Baby Sign Language - What's on Your Mind?

Honestly, I was skeptical about Baby Sign Language to a certain degree. I didn't think it would start "working" until 7+ months like all the resources on baby signing suggest and I thought it might be difficult to work into our routine. Boy was I wrong! We started signing with Asher at 3 months and now at 19 weeks, he is already starting to sign to us. For real.

At first I thought I was being "that mom" who might insist her baby is signing when he is really just moving his hands around randomly. But after a few days of wondering if what I was seeing could be real - I know it is! My baby is signing to me!  { I apologize in advance for all the exclamation points. I am just that amazed and excited about this! }

Here's what happened that made me a believer in baby sign language:

Last night, Asher would NOT go to sleep. I tried putting him down 4 times starting at 7:30pm. He would either fuss or just play and talk in his bassinet. I tried feeding him more milk, changed him, let him sit with me and the dogs for a while. He kept signing "banana" and putting his hand to his mouth (which now I know meant "eat"). Being a baby who may or may not be starting teething, I just figured it was just a baby thing. As far as the "banana" sign, I thought it must be that he didn't really know what it meant yet, or he was associating it with the book we had just read with bananas in it. I basically didn't want to jump to conclusions - I mean, he's not even 5 months old yet. Finally, after hours of this, I gave in and fed him some carrots (he already had bananas that morning). He ate almost 3 tbsp with a smile on his face the whole time. I got him cleaned up and readied again for bed. When I put him down, he fell asleep INSTANTLY. He was out for the night. I should have listened to him in the first place! I probably would have saved myself hours of frustration. 

So now I am a believer. I will be teaching him all the signs I can throughout the next few months. 

Could this be "eat"?

Here's how we've done it so far.

I did not know any signs when we decided to do this. I bought a baby signing book, but after trying to decipher a few of the signs pictured in the book, I have realized that I need to actually see it being done to learn it. I bought Baby Signing Time Vol. 1 and learned alongside Asher some of the basic, primary signs for babies. This DVD is AWESOME. It's the only thing Asher will watch on TV and he absolutely LOVES it. It's full of fun songs, cartoons, and other babies making signs. I really want to get him the full set complete with a "Mr. Hopkins" plush frog (because that's a necessity), but it's unfortunately out of our budget right now. I bought volume 3 on Ebay (I don't know why I skipped 2... it was a 1:00 am purchase) and plan to slowly build our collection.

He watches it a few times a day (*blush*) while I'm doing things around the house or getting work done on the computer. Hey - at least it's educational!

Our early signs throughout the day have included:

• "Milk" - whenever we would give him a bottle and while he's drinking it.
• "Water" - whenever he was getting a bath, when it was raining and he would focus on it, or when I was drinking a bottle of water.
• "Dog" - whenever he saw/touched Suki or Sumo, our pugs, or when reading the book Doggies.
• "More" - when we'd give him more milk, read him another book or do more of anything he liked.
• "Mama" - when he looked at me, "Dada" when he saw John.
• "Grandma/Nonna" and "Grandpa" - with our parents (although we've been slacking with those).

That's pretty much it until about 2 weeks ago. I also have another DVD (that is full of 80s footage and not fun for babies at all) where I picked up a few more signs.

I have recently introduced:

• "Banana"
• "Bird"
• "Diaper"
• "Change"
• "Eat"
• "Up" <-- Which I may regret because he always wants up! :)
• "Hungry" <-- New today. This may be too conceptual for his age, though...

Mind you, Asher watched the DVD each day and has seen the signs for "banana" and "eat" in the video since he was 3 months old. We also read a book called Today, I'd Really Like to Eat a Child that has a crocodile who eats bananas in it and we sign "banana" while reading it, too. (It's a cute book and not at all as scary as it sounds - haha!)

The thing about a young baby signing is that you have to have a keen eye for their signs early on. They are primitive versions of the sign and can easily be written off as nothing. For example, here is a video of Asher signing "more" and "banana" a few days ago (please ignore my annoying mommy voice): 

I will continue to post on our progress with Baby Sign Language. I also am going to be tweeting videos of signs and any cool resources on the practice, so follow me on Twitter to get those updates!

