Is It I? Or Me?

Look at that baby in the window! How cute he is. Our babies are working on developing a sense of self. They are embarking on the great sorting project of self and others. The seperation of me and them. I and they.

Elena is not quite there yet. I combed the Web to find some information on a dim memory from college. I remembered that the development of the words me and I somehow reveals the internal development of this concept. From my experience, it seems that the child parrots their name, then talks about themselves in the third person, then uses me and then gradual acquires the adult understanding of I.

I am enjoying watching Elena discover these things. I remember the first time she bit her own finger and cried. She was the biter and the bitee...this might have been an epiphany. She knows her name, calls herself Nanana. If you try to get her to answer, "Where is Elena?" or "Where is Nanana?" even, she won't answer. She turns away hurriedly. She is even reluctant to point to Elena's nose or Elena's belly. It's odd. She used to do these things willingly. I think it may be a way of asserting herself.

And come to think of it, doesn't NOT responding (intentionally as she does) require the knowledge of self? Is she already rebelling? I doubt it. I bet it's just really confusing to figure this whole thing out. After all, a mere fifteen months ago there was no me or you, Elena, there was just us. I'm kind of glad she isn't racing away from the us!