New Obsession

Hannah has a new obsession here in the Lightner house.... it isn't new to this house, though. I think it is something that each of the older Lightners are obsessed about. It isn't chocolate (yes, that will be coming), it isn't sports/balls, it isn't being outside, it isn't food in general (she has had that obsession for a lllooonngggg time).

Hannah is obsessed with BOOKS! She just can't get enough of them. She loves them in the morning, she loves them at night, she loves them here and there, she loves them every where! It all started over a month and a half ago when I was trying to start a new bedtime routine with her. I had been giving her a bottle before bed and with all of the other changes that she has had in the passed several months (no more nursing, packing, moving, new house, new church, etc) I wanted to ease her away from that nightly feeding.

I started with reading one of the picture books that labels many things. She had a good attention span for a 12 month old, but she had room for improvement. She loved it and after only a night or two, she was saying a few of the words. This snowballed. Her language took off and she delighted to see the pictures and copy what I did. She loved looking at the "C" page and making the noise of the car or at the "H" page and putting her hands on her head because there was a hat there. These precious moments have grown and grown into great learning experiences and fun-filled giggle times. She thinks it is fun to play peek-a-boo with the books that have the part that you lift up to reveal another picture.

She LOVES snuggling up with mommy, daddy, or Grace to read a good book, especially a Corduroy one. Lately, when she finds a Corduroy book, she demands that the world stops, so she can read it with you. It is hard to say no to a precious little one who wants to read.... especially one with THOSE BLUE EYES!!

The mommy and teacher in me is proud of my baby's new obsession. There are other things that could consume her time -- TV, Barney, fighting with her sister, etc. So I am thrilled that she has chosen this one.

PS Just to let you know how much this runs in the family, Danny completes AT LEAST one book per month! And the other night I found Grace reading in her bed with the light on at 10:15 when I went upstairs to go to bed after the Celtics game! Of course, she is not allowed to be up at that time, so we had to make new rules about reading. We actually have to limit how much she reads... there are times that I have to make her play with some thing else!! :)