Language Explosion!

Recently, I started a list tracking all the words that Li'l Empress uses regularly, that we recognize, or that are clear steps in the direction of the real word. It's become quite an impressive list. She's so verbal and just chatters away all day long. I'd post the list but seriously, every day she attempts at least one or two new words and tries them on for the rest of the day. I can't keep up with the explosion. Yesterday, she said "Nigh Nigh" for the first time. Today, she repeated "Meeee" when I asked her if the big kids were being mean to each other. Already, she's said it four or five times when they were misbehavin'. And that's another thing: she's figured out that nodding means "yes" and shaking her head means "no." She uses it so appropriately, after months of not even trying it at all!

Her baby babble is quite a treat for all of us. Especially fun is when we catch her "talking" on the phone. She's got inflection, expression, and attitude galore. She even throws her head back and laughs in the "conversation!" We've been trying to capture it on video but you all know how that goes. The minute the camera is on, she stops the stuff. It's driving us crazy, and our little digital camera has been getting quite the work-out with the "delete" function!

She's also taken to praying for anyone and anything around the house that strikes her as a need. Randomly throughout the day in this past week or two, we hear her yell, "Pay!" "Pay!" She lays her little hand on the need, bows her head and mumbles. Followed by "Ahhhhbuh." Yesterday, she prayed for my cousin's large and tender, ummm, uh, facial blemish. Yeah, we'll call it that.

But the cutest thing of all is that last night, while prepping her for bed, she was trying to sing along to "Jesus Loves Me." MELT. MY. HEART. I am not the world's best vocalist by ANY stretch of the imagination. But my already screechy voice got totally choked up at the sound of my sweet girl chiming in "I Luh Uh" (I love you) and "Gee Gah" (Jesus).

This coming week marks the one-year anniversary of the first day we saw her sweet little face and got the word that we got our girl. (Stay tuned, I have a cool post coming up on that very topic!). When I listen to her singing and babbling, I can't help but think of how different her life might have been had we not heeded the call of the Lord to pursue her.

Would her heart and mind and mouth be exploding daily with new words?
Would her little voice still be petitioning the throne on behalf of those she loves?
Would her little heart still be full of song to her Maker?
Would she be growing in the security and confidence of knowing that her Savior formed her, loves her and dances over her with His own singing?

I may never know the answers to these questions. But from where I'm sitting, I'm totally okay with that. After all, I have the joy of watching her personality and character explode alongside with her language right here in front of me. And I believe that's just how the Lord intended it for her all along.