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Babbling
E has been babbling for some time now. He babbles in sign and voice both equally. His hand babbling is beautiful to watch. It’s as if he is the conductor of a rarely seen or heard symphony. He also LOVES playing with YOUR hands. When I put on Signing Times now, he starts to…
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Check One, Check Two
It was very special when it came time for E’s newborn hearing screen. The screener was very well dressed, smelled of strong perfume and made it clear we needed to have him sleeping when she returned in an hour. She had quite a different demeanor than the nurses helping us and good for…
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Follow your Leader
We’re looking at 5 months next week and it sounds so cliche to say, they really do grow so fast. He made huge gains month convincing me that he is a very smart little boy. I’ve been thinking a lot of the motherese (baby talk) and why we do it. It’s really quite…
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Payday
They say personality is apparent around four months. Well, we know we lucked out with Elijah. We cannot complain. Everyone comments on what a good, calm baby he is. He loves to laugh and totally crack ups when you tickle or tease him. Don’t all babies? I can see his receptive skills developing now. The…
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Love will Lead the Way
From a communication standpoint, I want to summarize the first four months with Elijah. They were rich with nonverbal communication; holding, rocking, swinging, giggling, kissing, gazing, and nuzzling. Pure and natural displays of love. I naturally began signing with E when he was about two weeks old, with and without my voice. His cooing was…
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Love Redefined
I was one of those women who really wanted a natural birth. I almost had one. Elijah’s umbilical cord was wrapped around his ankle. I went from having my dream labor to facing a true emergency. Sam made sure I received the first skin-to-skin contact. After the nurses ensured his lungs were clean, Sam…
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Yoga and Blueberries
Yoga and Blueberries Everything I’ve read says a baby feels everything his mother feels through the placenta. After Elijah was born, everyone commented on what a calm baby he was. I told them it was yoga and blueberries. Did I talk to him while he was in the womb? Of course! I’d have signed to…
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The Seed is Planted
When a care package arrived from my former supervisor and dear friend, Tammy, the seed was planted. It was THE sweetest package I received (sorry, Dad) around the time of Elijah’s birth. In the package was a hand-picked necklace with an E on it, two of her son’s favorite books, an insulated Hawaiian travel bag,…