E-L-M-O

I am a reader.  I have always loved to read.  I have always read voraciously.  While I have never hoped Michaela would be an exact carbon copy of me, I have always hoped she would love to read, too, just like my mom does and like I do.  (I also hoped she’d be left-handed, like me and my mom, but it looks like that isn’t going to pan out.  And anyway, that’s a story for another day.)

We haven’t worked much with Michaela on letters until recently, so her literacy was mostly limited to us reading/her looking at books, us telling her the letters certain things start with, and singing the ABC song.  Over the last couple of weeks, though, we have been more focused and dedicated in showing her letters and working with her to help her connect the name of the letter with the way it looks.  She only has so much patience, so we don’t ever spend a long time doing it.  Plus, I don’t want to be a Tiger Mom…

Last night, we were sitting on the couch, wrapped up in the cool Elmo-print blanket Nana Laura made for Michaela, reading some books.  Well, I was reading her some books.  All of a sudden, she looked at the blanket and pointed at the word “ELMO,” and then sounded out the letters- “E-L-M-O.  Look, Mom, Elmo!”  My heart nearly burst out of my chest with pride!  She read the word to me!  It’s the first word I’ve ever heard her read; the first of many, I hope.  My little reader!