The Sincerest Form
Asher's been copying people's actions since...well, way back. When he was feeling up to imitating a raspberry or clapping or silly kissy noises, there was usually a significant delay. Plus, he'd often seem unsure of himself and his abilities.
No longer. Asher is imitating everything now - and everyone. Dad snaps his fingers? Asher's got his hands at the ready, fingers coiled in an almost-right position. A gent walks through the door and everyone waves and says hi? Asher's arm is flailing, and has even managed a couple distinct "hi's" to boot.
Our favorite so far, though, has to be Asher's participation in our tooth brushing ritual. For months, Meg has brushed Asher's teeth during his bath. She's got an extra large cup at the ready, dunks the brush in the water, taps it on the cups edge to shake off the excess, and then brushes his teeth with a goofy little song. This process is repeated probably half a dozen times.
At some point, Asher picked up on this, as we had hoped. But on top of imitating the brushing, he's internalized the whole process. I doubt we even noticed the first time he did the dunk-and-tap, but once we did notice, we couldn't stop laughing - and commending him.
Language is right around the corner. "Cat" is far and away his favorite word, but "cup" makes frequent appearances, as well as the occasional "Papa" and "Mama." When "Dada" and "Nana" will start making regular appearances.
Oh, and walking, too. Daisy and Marta, his caregivers during the day, say he loves playing in the hall with the toddlers. I'm fairly certain his first steps will be in imitation of them, in the moment, and not with Mom and Dad here at home.
That's okay though. The milestones are ticking off at a breakneck pace, and we're loving every one.