Copy cat (again)

I've already mentioned how Natalie has adopted Lukas' hallway game with her and begun playing it with Konrad, and how she has taken to examining sprinkler pipes--in the fashion first seen in Lukas--when I'm not holding her hand.

Now she's doing something else Lukas does!

Usually the kids watch a video while I make dinner in the evening (the food tastes better if I have fewer interruptions...actually, the food arrives on the table if I have fewer interruptions). One of the common videos is the Signing Time series. Fifty percent of the time, Lukas will come into the kitchen while I'm cooking and say, "Mom, this is the sign for 'cat,'" then go back and watch the video some more. Then he will come back 10 seconds later and say, "This is the sign for 'dog.'"

Natalie's never done that, until today.

Lukas was "switching the laundry" and Natalie must have felt that it was now her responsibility to keep me abreast of the signs, so she came into the kitchen, giggling, and making a sign at me (alas, she did not speak the sign, but I can hear the video and know what she's "saying.")

Here she's signing "mom" (her approximation of it)...then she turned around and went back to continue watching, and popped back in a few more times to give me signs.

But as soon as Lukas was done with the laundry and back with her watching the video, she stopped.

The other "communication" thing she did for the first time today was hand me her empty sippy cup when she wanted it filled...she did it twice! Even with all the communication she does have, she's never done that before...she just whines and I try to figure out that she's thirsty.

Go Natalie!