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Signing With Babies Chat #31, with Sarah Bingham of WeeHands
( www.weehands.com )
5/5/05

5 mamas in attendance

20:03:58 WeeHands HI THERE WELCOME TO THE SIGNING WITH BABY CHAT!  I'M SARA FROM WEEHANDS!
20:03:59 ourwiefamily I'm sick again ... sore throat and wondering if it's strep again.  Sigh
20:04:06 onthebrink Hi Sara!
20:04:07 ourwiefamily Hello Ssara
20:04:10 WeeHands Hi there!
20:04:15 WeeHands hi  ourwiefamily !
20:04:21 onthebrink how are you?
20:04:29 onthebrink small group this evening
20:04:43 WeeHands I'm good; just relaxing after throwing the kids into bed :D
20:05:01 WeeHands where are you  onthebrink ?
20:05:18 onthebrink in Florida.  and you?
20:06:12 onthebrink i've never used baby sign
20:06:30 WeeHands oh, nice! i'm just east of Toronto.  Do you have any wee kiddies?
20:06:39 onthebrink my daughter, emma, is 4.  she was an early talker (very clear by 9-10 months), so we didn't really get to it.
20:06:54 onthebrink john is 7 months and isn't talking, so i'm interested in the signing.
20:06:56 WeeHands My son is 4.5, born August 2000
20:07:09 WeeHands emma was an early talker!
20:07:14 onthebrink i love the age 4!  3 was the truly terrible part!
20:07:26 onthebrink yes, she was early with most everything.  john is normal.""
20:07:43 onthebrink normal is kind of a nice change - very laid back!
20:08:03 WeeHands do you think so?  my daughter is 2.5 and I'm having a hoot with her.  she is the happiest little thing and swings from being a ballerina to a pirate daily - aaarrrr!
20:08:28 onthebrink i thought 2 was awesome.  3 was a challenge for me.  4 rocks!
20:08:34 WeeHands maybe the second child is typically the laid back one ? is it them or us!?
20:08:44 onthebrink good question!
20:09:16 onthebrink so, is he a good age to start the baby sign thing?  i just pulled out the book today.
20:10:03 ourwiefamily I'm signing w/ Maria who's a little younger than John ... good age to start
20:12:30 WeeHands 7 months is a great time to start!
20:12:39 WeeHands what are you're little ones favourite things?
20:12:59 onthebrink um - nursing!
20:13:15 onthebrink do i just show him the sign as i say the word or do the action?
20:13:22 ourwiefamily I'm still debating on what sign to use for nursing ... milk or nursing or mom + milk
20:13:41 onthebrink oh, i need to grab that book and check out those signs
20:13:49 onthebrink is there a link with them online?
20:13:51 ourwiefamily yes, Nancy ... you just use the sign whenever you say the word
20:14:04 WeeHands show him the sign at least before, during and after.  talk about the activity and show the sign whenever you say the word
20:14:07 onthebrink hmm... i don't think i usually say nursing outloud - we just do it!
20:14:15 onthebrink ok, makes sense
20:14:16 ourwiefamily LOL ...
20:14:18 WeeHands www.weehands.com
20:14:30 WeeHands go to the signing links on the bottom of the page
20:14:44 WeeHands onthebrink that's funny!
20:15:19 onthebrink which link?
20:15:30 WeeHands my son actually tapped his chest with one fist for nursing.  for whatever reason we called nursing num nums""
20:15:34 WeeHands :)
20:15:35 ourwiefamily I guess I babble a lot to my kids, so when I am picking Maria up, I say are you hungry?  Do you want nanas?"   She has learned the word by sound and will quiet when I say it because she knows it is coming"
20:15:55 WeeHands she'll do the same thing when you show her the sign
20:16:03 ourwiefamily Now it's mostly that I have to get her to *look* at me when I am doing the sign ... usually she is busy burying her face in my shirt.  :)
20:16:26 onthebrink emma called nursing ah-na for some reason.  then, she switched to more" - as in "Emma, do you want more?""
