It's true; she can tell me "hi" and "bye," "more" and "all done," "please," "dog," "dirty," "water" and "phone." Oh, and "milk/nurse" - pretty much her favorite sign!! :) I'm actually considering not teaching my next kid that one, it gets pret
ty abused ;) But really, she is so smart! We have little conversations back and forth now:
"Bella, are you hungry?"
- Bella signs "milk"
"Really, right now? What about water?"
- Bella signs "milk"
"What about pears? Or crackers!?"
- Bella signs "milk+please"
Mom gives in.... :)
It's pretty cute. And what I love even more is how her signs have gone from erratic and ambiguous, to controlled and precise. When we add a new one, she does her own then for a day or two. Like with 'please' [which is rubbing your chest, open hand], for a few days she just rubbed her hands together after she said 'more,' then she started rubbing her arms...and then yesterday- POOF! She is signing it like a pro :) All and all, I can't believe it really work!
To all the moms and dads who don't think that it's worth the effort to teach your kids to sign, take it from me: it so much easier to guess between a few signs (like 'water'/'dirty' that are similar) than to play 'decipher the screams...' If Bella wants it, she can
tell us 90% of the time. Plus, now that she has the basics down, we are adding more and more specific signs every week. And to those of you who think this will delay her speaking- not the case! Bella already says, "hi" "mom" "dad" "baby" "dog" "hello" and what sounds like "Joel." It is remarkable!
I know I'm over due on photos... so more to come soon! I need to get some up of Bella walking/running. She is already faster than her daddy ;) Till then- love you all!
Just wanted to post another of my favorite moments in honor of my grandma- I miss you, Nana! Bella would have loved you so much! And I think "Nana" would have been one of her first words too :) 
