Learn something new every day

Unless you’re a baby, and then it’s more like “Learn something new every few minutes or so.” Things Samang learned while I was hanging out with her yesterday:

1. Where her nose and ears are. I was pointing out facial features on a monkey doll she has, and said “Here’s the monkey’s ear.” J would then say “Here’s Mommy’s ear” and point to her own, and I would follow suit, and then we would say “Where are Samang’s ears?” And she pointed to them right away.

2. To clap after good plays during a football game. Actually, she just learned how to clap after any play in a football game, but she just turned 17 months old. We’ve got time.

3. To say “apple.” I had brought the laptop over to J’s house to do some work yesterday, and Samang was entranced with the glowing Apple logo on it. I told her it was an apple, and she said “Ahhh-pull” for the next ten minutes.

4. Possibly the most important thing I taught her: how to do a fist bump. After a few false starts where she poked my fist with her pointer finger, she is now fist bumping like a pro and gave fist bumps to Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Rick, and Mama Julie. Repeatedly. We are still trying to do “thumbs up,” but that seems a little more challenging. At least now if Barack Obama sees her at the Inauguration Parade, she will be able to greet her new President: