...with Melissa B.

We've had a good weekend around our household. Unfortunately, our drought seems to be attempting to kill off our trees and our huge azaleas. But still, we water them in hopes of saving them. I could care less about our grass; it will come back quickly, even if we have to replant it. But trees and bushes take much more time to come back...so we water them and pray for several days of good, steady rain.

In other news, my brother, Christopher, came to visit for a few hours yesterday. It was great to see him and it took a little bit for Iliya to warm up, but he ended up having a good time playing with his uncle. I think that Christopher's name will be one of the last ones that Iliya can say...it's just so complex! Over the years, C has been Kiffer, Critter, Cookie, Cuckoo, and Mo. So we'll just keep calling him "Christopher" and see what ends up coming about!

I think I posted about Iliya signing "more, please." Once kids pick up one sign and realize that it can be useful in actually communicating, they are typically pretty quick to pick up more signs. And by quick, I mean very quick. In the past few days, alone, Iliya has started using the following signs:

More, Please, (also the "more, please" combination), Thank You, Drink, Food/Hungry, Help, (also the "help, please" combination), Sing (this one he made up but uses it consistently, so we use it with him)

I am mostly teaching Iliya functional signs....things that will help him communicate his needs. But over time, we'll start adding the "just for fun" stuff (like animal names, etc) in. But here's an example of another use of functional signs. Just this afternoon, I was not paying good attention. He was making sounds, trying to get my attention, and when I finally turned around, he was standing by the piano bench signing "help, please" in attempt for me to help him up on the piano bench to play. No crying, no frustration, just simple signing, asking for my help.

I strongly encourage anyone (adoptive & non-adoptive parents) to use signing with their baby. A couple years ago for work, I created a workshop on using signs with babies & children (it was a pretty popular workshop & to this day, remains a favorite of mine)...and the benefits are just incredible. You take a child who cannot form spoken words, thus cannot express himself. This child still has needs & wants. However, he cannot express his needs and wants for us to understand him. BUT, research has shown that children CAN express themselves, if they are given an understandable mode of expression.

Enter sign language. Some people make up their signs (called home signs); others use the Baby Signs books. I, personally, advocate for using American Sign Language (ASL) signs, simply because they are useful beyond the immediate family environment. For instance, when Iliya needs more of something, if we make up our own sign for "more," then WE know what he means. But if he tries using it at daycare, and they use ASL signs, then it will be frustrating for him. Not to mention that using simple signs in ASL forms the foundation for learning a whole new language, if we decide to continue teaching it to him.

I say do whatever you're most comfortable doing...but do something. It has been a lifesaver for us...it has bridged the language barrier, and given Iliya a way to actually say things TO us! As I said in another post, the key is consistency. When you say it, sign it. Eventually (for younger babies, it often takes a couple months), your child will start actually producing signs. And as I mentioned earlier, once they start producing signs, it gets easier for them to grasp the idea of communicating with their hands. (and by the way, research also shows that it doesn't delay talking, which is a common fear of parents. instead, sometimes talking may actually occur earlier...even if it doesn't, then once a word is actually vocalized, the signs will typically begin to drop out)

Annnnnyway, I could say more about that, but I won't hijack my own blogpost. If you want more info, feel free to ask. If you click here, you can get some excellent info, too!

In other news, we went to church for the first time today. I was so nervous (and I am under no delusion that this will last), but my child did perfectly! He sat and remained quiet when he needed to...and he didn't mind standing up with me when he needed to. He got a little restless a couple minutes into the sermon and we broke out the cheerios. Close to the end of the sermon, he got really restless - maybe bored with the cheerios? - so we pulled out the banana that we had been saving for just an occasion. So many people were so glad to see him...and I only hope he wasn't too distracting for others. After church, he saw so many people...it was a little overstimulating, and I really appreciated people understanding this and giving us a little space. In a year from now, it will be interesting to see how my little man does at church...he'll probably be so comfortable with everyone by then. It'll just be cool to watch the transition.

Here are a few pictures:

looking out the window

pretty handsome boy

picture with daddy

picture with mommy

the little family at church

And the last part of the update is to let you know our plan for tomorrow. The Doctor. We'll have several things done tomorrow. The first is his 'social' evaluation by the social worker at the IAC. I am so looking forward to hearing what she has to say about our interactions so far...and see what pointers & tidbits she can give us! But after that, it will be a head-to-toe examination...including blood work. Some of you know how terrible I am with needles. If you don't, suffice it to say that I break out into a cold sweat, and rooms begin to darken on me. (I almost passed out, once, when my FIL was receiving a presurgery IV - it's one of those stories that has become funny, but wasn't at the time). So we shall see how tomorrow goes...but if you've got a spare prayer to say and positive vibes to send my way, I'd more than appreciate it.

Well, that wraps up my weekend update! Goodnight!