Communication

The social worker was able to make it yesterday for our second post-placement visit after canceling Wednesday due to a winter storm.  She is our 3rd social worker from LSS due to their rearranging and lay-offs, so it was nice to finally meet her.  She said that they really had a down time due to the bad economy, with people backing out of the adoption process, but that now their starting classes/meetings are full with people starting again.  Either people's finances are looking rosier, or they are just prioritizing expanding their families.  Good news.

Anju is speaking more and more, but it sometimes takes awhile for us to realize what she is saying.  I just figured out yesterday that "ga" means socks.  She's likely said that for awhile, but the context has to be right for the "dumb" mom to pick up on it.  Also, she is making the sign for "cookie" for her Indian biscuits, but does something else I didn't teach her to get a cookie.  She also does the "cookie" sign sideways to get cheese, similar to the sign I taught her, I guess, but it took me awhile to figure that out too.  She says a one-syllable non-verbal nasal noise when she signs for cheese, so that's how I tell that request apart from the one for a biscuit.  She makes the "candy" sign for "apple" (one has a straight finger, one a bent finger) but it always means "apple", since I didn't teach her the other one.

So, long story short, when people ask how many words she can say, I'm not sure what to answer.  "Mama" and "Dad-n" are about the only recognizable ones, but she sure has a way to communicate more than that through a combination of consonant sounds, signs and nasal/gutteral grunts.  Right now she is communicating through wailing, pulling on my leg and slapping me that she doesn't want me to be paying attention to the computer.  I get the message.  L8r everyone!