Emotions and Imaginations

In the last few months, Peter and I have both noticed that Eva's emotional and imaginative sides are developing like crazy! She's always been pretty aware of emotions, noticing crying, sadness, scared feelings, or happy feelings very frequently for the past year or so. She quickly learned to recognize feelings she was having and declared them, and then moved on to noting emotions in other people, in tv characters, or even in her animals/dolls/toys. This later stage of making up feelings that inanimate objects have is a current favorite past time. One example happened at breakfast today:

While we were finishing eating together, Peter raised his bare foot next to Eva's chair and wiggled his toes at her. Then Eva proceeded to talk to Peter's toes, in her sing-songy, pretending voice:

Eva: Hi there (directed at the toes), what is your name?
Peter: I am daddy's toes.
Eva: Hi toes, I'm Eva. Are you hungry?
Peter: No, toes don't eat!
Eva: Oh, okay, are you sad? Let me give you a hug (followed by gently hugging Peter's foot - while Peter and I laugh uncontrollably.)

Another interesting development is that almost every favorite toy now has its own personality, feelings and a voice of its own in Eva's world, including puzzle pieces, trains, baby dolls, lambie, bouncing balls - sometimes even food! Also, it is often true that if we talk to her toys about going to sleep, eating, or getting dressed, she will respond much faster then if we just ask her. She will also have a conversation with said toy about doing said activity. She will also mercilessly mimic us in her conversations. For example:

Liz: Eva, it's time to take a nap sweetie.
Eva: Nap sweetie... come lambie, let's nap sweetie.
Liz: Is lambie tired too?
Eva: (directed to lambie, in sing-songy voice) Are you tired too sweetie? Nap sweetie? Good night sweetie.

Also, she turned to Peter the other day and said, "Daddy, what you thinking about?" THAT one was mimicing mommy. :)

I kind of love all these things that she is picking up and reflecting to us... we just have to keep being intentional about how we talk and emote around this kiddo!

(this picture is Eva's response when I said, "Smile!" with the camera.)