20:16:27 WeeHands http://www.weehands.com/signinglinks.htm
20:17:04 WeeHands then do the sign on her, e.g., sign milk" around her hand"
20:17:04 onthebrink but which do i click on there?  there are 6
20:17:32 WeeHands one of the bottom ones, the ASL browser is great!
20:17:33 ourwiefamily one of them is signing times and that is the DVD series we use ... she has some neat clips from the DVDs on there
20:17:49 ourwiefamily I mean, on her website ... so we saw samples before ordering
20:17:57 WeeHands we LOVE signing time!
20:18:21 ourwiefamily Our family finally saw all 6 DVDs.  The kids are all just so excited to watch them and practice their signs.
20:18:22 onthebrink oh, looking at that now.  very cool!
20:18:56 ourwiefamily What has me cracking up is that my 4yog Elizabeth wants to talk sign all the time ... she will come up to me and sign w/o words and she will make up signs for any words she doesn't know.  So I'm stuck trying to read her lips and guess, lol
20:19:26 ourwiefamily But when she tells me a new sign she made up, she does it like Rachel on signing times ... so she will say, Look Mom, this is Cake ... see, it is like you are holding a cake.  LOL
20:19:26 WeeHands There's an online store in Calgary that is offering  limited time offer 10% off all Signing Time! DVDs and videos http://www.signingstore.ca
20:19:41 onthebrink so what words do you use for nurse?  i don't see breastfeeding and nurse seems to apply to a medical professional.
20:19:57 WeeHands ourwiefamily that's adorable re your 4 year old - I'd love to see that!
20:20:04 WeeHands hi terrie!
20:20:21 WeeHands too funny  ourwiefamily
20:20:26 WeeHands you should tape her!
20:20:54 signingminionmaker Hey!!
20:21:16 signingminionmaker what are we taping?
20:21:21 ourwiefamily it would be fun to tape her ...
20:21:33 ourwiefamily my 4yo daughter making up her own signs because she wants to talk sign all the time
20:21:53 ourwiefamily She will show us just like Rachel does on the ST dvds ... see mom, this is cake" like you are holding a cake"
20:21:57 signingminionmaker my triplets are starting to do that but they teach each other and don't teach us
20:22:37 ourwiefamily The kids are itching to pick out Name signs ... I need to get that book that was mentioned last time.  I haven't made it to the library yet, though.
20:23:48 ourwiefamily Wanted to mention a find ... there was an ASL cdrom at Target for $1!!
20:24:04 signingminionmaker ah I wish we had a Target
20:25:03 ourwiefamily Terrie ... too funny about your triplets teaching each other signs and not telling you.  How old are they again?
20:25:08 onthebrink wow - awesome find!  clearance?
20:25:11 signingminionmaker 21 months
20:25:25 ourwiefamily Nope ... it is in the dollar section!!!
20:25:35 signingminionmaker Yeah all three of them have made up signs and they all do them and my hubby and I haven't gotta clue.
20:25:58 ourwiefamily It's called Interactive Sign Language Hypersign"  I think the brand is Palatine"
20:26:08 onthebrink oh, love the dollar section!
20:26:19 signingminionmaker Never heard of it.  Let me know what it's like
20:26:21 ourwiefamily It's Windows 95/98/Me/XP Compatible so I think that's why so cheap.
20:26:29 WeeHands what a great find  ourwiefamily !
20:26:38 WeeHands does it work well?
20:27:06 ourwiefamily It says it includes over 2000 basic ASL signs w/ instructional text in Spanish and English.  Features include full motion video, age level specific vocabulary, everyday phrases and a host of games and activities.
20:27:16 ourwiefamily (that was a quote) :)
20:27:33 signingminionmaker That sounds good
20:27:40 onthebrink very cool!
20:27:44 ourwiefamily I haven't used it yet ... this is windows compatible and we have a Mac as our main computer.  I need to fire up the old PC ... or I might bring it over to my sister's to try it out.
