Recognition of self

Little one is starting to become aware of himself.

A few days ago he was playing with his shadow hand in the rays of sunlight coming through the window and has been curious about shadows for a while - to which I have been offering the explanation of sunshine being light and not being able to get through our bodies properly, so we cast darkness in front of us (or behind us).

Yesterday he showed the first real sign of recognition in a mirror. I'm sure he's been slowly understanding when I explain that it is mama and S in the mirror...or daddy and S...etc, but yesterday I put a little yellow sand sifter on his head and he couldn't find it, so I held up a mirror in front of him and he raised his hand to his head to feel for it. I was delighted. Such small things delight me about my child.

Perhaps this is why he is so clingy at the moment and upped his feeds so much - the heat, the unfamiliarity, but also this huge period of developmental leaps and greater separation of self from his mama.