From Signs of Love to Words.... Our Journey Part 5

Sign Language.

Now despite the fact that many strangers and people who know nothing about sign language consistantly made comments that I was wrong for teaching Joshua sign language it was the most wonderful thing we have ever done for this family. This is a picture of Joshua signing "daddy."

It was now January and I had yet to hear a single word, at this point we had been told that Joshua would never speak and the scary part was that I could think that the doctors were as wrong as ever but in the end Joshua still didn't speak. I decided to buy and research all the signing books out there. I was determined to have Joshua speak even if it was only using sign language. I felt that if I focused on this that maybe it would make the battle of the words a little less of a battle and more of a disagreement.

I did it the hard way and learned as much signing as I could then at about 20 words I sat down to teach Joshua. It was a Saturday night and I signed "I Love You" and for the first time he signed "I Love You, Mom" I cried... I simply turned into a pile of jello. He knew what he was saying and he understood, he then stood up went into my mom's kitchen and asked her for a banana using sign. By the next day he had learned all the signs that I had practiced for the last two weeks.

I have to say that instead of spending hundreds of dollars on all of the books to attempt to teach yourself and then your child buy the very simple "Signing Time" DVD's. These DVD's are amazing, they teach you and your baby and your kids will LOVE it. My husband watched them and learned in a day... it is simple sings and it is learned. The lady who makes them has well into 40 DVD's now... it really is amazing and little Peyton picked up the siging as well.

Within the two weeks that I had learned signing, and taught Joshua, our lifes had changed. Joshua was now letting me know what he wanted, juice, milk, crackers. It was a change for the better, we were finally understanding each other and we were working on the same page. I will forever think that sign language is what brought some sanity into our chaotic lives and I also think that it opened my eyes to a world around me that I was completly oblivious about.