A-bet!

I was reading books to Baby E before bed last night.

She said "ook" and then "a-bet" while pointing to the Usborne Farmyard Tales Alphabet book. Then she said "ddd" and turned the pages until she found a picture of a duck, and pointed at it saying "Dd-duck! Ack, ack. Duck."

She was also very excited by the inscription inside the front cover. She kept pointing to it saying "ddd" which has become her word for any writing or alphabet letters.

She also knows "bbb" goes with "ball," but currently her favorite letter of the alphabet is D. I just think it's funny and amazing that my 18-month-old has a favorite letter of the alphabet.

She and I spent quite a bit of time naming the pictures in the book and saying the animal sounds. She knows them all, although I'm not sure her versions would be understandable to a stranger. Apple is "ap," dog is "uff," butterfly is "fye" said along with fluttering hands, and bird is something like "ud," but she and I know what she means.

Her letter sounds, though, are crystal clear. She doesn't match them to specific letters consistently yet, but she can repeat them all quite well as I point to the letters and say them with her. She likes to point to different letters and guess what they say, and then wants me to tell her the correct sound.

The sweetest thing is that AJ and M&M have been reading to her so much. They love sharing books with her. It always makes me smile to see them all poring over a book together.