Baby Sign Language

We have been doing baby sign language with Sean since he was a little tiny baby. In the last few months he has really taken off with signing. I tried to capture some of it on video last weekend, but this really doesn't do his actual signing justice as it is usually spontaneous and clear.

Sean now tells us (in sign) when he wants milk, hears (or thinks about) a dog (which is frequently these days), sees or hears a bird, sees a fan, wants to read his favorite book (Brown Bear Brown Bear), hears or sees an airplane (he often hears them well before cody and i do and he lets us know when they are coming), and of course he still prays with us. Signing has been an amazing tool for us. Sean is able to communicate with us which makes him less frustrated and less prone to screaming (he still screams and squeals a good bit). I have loved watching him tell me what he's thinking about. When he looks out the window and does dog and bird sign...he's just thinking about things he likes outside. Or when we come into a new room and he immediately does the fan sign--its just the first thing he notices in a room. He has been able to share with us some of his baby thoughts and I love it. We are still working on some of the "motivation signs" like more, eat, food, drink, etc. He will do "more please" on occasion, but it is not consistent yet.

When watching this video, bear in mind the sign for doggie is slapping your leg (like you are calling a dog), the sign for birdie is your thumb and forefinger together and the sign for fan is your forefinger going around like a fan. If you know the signs you'll be able to see them in our little conversation. Oh, he also woof-woofs like a dog when he thinks about or hears them.

And in case you're wondering, Sean does have verbal words now too... here is a list of his current vocabulary:

Ba = banana; bah = bottle; buh = book; boo= boom (fall down); buh-t = button; ba-ba = baby (usually Greta); Ba=ball; ba-r=bear; Notice a pattern?! Its been so fun listening to him and deciphering his B-vocabulary.