My new craft...

When we lived in France I spent hours feasting my eyes on the ancient Roman mosaics found in and around Lyon. I promised myself that I would learn something about the craft, and I am proud to announce that I've finished an introductory class. Here is my first creation, a table top that I'm going to hang on the wall instead:


I chose this design because Evan loves the moon and the stars, and he points them out to me several times a day!

Photos to make you smile...

Baby signing...

When Evan was 13 months old, we took a baby signing class together. We learned how to use sign language to communicate with each other. Babies' ability understand usually comes much earlier than their ability to enunciate well, and we hoped that by teaching Evan how to use his hands to communicate with us, that he would be able to better describe his world and his needs to us. We've had huge success with baby signing! Take a look at a few videos:

Very quickly it was Evan who was guiding the program, often asking for signs. He is using signs in combination with each other now too, forming simple sentences. His spoken vocabulary is normal for his age, but his signing vocabulary is much, much bigger. The best part of it all, is that it has given us a little glimpse into his world. When we would never have noticed otherwise, Evan will use signs to point out an airplane or a train. He is amazingly specific too, when in the car he ferociously signs "eat cracker!" Signing has also helped shape the way he understands the world, and it has made it easier to teach him shapes, colors, and beginning numbers. We're using it for potty training too! He is becoming very interested in talking now as well, so he often combines the first syllable of a word with its sign, or the sound a given animal makes with its sign. It's so fun to watch!

Most of Evan's signs are based off of ASL. Occasionally we find another way to sign something, or we'll mix signs up (as is the case with "bunny" and "squirrel"). As long as we're consistent in using the same sign for a particular item, it works out fine. Here's a list of the signs I can think of right now that we regularly use (I counted 66, though I'm sure I'm missing a few):

eat / drink / more / milk / cereal / cheese / cracker / all done / bib / please / thank you / love / stars / moon / light / sleep / book / bubbles / bath / frog / water / duck/goose / toothbrush / hot / cold / hat / socks / shoes / diaper / airplane / train / car / boat / rain / play / butterfly / bird / ball / flower / tree / house / piano / bunny / cat / dog / fish / turtle / squirrel / chicken / cow / pig / horse / bear / elephant / giraffe / kangaroo / monkey / lion / wash hands / go potty / good job / stop / hurt / let's go / gentle / baby

Needless to say, we're endlessly proud of our little guy!!

My heart skipped a beat...

...when yesterday, for the first time ever, Evan said "Mama..."

Now, he likes to say it over and over, while pointing at me. Today, in an effort to postpone his nap, he started saying it with a huge grin (while lying in bed, not asleep)! "Mama...mama...mama...MAMA...Mamaaaaa!

Halloween

Wow! Halloween is so much fun when you have a little one to tag along with! We started the evening by going to a big Halloween party put on by PRAM, the mother's group that I participate in. We followed that with trick-or-treating. We brought some new friends with us who just moved here from Chile. This was their first ever Halloween, so it was even more fun to share the fun with them. It's a crazy concept---knock on someone's door, and they give you candy?! Once Evan discovered the pattern, he was hooked!

This was taken Thursday at another Halloween party, but it's one of the only moments he would keep his hat on. Evan dressed up as the local cowboy sherrif (thank you, Audrey, for the costume!!).


At the PRAM party. Evan has been doing pumpkin weightlifting all week! Can you find him? (From Mark: I was amazed, he actually succeeded in lifting some pretty big pumpkins, including the one he's working on in the photo, I felt like I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.)




FYI: I'm eating some of Evan's halloween candy as I write...I'm a bad, bad girl...

The 2nd house, and Evan doesn't have a clue...


Lots of people had SF Giants jack-o-lanterns in honor of the world series (and were watching the game while we were knocking on doors).



After the 5th house, Evan discovers what all those people were putting in his bag!

He was really excited to discover m&m's (he knows them well)!

Sharing his lollipop with a dog!



Evan couldn't say "trick-or-treat," so instead, when someone would come to the door, I would ask Evan what a lion says, and then he would give a good roar to the person at the door!

By this time it was getting really hard to keep his arm out of the bag...

This is Evan's "satisfied look."


I'm much more of a Christmas decoration person myself, but I was impressed with the Halloween devotion displayed at this house! Plus, they handed out really good candy. :)

And...on a different note, we visited the zoo last week in the rain. It was great fun! Evan's lower lip in this photo is too cute not to share!

And Thanksgiving is next!! I love being back home and getting to celebrate these holidays as part of the culture around me. I think it's going to be a very thankful month!