What an amazing moment. I'm sitting at a Panera (Ben right next to me, but having a meeting). We just dropped off both boys. Elias, as I had hoped, didn't care a hoot about us as soon as we walked into the room with him this morning. He showed us his cubby (marked with a lovely photo of him, seeing as he can't read his name). He settled himself at a tiny table, looking at a book. Bye bye! Kisses! And then the teacher said I was free to go.
So now I'm sort of on call– I'm not too far away, with my phone one inch from my hand, in case there's trouble. My fear is that he'll hurt himself in some way and then start crying, and then start in with the coughing and crying and getting more and more upset, and I'll need to rush back. (Basically he's well from his croup, but has occasional relapses brought on by crying.) But– I have to say that all last week I was "on call" in the hall, and he never needed anything from me whatsoever. I have a friend, though, who in week three of the transition got cocky and went to get her hair colored, and then got called, and had to rush back half-dyed and all wet. So one mustn't over-reach.
A couple weeks ago, I prepared a glossary of Elias's sign language to help his teachers understand him. How could I send him out into the world, only able to say "ice" and "eyes" and "map"? And a few other odds and ends of very narrow usefulness. ..
Here's a copy of the glossary:
Elias: A Glossary
8/24/08
Elias is adding new spoken words to his vocabulary. He can now say: ants, ice, eyes, knee, Dad, Mama, Baby, car, map, among other things. But his primary form of communication is still baby sign—his own special blend of ASL and created signs. Here’s a short glossary to help you get started with him at school.
When Elias… He’s saying…
Touches his index fingertips together Hurt/ouch/pain (he then will show you where it hurts)
Touches his index fingertips together, or more fingers together in a bunch If he’s smiling and happy he means “more” or “do it again.” He tends to mix these up so context is important
Snaps his fingers Dog
Wiggles fingers under his chin Frog/toad
Curls all his fingers, palm up, looking back at you over his shoulder “Come here, I want to show you something”
Curls and uncurls index finger Worm
Makes his hand “fly” palm out Airplane
Zips index finger through the air, making a buzzing sound Bee or other flying insect
Puts his hand over his ear or on the side of his head Sleepy, tired
Runs his index finger down his cheek Crying
Taps the corner of his mouth or chin with index finger Water (sometimes milk or juice)
Pats his chest with both hands “I need help”
Rubs his chest with knuckles Bath
Lifts his fist straight up, wrist straight, and wiggles it slightly Potty (might be “I went potty and need to be changed”)
Touches knuckles of both hands together and turns them side to side Change diapers
Quickly opens and closes both hands, fingers wide apart and palms out Light or lightening
Crunches his shoulders up under his ears, clenches both fists, and makes a scared face Scared
Clasps one wrist with the other hand Turtle
Taps together thumb and forefinger Bird
Taps his lips with fingers bunched together Eat
Flutters both hands Butterfly
Opens and closes one fist with fingers stacked vertically Nursing or “I want to nurse”
Sharply shakes both hands up and down Spider or other crawling bug (crab, lobster)
Turns both open hands over quickly All finished
Wiggles all his fingers up high Stars
Moves his hand slowly, palm facing the sky Moon
Opens and closes his hands, palms together like a book Book
Spreads out all his fingers and pulls them down through the air Rain
Says, “HUM!” Truck
Says, “Aah-gn” Isaac, his older brother in P3
But even in the two weeks since then, he's been exploding in language. He now signs turtle, and says "toot-ol" and that type of thing. He comes up with more and more words each day. He can repeat pretty much anything in his own adorable accent. At school the other day, he sat with a basket of plastic fruits and veggies, and showed me each one, saying "onion" clear as a bell. (That's a hard word!) He's been calling Ben a cool "Dat" instead of the babyish "Dad'n."
It's been good for me, too, to see all the other kids his age. One thing I learned is that his language ability is very on par with the other kids in terms of speaking, and has this layer of sign that many don't. The other thing I learned is that on the continuum of insane to calm, he's NOT the most insane by any stretch. He's actually towards the calm end! Really I couldn't be more happy and proud about his debut. He's launched.