Sorry this post is lacking pictures. It's hard to get my little signer on camera.

Good luck with your baby signing adventures. I'm happy to answer any questions and also welcome advice from anyone who has done signing with their babies!

Pin It Now!

Lover of the Light

...But I'd be yours, If you'd be mine

So love the one you hold

And I'll be your gold

To have and to hold

Lover of the light

~ Mumford and Sons, 'Lover of the Light'

I think of Asher every time I hear that song. I think we can deduce meanings we are looking to find when it comes to songs, poetry... they may mean one thing to one person and hold a whole different meaning to someone else. This song just makes me think of my baby boy - not all of the words, but the important ones. :)

I didn't get to making dinner yesterday. We had some family friends in town so we all got together for dinner at John's family's restaurant, San Remo, for some delicious Italian food and pizza. It was much better than anything I would have cooked up. It was a good night to skip on the meal plan considering that Tuesday's recipe was for Pesto Pasta and I can easily save the pasta noodles for later in the week. 

I have a bunch of wonderful pictures from over the weekend to share. We went to the park with our friends Shawn and Nancy who just had their baby girl 3 weeks ago. Baby Asher and baby Marley spent some quality time getting to know each other. They are to be married, after all!

I couldn't resist posting this one. It cracks me up every time I look at it!
Asher judo chops her straight in the jugular! ;) JK! He really didn't, it just looked that way on camera!

We had a great time strolling the park. Congrats again you guys!

Pin It Now!

Tales from Online Shopping - Baby Gear

Here are some of my most recent online "finds"...

1. Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers - We're trying them out as our disposable alternative to cloth when on vacation and when outfits wont fit over cloth.

2. Spider Monkey Plush Toy Set from Zulily

3. Stokke MyCarrier and Bib Set - Stokke was kind enough to send me this organic 3 in 1 baby carrier to review on our upcoming vacation. I'm SO excited to try it because I have only heard amazing things about it! I bought the coordinating carrier bibs for our little drooler. Check back for the full review and lots of pics! I hope I am able to say goodbye to my annoying back pain after using this ergonomic baby carrier.

4. Cloth Wipes from Sweet Bobbins - Thick, soft, CUTE, and so handy for everything drool to bum.

5. Turquoise Teething Necklace - Purchased from Zulily.

6. Buggy Guard Anti-Theft Stroller Lock - I'll be darned if my new awesome stroller becomes a statistic and gets swiped! This should do the trick.

7. Chompin Chicken Wing Teething Toy - A perfect AppeTEETHER! Oh, the pictures are coming... you can bet on that!

8. Simba Silicome Toothbrush - Baby toothbrush with stopper to keep it from going in too far. I have no idea what "fur clearing" means. Anyone????

9. Pully Palz Paci Hanger - Developmental toy that also helps keep pacifier handy. So cute!

10. Red Monkey Zip Up Hoodie - Baby Starters sale on Zulily.

11. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes - Oh it's on! We have this and #12 below... I'll let you know which Asher prefers after a few weeks of playing with them both.

12. Bright Starts Get Movin' Music Player - So far I like this one better, it has more sounds and the handle is skinnier and easier for Asher to grip. But we will see!

13. Red & Blue Travel Pouch - By Stephen Joseph and purchased from Zulily for keeping baby essentials together while on vaca!

"My mom online shops way too much!" - Baby Asher

Pin It Now!

Our New JJ Cole Broadway Stroller

INTRODUCING OUR NEW STROLLER: JJ COLE BROADWAY

We've had a jogging stroller and a car seat caddy stroller and those have both been wonderful, but there have been times where both of those just haven't quite fit the bill. We needed something a bit smaller than the jogging stroller, yet big enough for trips to the mall. We also will be taking a family vacation up in the mountains soon, and will need something that is appropriate for naps on-the-go for a somewhat finicky daytime sleeper. It also would be nice to have a stroller that will grow with the baby so that we don't have to search for yet another one in a few months time.

Hello, JJ Cole Broadway Stroller!

