Suddenly I feel like Tess and I are communicating on a whole new level. It was very slow and subtle in coming, but she slowly understands more and more and finds more sophisticated ways of making herself understood.
Today I experimented with giving Tess instructions and watching to see how much she understood. Here's what I noticed:
- I was nursing Tess in the morning and Eric was getting ready to leave. I said, "Tess, Daddy is going bye-bye. Do you want to go see Daddy?" She instantly stopped nursing and twisted to get off the bed. Then she toddled over to Eric and asked to be picked up.
- When we were getting ready to go, I was standing by the door. I told Tess, "go get your jacket. It is in the kitchen." Tess left my sight and came back with her jacket. Then I put on her jacket and socks and said, "Tess, we need your shoes. Can you get your shoes?" She left and returned with her shoes.
- She went to nurse tonight right before bed, and I said, "are you ready to go night-night? We are going to nurse and then go night-night. Do you want to read a book first?" She thought for a couple of seconds and then turned away and got the book.
- I told her to take off her socks, intentionally not pointing to them or giving any gesture clues, and she reached right down and took them off.
- She had climbed up on a little chair and gotten down by herself when Eric was out of the room. When Eric came back into the room and sat on the bed with me, Tess came over and asked to be helped up onto the bed. I said, "show Daddy how you climb up onto the chair." She smiled and went over to the chair and climbed up and down again.
- If I tell Tess to give something to someone, she follows that instruction.
In addition to this understanding, she's trying to use sign language in a more intentional way. I really haven't learned many signs, and so she doesn't know much. In fact all of her signs are really made up signs that we've established together. But she now rubs her hands together when she wants down from her high chair, stroller, or any other seat where she is confined. She has also started using the same sign to mean "up" when she wants me to lift her and I ask her, "Tess, what do you want?"
She taps her index fingers together to say she wants to nurse. This can also mean she's hungry or thirsty, or perhaps I should say that when she does this sign, I can sometimes give her food or water instead, but often she refuses the food and continues to tap her fingers together, clearly knowing I understand her.
Sometimes she will just wave her hands about or twist her hand back and forth as if hoping that she could somehow convey her meaning by some shake or signal.
She really doesn't try to say words, however. I will encourage her to say "up" or "shoes" and she smiles this sly little smile at me when I play this game. And yet, when we eat together, or play together, she will often launch into long babbling stories complete with eyebrow raising, head nodding, laughter for emphasis, and lost of gesturing. One day she will tell quite the stories.
