Try saying the word spoon slowly about 50 times in a row. Eventually, you will not even know what you are saying or what a ssspppppooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn is.
Do this with virtually any word- cccchhhheeeeeeeesssssee, wwwaaaaaffffffllllllllle, mamamamamamamamaand- you will have the same outcome. This is what it is like trying to teach your nearly 15 month old son to speak.
We tried doing the sign language thing. I actually used to take sign language classes and worked with some deaf children while I was in high school. I even applied and enrolled to a college (Bloomsburg University in PA) that had a great sign language program. I really wanted to be a speech therapist or work with deaf children in some way. In the end I freaked out and felt like I was pigeon holing my 17 year old self. I dropped out before I even started and went to community college for a year. All of this leads to prove that I am open to sign language. I am just too lazy, I guess.
I tried teaching him the sign for more, but that is very similar to clapping. We were going to story time at the library where clapping is a prime activity among the birth to 2 year old age group. I feel like he will clap more frequently throughout his life, than he will need to sign the word more. I gave up the signing and encouraged the clapping.
The sign for please looks sort of like patting your chest. Parker's looks like he is waving. Eh, close enough.
To tell someone you would like milk you make a loose fist and move it in a slight, but quick squeezing motion. Parker makes a (very) loose fist and kind of flicks his middle finger against his thumb. Whatever, I know what he means.
The signs for thank you and eating look similar. To sign thank you a person moves their hand from their mouth outward. To sign eat you kind of make a bird beak looking shape with your hand and move it toward your mouth. Either way, Pmonkey just puts his hand in the general area of his mouth. Good enough...
He does the sign for done pretty well. I think this is mainly because he enjoys sweeping all of the unwanted food onto the floor, which is similar to the motion for done. Good work son!
God help him if he ever encounters an actual deaf person. They will likely think he is challenged mentally. The good news is when the deaf person if calling Parker dumb, my son will likely think he is being offered a cookie or something.
Along with his make shift sign language he is starting to say a few words. He will tell you that a duck quacks- actually he will tell you everything quacks. He will say, "woof woof" if you ask what a doggie says. He was able to tell you cows moo, but apparently cows are retracting that statement because now they quack, according to Parker. Why do they regress like that? One week Parker will be all sign language and animal noises. The next week, when I try to show (off) to other parents, it's crickets from Psizzle. Cat got your tongue?
No, cat's don't quack either!
Another development I have noticed is ever since he started eating solid food, he is the BIGGEST mooch! I cannot eat anything without this kid getting his grubby face and baby hands all over it. Even if I give him a bite of what I am eating and he does not like it, he is still all grabby about it.
Every morning I sit him on the counter while I get my coffee and his milk ready. Usually he plays with a plastic spoon and a paper cup in a drum-like fashion. The other day he reached into the fruit bowl and took little mouse bites out of one of the apples. Think he liked the skin? That a big fat NO. Want to guess what he did with the bits of partially chewed apple skin? He left those slobbery little bits all over the counter. Want to guess how hard it is to pick up tiny bits of slobbery apple skin? Well...it's not easy
He will eat noodles now- which is a new development. I mean really, what kid does not like noodles? Up until about a week ago, the answer to that question was Pman.
I have heard my own mom and many others say something to the effect of them not being restaurants and therefore the family is to eat what they have prepared or go to bed hungry without dessert. That is all well and good, but what do you do for a sometimes picky (nearly) 15 month old? I swear I make him 2 or 3 things for breakfast every morning and he will eat about 2 tablespoons worth of food. Occasionally I give him Instant Breakfast before he goes to bed if he does not eat a lot during the day, but I'm not a restaurant and he will (eventually) have to eat what I make whether he likes it or not or go to bed hungry without dessert!
That may seem like a good ending to this entry, but I have a short Josh story, which are always good!
Last night I went to dinner with a friend, so Josh was on his own for the night. Earlier that day I went to Walmart and bought packages of Ramen noodles for 16 cents each (!!!). I called on my way home and Josh said he just got back from the gym and was making dinner. When I came home, I saw what Josh had fixed. In one bowl I saw that he had prepared veggie soup for himself. IN ANOTHER BOWL I saw Ramen noodle. Just to be clear, Josh simultaneously ate two bowls of soup for dinner. There are so many things wrong with this, I can't even begin to explain. I hope I do not work nights when our kids are older and if I do, I will be sure to put a casserole in the freezer or something. I mean TWO bowls of soup? AT THE SAME TIME!?
1 comment:
It seems like Parker's doing the whole point of baby sign--communicating needs during the in-between period. He knows what he wants, and isn't quite able to physically say it.
During this potentially tantrum-inducing time, sign, in whatever form ("correct" or not) was very helpful.
And Joel likes to do "all done" by making a colossal mess, too.
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