Now We're Really Reading

Ruth has been reading individual words for quite a long time and short sentences for a while. But today was truly monumental, as Ruth finished her first real big-girl book (Eloise and the Big Parade) all by herself. She read it out loud to Jeff and I over the course of the last few days, and she sounded out every single word all by herself. She was even able to figure out the words that didn't come out perfectly according to the phonetics. She was soooo proud of herself, and Jeff and I were extremely proud of her as well. As a reward, we all went to the bookstore and she got to pick out any book she wanted. This will be her next conquest. We made a chart for her to hang on the fridge to help her monitor her progress. Every time she reads a book, she gets to pick out a new one to read, and after she reads five, we will take her out for a special treat--most likely ice cream. It's so exciting to see all this click for her, and to see her so excited about it! Feel free to to give her a (physical or verbal) pat on the back the next time you see her or talk to her.