20:28:06 onthebrink what about diaper?  i want to sign for him when i change him or something in hopes that later he'd be able to show me when he needs a change.
20:28:11 ourwiefamily My kids are just eating up ASL right now.  So I *had* to get something more anyway and figured for $1 I couldn't really go wrong!
20:28:37 ourwiefamily I think you do no" with both  hands at the place where the diaper pins or tape or snaps would be."
20:28:53 ourwiefamily Is that a good way to describe it?
20:29:07 ourwiefamily As my daughter would say ... it's like you are tapping the place where the pins of the diaper are, mom.
20:29:10 signingminionmaker We use the sign for change.
20:29:47 onthebrink why no?""
20:29:56 onthebrink change makes sense?
20:30:09 ourwiefamily Well, it isn't indicating no" ... it's more like you are tapping"
20:30:29 onthebrink oh, ok
20:30:31 onthebrink got it
20:30:36 ourwiefamily Do you know the sign for no?
20:30:48 onthebrink so what are some basics i should start with?
20:31:20 onthebrink yes, i know no.  (funny sentence!)
20:32:36 ourwiefamily Well ... do you have a routine w/ him?  Like do you do certain things each day like a bath and eating?
20:32:42 onthebrink i was thinking:  something for breastfeeding, pain, food, sister, daddy, mommy... what else?
20:32:45 signingminionmaker sorry, trying to do a bunch of stuff at the same time
20:33:02 signingminionmaker milk, like milking a cow is good for BF and bottle
20:33:04 onthebrink our routine is basically:  nurse.
20:33:07 WeeHands try to sign things that you little one really likes (nurse, mommy, daddy, up, ball, book, dog) and pair these with signs for things that happen all day (change, diaper, eat, bath, sleep, etc.)
20:33:32 ourwiefamily Yeah ... what weehands said.  :)
20:33:35 onthebrink so do you all do the milking cow thing for BF?
20:33:41 signingminionmaker hey I was going to say something like that but probably not as good as that so maybe it was good that you answered that.
20:33:46 WeeHands you can sign any number of signs but maybe focus to start with on 5-10 signs that you can remember to use all day long
20:33:55 ourwiefamily I'm undecided.  I'm philosophically opposed to being a cow.
20:33:57 WeeHands hee hee!
20:34:12 WeeHands ourwiefamily huh?! :)
20:34:34 signingminionmaker I BF triplets the joke when people came to visit was that there was no cow tipping
20:34:34 ourwiefamily Oh ... just not sure I want to use the sign for milk" to indicate nursing because it makes me feel like a cow.  :)"
20:34:35 WeeHands oh, never mind - just had to read!  :?
20:34:48 bumwrap hi
20:34:54 ourwiefamily hello!
20:34:56 WeeHands hi  bumwrap !
20:35:04 bumwrap could symbolize had expressing, lol
20:35:24 ourwiefamily I thought maybe I would combine Milk with Mom so it would be signing Mommy's Milk
20:35:26 WeeHands there is an ASL sign for breasfeeding.  it looks like you are trying in a way to express milk
20:35:38 onthebrink unfortunately, john does try to milk my udders lately - and it hurts!
20:36:06 ourwiefamily Yeah ... I remember my sister using that sign when she would talk to her baby's dad.  It looked rather  ummm graphic the way she did it.  No way of being discreet there.  lol
20:36:09 bumwrap Not sure I would want my child to do the BF sign in public, lol
20:36:17 WeeHands i've heard of some pairing the signs for milk + mom" for nursing and then "milk + cup" for cow's milk"
20:36:19 bumwrap exactly!
20:36:25 bumwrap esp if you have a toddler
20:36:27 signingminionmaker we just used milk
20:36:53 signingminionmaker single hand opening and closing
20:37:05 signingminionmaker looks like gimmme
20:37:06 ourwiefamily We created a sign for nursing when my second was younger (he would have been around 3, I think).  He made an n" and brought it to his mouth like "eat" ... trying doing that once and look at your hand.  It's like looking at a "nana""
20:37:21 ourwiefamily and btw, he'd suck the thumb sticking out so it looked like he was  latching onto a nana.  hehehe
20:37:24 WeeHands that's why we used an A" shape tapping the chest for "nurse" with my kids.  It started because Joshua would tug at my shirt using the same kind of motion!"
