He used to point at something he wanted and then make a "gimme" motion. It was nice because I understood that he wanted something or wanted me to walk closer to whatever he was pointing at. However, that gimme motion needed to be replaced. It reminded me too much of a naught student, or two, that I've had along the way.
In Moscow Oliver was very interested in the light fixture at our apartment, it was shiny, it light up, it had dangling pieces of glass that would jingle if you hit them, it was very exciting. He used his gimme hand all the time so I would lift him up to whack it, yeah I'm that mom...I kinda liked the sound it made also. Day two at the apartment I decided that we should be all done with that gimme sign and it needed to be replaced with the sign for please. (hand rubbing chest motion) I showed him please, I said please, I helped him make the sign, and he started doing it. I didn't make him do it for everything, that would be overkill. However, even for the few things I asked him to sign please he started getting mad and lifting his arm in the "I'm going to hit you, you crazy woman" motion. Hmmm, that's not what I was going for.
The other day I made brownies for someone's monthly order. Brownie bits always stick to the knife when you cut the brownies. We used those bits for a mini please boot camp. Sit on the kitchen floor, see delicious bit of brownie, sign please, no don't hit me, sign please, good job, here is a bit of brownie for you, repeat, repeat, repeat. At dinner this evening he wants me to pass him his water cup. I say, say please he signs it and Jim asks how he knows that. I taught him. Jim says, "how?" With chocolate, of course. After bath time, still burrito-ed in his towel, we are sitting in the glider getting ready to read. Unprompted, Oliver wiggles his hand out of the towel burrito and points to the book of his choice and then rubs his chest. Ya buddy!
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Toothbrush it torture, yes it pretty much is. However, Oliver did put the toothbrush in his mouth on his own this morning. I guess that's something.
Way to go Mom! We've been trying the signing for "more" with Andrei. It's not working. Maybe I should try the chocolate approach!!
ReplyDeleteHey Lady, So Emmet and I have been working on signing too, although it's not going nearly as well as yours! Congrats on that! I do have some advice for the toothbrush though because we are going through this as well. What I did was sit Emmet on the couch and I brushed me teeth in front of him - like right in front of his face and he was so interested, he tried to touch and grab at my toothbrush and put his hands in my mouth (he's all about putting his hands in my mouth these days) Anyway I let him because his hands were clean and I wanted him to see there was nothing bad about it. The second day I did the same thing but set his tooth brush in front of him on the couch before I started. He picked it up and looked at it and played with it and even put it in his mouth a few times. The third day I did the same and put baby toothpaste (he likes the colgate for babies fruit flavored) on his toothbrush and after I'd brushed for a while I helped him. It was still a bit of a fight but it seems to be working!!! :) Good luck!
ReplyDeletethumbs up!
ReplyDeleteBig progress! Besides the language development, I believe it is our job as parents to tame the primitive cretins otherwise know as toddlers!
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