Signing man

Jackson has been signing and talking up a storm lately, but mostly signing. Some of his new signs are:
HELP
MILK
BED
CRACKER
WATER
& BATH
Others that he has been doing for a while are:
AIRPLANE
MORE
PLEASE
ALL DONE
PRAYER
EAT
& FRUIT
We're working on:
BALL
SHARE
CHANGE DIAPER
SWIM
BOOK
& TOYS
There may be more but I can' think of them right now.
Some good web-sites if you want to teach your baby, or toddler some signs are:
http://www.signingbaby.com/main/
& http://mybabycantalk.com/. I also went to the library and read some great books on how to go about teaching signing and some good tips, along with a huge signing picture dictionary in the back which is so helpful. We even bought a lift the flap children's book that teaches signs and Jackson LOVES it. So does the little boy I watch from time to time. It was his favorite book at my house for a long time:)

It took J a LONG time--like 8 months--to really start using his signs, but it is SOOOOO nice, and SOOOO worth it!

He can now point to all his facial features including his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, and tongue. He can only verbally say nose and eyes. And, of course, he knows exactly where his belly is. Who couldn't? That thing is HUGE! At his 18 month check-up a month ago, he was in the 91% for height, up from around 30%, 57% for his weight, also up from about 30%. He has a small head, just like mommy at only 28%, up from 18%. That's probably not exciting for you, but it is for me, especially considering how small he was when he was born. He's definitely making up for lost time.

At bed time, we have a pretty redundant routine. Most nights, he gets a bath, and then it's book, quote from Stand a Little Taller, and then singing and prayers. It's amazing how much more patience he is getting. He used to not sit still on my lap for more than two pages. Now, he sits for the whole thing and then asks for is again! At least at bed time. Forget about that the rest of the day! When I open a hymn book, he immediately starts singing which is adorable. And when asked to fold his arms, most the time, he does! Now, he is beginning to last through many of our shorter prayers. It is good to see his attention span getting longer and learning new things. One of the most fun parts of being a parent is watching your child grow and succeed, even at the littlest things. Although we have some rough days, I wouldn't trade them for the world. I love my little ray of sunshine.

More video to come soon of his signs and maybe even singing.