Everyday, I call my mom and let her know the new words that Mila is either saying or signing.
She keeps telling me to write down all of her words so that I won't forget.
Admittedly, it is really hard to find the time to blog lately.
I am trying to balance:
being a mama to a rambunctious, crawling 13 month old who really wants to walk/explore
writing a dissertation
editing what I have already written and submitted
teaching a college-level literature course
prepping lessons
grading
throwing a ball for Lulu, who needs to be worn out or the day is a nightmare
So you can understand why I haven't updated the blog in over a month.
Anyway, we decided to use baby signs with Mila.
In college, I read numerous studies about the incredible benefits of teaching babies to sign. This includes:
less temper tantrums
higher vocabulary
higher IQ
better temperament
and the ability to communicate with my baby (what could be better?)
We started early on with doing simple signs with her like more and milk and then introduced her to the (dreaded) Baby Signing Time dvds
I say "dreaded" because, while Mila LOVES these and all of the catchy tunes, they are awful to listen to as an adult.
The songs are annoyingly catchy, which is whatever... but what really kills me is Rachel (the above signing woman/creator of the dvd program) and her belief that she is Celine Dion. She tries to hit riffs that are so terrible that you hope she is kidding.
She isn't.
I have to remind myself that these are not meant for me, they are meant for babies and Mila seriously adores them. She immediately begins rehearsing all of her signs when the DVD player comes on, signs along the entire time, dances to some songs, and often will point to the TV and sign "baby" and "time" until we give in.
Believe it or not, I HIGHLY recommend them.
Okay, back to the ladybug.
Mila says:
ball
mama
daya (which is dadda)
bababa (which is banana)
bu (bus)
no
hi (in the most perky way imaginable)
da (dog)
ca (cat)
up
and is working on barking when she signs "dog"
Mila signs:
ball
mama
daddy
grandma
hurt (she has only signed this a couple times)
banana
boat
bus
car
fish
cat (which is sometimes used for the cat and often used when she looks at Austin's beard)
dog
milk
more
all done
juice (started today)
please
thank you
hat
up
(she nods yes and no)
water
time
baby
shoes
socks
and she can point to her toes and belly if you ask where they are
I promise a photo update soon on her birthday party and our trip down to San Diego!!
