guest post: sign language tips for the mobile baby

as you all know, ian is an active little booger these days, so i'm totally grateful to Baby Sign Language for sharing their tips on how to communicate with a baby that won't stay still for more than two and a half seconds!!  i know these are some really awesome signs- some that i wouldn't have thought of, but will be most helpful! 

enjoy!

Baby Sign Language tips for your mobile baby

Aaaand, he’s off... somehow our kids leap from rolling over to crawling to cruising to running the halls of our home, and we feel like we barely had a chance to childproof. For parents who have graduated from the stationary stage, there are a few signs you’ll want to add to your baby’s vocabulary. And for parent who are not yet hovering under their little ones like a safety net, these are signs your should go ahead and start working on now.

Hurt

For a while you will hover over your little tike trying to catch the next tumble, but inevitably there will be falls. Teaching the sign for hurt allows you to offer warnings of situations and risks that can cause injury. It also let’s your toddler tell you of hurts if the situation occurs.

Run & Walk

Because once he masters walking, he will quickly escalate to running and you’ll need to be able to tell him when it is more appropriate to walk. Likewise, there may be times when you’ll encourage running... though, you’ll probably find yourself exerting more energy and time telling your little mobile machine to slow down.

Shoes

This can be taught while teaching all the parts of the wardrobe, but for your increasingly independent toddler shoes is one article that he may have been able to skip for outings prior to tottering on two as opposed to all fours.

On & Off

Shoes are also something that tend to go on and come off throughout the day. With these signs, you can more specifically instruct to “put your shoes on,” or “it is OK to take your shoes off, now.”

Up & Down

Handy little signs, particularly if your kiddo is a climber!

Good & Thank You

Once your child has slowed to a walk from a run, or brought you a pair of shoes for help tying, be sure to let them know that the behavior is good and that you are thankful for their cooperation.

Your baby is growing increasingly independent and sign language for babies can help strike a balance between encouragement, caution and reining in your runner and climber. Now... on your mark, get ready... GO!

Free learning resources for baby sign language inclusive of baby sign language flashcards are available to everyone at babysignlanguage.com

images courtesy of baby sign language dot com!

weight update

last monday i had my annual appointment, and that comes with a chance to hit the scales.  i was fitting into my size 6 jeans, so i had to be down several pounds. . .

145.

only 4 pounds?!  are you kidding me?!?

so i've been moping about this for the last week when all of the sudden it hit me.  you're not looking at this the right way. 

so let's look at it the right way.

i've lost 30 of the 45 lbs i gained while pregnant with ian.  that's 7.5 lbs a month!  and i had lost 4 lbs in 2 months- so that's roughly half a pound a month (and i really haven't worked out much).  so let's say i continue to not work out and lose almost half a pound per month.  in the next 5 months i will lose 10 more lbs! 

let's look at it even better-  say i lose 4 lbs a month.  in 5 months* i will have lost another 20 lbs!  this will either be my goal weight, or i will want to lose another 5-10 lbs (sorry mel, you will never weigh 99 lbs again).  i'll definitely be working out more now that it's warmer- ian and i will be out walking more, there will be summertime activities, and he will be crawling soon- so i'm sure i'll  never stop moving!  i'm making healthier meal choices, making more food at home, and i'm working out more.  btw, i tried out my new jogging stroller and i'm just lucky no one around here knows me because if anyone saw me jogging they'd be embarrassed to know me.  it was that bad. 

i'm doing it.  the girl who doesn't know how to diet, exercise and not eat whatever she wants is making progress!!

i can't wait to see where this journey continues to take me! 

*(i'm not crazy- i keep using 5 months as my goal because the old saying goes, "9 months on, 9 months off).

whirlwind weekend

My parents and brother were in Chicago over the last 6 days. Of course, i'm very sad that they're gone, but was glad to have them here and show them around. It was a good Chicago experience. I think we did the best of the best!

