Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Big Day for L, Big Day for Us

Today L told us about how she felt.

This morning when she woke up, L told me she loved me. She didn’t say it; she’s a long ways from that. But she signed it for the first time without me initiating it or showing it to her. It melted my heart.

Then tonight, she was crying after I put her to bed. I went back upstairs to take care of her and I asked her what was wrong. She put her first fingers together (“hurt”), pointed to her teeth, and then clenched her hand and pulled it away from her face (“angry”). I said, somewhat shocked, “Your teeth hurt and that makes you mad?” She nodded, and any stamina I had at making her cry it out flew out the window. A dose of ibuprofen and a 15-minute rocking session, and all was better.

And, not as monumental, but today at lunch she wanted another desert breadstick. I told her she needed to ask for more, so she touched her fingers together ("more") then used one hand to 'butter' the other ("toast"). Not only is she using her signs, but she's expanding their meaning to get her point across.

My baby is (re)learning how to communicate!

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