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Monday, December 29, 2008

Gabi signed her 1st word!

What a beautiful moment! Gabi signed her 1st word 2 days ago. It took me this long to get it on video. We are teaching the kids sign language (ASL) b/c it is easier for them to communicate their needs. Oral language takes time to develop & "milk" is a difficult word so it could be a while before we actually hear her say it but she now knows what it is & connects it to the milk in her bottle. We are VERY PROUD parents!

The sign for milk is to squeeze the hand in to a fist a couple of times as if you were milking a cow. In the video, 12 seconds in to it is when Gabi signs milk. Notice that I positively reinforce her action by giving her the milk immediately. I'm so excited about this! We have been signing milk to the kids since they came home. It is just about this time, 9 months of age, that children normally sign their 1st sign. Also, this will not delay speech in any way, it will actually foster their understanding of language. Here is the video!

7 comments:

Kris said...

Way to go Gabi! I was soo excited when my crew started to sign "more" around 10 months. Before you know it they will all be signing for their milk!

Little Mrs Sunshine said...

HUGE CONGRATS! That is awesome you are teaching them to sign! We do with our kids... their first sign was "all done" very important one to teach Joey because he has a hard time transitioning away from things, and used to have violent tempers when he was little because of his disability, and once he learned that sign he handled the transition fine. Communicating reduces tantrums, a LOT. And in my experience signing has helped develop language more quickly then if we hadn't used it. Emma now has over 40 signs. 2 of the baby einstein videos have a ton of great signs - Baby Wordsworth, and My First Signs. Emma LOVES those videos, I usually let the kids have TV time when they first get up in the morning while I get breakfast together, and Emma copies every sign in those videos, she had already learned some from me using them with her around the house. Anyway, you are doing an awesome job with those 3 little ones!

Astrid said...

I've heard about the Baby Einstein videos. Sounds like a worthy investment. I also want to check out Signing Times but don't have th $ for that right now. WOOT! I'm going to see how cheaply I can find the DVDs. Thanks!

Helen said...

Yay Gabi! Isn't it thrilling?

We started out with the Baby Einstein signing DVD too but have recently moved onto Baby Signing Time DVDs. Honestly, the boys have picked up signs MUCH quicker with those videos! Your local library probably has them :)

Adi said...

Yay! Another signer!! I remember the beautiful moment when Marcus signed for the first time. You will be amazed at how quickly she catches on to the next signs. Marcus will pick up on a sign within hours if I do it enough to him. Of course, he's 16 months, but you get the point. Huge congrats!

Megan Jannise said...

I have shown this to everyone I can think of today! You officially win the "cool mom of the day" award. And, Gabi is awesome- WTG!!!

Meg

Astrid said...

Awe, thanks Meg! You are too sweet. I hope this motivates you guys to get started!