When we began sign language class just a few weeks ago, Island Boy took to it almost immediately, picking up the signs for "water", "milk", "finished" and more very quickly. And he has been sooo excited to yield his newfound power!
Previously he could only cry or grunt in an attempt to communicate his needs to us. Now he holds the power to tell us exactly what he wants (as long as it falls within the limits of what we've been teaching him. Fortunately, at this stage in Island Boy's life, his needs are still somewhat basic.).
Water? Ask and Mommy and Daddy eagerly obey! Milk? Mommy and Daddy usually obey. Crackers? Mommy and Daddy are on it!! (Fortunately, this request comes up mostly during snack time thus far, so we're ok with fulfilling it.) He's even building little sentences: "More crackers!".
Perhaps most impressive is his grasp of, and correct usage of the word "HOT". After picking up on this particular sign very quickly, he proceeded to use it when Daddy was using the oven, when Mommy was using the toaster oven and when Daddy was blowing on some food to cool it down. He even signs "hot" when Mommy has her tea cup. Yikes!!
When Mommy and Daddy weren't looking, Island Boy innovated and now his sign for "water" includes a slap on the side of his head so he can make some noise and attract our attention. The "water" sign has become a very popular party trick. Apparently, a little too popular...
A wee problem has begun to rear its head with regard to this entire process. When Island Boy doesn't have a sign for something he wants, he attempts to get it using a sign that works - in this case, "water". Hey, it works for water, so why not try it out for other things??
A little taste of power can be a very dangerous thing...
p.s. I will attempt to post some photos of some of these signs and possibly even a little video clip just as soon as I'm able to capture the bits. Island Boy's love of consumer electronics currently outweighs his desire to focus on the task at hand and he immediately moves towards the camera as soon as he spies it and with surprising speed, thus making for challenging conditions for photography. However, Mommy is determined, so at some point I will prevail. (I hope! :-)
2 comments:
Our Maddy picked up very quickly to sign language as well. We've only taught her the things on the Baby Einstein DVD but it helped us to communicate for the first few months she was home. Today, she still uses sign even when she is saying the words.
I had so many btdt adoptive moms tell me I shouldn't teach Maddy sign but I'm glad we did!!
Uh oh.
Yeah, that myth of parental control really pretty much evaporates in very short order.
But even when they're dictatorial, they're still awful cute!
Stacey
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