More, Please.

I have been working on Annie's sign language, specifically the sign for "more". Back before I had a baby, I thought that teaching a baby to sign would not give them any incentive to learn to talk. I think I was really over-estimating their abilities to sign, or inability to do both. Basically, once I saw a college friend's kid sign at lunch when I was pregnant with Annie, I was convinced that our child would do that.

So I have been working on it for a while. Like, oh, say, three months. Granted, not constantly but there wasn't really much indication she was down with the signing. But something clicked this past week and it probably had something to do with the fancy Trader Joe's O's she's now addicted to, but we are "more-ing" like maniacs over here now. I was originally thrilled that all our work had paid off and our brilliant child was now "speaking" to us.

Then I realized, there are lots of opportunities for "more" in her day. We wake up and go to change the diaper..."more". She finishes her bottle..."more". Getting out of the car seat..."more". Tired and headed to bed..."more". And of course, more looks a lot like her clapping, so that's confusing.

Then there's the possibility that she doesn't even know "more" but is just spastically slamming her hands together, but I really don't believe that to be true. Not our genius baby. And then there's the fact that if she really is signing for more O's, then that does not mean we are obligated to give them to her, particularly after she's had a ton of them. So now in addition to learning words, she's learning disappointment in her parents. I guess both are lessons to best get out of the way early.