Communication Skills

In recent weeks, the triplets have been working hard on learning how to communicate with us. It first started with them pointing at something that interested them, and moving their fingers (in a sign they created). Often this is coupled with loud shrieking. We'll see them crouched down on the floor, looking under a chair, or reaching upwards near the refrigerator, and we'll have to figure out what object they are trying to get (We keep trying the "help" sign, but they haven't learned it yet).

Recently though, they have been linking two ideas together. The other day we put Coraline in a dress, which she felt was constricting. So she walked over to Erin, pointed at her, and then pulled up her dress. A clear indication that she wanted her mom to take off the outfit. Then I was holding Coraline near my parents' bird feeder, where a squirrel often hangs out. Usually she shrieks and points to the squirrel, but this time she looked behind her, pointed at Nana with one hand, and pointed at the squirrel with the other - she wanted to make sure she saw it!

For sign language, Betty and Coraline are fluent with the "doggie" sign. Arthur signed "bath" the other night. The can also wave "bye" or "hello." But for actual words, it seems all three kids share "Pop Pop" as their first word, as they often shout it out when we bring them over to my parents' house in the morning. We also have heard Betty say, "Night Night," but this might have been part of a repeating game they do now. Arthur says "Ahhh" when he drinks, he said "Baa Baa" and "Hop Hop" while we read him a book, and the girls have said "Tick Tock" when looking at the clock, but these were all words we had just said. We do think, though, that Betty uses "Ba" for bottle now.