Day 239: Communication

I remember when Gianna was such a small, brand new baby and it was like there was virtually no communication...no emotion. When a young baby cries, it's generally because they want something; in Gianna's case, milk (truthfully, she actually didn't cry unless past hunger--she just made little noises). She never cried because she was tired until around four months of age. Until that point, she'd just fall asleep without a peep, usually while nursing. And even if she did cry, it wasn't an emotional cry as if she were sad or angry, it was a cry because she needed something.

It wasn't until the past couple months that Gianna started to show what I consider real communication and emotion. She'd be obviously happy or angry in the past, but now it seems like she really wants to let you know how she's feeling, what she wants, and she's starting to show affection and the need for physical comfort. It's very sweet!

So many people always seem sad that their babies aren't as young anymore, that they're growing so fast, but I don't know that I quite feel the same way. I'm too excited about all of Gia's developments and how she makes me smile even more now that I see real feeling and a desire to communicate.

Just recently I discovered that she knows what the word "milk" means. I couldn't believe it! She knows her name and her nicknames, but outside of that, I wasn't sure she really understood the other things we may be saying. When I ask, "Milk?" though, she'll almost immediately turn her head and try to nurse. I can hold a sippy cup in front of her and say "milk" and she'll grab it from me and try to drink.

That's why I want to start working on sign language now. A lot of people scoff at teaching babies sign language, I think partially because so many seem to teach a self-made-up version rather than actual ASL. But the difference it can make in your lives is amazing! Babies know what they want and simply can't communicate it well because they don't have the physical ability to form words. They make all sorts of motions with their hands, though. In the past month, Gianna has learned to clap so well, she's so proud of herself. She laughs and laughs, clapping her hands together over and over. If you start to clap, her smile gets so big! It's really precious. And if she has the ability to do that...if she knows to start clapping when she hears the words "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake..." then doesn't it make sense that she'll be able to imitate signs in order to let us know whether she's hungry, tired, or needs a diaper change?

If you can teach your baby to wave "hello" and "goodbye," you can certainly teach them to make a hand motion for "milk" and many others. It simply takes some effort.

So, I can say I'm very excited to learn a little bit of sign language and start teaching my baby. It's not too difficult to see when she's hungry and when she's had enough, but I'm sure it would become even easier were she able to simply show me herself. Like when I was feeding her today, I had a bottle ready and a bowl of butternut squash. While giving her spoonfuls of squash, she suddenly stopped eating and began fussing, staring and leaning toward her bottle. I picked it up, offered it to her and she immediately started drinking. If she were able to sign "milk," though, she could simply show me that gesture and I'd know immediately, without the worry of fussiness or being able to know what she's looking for.

The signs are quite easy to remember too, so I have no worry that I (or anyone else caring for her, such as Billy!) won't be able to retain enough to teach her. It's just so simple. And I'm confident that as long as we maintain a constant usage of each sign, she'll eventually understand their meaning (as she's come to understand the spoken word, "milk") and one day, in the next couple months, start executing them herself!

I can't wait :)