Grandson, 15 months

Getting used to saying words, even no-nonsense words to describe his feelings and thoughts. As well as familiar approximations such as “nan-na” for banana. A certain delight when these approximations occur, suggesting recognition and a certain staticness to some experiences: nan-na is always a banana.

Movement slightly drunken walking, but firmly staying up. Quick turns to get to where he’s going.

Most delight comes from play, especially the invented games. He still like peekaboo and is still heavily into sharing, often carrying single pieces of a puzzle, for instance, to one or two favorite adults or to several people on occasion. He offers the bone to the dog and is learning appropriate behaviors to go with those he is closest to.

He dumps his books on the floor signalling he is quite happy to sit on an adult’s lap to read. He is able to manipulate various book dynamics such as pull-outs and enjoys interacting with books and controlling their movements–something that began at several months with page-turning. He has enjoyed the control aspect of reading for some time.

He enjoys organizational sorts of toys like stacking cups, shape-sorters and puzzles. He is defintely interested in pattern. There is also a definite pleasure to the autonomy of eating food with his increasing number of teeth.

He has been waving goodbye this past month with the knowledge of what this means. A pleasurable activity in itself as much as the hellos when waking up from his nap to see his grandparents suddenly back in his world. (He also turns on the music of his mobile when he wakes up to transition back to the world of wakeful consciousness.)

For me, there is much to learn, vicariously, as usual and, to some extent, to recall from long-ago personal experience. My main interest with my own two kids was language, language acquisition, and reading–how all of that unfolded with help and encouragement. This time my own experience is certainly broader and more leisurely. This has certainly been a different, but fun way to begin a relationship. Free from the usual fears and hangups of others in adult relationships. Tabula rasa. I don’t miss the limitedness and limitations of adult others in any of these meetings and sharing with my grandson.

As always, new possibilities and the role of providing information to someone who wants to learn is a worthwhile experience in and of itself.

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