Let's face it, we can't afford a $600+ stroller. Even this was a splurge from our standpoint, but one that will pay for itself over and over again with its many options and capabilities. (At least, that's how I persuaded John to let me buy it!) In all seriousness, it really is going to be with us for the long haul. It can be used from birth to 50lbs and has a 1 year warranty. 

As you can see from the images above, this stroller converts from bassinet/pram to toddler seat in literally seconds. Both options can be either forward facing or backward facing. The handle height is adjustable, which is a must for tall moms and dads. The shade is big enough to provide solace for little sleepers - and it has a little window to check on your precious cargo. The basket below is big enough to actually hold something (not so with our jogger). The frame also fits many car seats including our Chicco Keyfit 30 with an included car seat adapter. Perfect!

There are also optional interchangeable shade colors (so cool!), but we are just using the standard black one that came with it for now. 

I can't wait to take our little guy for a spin - literally! The JJ Cole Broadway stroller features "360 Spinnovation" in that you can spin it around to rear facing or forward facing using the handle. It's as simple as 1-2-3. The review is in the works. We'll be using this on our upcoming vacation in 2 weeks over the 4th of July week, so be on the lookout for many, many more pictures of the stroller in use as well as the lowdown on how it works out for us.

Pin It Now!

2 Cousins & Chuck E Cheese

Last Saturday, we packed up Asher and headed over to Chuck E Cheese for 2 of my nephews' combined birthday parties. We walked in and there were... Lights! Sounds! Colors! Noise! John and I were overloaded within seconds and knew it would be a lot of stimulation for our little guy. He was such a trooper and loved looking around at all there was to see. His eyes remained wide throughout most of the party. He really was taking it all in and loving every minute of it.

My nephews Talan and Rylan celebrated both of their birthdays and the party was fantastic. They had a great time, their friends had a great time, and my whole family enjoyed everything, as well. We'll have to keep this venue in mind for future birthday parties when our little "squishy" grows to be a big boy!

Birthday boy, Talan.

Asher in this picture cracks me up - "Gross, Mom and Dad!"

Oh - I almost forgot! My mom, Asher's Grandma :), loves to give "non-birthday" presents to the grandchildren whose birthday it is NOT. She does this so that they don't feel left out. Of course, Asher has no clue, but she got him one anyways which was extremely thoughtful. She must have been unloading a batch of things she's been collecting over time - look at all this new stuff! Asher is one lucky little guy! (And now he'll be all the more fashionable, too!)

Pin It Now!

Asher Goes to the Zoo

We were really looking forward to Memorial Day weekend's three full days off - no work, no chores (well, less than usual) and lots of time together as a family. 

We planned on taking Asher to the zoo for the first time. Brevard Zoo has an AWESOME giraffe exhibit that neither John or I had been to yet, so that added to the excitement. We knew the zoo would most likely be packed due to the holiday weekend, so we went first thing in the morning on Sunday. We couldn't have planned it better. The weather was perfect and the crowd had not yet started to accumulate. We went right in and headed straight for the giraffes!

I have SO MANY great pictures, so I won't waste any more time. Here we go!

This picture is my favorite!!!

 

Asher was sporting his Gymboree hat!

We used this baby carrier I picked up for the first time (only $12.99! What?!?) and for the money, it definitely did the job. I've never used one of the big name brand ones, but I think the difference is probably in ease of getting baby in and out and the overall sturdiness of the carrier. Although this carrier is decent, I'm on the lookout for a nicer one.

Asher had a great time at the zoo! Now he loves his plush "sophie" even more since he has seen giraffes in person.

We did cheat and use disposable diapers for our outing. I was worried Asher would get too hot in the Florida sun with a cloth diaper on, plus his outfit wouldn't have fit him since the cloth diapers tend to add a lot of pouf to the bum area. Regrettably, we do have a lot of sore looking redness that has popped up again. I am on the lookout for a brand of disposables we can use for travel and outings like this. The gDiapers with disposable inserts probably would have hit all the marks, BUT we always end up with a leak. He might just need to grow into those ones. I will keep you updated on my progress finding the perfect travel and outing diaper!


Pin It Now!