20:37:50 WeeHands that's cute as well  ourwiefamily !
20:37:59 bumwrap katie likes to sign ILY with her thumb in her mouth, lol
20:38:26 onthebrink oh, my 4yo loves ILY!
20:38:36 onthebrink they use it at school a lot
20:38:39 ourwiefamily great thing was no one knew what he was signing so we were able to be more discreet about toddler nursing since family was so uncomfortable with it.
20:38:48 ourwiefamily Okay ... what is ILY?
20:38:54 onthebrink i love you?
20:38:57 bumwrap I love you
20:39:00 onthebrink but it looks like the letters
20:39:03 onthebrink all together
20:39:04 ourwiefamily Gotcha!  :)
20:39:31 ourwiefamily My daughter is fascinated w/ how Rachel waves goodbye with ILY at the end of the later signingtime dvds
20:39:59 bumwrap lol
20:40:42 WeeHands here's a treat - the sign for diaper http://www.durhambabies.com/public/diaper.jpg
20:40:44 ourwiefamily onthebrink you should see what Emma thinks of the signing time demos ... I bet she'd love them as much as Elizabeth.  :)
20:41:05 bumwrap we play How about" at bed time while trying to go to slepp."
20:41:15 WeeHands okay quick what signing time! song is running through your head?
20:41:21 WeeHands la la la la love. . .
20:41:27 bumwrap she will say How about" & rattle off signs"
20:41:29 signingminionmaker in a house
20:41:59 bumwrap she will run through her flash cards too
20:42:04 WeeHands my daughter loves that one and do you know the colours of a rainboat. . ."!"
20:42:04 bumwrap so fun!
20:42:19 onthebrink i like that diaper one
20:42:28 onthebrink i guess john could basically just tap his crotch!
20:42:37 WeeHands thanks! there's much more on the way!
20:42:56 ourwiefamily Okay ... I was kicked out for a second and missed something ... what is there more on the way?
20:43:21 WeeHands more WeeHands signing children!
20:43:30 WeeHands like the diaper sign above
20:43:41 ourwiefamily And signing time song going through my head right now ... it's a fruit veggie veggie veggie fruit day
20:43:54 ourwiefamily problem is it's the only part of the song I remember, LOL
20:44:01 ourwiefamily WeeHands very cool!!!
20:44:01 bumwrap what was that link again?
20:44:07 bumwrap my browser closed
20:44:19 WeeHands oh no. . . .any way you slice it or dice or peel it it's gotta add up to five a day. . .I LOVE THAT ONE!
20:44:29 signingminionmaker Hey I was trying to order from our cafepress stuff and had the hardest time.
20:44:32 bumwrap pizza song is my fav
20:44:38 WeeHands http://www.durhambabies.com/public/diaper.jpg
20:44:39 ourwiefamily Oh LOVE the pizza song
20:44:54 ourwiefamily And the rainbow song
20:44:56 ourwiefamily and shine
20:44:58 WeeHands signingminionmaker really what was the problem?
20:45:36 WeeHands oh, I can't sing/sign the songs that make me cry half way through - my hubby thinks I'm having a breakdown when I do!
20:45:41 bumwrap does that site have otehr pics too?
20:45:43 signingminionmaker I don't know.  I had to fill out their account info and it wouldn't take Canada for awhile and then it sent me back to the beginning to shop and it wouldn't process my order
20:45:56 WeeHands he just doesn't get it  :crying
20:45:57 signingminionmaker It did that twice and I gave up
20:46:22 ourwiefamily WeeHands there is that line where Lucy will do what Lucy will do when Lucy is ready to do it
20:46:31 ourwiefamily Oh my ...  :crying
20:46:40 WeeHands i'm taking our logo to the Copy Zone" to get a WeeHands shirt made"
20:46:50 WeeHands oh stop is  ourwiefamily !
