(no subject)

[valancystirling]

Topie has been extremely vocal today. I wonder what she would say if she could talk.

The diaper order issues seem to be resolved now, finally.

Jake decided to come home early, so he's in bed now. Even though he's not right here, it's nice knowing he's home.

I have GOT to get to the post office this week. I have so many packages to send.

I'm ravenously hungry, even after a big dinner and dessert. The last two days I just cannot get enough to eat.

Comments

[glaukopis.livejournal.com]

Maybe the hunger is a sign that the thrush is finally deciding to give up and stop pissing you off. Or maybe you're getting over whatever baby blues you may have had. Hormone balance and such.

[valancystirling.livejournal.com]

I wish. The thrush is still killing me. The baby blues thing is possible. Would I get hungry if she was having a growth spurt?

[glaukopis.livejournal.com]

I was ravenous at every growth spurt but also I had ppd so when the drugs kicked in I got my appetite back HUGE. I was 5 lbs less than prebaby weight when I got out of the hospital and it really affected my supply. After I started eating again my supply rallied a little.

[brightsoul.livejournal.com]

mmmm...dessert.
i think i'll have a bowl of cereal soon :)

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

Have you thought about introducing hand signs with Topie?

It is something I did instinctively with Bit, but it was only after she was already past the best start age to get the most out of it that I really heard/saw anything about other people doing it.

The theory is (and I have seen that it is very true) that kids have a better grasp of language and communication than they are *capable* of expressing vocally. This actually leads to a lot of the frustration you see in kids just learning to talk (crawling/toddling age).
When hand signs are introduced, consistant and clear signs for common words and ideas, children have an outlet and will start putting together complex ideas much earlier. This helps with their communications skills, as well as allows parents a better understanding of what is going on with their child. Children who have this sort of communication ability often start speaking more clearly early on, and feel more secure and comfortable in having the ability to connect to those around them.

As you can tell, the whole idea is one that fascinates me.

Oh... and Miss Bit got nicknamed "my little helen (keller)" for awhile... her first "sign" was actually "water". Heh.
(she later developed a habit of trying to steal the sausage off our breakfast plates, but I think that was just coincidence. lol!)

[valancystirling.livejournal.com]

Jake works with a lady who did baby sign language, and she gave him a book to bring home. We haven't read the whole thing yet, but we definitely love the idea of it. At what age would we start? I should read the book.

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

Actually, now is a good time to start working out the signs you want to use and using them when you are talking to her, especially when you mention basic ideas "eat", "mommy", "daddy" and anything else.
I talked to Bit constantly... a running dialogue about what I was doing. Whether I was fixing food, changing her, dressing her... I just constantly talked about it to her. I talk with my hands, so I guess I naturally started making some of the same "signs" when I said the same thing over and over. (Not entirely a surprise, I tend to train animals with hand signals without really trying or thinking about it, too... I do just wish I had read about it before hand so I could have done more consciously and gotten other people in on it.)

I'm constantly told Miss Bit has the communication and language skills of someone several years older than she is, so I think that even just talking to her as much and as clearly as I did really made a difference (I've never believed in baby talking to kids, though I would use silly voices. Neither did my mum, which probably explains it).
The few signs she picked up really did come in handy later, especially when she was sleepy or frustrated or sick.

I's read the book now, and start as soon as you can working on signs. Being consistant is the key, so you'll want to practice and agree on them with Jake. There is the added benefit that if you start with some actual basic ASL signs for certain things, you'll basically be teaching her a second language along with the first. This is a *fabulous* jumpstart to language skills.

heh..

[nalidoll.livejournal.com]

(told you I get all excited about this idea.)

[albadore.livejournal.com]

I wonder what she would say if she could talk.

At this age, all babies are basically like men.

"MORE BOOBIES PLEASE!"

[valancystirling.livejournal.com]

Somehow, she manages to communicate that very well :)