In late January, I started letting MJ watch the two baby signing videos that we own: First Signs by Baby Einstein and My Baby Can Talk. I didn't do it earlier because we're trying to avoid getting MJ hooked on TV. In this case, I figured a little TV would be fine and it was for a good cause.
The videos really helped because by February, MJ started signing! He started signing around the time he started walking, which I don't think is a coincidence. I think a bunch of things just clicked for him: walking, signing, a few recognizable sounds.
What I realized this time around with MJ is that his signs are incredibly imprecise. With the exception of milk and more, I have to use my imagination to recognize some of his signs, but it's clear he's signing because he's consistent about making the same sign for the same thing. For example, the sign for water is the three middle fingers tapping the chin. MJ takes his index finger and taps the side of his mouth. My guess is that CJ was signing a whole lot more than we gave him credit for but we didn't know it because his hand and finger movements were imprecise.
These days, MJ is signing:
- Milk
- More
- Mommy
- Daddy
- Cat
- Water
- Eat
- Walk
- Dog
- Up
- Change
- All done
- Please
- Thank you
He signs please appropriately, as in, he signs please when he wants to play with CJ's Nintendo DS and CJ does not want to let him touch it.
When I remind him to say thank you, he signs thank you by putting his palm to his mouth.
When he's done eating, he signs all done and beckons me to pick him up by raising his arms way up.
Whenever he sees a dog outside, in a book or on TV, he signs dog and tries to say dog (do).
Imagine that, he's actually communicating with us even though he can't really talk yet. It's clear he understand what we are saying to him and signing is a way for him to "talk" back to us.
