If you watched the video first, you probably saw a little girl playing with a toothbrush.

Yes and no.

She is playing with the toothbrush. What is great is that she (actually we) have finally found something that she loves to hold. It has taken months. We have tried spoons, drum sticks, spatulas, whisks, more toys than you can count and finally the toothbrush. She loves it. It is still a little heavy, but she hangs on to it until her little hand gets tired.

Ivey’s favorite ‘thing’ to chew on is her thumb, which you have all seen in the video. She loves it so much there is an awful blister on it right now. Second, her shirt, which ever she is wearing at the moment – mostly the sleeve. Third, fingers, but I think most people have learned there lesson when it comes to fingers. Now…the toothbrush.

What you may not realize is that Ivey is actually learning in this video. We have been teaching her about object permanence. Objects are all around her even if she can’t see them. All of you moms have sat your baby in the high-chair, given them a toy just for them to drop it over the edge over and over and over. That is one way babies learn about object permanence. Just because they drop the toy doesn’t mean it disappears. Ivey must learn this concept also, only on a much LARGER scale.

So what you are also watching is Ivey playing with the toothbrush then reaching out to the bucket. If you notice, I show her where the bucket is, and then she continues to look for it. When the toothbrush hits the bucket she hears it and she is also feeling the vibration from the toothbrush a little more intensely. She touches her face, eats the toothbrush, ‘looks’ for the bucket, then starts the process all over again.

Ivey at work always amazes me. I love it, living in a world I never knew existed, being part of something so great, being in a world beyond my own imagination.

And knowing that she will have pearly white teeth is always a plus.