Thursday: Arrival- Picked up pizza from Lou Malnatti's (restaurant too crowded), checked them into hotel, ate pizza at hotel, left for the evening to give them some rest. At home I went through 1 of the 2 garbage bags full of maternity clothes that were sent to me! Bed.

Friday: I was so excited, I woke up at 6:30 am, they however didn't arrive until 11:30. Picked up my first (2!) checks from work, picked up Dave and went to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Had the hottest, messiest wings ever. Dropped Dave back off at work. Went shopping at Woodfield, checked out the Motherhood Store and A Pea in a Pod, probably won't be buying anything at Pea although they have this gorgeous shirt that I want. Ate a delish mall pretzel and had a frozen cherry lemonade. Drove around the Streets of Woodfield. Headed back to the hotel to wait for Dave. Met David & Debbie & John & Sally at The Assemby for dinner. Went back to hotel to decide on plans for next day. Home and bed.

Saturday: Woke up early, drove to Wrigleyville, found free parking. Walked to Wrigley, took pictures around the entire perimeter. Tours were sold out. While walking around, we found out there was a free game going on at Wrigley. Got into stadium for free. Mom & I sat while the guys walked around. Watched the high school home run derby. Left Wrigley, had lunch at The Cubby Bear. Drove to Graceland Cemetery. Drove around Graceland Cemetery. Mom & I were dropped off at Union Station. Bought train tickets, took the train back to Bartlett. Boys went to US Cellular to watch the White Sox game. Mom & I took dogs out once back in Bartlett then headed to hotel. Cleaned up. Headed to Pasta Mia for a delicious dinner. Chocolate Italian Ice. Went to Target to pick up some things. Headed back to hotel to wait on boys. Listened to boys talk about trip to US Cellular. Decided on plans for Sunday. Home and bed.

Sunday: Woke up, waited on family. Decided to go to Arlington Park. Got to Arlington, and was very confused. Missed first horse race. Walked around indoors for a while. Found seats for 2nd race, and finally getting the hang of things! Placed bets on 3rd race. Sandwich for lunch. Almost won $400+ in the trifecta had I not switched "place" and "show." Didn't win anything in 4th race, but picked the correct winner. Didn't win 5th race either. Derek cashes out with $4.20. Headed back to Bartlett, dinner at Dogfather's. Chicago Hotdogs! Picked up desserts at Oberweiss. Drove to Temple on 59 and drove around amazed at it. Headed back to Dave's parents house with desserts. Spent time with Grace. Ate dessert. Decided we'd go putt-putt. Lost horribly to Dave & Derek, but I got the only hole in one! Decided on plans for Monday. Home and bed.

Monday: Woke up early. Drove to Bartlett train station. Caught train into city. Walked to Sears (Willis) tower. Made it through security. Cut line because our tickets were at Will Call! Watched movie on tower. Took elevator up to 103rd floor. Viewed the city from all angles. Actually talked myself into standing out on the new SkyDeck. Never looked down. Left tower, starving. Walked back to Union. Caught #124 bus to Navy Pier. Headed into shops for lunch. I decided on Taqueria. Got a chorizo burrito, probably not a good decision. Ate and then walked entire length of pier. Baby makes me so tired. Mom & I walked back the length of the pier indoors! Dave & Derek decided to walk to Buckingham Fountain. We took the water taxi to museums. Best decision ever! Walked to Field Museum- Free Target Second Monday's! Viewed the Ancient Americas exhibit. Dave & Derek finally showed up. Boys walked to Soldier Field, Mom & I chilled in Museum lobby. Caught water taxi again- first to Navy Pier. Transfered at Navy Pier to go to Union. Caught train back to Bartlett. Took dogs out at home. Drove to Japan 77. Thought we'd never eat- so crowded. Extra chef called into work. Finally dinner! Annoying drunk guys sitting at next table. Annoying drunk guys leave. One gets on motorcycle and drives off w\o a helmet. Stuffed full of Japan food. Back to home. Hug family goodbye. Family leaves. I cry. Bed.

Tuesday-Saturday. Work. Not excited at all.