Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What's Your Sign?

According to her therapists, Lily is becoming quite good at sign language.

There are several signs she does very well, like textbook American Sign Language.  Then there are some signs that she has kind of adapted to her liking.

I don't know sign language but I've always been intrigued by it.

In fact, while in college, I enrolled in a sign language course as an elective one semester.

I called to share the exciting news with my parents.

Not very subtly, my dad reminded me that electives were for students who were paying their own way through school.  And that I could stay in school for as long as I wanted, taking all the electives I desired.  But he was paying for four years of college and not a minute more.  Then you are on your own, missy.

I dropped the class.

So, instead of already being fluent in American Sign Language like I just know I would be had I taken that one semester class back in 1988, I am trying to cram yet more new information into my already overloaded 41 year old brain.

The same brain that never really grasped the elusive concept of making change until I had to teach it to Reagan in homeschool math.  That freezes up every time a salesperson asks for my zip code when I'm using my credit card.  That can't remember to buy all the items written down on the grocery list I'm holding in my hand.

You watch.

One day, I swear my brain is just going to quit.  As in, kaput.  Enough.  No more.

I'll be trying to do some seemingly simple task, like double the measurements in a recipe and my brain will reach capacity and just stop.

I really don't think my old brain was meant to hold as much stuff as it tries to.

Which is probably why in unsuspecting moments, it just kicks out vital information like my home phone number yet still remembers the lyrics to almost every song by Duran Duran.

And now I'm continuing to push my brain to it's very limits by attempting to learn some sign language.

At the moment, I just know a few single words:  open, eat, drink, sit....

and one phrase:  "want more cookie?".

If this is the way my child can most easily make her wants and needs known to me, then by golly, I'll break out the DVDs and learn sign language.

My brain may be so overstuffed that I don't remember to put my shoes on before I leave the house or where I parked my car at Target, but I'm going to talk to this little girl of mine.

One way or another.

4 comments:

  1. Lana, we go to Bannockburn. We've never met though. But I have 3 or 4 Baby Signing Times DVDs if you'd be interested in them. My kids are done with them and I've been holding onto them for just the right family. If you don't want them, maybe you have another family in mind from our church that would enjoy them. Just let me know - LOVE your blog by the way :)

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  2. Thanks so much, Leslie! I'd love to meet you sometime so if you see me on a Sunday, come introduce yourself, ok? I would really love to use the DVDs and I can pass them along to another family when we're done. If you want to drop them off with Sandra at the Welcome Desk in the lobby sometime when you're out and about, she'll make sure I get them. Thanks again!

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  3. L- those DVD's are great! I had to learn basic ASL in order to communicate with some of the parents of my students....you can do it! ( do you see me cheering...pom-pom's in hand :)

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  4. Will do this Sunday as long as all of the kids are healthy - stomach virus season :)

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