Blossom

By Melissa on February 27, 2012 in Down syndrome

My girl is learning how to play.

Up until a month or two ago she was very much an observer. Very, very curious (her nickname around here is “Nosy Rosy”) – but content to just sit near other kids and play, or wait until someone had abandoned a toy so she could take a closer look. She would chatter with us at home, but was quiet, though always pleasant, when out and about.

Then she learned a very powerful word: “hi!” The more she used it, the more she saw others’ delighted smiles and waving back at her.

And I’m telling you, this ability to draw people in with a single word has unlocked something in my sweet girl’s world. All of a sudden she’s Little Miss Socialize – in a group of kids, she is trying to become part of the action. She’s chattering at play group, she is reaching out to take a friend’s hand while eating lunch. She physically positions herself right in the middle of activity. She is talking to her baby dolls and “reading” to herself in the mirror. She brings toys to other children. She watches intently as they walk, and I can see the wheels in her head turning when she then pulls to stand and cruises along after them holding onto a table or chair, trying to figure out how to chase them down.

She is playing.

And not only is she playing, she is engaging people when we’re out and about. She’s waving and saying “hi” to people as she rolls by in the cart, she is showing off her signs to the person at the register. When we head to the door, “hi” turns to “bye” and she’s waving all over again. It never fails to earn her some smiles and waves, which then inspire an even more emphatic “bye” and an even bigger smile from Rowenna.

She gets it. She gets the give and take, the magic of gestures and words.