More

As I briefly mentioned in a recent post, I have been trying to teach AJ a little sign language to help him be less frustrated as he is learning to communicate. In addition to pointing at things he wants, he has also signed two words--fan, for his beloved ceiling fan, and more, as in "I would like more macaroni, please, mother!" (Hey, since he can't talk yet, I get to use my imagination in terms of how polite he would be.) The sign language book advises parents to be on the lookout for signs that your baby is trying to do, because they don't always get the motions exactly right, so you can think that they are just waving or doing something nonsensical and not realize that they are trying to tell you something. That is the case with "more" for AJ. You can see here how to correctly make the sign, and then see above how AJ makes the sign, which is to tap his index finger against the palm of his hand repeatedly. But I can tell from the motion and from the context that he uses it in (always while eating when he wants more cheese, more Cheerios, more macaroni, etc.), that this is his way of signing more. It was such a cool feeling when I realized what he was signing and that he was trying to communicate with me. I can't wait to see what word he will learn next! I am working with him on banana, which is also a favorite of his.