Guided Discovery: Amelia Myrna Turning Two

A little background. We arrived in Rhode Island the day after my granddaughter, Amelia Myrna, was born (10/19/12) and from then until our arrival in Hingham on May 5th had seen just about her every two months. The article, "Time to Write About Amelia Myrna," (April 20, 2013) covers our visits through April of 2013.

Myrna, Amelia Myrna, Diana, Lesley and Scott in May at Lesley and my birthday party

Lesley, Amelia and Myrna on the Rose Kennedy Greenway Carousel (May)

On May 5 of this year we arrived in Hingham. This put me in close proximity to my sister, daughter and granddaughter, Watching development in weekly intervals rather than bimonthly has been a gift.

Amelia poses in the salon

Amelia will turn two on October 19th. She is growing up to be a lovely fun to be with person. Most recently, Diana and I babysat for her when Lesley and Scott went to a wedding in Swampscott. Upon their leaving, Scott predicted a meltdown. It never took place. Amelia just continued being her sweet self (largely thanks to Diana). We had no tears and she went down without any drama (again thanks to Diana).

Lesley & Scott dressed for the wedding

Reading is her favorite activity. She will go to her bookcase at home, select a book and then bring it to me saying "read, read." At this stage she prefers stories. Most recently we read the classic Make Way for Ducklings and she sat through the whole book. Another favorite is A Birthday for Bear. She regularly finishes sentences and points reliably to characters and things.

Lesley's no TV philosophy seems to be paying off.. Amelia's vocabulary is now north of 700 words and she regularly speaks in 5 to 7 words sentences (e.g., "Go to boat. See Papa, Diana and Kodi"). Speaking of boats, she can differentiate a sailboat, power boat, house boat, ferry boat and a dingy. She loves being on the 63.

Cousin Myrna, Amelia Myrna and Lesley on the beach in Hull

Amelia knows the entire alphabet and her numbers 1 though 10. Her favorite thing is her turtles, one of which is named "boat turtle" as it resides on the boat.

Amelia walking the deck with Boat Turtle (September)

Amelia at a Cape Cod Children's Museum in June

Several times this summer Lesley, Amelia and I have visited what remains of Paragon Park, an amusement park that was part of my growing up summers in Hull, Massachusetts (circa 1848 to 1961). The most significant artifact is the Carousel, which dates back to 1903. I rode it as a kid as did Lesley. Now Amelia has joined the "club" as has Scott on our most recent visit.

Amelia and Lesley at the historic Paragon Carousel (September)

Three generation of Paragon Carousel riders (September)

No visit to Paragon is complete unless you visit the penny arcade

Amelia helping out with Skeeball tickets

Dingy riding is another important activity in Amelia's growing boating resume (which now includes a 91 mile cruise from Hingham MA to Wickford, RI)

Never too early to learn to drive a dingy (June)

Getting expert instruction (June)

Amelia's relationship with Kodi has changed rather profoundly. As an infant she was afraid. As she aged her comfort level continued to increase and she moved closer but was still standoffish. Today she interacts with Kodi and is comfortable with Kodi in close proximity. Kodi loves Amelia and somehow has figured out that she needs to be calm around her.

Hot off the presses (i.e., the most recent Amelia story). Amelia saw a box of matzo on the counter and said "want some matzo" As the request was granted she said "no want some matzo ball soup. please." Noteworthy is the "please" and clarity of what she wanted.

Even hotter of the presses (10/10). Lesley reported that Amelia is now reciting books from memory. Two of the books are A Turtle and a Loon and The Flea Sneezed. Lesley reads a word or two and Amelia continues the story including the words on the adjacent page with very few errors. The question here is whether she is combining memory with identification of words on the page. Lesley tested that premise by starting the poem A Turtle and a Loon in the car. After reciting the first few words Amelia finished the poem (obviously from memory). According to www.kidshealth.org "finishing sentence in a book they know well" emerges between ages 1 and 3.