January 21, 2014

Tuesday, January 21, 2014 ...Just a book... That's what she wants for her birthday this year and every year. She didn't really play with toys...ever (except for occasionally with her doll house from 2-6 y.o.)...she always went for books. Books were what motivated her to crawl. I'd sit with open arms and call to her. she'd give me a glance, then turn back to her goal: the bookcase. She wanted to touch them, pull them down off the shelf to surround herself with them, she wanted to look at them and digest them with her huge eyes. She never put them in her mouth, she never tore any pages, nor did she color in them. She was so careful and nimble at turning the pages that it always surprised people I would let her have a real book or a non-board book. She'd spend hours studying them and waving her hands with excitement. When she was 13 months old, she would flip through the pages and tell stories about what she saw. Her imagination guided her into a world of words and language that very quickly turned to being able to read the actual words on the pages. She was reading words just after turning two, reading Dick and Jane books just before her third birthday, Magic Tree House by 3 1/2, Harry Potter by 5, Dickens by 7. She read every book she could get her hands on including Daddy's medicinal chemistry books. She has an amazing ability to comprehend and retain the information in the material she reads. She astounds me constantly with her broad knowledge and stellar spelling abilities! She competed in the school spelling bee three months ago and took second place overall in the school, only beaten by an 8th grade girl. One could also say she is very driven and determined to excel at whatever she sets her mind to. She plays the flute, piano, sings, and plays basketball ...so she is pretty well-rounded. She's just amazing...and she's turning twelve!