve also posted some new pictures in Ruby’s album.

The Great Switcheroo

In case you haven’t heard, Steve and I have switched roles for a while. He’s back at work (working from home at the moment), and I am home full-time with Ruby (my last day at work was a week ago).

I’m very excited to experience this time in her life where she seems to be adding skills daily. I’m putting together a big list of places I want to explore with her, and trying to find her some more chances to socialize.