An explosion of signs

I have never really worked with Ellie on signing. I taught her the sign for milk a very long time ago and she picked it up immediately. When she was about 8 months, her cousin Kolby taught her the sign for "more" which she has used ever since. Then we strapped in her in front of a TV for 12 hours while we drove across country and she suddenly started doing tons of signs. She loves to watch Signing Time. Every time she is in the living room, she stands in front of the TV, signing "play" with both hands and making this singing sound. If we don't turn it on, she starts crying and signing more frantically. It is bizarre. I don't like to let her watch it too much, because I have these fears of her turning into a hand-waving zombie, but lately I have noticed that when she does the sign, she will also say the word out loud...words I didn't even realize she knew. Example, yesterday we were doing a puzzle and she picked up the dog piece, signed dog, and said "dog." Then she did the same for "fish." When we took our walk, she pointed to a tree, said "tee" and did the sign. And the sign for tree is more complicated, involving both hands! Anyway, I am not trying to be all my daughter is a freaking genius. I am just so amazed how suddenly her vocabulary has exploded...both verbally and, um, signingly. I still think of her as a baby, not as a walking, talking little person.

A note to Rachel Coleman

Dear Rachel Coleman,

I just wanted to apologize for my previous post in which I insinuated that you just commented to plug your stuff. I really was/am excited that you commented on my blog (and also a little embarrassed that you had to comment again to explain yourself)! To show what a fan I am of Signing Time, I am going to share a little story:

My oldest brother and his wife adopted a little boy a couple of years ago. Michael's birth mother used drugs throughout her pregnancy and they were unsure of how it would affect Michael. He learned to crawl and walk early and was your typical little boy except that he wasn't talking. And he was getting really frustrated and angry with his inability to communicate. The speech therapist started teaching him sign language and the family started watching Signing Time. He picked it up really quickly and was a much happier little boy. He was also very, very excited when he got to meet you and Hopkins in Hawaii!
I am sure you hear success stories like that all the time, but I just wanted you to know how great we think Signing Time is!

Your fan,
Holly

p.s. I really think you should have "people." Maybe Hopkins?

Rachel Coleman and my dad (but not together)

Rachel Coleman commented on my blog y'all! It is almost as exciting as when author John Green commented on my other blog. Almost. Rachel Coleman's comment was nice and all, but then she kind of promoted her own thing afterwards whereas John Green was just like, hey send me an email for that interview you so want. But still, I know Ellie would be totally excited if she knew her favorite TV personality commented on her baby blog!


On a completely unrelated note, my dad's birthday was this week. I don't want to say WHICH birthday it was because I don't want him to feel too old (but after 7 kids and 18 grandkids, I'm betting he does feel kind of old). Anyway, I just wanted to give a belated birthday shout out to my old man (enough with the old already!). Happy birthday, Dad! I love ya!

p.s. I hate that I am wearing that stupid watch in all my wedding pictures. Why did no one remind me that I was wearing it? Grrrr.

Signing Time, Part II

A new Signing Time was on this Sunday. It taught the signs for "book" and "reading." You can just imagine how proud my librarian heart was to see Ellie repeating the sign for reading. Tom thinks she is going to be a track star, but I know that she is also going to be a bookworm like her Mama! Um, there is also a slight chance that she might be a TV junkie like me, too.
Ellie's adorable little outfit? A gift from Tom's Aunt Patti. Thanks, Patti!

Come and play

Ellie is into everything these days. She learned how to climb up on the computer chair and as soon as we make the mistake of leaving the door open, she is in there and pounding away on the keyboard. No big deal, except the chair is a rolling one and I just know she will hurt herself (kind of like those times where she went head first off the bed, the couch, and the Kohls' shopping cart).

She has also learned how to turn the computer and the TV on and off. She is really into Signing Time lately. We DVR it so we have like 15 episodes stored and she will go to the TV, turn the power on, and stand in front of it singing ("ahhhhhhhhh") and waving her little hands about (thinking she is signing) until we load the show for her. I find it ridiculously adorable when she does that. Not so adorable is the fact that I go around with the songs stuck in my head all freaking day. It's signing time with Alex and Leah, Come and play!