Find-a-Saurus

We're currently attempting to determine Maya's official first word. Right now we're working on 'hi', 'daddy', and 'mama'. She's been saying "Mama" for months, but it's always seemed pretty random (I think I was mama often). She started saying "Hi" the other day, but after we practiced for awhile she said it every couple of minutes for the rest of the day, even when no one was around. She points to my picture on the wall and says, "Daddy", but doesn't seem to associate it with the actual person, me.

So we're trying to figure out how to convey that a word is a symbol for an actual object or person. Pretty complex, huh? Maybe she just has a very good imagination, and sees people we don't.

In Find-a-Saurus, by Mark Sperring and illustrated by Alexandra Steele-Morgan, a little boy has a knack for spotting creatures that we all assume are imaginary. When Marty learns about dinosaurs, he wants to find one in the worst way. Unfortunately, according to his mother dinosaurs are extinct, so there aren't any.

But Marty looks anyway. He looks under his bed, in the laundry basket, in the attic and everywhere he can think of. But he only finds monsters, elves, aliens, and the like. When he spies the spiny tail sticking out of his toy closet, he thinks he's got it. But, darn if it isn't a dragon. Oh well. Marty decides that dinosaurs are great at hiding, but he knows he'll find one someday.