The signs are here: Little Miss is a Tween

Tweener Miss

Little Miss has grown so much this year. She has been slaying the dragons, beginning in a new school. It was an issue to make new friends, but she finally has a very special friend. It's strange how they all want that special BFF!

Besties! So great to have a real friend at school! It took a while to make a new friend at a new school. #BFF #LittleMiss #friends

A post shared by Karen Du Toit (@karentoittoit) on Sep 4, 2017 at 3:26am PDT

We are seeing signs of her becoming more independent, and the Tween that is emerging. And Mom and Dad winces because the precious years of baby and toddler is long forgotten! (Too soon, I tell you *sic*)

Signs of the preadolescence, the Tween

Not scientific, but from a mom's perspective. 

Practising the finger!

If you see me walking around while throwing the Finger...

Please don't be offended!

I desperately wanted to throw the finger in traffic today!
A person of the female species hooted behind me!
Because I slacked down for a car to pass...

I could not get my left hand to go up fast enough in the middle finger to show her how I felt about it, and all she saw was a hand waving with all fingers...

I need to practise for next time!
(Not very Zen, I know! I don't care!)

The traffic that we have now in Johannesburg is not for sissies!

I need appropiate traffic communication skills mastered!
Sometimes you need the Finger!

The toddler uses a language of sounds

I regret that we did not make more effort to learn the toddler sign language. She still gets by with her pointy finger and lots of grunts. But I realize that she uses a lot of sounds to indicate what she wants. And it works for her, because we understand her… Perhaps the sounds are not such a bad thing, and it works on the same principle as sign language.

Sounds used by the toddler: (I hope I get it right)

“Ah-Ah-Ah” with open mouth – she wants to be breastfed
“Woef” – used for the dog
“grrrr” – ants
“sswee-ssweee” – going to the toilet
“weee-weee” – planes (with hands making a sweeping movement above her head)
“uh-uh” – anything she wants, with pointy finger
Negative “eh-uh” – NO!
“poef” – dirty nappy (with finger trying to pull nappy down)
“s-s-s-s” – fish
“hawrrrrr” – roar used for lots of animals, such as lions, tigers, foxes

That’s about it! It is remarkable that she can do so much with these sounds. Luckily we hear that she is beginning to copy us when we say something…

Related post:
The toddler is 20 months

Playing Friday Follow 40 and over. Check Java for the details at Never Growing Old.

Sign language for the baby

I have voiced my concern about Mieka who screams and hits at other babies when they come near her. Tasneem, an occupational therapist, suggested that “some children develop conceptual language faster than they develop language ability “. They get frustrated, and that’s why they start to hit. Some throw tantrums. She suggested we could try sign language. It has made me think that it is worth a try. I googled some of information on the Internet, but I am not sure how to learn the signs to the baby. Last night I tried to learn her about the sign for a ball, holding my hand in a round form, and twisting it. I did not get any response.
Mieka waves at us, and she claps her hands when we sing “Handjies klap” (clap the hands), but we are still trying to teach her how to blow kisses to us. She starts to make the b-r-r-r sound while pulling her hand over her mouth when we blow kisses to her.
Do we create our own sign language, or is there a good site out there which could help me? I am not very creative coming up with signs.

(Another photo by grandfather James on Sunday)