Baby Signing Time giveaway at Enjoy Birth

I first heard of Signing Time before I had kids. One of my really good friends in college was a Special Education major. She took American Sign Language for "foreign language" credit and she showed me one of the videos, explaining that they were produced by well-known LDS producer and composer Lex D. Acevedo (whose arrangements of instrumental hymns I listened to while in labor with my daughter). She also told me a little about the inspirational story behind Signing Time.

Soon after, I was in a language development class required for my Early Childhood Education major, and someone asked the professor about infant sign language. He admitted that he didn't know much about it, but he suspected that teaching children to sign would delay their speech because they would sign instead of talking. He obviously didn't know much about it, so he should have not answered the question. Research indicates that babies who learn sign language have significantly more advanced speech development than their non-signing peers when measured at 24 months and 36 months. There are many other benefits to baby signing, including reduction of aggression in toddlerhood and higher scores on IQ assessments at age 8.

Although I hadn't looked at the research, I was fortunate enough to have my negative conceptions of infant sign language challenged by my wonderful fellow daycare/preschool co-workers who used a few simple signs ("more" and "all done") to communicate with the one- and two-year-olds at mealtimes. I saw that it made it a lot easier to know what they wanted, and my mind was opened to the idea.

When my daughter was a baby, I read a little more about infant signing, and decided it was a good thing to do. I taught her some signs, including "more," "all done," "hot," and "music." (There were a few more I tried to teach, but didn't have enough opportunities to practice them for her to learn to use them). With my son, I have use the sign for "milk" to refer to breastfeeding, which he uses (which cuts down on him trying to pull down my shirt). He also uses "more," though he won't sign "all done" for some reason, though I think he tries to say it. He doesn't have any discernible words yet, but he can communicate some things to me. I want to teach him more, but feel I don't know enough signs to be able to teach him as much as I would like.

Recently, we rented a Signing Time DVD from our local library. Most of the signs were not really useful for a baby, but my three-year-old daughter really enjoyed the songs. She watched it over and over and will show me the signs she learned from it. I think it would be precious if someday she were to meet a child who uses ASL and could communicate some with him or her.

I was excited to see that Sheridan at Enjoy Birth is giving away her used Baby Signing Time DVDs, CDs, and a used BabySigns book. I think these materials would definitely get use at our house--I think my kids and I would all enjoy them! If you think you would like some great resources for signing with your baby, visit her blog to learn how you can win!

Order in Our Lives, Even with a Baby

I know some people say that it is okay for your house to be messy when you have a baby. To some extent, this is true, it is important to not be so focused on having a clean house that you never play with your children, but having a really messy house can really make parenting difficult. When the house always messy, you can never relax and enjoy your kids because you are always thinking about all the cleaning you need to do. Humans need structure in their lives. Order allows us to have peace.

I recently realized that I my kids and I really needed a little more order and structure in our lives. I realized that I felt overwhelmed by my house never being clean, and I was using the computer as an escape from my responsibilities. When I did clean, I would exhaust myself trying to clean everything at once, and then I would feel "burned out" from cleaning and wouldn't maintain it, and the house would soon deteriorate into chaos again. I really wanted to develop the concept of rhythm for my kids, as taught in Waldorf education (which I have been studying after Sheridan blogged about the changes she is making in her home now that her kids are going to a Waldorf-inspired charter school), but I realized it wasn't possible with the level of chaos in our environment.

I found a wonderful system for establishing habits of cleanliness. It's Flylady's Beginner Babysteps. I am on Day 8 today, which means I have been doing it for a week, and the improvement is slow, but it is lasting change, not a temporary fix. I feel like I am finally getting some control in my life. One of the routines is you get dressed first thing in the morning, from head to toe. This encouraged me to finally go out and get my hair cut. I hadn't had my hair cut since I was pregnant with my son, who is almost 9 months old. And my kitchen is clean, which means I can actually cook dinner for my family.

