There's no question that Simon is signing to us, generally in the correct context. We see it everyday. Just prior to dinner, he'll sign "eat" indicating that he's ready. If he wants more, or he doesn't see anything he likes, he'll sign "more." When it's time to get his pajamas on, he'll sign "bath," and keep doing it until he either gets in the bath or we take him back downstairs (which results in tantrums and no signs). I thought he did "ball" when I asked him about the little rubber ball he has in the bathtub, but I'm not sure.
It's pretty exciting, because he's communicating in a way that isn't just crying because he needs or wants something. Even the crying is starting to differentiate between needs and wants. It's a good first step. If there's anything frustrating about this stage in his life, it's that he can engage in testing boundaries and expressing feelings, but he's not at a point where you can reason with him. He's getting close though, and Diana attended a "love and logic" seminar that goes over some of the techniques around that.
I wish I could commit more time to really learning sign language. I really only know one deaf person in real life (i.e., not on the Internet), but I don't see him very often since changing jobs at work. It just seems like a useful skill, unlike learning French.
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