Life ramblings and the journey through adoption.
YoWa = Yogurt
Cone = Corn
Monnie = Mommie
Uma = Eemah
Elmo = Elmo
Wa Wash = Wash Wash
Kancy = Quincy
Juno = Juno
Pees = Please
Bah! = Ball
Mana = Banana
huwo = Hello
Cwako? = Cracker
Appo-Basch = Applesauce
Stowa = Stroller
Daka-Dese = Mac and Cheese
This is just a sample, but she does have a few words that are actual words - mostly the once syllable variety:
Uh-Oh!
Yeah!
Wow!
OK
Bye-Bye
Hi
Oh
No
Hot
Eat
Interestingly enough, words have replaced most of her signs. Or she says the Hebrew word WITH the sign. For Example:
The Hebrew word for Help is Ezra. She'll do the ASL sign for help, but say the word Ezra. Same with Water - she'll say Mayim, putting fingers to her lips.
Baby signs are funny. Not "quite" the actual sign, but it gets the point across. For "all done," she flaps her arm like a chicken trying to fly. For "Please," she hits her chest like a wild woman, and for "hot," she flaps her hand in front of her face, like she's swatting flies. She does have some signs that are spot on, but they are few and far between.
All in all, however, it's pretty great being able to communicate with her; be it in English, Hebrew, or sign.
3 comments:
Oh "Elmo." :-)
Deaf kids or kids of deaf parents learn to sign just like hearing kids learn to speak. Like a hearing kid will start saying "nana" then later on it's become "banana." Kids learning ASL will start with putting their hand to their chin for mom then later it'll become the more formal sign (the "5" handshape, thumb to chin).
The amazing thing is some signs are fingerspelled and a kid sees it as a whole sign not individual letters. For hearing people learning ASL it is so heard to master fingerspelling because we are trying to pick out the individual letters as they are whizzing by and it takes us long time to let go of that and try to see it as one shape.
Three languages! What a wonderful start you are giving her!
And ALL! DONE! I love her all done. I think of Malka every time Natalie says donedonedonedonedone. We should get them together for another word sharing soon. Malka could teach Natalie a thing or two about enunciating the sounds.
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