I have been limiting my computer time, and as a result haven't been working on blog posts as much. I have a second post in the works about the book I read, Sisters on Journey, which I will hopefully finish eventually. If you don't hear from me, I am probably either enjoying my kids or working on creating a more peaceful environment for them.

I babywear

My son likes to snuggle in my homemade cotton jersey no-sew wrap (instructions here). It makes it easier for him to block out distractions and fall asleep, and then I can put the edge of the cloth over his head so it stays secure while he sleeps.

I practiced babywearing a little with my daughter, especially when she got heavier--I would put her in a pouch sling on my hip. Then I had two hands and my arm wouldn't get tired. I also had one of those commercial carriers with the buckles and straps, but it was a low-end one and not very comfortable (it didn't distribute the weight very well to the hips or across the shoulders).

I am glad I decided to do the wrap for my son. I started using it when he was very small (I am wearing him in my blogger profile pic, you can barely see his tiny head--my how he has grown in not yet seven months). A wrap is such a simple way to carry a baby--you just need a long piece of cloth and someone (even if that someone is on youtube) to show you how to tie it.

I am not an avid babywearer or a babywearing expert. I don't babywear everyday. I don't scorn the use of bouncers, jumper-roos, swings, or even strollers. I own all of these things and find them useful sometimes. I use babywearing where it can benefit me, and find it benefits my babies, too.

Babywearing makes having two kids a lot easier, especially when we go out. It is a lot safer to wear my son and put my daughter in the seat of the shopping cart than it is to put my son in the seat of the shopping cart and my daughter in the basket (which is also impractical because I could never trust that little scavenger from opening all the food). It is also nice to wear my son and either push my daughter in a stroller or have my hands free to hold her hands instead of trying to juggle her, the baby, and the diaper bag. And it's great for those times when I really need to cook dinner or clean the kitchen and my baby is tired or fussy and wanting to be held.

When I do babywear, I do so proudly. I welcome all the compliments and questions I get about my wrap, and smile when strangers point it out to their partners and tell them they "want one like that." When other moms who babywear see me with my son in the wrap, I know they recognize me as one of their own. Many babywearers, especially those who use simple, traditional carriers like the wrap, are also part of the natural childbirth movement. I believe that the reason that babywearing and empowered childbirth are linked is because they are both parts of women's wisdom that have traditionally been passed from generation to generation, were lost in the industrial revolution, and now being rediscovered.

When I babywear, I know my baby is safe and happy close to the womb that was his home just a year ago. When I babywear, I treasure it, because I know before long my baby will grow up and never be a baby again, and what better way to savor his babyhood while I still can?

Babywearing has gotten some bad press from the CPSC recently, and baby carriers are being targeted as an "unsafe" product, which they are not. This post was written as part of a campaign to promote baby carriers as the natural, safe, useful tool they are. Please visit the linky at Adventures in Babywearing, and add your own post on why you love/need babywearing and the safety of wearing your baby (and you'll be entered to win a free sling!), and visit the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance page on Facebook, where you can also add links.

Beanies With Love

A friend of mine is starting a business selling homemade crocheted beanies for kids. She is having a giveaway to help get her off the ground. Cold weather is just around the corner for us, so it's the perfect time to start buying some warm things for little ones! Visit Beanies With Love to enter the contest and see her samples! She takes requests for colors. My son would be adorable in a blue one to match his gorgeous blue eyes, and for my daughter, I'm thinking either lavender, pink, or fuchsia!

"Little Lovies by Char" giveaway!

My cute cousin (who had her first baby a year ago via pitocin induction for PROM with no pain meds) just started her Etsy shop, Little Lovies by Char. She is having a giveaway to promote it. She currently has some adorable applique onesies for girls on her shop, and she will be adding matching headbands as well as some boy onesies that I'm sure will be just as cute as what she has so far. If you would like to enter the giveaway, visit her blog, The 3 O's. I love mama-grown businesses!