The Kate Effect

Taking ASL to the Masses

Last week Kate and I were interviewed by a local newscaster for a segment on signing with your baby. Take a look at our 15 minutes of fame.

KXAN Video Of Kate and Carrie

UGH

yes my child is a genius. i recently showed kate the signs for GRUMPY, HAPPY, and SUPRISED thinking that they might come in handy. my little mastermind has become very emotional with mood swings that could rival any menopausal woman. whenever kate would start whining and pulling at my pants and squealing i would been down and say "Are you GRUMPY?" Then I would tell her mommy is cooking and you need to  use your words if you need something.

Yes, this is completely talking over her head. On the other hand it keeps me talking in English rather than reverting to grunts and nods myself. After being home for a few days and only conversing in one year old speak you forget which order real words go in. This is my way of preventing that and keeping my adult language skills in practice.

Kate amazed me and caught on real quick. How do I know? Because yesterday I made an "UGH" noise trying to get her to sit in her carseat and she stopped arching her back, looked up at me and signed GRUMPY.

I have a feeling she she was saying "Mommy are you GRUMPY? You should still use your words."

little turkey day

happy thanksgiving to all you turkey eaters out there and to Rach too!

I began to haul out the christmas decor late Wednesday night and got  a little rush of energy. So here I am at 2:00 in the morning on Thanksgiving thinking I may need to go to bed since I have to get up and prep the turkey soon! Brad and I put our mini tree and right on cue Kate decided to wake up. It was way past her bedtime but I let her come out into the living room and help put the finishing touches on. She was mezmorized by the lights and started saying BALL, STAR, LIGHT, and TREE very clearly and repeatedly.

It was so fun to share this late night decorating mania with her. Tomorrow (or should I say) we will both be napping while daddy makes the mashed potatoes.

Signing Time Intro - CHECK IT OUT!

hey all of you out there who have noticed that i am signing with kate but are still wondering why or just want to know what it is all about or maybe you are interested too and you have no idea how to get started ... click here and check out the Signing Time Intro Video.

Signing Time is one of the highlights of my day with kate. we have to really keep up with when it is airing on PBS because schedule is not always consistant but it is worth making the time for. I can't tell you how much joy I get from signing with kate. I love knowing that don't have to wait until she finds her voice but I can communicate with her now! She is developing great launguage and communication skills and has a great sense of confidence when interacting with others.

I strongly encourage you to check out the video, website and see if Signing Time is airing on TV in your area.

Ode' to Signing Time

OK so I have already gone on and on about Signing Smart but now I must pay my dues to Signing Time. This is our favorite show! And although I am not a huge advocate of sitting your baby in front of the TV - if you and your baby have some time to chill out in front of the tube - this is the show to watch.  Rachel shows how to sign various words in ASL (American Sign Language) with the help of Alex and Leah (her daughter and nephew). There are songs and other kids signing and the signs are super easy to pick up!!

I love this show because it supports me in learning signs to use with Kate and it allows both Kate and I to see other adults and children signing. the goal of the Signing Time Foundation is to help children of all abilities communicate! WOW - what a huge goal. But guess what!? It's working. Kate sees Rachel on the TV and starts using all her signs. This week at church, where I help register kids for the Sunday morning program, I came upon a child and later and an adult who were hearing impaired. I was able to use a few signs I had learned while I connected them with the volunteer interpreter!! If you are like me and can't seem to grasp Spanish or any other language for that matter and yet want to expose you child to various ways of communicating - Try Sign Language!!

It is never too early or late. Sign Language is like any another language and starting it early is great, you would be amazed at how your baby can use those tiny fingers. If you little one is older - no problem! Signing time is perfect for kids and is geared for pre-school and up. We DVR Signing Time on KLRU - check out your listings (or click here) to see when you can catch a sneak peek.

This is Kate signing MORE to us on Fathers Day (seven months old) She is asking for more syrup. She managed to grab a handful of french toast from her daddy's breakfast in bed plate.

Talk to the Hand

some of you may know about my latest fetish for sign language, and if you didn't know - you do now! i decided to sign with Kate early on and finally picked up Signing Smart for Babies and Toddlers when Kate was about 6 months old. She was sitting beautifully and eating all sorts of foods and streamlining her crawl - so I thought I would throw something new in the mix. I didn't expect her to sign for months but I knew I need to practice and let her see the signs so she would pick them up quicker.

One Week Later --- she signed FAN. I was amazed!! It was not beautifully executed but it was obvious what she was telling me. “Look mommy a FAN.” After that she signed FAN all the time. At every ceiling fan in every home or restaurant. Kate can now sign about a dozen signs and can recognize twice as many. She also jabbers about everything and although her little language skills are still rough, the signs make it easier to distinguish those soon to be words.

I can’t gush enough about how wonderful it is to feel like I am really talking to her and interacting with her about things SHE is interested. She signs CLEAN-UP when she is done eating. She lets me know when she wants her daddy to tickle her MORE. She lets me know she hears DADDY’s voice on the message machine. And she tells me she wants to go home to her BED when she is tired.

I will try to post pictures of Kate sign when I can catch them.