20:47:02 signingminionmaker you can do them on your computer and make iron ons
20:47:27 bumwrap so how can I find those pics? can't see where to sign up
20:47:30 WeeHands reminds me of the scene in sleepless in seatle" when the woman is trying to explain "an affair to remember" to tom hanks and his friend - guys just don't get it!"
20:47:57 WeeHands bumwrap they will be on WeeHands posters by the end of the month
20:48:08 bumwrap ok
20:48:18 bumwrap no flash cards?
20:48:20 signingminionmaker Cool posters that I can play with and add my info and post everywhere?
20:49:24 WeeHands re t shirts  signingminionmaker was talking about this site http://www.cafepress.com/weehands
20:49:51 WeeHands no  signingminionmaker these posters will be for parents to post in the kitchen, at the change table, in the bathtub, and over the crib!
20:49:57 bumwrap why do all the likes at weehands open in a new window?
20:49:58 ourwiefamily okay ... now I can't see any words on the screen.  What's up w/ that?
20:50:09 WeeHands all the likes?
20:50:11 ourwiefamily all I see are the crying faces
20:50:19 ourwiefamily as they  move slowly up the screen.  :)
20:50:26 ourwiefamily guess i need to log out brb
20:50:26 WeeHands can you see this?
20:50:39 signingminionmaker WELLL BRING THEM ON!!!  I want me some of those..
20:50:40 bumwrap links not likes
20:50:49 ourwiefamily back now
20:50:52 WeeHands bumwrap you mean all the links on the WeeHands site.
20:50:54 ourwiefamily phew I can see again!
20:50:57 bumwrap yes
20:51:09 bumwrap they all open in new windows
20:51:38 WeeHands we've set it so that the main page always stays open.
20:52:11 WeeHands I'm going to be playing with the site and redoing it in a week so it will get better and better (hopefully!)
20:52:15 bumwrap sorry a pet peeve as a desinger, lol
20:52:34 WeeHands what's your site  bumwrap ?
20:52:34 bumwrap a lot of pop up blockers stop them
20:52:43 WeeHands that's good to know
20:52:46 bumwrap I have 3, lol
20:52:52 WeeHands tell us!
20:53:21 bumwrap selling www.bumwrapdiapers.com .  Forum www.mamanaturally.com .  Web design www.fourlittleducks.com
20:53:55 ourwiefamily well this is getting frustrating ... I keep getting bumped out of the room.  Perhaps I need to take it as a sign though ... my MIL arrives tomorrow and there is lots of cleaning to be done sigh sigh sigh ... I wonder if I learn all the cleaning" signs"
20:54:07 ourwiefamily if the kids will be more willing to
20:54:10 bumwrap lol
20:55:14 onthebrink sorry - got distracted ordering mineral makeup.  does anyone use that?
20:55:28 ourwiefamily okay ... try that again.  I wonder if I learn all the cleaning" signs, if the kids would be more willing to do their chores!  :)"
20:55:56 bumwrap I don't use any makeup, lol
20:56:22 ourwiefamily wanted to say a couple other things about the signing times DVDs btw ... I LOVE the alphabet one.  It is really awesome and that works right into our kindergarten/preschool curriculum.  Plus the 5 a day song works well in w/ our health curriculum.
20:56:30 ourwiefamily I wasn't expecting that crossover and really appreciate it!
20:57:13 WeeHands what is mineral makeup?
20:57:14 ourwiefamily the 5 a day has ME even thinking about how I eat.  Isn't that silly?  I mean ... I'm thinking about my diet more because of a children's video???
20:57:23 ourwiefamily yeah ... what is mineral makeup?
20:57:43 onthebrink http://www.herbsofgrace.com/
20:57:55 WeeHands I actually find myself counting with my kids about how many veggies and fruits we've eaten
20:58:17 onthebrink i love wearing makeup.  this is a more natural" version."
