She accepted the shoe without much difficulty the moment the contraption was presented to her when she was just 1 year old. Walking happily in her new red Elephanten shoes - the first shoe her Oma (German grandma) brought her.
She signals clearly when she wants to leave the house by trying to put on her shoes, or having someone assist her is putting them on, and then running to the door. She says "NANAY" which is a near should to the Hebrew word for shoes, as she goes to get them, sitting on her stool and awaiting for assistance is being properly fitted with her shoes. She brings each person the correct shoe form them to put on before leaving the house - and I do not mean only family (people and shoes that are regularly there - like mom, dad and Jonathan) but also guests, babysitters, cousins vising once a year from Germany and grandmas.
When we come into the house, she also knows where to put the shoes away. She places her shoes along with Jonathan's on the shelf near the door. Mommy's shoes are located in her room (and grandmas shoes are placed there too - when she visits, they are alike in style and size), daddy's shoes are on the shelf in his study. When we were visiting my husbands parents in Germany, Jasmin was quick to learn the shoe habits (and general order) of the house and placed her newly purchased shoes right above the slippers of her German grandma - on a stool in the kitchen. This is a different place from other shoes; those recently worn can be found at the entrance and all the others in the various rooms.
Shoes were always a signal in our home. When Jonathan, Jasmins elder brother, was little he insisted that people take off their shoes, in order to ensure that they will indeed stay. Jasmin showed the same tendency at first, but she quickly moved to the other extreme, paying attention to shoes when the time comes to leave the house. If I intend to leave without her and she accepts this -she will wave her arm and say a musical "bye"...but if she wants to come along regardless of my intentions, she runs for her shoes! She even tries to put them on, her motoric is not great and she is not yet successful but she can open the Velcro shutters...its a start...
Different body organs have always interested Jasmin, but its her feet she loves best! Pointing at mommy's breasts or grandmas nose is fun, as is waving her arms and singing about fingers, but having mommy blow on her feet is a real treat! Jasmin will ye down in her bed and signal her wish by making a blowing sound "ppppfffff" and pulling her feet up closer to me. alternatively she says "AWA" and holds her feet and hand up for kissing. Feet kissing is a game we play every night, just before she goes to sleep. Just the other day she was playing with my mother and she fell. Thus she received a kiss on her arm from my mother, to relieve her pain. Jasmin promptly handed my mother her other arm, for more kisses...
