Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Some excellent problem-solving

Joy operates well in context of routines (heck, don't most people?)

One particularly functional routine we've developed is at diaper-changing time. It's Joy's job to put away the diaper cream. She has to open the changing-table drawer, put in the tube, and close the drawer back up.

This morning when she went to open the drawer, there was a problem. She had the diaper cream tube in one hand, and a board book in the other. She tried to open the drawer a couple of times with the hand that contained the tube, with no success. I was half-expecting her to give up -- she's got such a short attention span, and often takes the path of least resistance. But no. She thought about it for a second, put the book down on the floor, completed the routine, and then picked that book back up!

It didn't have the feel of an Elvis sighting... I suspected that the King had not left the building...

Then this evening a similar situation occurred. This time Joy had the tube in one hand, a chewy ball in the other. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the chewy ball in her teeth, completed the routine, and then took the ball back out.

Most excellent!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love reading this blog about my little niecey (and of course, the things you write about the big sister niecey too!) because I feel that I am not missing as much of Joy's day-to-day life.
To me, this story sounds like a pretty big deal for Joy. It sure shows that she does have some good things going on in her brain even if she doesn't let on to those around her that often. Too bad you didn't have the camera in hand cuz I would love to have seen Joy with that chewy ball in her mouth! I also wonder if she will develop this as part of the routine, holding something in the other hand that she has to put down or hold another way.
Give Joy and Rose a big hug and kiss from AuntieS!!

Anonymous said...

Hi! Just found your blog, but I'm not sure how. I think our girls have some things in common, and it's great to "meet" you. Way to go, Joy!

Please stop by for a visit: http://rhemashope.wordpress.com

Trish said...

Wow, I love to hear about stuff like this! It's so exciting when you can almost see their brains working to figure something out.