Baby reads!

One of the cutest things ever is when Charlotte picks up a book and starts to "read" it all on her own. She points out pictures and babbles as if she's telling the story. Baby sure does love books, and mama couldn't be happier!

This has been happening for the past couple of months and the other day I finally managed to get it on video. Here is a short clip of 11 month old Charlotte's re-telling of a Berenstain Bear story. Enjoy!

Thrift 'em!

I am sure most parents are all too familiar with the bored-with-all-my-toys phenomenon. As the name aptly suggests, this phenomenon is observed when a baby or child becomes bored with the toys they see and play with day in and day out. Of course, this same thing can happen with books!

I've purchased a fair number of board books over the past few months. It's nice having a selection to choose from to keep Charlotte interested. Some books will get hidden away for a week or so and then reproduced to baby's delight. "Hey, that one!" I imagine her thinking. She has yet to forget a book altogether, no matter how long it stays out of sight.

If you take a look at the back of any board book you will notice that building a board book library could easily become quite costly -- especially since this particular type of book will only be of interest to baby for a few short years. Most are around 8 or 10 dollars. No problem, I say! My solution is simple: thrift 'em!

Frenchy's and Salvation Army are gold mines. I have found many books in near-new condition for 25 or 50 cents. The beauty of board books is that if you're worried about the cleanliness of second hand items for baby, they are easily wiped down.

Thrift shops are great for out-of-print gems, forgotten childhood treasures, and new (old) surprises. I love a good vintage find, and have in fact been picking up books for when Charlotte is older as well. Here is a sampling of the fruits of our latest thrift store adventure:

Thanks to our thrifty ways, Charlotte has managed to amass a great board book collection, as well as a cool little vintage library to enjoy as she grows. Pretty impressive for a 10 month old, wouldn't you say?

Doggies

I first read Sandra Boynton's "Doggies" to Charlotte when she was 5 or 6 months old. And boy, this book tired me out!

Boynton takes the reader on a counting journey from one to ten, using barking doggies to illustrate each number. It's an incredibly simple premise: "1 dog. WOOF! 2 dogs. WOOF! Yap yap!" And it goes on like this. By the time you reach number ten, you will have made thirty-three assorted barking noises. Phew!

For the enthusiastic reader like myself, this is not an easy task. I can't simply read the woofs and the yap yaps. I have to get into character. I give it everything I've got.

Of course Charlotte loves this book. What baby doesn't love to hear Mommy make silly noises over and over again? So I read it. Despite feeling like I need a good nap once all is said and done.

I knew baby loved this book from the very first time I read it. When we got to 9 dogs howling on a moonlit night (cue long, drawn out howling noises), Charlotte gave a big grin. In time, she started to howl along with me, and following the "OoooOoooOoo"s on the page with her finger like I do when I read it. Soon, she was howling when we got to the page before the howling page in anticipation. Today, the book will be nowhere in sight. All Daddy or I have to say is "9 dogs..." and Charlotte starts a-howlin'. It's adorable!

"Doggies" is definitely a hit with Charlotte -- and anything that makes baby happy makes Mommy and Daddy happy too. Even if some days reading it feels like running a verbal marathon. WOOF!


Shopping @ SandraBoynton.com