20:58:41 bumwrap my eyes water too much & end up wiping it all off
20:58:58 bumwrap plus I am cheap, lol
20:59:02 WeeHands ha!
20:59:57 WeeHands after joshua was born and I went back to work - i found that i was so busy that i was forgetting parts of my face - lip liner with no lipstick
21:00:08 onthebrink that's funny!
21:00:14 ourwiefamily I just thought that was a brilliant way of watching how many fruits and veggies  WeeHands
21:00:28 WeeHands i completely agree  ourwiefamily
21:00:36 onthebrink i love to wear lipstick.  i think it's so cheerful!
21:00:42 ourwiefamily onthebrink it actually looks like something I could use w/ my super sensitive skin
21:00:50 WeeHands although is a potato a veggie or a carb!  :/
21:00:55 onthebrink it's supposed to be great!  i'm excited to try it!
21:00:55 ourwiefamily can't you see my daughter then coming up w/ all the signs for makeup" all on her own?  LOL"
21:01:07 ourwiefamily A potato is a VEGGIE
21:01:11 ourwiefamily Please???  lol
21:01:29 bumwrap that happens to be a carb also
21:01:32 bumwrap I believe
21:02:01 ourwiefamily shhhh  bumwrap ;)
21:02:19 WeeHands oh my daughter (2 and 1/2) is trying to get into my makeup bag.  it's funny cause i remember my mom getting upset regarding this (3 girls in the house). things you realize as a mom when you see what a toddler can do to a bag a expensive makeup!
21:02:24 signingminionmaker Every fruit/vegie/bread/everything is a carb
21:02:53 bumwrap So what are your kids fav signs?
21:02:54 WeeHands that's true
21:02:54 onthebrink so true, weehands!
21:03:05 bumwrap Katie loves grumpy & suprised best.
21:03:11 bumwrap she is 3
21:03:18 WeeHands animal signs
21:03:22 WeeHands and train""
21:03:24 ourwiefamily My 4yo says Leah is her favorite sign
21:03:26 onthebrink i really need to head to bed.  tomorrow we are having a mother's day tea party at emma's preschool.
21:03:34 ourwiefamily ah sounds like fun Nancy ...
21:03:40 bumwrap that is good her. train is very close to our house
21:03:46 ourwiefamily My 6yo says his favorite sign is BOY
21:03:46 WeeHands gals I think our time is done!
21:04:05 onthebrink is there a scheduled chat after baby signs?
21:04:18 WeeHands hi liz!
21:04:28 ourwiefamily My 11yo says his favorite sign is FOOD  lol
21:04:28 bumwrap babywearing
21:04:33 WeeHands there is supposed to be a babywearing chat.
21:04:36 lizjoeandjosh@yahoo.com hello sara..did I miss the whole thing..qq
21:04:36 bumwrap is next chat
21:04:43 WeeHands the moderator is not here though.
21:05:05 bumwrap we can move rooms if we still want to chat
21:05:11 ourwiefamily my 13yo says his favorite sign is BOOK
21:05:12 2girls+twins she could be running a little late - she has a house full of people :)
21:05:23 WeeHands if you'd like to continue chatting about signing with your baby, let's go over to the meeting place
21:05:26 onthebrink oh no!  babywearing! i'll NEVER get to bed!  that's one of my favorite addictions!
21:05:35 bumwrap lol
21:05:37 WeeHands a house full of people - yikes!!
21:05:44 WeeHands babywearing is awesome!!!!!!
21:05:47 ourwiefamily okay .. this is making me feel guilty for not cleaning
21:05:52 bumwrap anyone want to move to meeting place?
21:05:59 ourwiefamily Since tomorrow I will have my MIL coming!
21:06:02 WeeHands own a mere 5 carriers myself!
21:06:04 bumwrap lol
21:06:14 ourwiefamily I can't count how many carriers I own ... several
21:06:18 host_littleants Hello Everyone.
21:06:18 onthebrink i think i have 8
21:06:19 WeeHands THANK FOR YOUR JOINING THE SIGNING WITH BABY CHAT!  SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

 

 

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