My daughter is a quick study. She has been developing new skills and abilities at an almost alarming rate; much quicker than her brother did. She has always been an observer of all activity in her sight. I think a big part of her rapid growth is due to the example she receives from the children around her.
My son never cared for toys as a baby but his sister loves toys. She likes to watch her big brother playing with all different kinds of toys and follows his example. At barely five months she was grabbing toys and discovering the textures and shapes. Within a few short weeks she quickly acquire the ability to grab and manipulate pretty much any smallish object in her reach. I know she is learning most of these skills from her brother. She is completely enamored with him and gets a kick out his “entertainer” personality. With her eyes on him, she has learned to play.
My daughter has been spending more time her female cousins now that she is mobile. I believe that her four week older cousin taught her how to sit up; a skill that her cousin had master during their time together. After spending several days playing with said cousin, she seemed to learn to sit up (or rather stay sitting up) overnight. She seems to prefer the sitting position. She can see what is going on around her and it gives her an advantage when it comes to playing and manipulating the objects around her. On our most recent playdate with this particular cousin, they spent the bulk of their non-napping time sitting up and interacting with each other with occasion shock and surprise; grabbing each other’s hands, arms, legs, toes, and clothes. Once the cousin went down onto her tummy, my daughter followed her cousin’s example….
(To be continued …)