Awhile ago, we made a parenting decision that we were going to try to teach Isabel to use Baby Signs (basically, these are variations of American Sign Language, to teach babies the common signs that would help them to communicate, before they have the verbal skills to say the words). We started very basic, using "More" and "All Done" during meal times, so that she could tell us whether she wanted more food or if she was all done, without having to get frustrated and bang her tray, scream, etc.
She picked these two signs up (not with 100% consistency, but pretty well) around 1 year old, and they were really helpful! So, we started with some other signs. It was pretty amazing because once she knew the two basic signs, it was pretty easy to teach her others. She learned "Hungry," "Thirsty," (which is the sign for "Milk" but is often used in Baby Signs to mean "Thirsty") and "Sleepy" by the time she was 13 months old. More recently, she has learned "Please" and "Help" and is learning "Thank You." (She has her own variation of "Thank You" which often happens with babies, but they will eventually make the sign correctly). She is also learning "Kitty" and "Puppy" ("Dog"), and our favorite one that she just did last night for the first time when Daddy was putting her to bed, is "I Love You."
Isabel definitely knows what she wants and when she wants it, and the signs are so helpful in her communicating with us, cutting down on her tantrums! We are going to continue the use of these signs up until she has the verbal skills to say the words. We have some photos of her doing "Hungry," "Thirsty," and "Sleepy."
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
VOTE for Isabel in Cutest Baby Contest!!!
Hi family and friends!
We have entered the photo above (that we have always called Isabel's "photo of the year" in the Star Tribune Cutest Baby Photo Contest! 1,000 babies were entered, and we think she has a fighting chance of being the cutest one! Voting on her round is ONE DAY ONLY, March 11th, 2009 at 10 a.m. through March 12th, 2009 at 9 a.m. Central Time. The top 50 babies will enter the semi-finals, and the winner will receive $1,000!
You can vote once per hour, so especially if you are a blood relative like a Grandma, we are asking you to vote for Isabel as many times as you can tomorrow!
To vote, please click on the link below and follow the instructions I included below that:
http://startribune.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?PageType=APPROVED&ContestID=5242&SubmissionID=540688&IncrementNumber=1
· Click on the Registration tab to register to vote in the contest (you must set up a user ID and password in order to be able to vote).
· You will get an e-mail from Star Tribune to verify your registration.
· Click on this link and then you will be able to vote for Isabel!
· Click on the Vote tab
· She is in Round 3, so look for her there (or you can come back here and click on the link above which will take you back directly to her photo). Click on Preview, which will show you all the 200 babies in that round. Her photo is toward the end of those 200 babies, her entry number is 545 of 2,000, if that helps you to find her faster!
HAPPY VOTING AND THANKS!
We have entered the photo above (that we have always called Isabel's "photo of the year" in the Star Tribune Cutest Baby Photo Contest! 1,000 babies were entered, and we think she has a fighting chance of being the cutest one! Voting on her round is ONE DAY ONLY, March 11th, 2009 at 10 a.m. through March 12th, 2009 at 9 a.m. Central Time. The top 50 babies will enter the semi-finals, and the winner will receive $1,000!
You can vote once per hour, so especially if you are a blood relative like a Grandma, we are asking you to vote for Isabel as many times as you can tomorrow!
To vote, please click on the link below and follow the instructions I included below that:
http://startribune.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?PageType=APPROVED&ContestID=5242&SubmissionID=540688&IncrementNumber=1
· Click on the Registration tab to register to vote in the contest (you must set up a user ID and password in order to be able to vote).
· You will get an e-mail from Star Tribune to verify your registration.
· Click on this link and then you will be able to vote for Isabel!
· Click on the Vote tab
· She is in Round 3, so look for her there (or you can come back here and click on the link above which will take you back directly to her photo). Click on Preview, which will show you all the 200 babies in that round. Her photo is toward the end of those 200 babies, her entry number is 545 of 2,000, if that helps you to find her faster!
HAPPY VOTING AND THANKS!
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