Every night for the past 6 months I’ve done the same exact routine with Avery before putting her to bed.
1. Bath
2. Lotion
3. Jammies
4. Read the same 3 books
5. Sing the same 1 song
6. Nurse
7. Sleep
And every night the first book I read her is called “All Of Baby, Nose to Toes”. The pages alternate with talking about baby’s eyes/ears/nose/tummy/legs/toes, and asking “who loves baby’s ____?”. When you turn the page it always says, “Me! I do!”
Here’s an excerpt:
“Baby’s got legs, strong little legs. Gotta gotta dance legs. Caper and a prance legs. Kick me in the pants legs. Kick off a shoe! Who loves baby’s legs? (turn page) “Me! I do!”
And for months when I read this book to her I would always raise my hand when I said “Me! I Do!”.
Well, tonight, for the very first time ever – she raised her hand on EVERY SINGLE PAGE that said that phrase. That’s SIX times total.
The first time, I thought she might be stretching.
The second time, I started crying. And didn’t stop.
It is absolutely incredible to see my little baby pick up on something so perfectly, so suddenly, all by herself. I couldn’t believe it.
To be sure, I randomly tested her after the book was done and put away. And she raised her hand in perfect timing.