Whitney’s increasing ability to communicate makes me realize that often her memory, particularly related to visual experiences, is better than mine. We went to the zoo on Friday with Jonathan. The previous time she and I went to the zoo, we saw a truck delivering food for the small mammals. When we walked by the same spot, even though there was no truck at the present time, Whitney made her sound for food, “mmmm,” indicating that she remembered that there had been a truck there before. She also gets very upset when we walk by the Great Ape House and do not go in– she knows that building!
When we drive to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, she also demonstrates her developing memory. She points to the specific bridges (or overpasses I guess) that the Metro crosses and says, “choo choo.” If there is no train coming across the track, she’ll say, “no,” to communicate that she knows a train might be there but isn’t at that moment.
Russell taught Whitney a word this week. I was pulling up a map on mapquest while she was in my arms and yesterday she pointed to the computer and said, “map.” I had no idea how she knew that but then I remembered that Russell has been reading her his high school history textbook and they have been looking quite a bit at the US map on the back of it. So Russell is helping develop her geography skills perhaps since if she inherited mine, she will need all the help she can get.
We went to Daingerfield Island yesterday to look at boats. Whitney looked at the water and said, “quack quack,” suggesting that she was expecting to see ducks. We have not been to Daingerfield Island since October so I know that she hadn’t remembered them from that trip, but that she has developed an association between ducks and water. When we saw the ducks, she wanted to feed them rocks and sticks. We’ll bring bread next time!
Whitney is also showing a great sensitivity to being reprimanded. There have only been a couple of times, once when she was scratching my face with fingernails that needed to be cut, once when she was combing Grandma’s hair and hit the comb on Grandma’s sensitive knee, and once when she banged something on Russell in play, when we have said, “Ouch- that hurts,” not even in an angry voice, but just in a shocked and displeased tone. All three times, Whitney got this very sad frown and backed away from us. She burst out in tears two of the times. It was clear that she values our acceptance and love so much and does not want to do anything to displease us.
