31 for 21, Day 10: Book, Book and more books

I remember last year around this time I wrote about Maya reading on the potty. And I'm sure I've written other posts about how she loves books. I'm so happy to report that she is still in love with books.  When Maya gets up in the morning the first thing she reaches for is a book.  The same goes for when she wakes up from her nap.  Most of the time if I let her be she will go into her room and start reading. I've even seen her do that when we have company. Maybe it's a way for her to decompress from all the activities in the house.

Over time we've collected many books. Friends have given us books almost every celebration and I am always looking for deals on books, whether it's at the local bookstore (used books rock!), secondhand baby stores or at the library. I've also subscribed to Baby Bug and Animal Baby magazine. I love the idea that there are magazines for toddlers.

When I was growing up I did read some but not a whole lot. I do remember having a stash of books in a cubby in the living room that I think my mother ordered from a company through the mail. Being a visual person, I remember enjoying the drawings more than the words. In some ways I think I'm obsessed with books now.   I want Maya to have as many books as she wants. It would be so lovely to have her "be a reader". We have books in pretty much all areas of our house. So Maya can read at any given moment. And often she does.

When I see that she isn't interested in a book I try and sign it as we read it out loud.  This first happened with Goodnight Moon.  She just wasn't interested in the story and I started to worry if she would ever like to read this classic.  So I started to sign the story to her and then an amazing thing happened, she started to pick that book to read before bedtime.  I started doing this with all of her books. Now she knows the signs that relate to each page and she even signs the book to herself when she's on her own.

One of the greatest feelings I get is when I see Maya really studying her books. There are times when I see her focus on a book so intently.  It's almost like she is really trying to understand the story.  Her little eyes move back and forth and up and down, inspecting all aspects of the page.

It's true I'm a proud mama when I see this. 

before lunch

first thing in the morning

some of Maya's books

on the potty