In the Infant Nursery, we have several toddlers whose spoken language is emerging. They have moved from “mama” and “dada” to naming objects and people. It is exciting to see this development as they discover a new way to communicate not only with their caregivers, but with each other. Their social behavior expands through the spoken word — even if it is only a few words — and their relationships blossom. At the beginning of the year, one of our toddlers learned the phrase, “Where’d it go?” — primarily in reference to a lost ball or toy. It was a fun question for him and us to ask as we would hide objects under scarves to spark his curiosity to search for things. Other toddlers were included in the game as well and even though they were non-verbal, they still loved playing along!

Now, here at the end of the school year, we may find ourselves asking, “Where’d it go?” when thinking about the year that has passed. It seems the year just began – with new faces, challenges, and adventures that awaited us. Back in the fall, our Infant Nursery looked much different than it does now: younger babies and toddlers with many different skills. How exciting for us to be able to watch them develop physically as God has designed. In the first year of life so much change is physical – rolling over, sitting up, learning to scoot and crawl and eventually standing and walking. All the while though, they are processing everything they see and hear. They are so observant, and all these observations help to form communication skills which will emerge as spoken language in the 2nd year of life and beyond. Our school year is now at an end, and I am thankful to be part of TSCS school. Having the love and support of our co-workers, which is grounded in Christ, is a true gift. Knowing that we all strive to be Christlike and that we try to make choices that are God-pleasing strengthens our community and makes us a family working together to raise up the next generation – especially from infancy! I am blessed by my co-workers, parents, and babies in the nursery every day and look forward to their continued development and growth in the coming years. May God grant us a safe summer and many years together.