Signing Time....

When Princess Abigail was nine months old, we introduced her to sign language. We had read that the use of sign language helped eliminate the frustration with communication (or the lack thereof) between parent and child, and also has a highly positive impact on a child's IQ. Fortunately for us, Abby loved sign language and took to it like a fish to water. Today, she can sign in sentences and knows more signs than even her parents know. She's also been teaching her speech therapist how to sign -- which is truly impressive.

Just a few weeks ago, the company through which we have purchased a library of 'learn to sign' videos called Signing Time (Two Little Hands Productions) put out an open casting call for children aged three and under for consideration in their upcoming video productions. We couldn't resist submitting a brief sampling of Abby's sign language vocabulary to see if maybe, just maybe, she'll be one of the children picked. With thousands of entries, we're thinking she probably won't, but in our minds, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Below is a sampling of signs Abby uses. We've also added the links to her two audition pieces located on You Tube. (click the links or copy and paste into your Internet browser).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H788URRSaNw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mNMFS53Q_E

The best part of all of this is that by the time she enters preschool, Abby will be multilingual, and able to 'speak' the fourth most used language in the US - sign language. (ASL is fourth to English, Spanish and Chinese).