One... two... three!

The day we brought Baby L. home my mom said, “Does she have all five fingers and toes?” Starting right that minute, the counting began. In a sing-songy voice, I tickled each of L.'s tiny digits, saying, “One baby toe... Two baby toes... Three baby toes...”

About three weeks later, without really thinking much about it, I started counting the snaps on her onesies whenever I was getting her dressed. “One SNAP! Two SNAPS! Three SNAPS! Yay!” She screetches in delight when I do this, so of course I do it every time now. Anything to make my baby smile!

Two weeks later, we were dancing around the apartment to Baby L.'s favorite music and I absent mindedly started counting to the beat. “One two three, one two three, one two three, one two three.”

And then, about one month later, I started singing this song, which I guess I remembered from my own childhood!

By the following week, Ladybug's Picnic had become our changing-table song. Every time L.'s on the changing table we sing it. (My husband is getting a little bit tired of it—especially since I usually can’t remember all of the words, except the counting).

About three weeks ago, I unwrapped a present for Baby L. It was a musical toy frog, that played the song Five Green and Speckled Frogs. I sang it over and over, tickling her chin on each number, which makes her screetch with joy. It turned out to be the perfect bath-time song. Glub! Glub!

And just last Thursday, my friend E.B.S. gave us our new favorite book, 1, 2, 3 New York by Puck. We added it to our other counting books, Mommy Hugs, and Counting Kisses both by Karen Katz. And of course, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The list of fun counting books could go on and on! L. especially loves to count the pepperoni pizzas (they're from Fornino, I'm sure of it), and the yellow taxi cabs!

Now, Baby L. and I count fingers, onesie snaps, the beats to her fave songs, and we sing counting songs and read counting books morning, noon, and night.

One... two... three!