spencer's new tricks

signs! spencer is signing a bit. her favorite one is book. when i ask her how to sleep she'll tilt her head and put her arm to the side of her head. she'll also sign "all done," "bath," and "milk." for as much as she likes to eat i thought that would be a popular sign for her but when she sees food she's overcome with excitement and forgets about everything else. she just started shaking her head when someone says "no no no."

she dances! this girl's got moves! one day she was standing at the front door and our neighbors across the street were playing music and she started swaying her hips back and forth. we'll say "dance" and she'll start moving and waving her arms and shaking her head. in a store last week, i could barely hear the music and she was sitting in her stroller moving her shoulders, kicking her feet all in rhythm. i love it love it love it! spencer points her finger a lot at things she wants to get a closer look at or just notices from a distance, especially balloons. i think she could spot a bunch from 20 yards away. she also does this thing where she tenses up, clenches her jaw, opens her eyes wide and points very precisely at whatever it is that grabbed her attention (she uses that pointer like a laser). it's sign of pure excitement and she often does it when she sees sweet potatoes or any type of cake.

she likes to play peek-a-boo, where she does the peeking. when she has a book open she'll put it on her head or over her face and then move it down real fast. i'll say "peek-a-boo" and she'll do it again and again and again. in her big baby words book i'll tell her to point out certain things and for the most part she does--like butterfly, banana (of course!), boat, frog. i love to watch her catch-on to things like this for the first time. in her room, she has little bo peep and two sheep on the wall, and i'll say "say hi to the sheep" or "tell the sheep night night" and she looks over there and opens and closes her hand in a wave. she mutters a little "nigh nigh"--at least i think so.