mariekammah-blog

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B is for Bear! The BEAR went over the MOUNTAIN The BEAR went over the MOUNTAIN The BEAR went over the MOUNTAIN to SEE WHAT he could SEE But ALL that he could SEE But ALL that he could SEE Was the OTHER side of the MOUNTAIN The OTHER side of the MOUNTAIN The OTHER side of the MOUNTAIN was ALL that he could SEE Use props like our beloved bear, Mylo, to help baby associate the sign with the object. The sign for BEAR is to criss-cross two “claw” hands across your chest and “scratch” down twice. You can sign BEAR on your baby’s chest to help them get the feel of the sign, the way you might teach MAMA or PAPA by tapping baby’s chin or forehead with your thumb. This associates the sign with a tactile sensation and teaches proper placement. . . . #babysignlanguage #signingwithbaby #babysign #toddlersignlanguage #toddlercommunication #learnthroughplay #teachyourbabytosign #teachyourbaby #talktoyourbaby #learnwithyourchildren #motherhood #mamahood #momsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B-WXs-4Cf_y/?igshid=17xdx8broxq2q

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Toddler signs Saturdays! Here Lily shows us a few of the signs she knows. These flash cards have been a great tool for learning new signs as well as bridging French and English since she can practice doing the sign and saying the word in both languages. Plus they are a fun activity that she can do on her own or with us. As Lily transitioned to using more words she did stop using as many signs for a period of time other than to clarify when I wasn’t understanding her. But when we got out these flash cards again for Ophélie I was amazed to see how many signs Lily remembered! . . . #babysignlanguage #signingwithbaby #babysign #toddlersignlanguage #toddlercommunication #learnthroughplay #teachyourbabytosign #teachyourbaby #talktoyourbaby #learnwithyourchildren #motherhood #mamahood (at Sanguinet) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-R_zAgirPf/?igshid=102nc04vmpi1f

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It helps to be alert to our baby’s signs so that we can encourage them when we see them. But how do we recognize our child’s signs? Just like with first words, children will have their own version of signs they have seen you use. These early attempts at signs may be hard to understand so it helps to know what to look for. A sign has three main parts: hand shape, location, and movement. Your child may change any one of these, or all three! For example, in this video, Lily is signing BATH. The sign for BATH is to make a scrubbing motion with both fists on either side of your upper chest. So Lily has the hand shape and the movement right, but not the location. Once you start seeing your child’s attempts at signing, acknowledge them! Even if you’re not sure, this will encourage them to keep signing. You can always clarify and show the correct sign: “It looks like you’re signing BATH, do you want to take a bath?” With practice, eventually their signs will become more clear and you will become an expert at interpreting YOUR baby’s signs! . . . . #babysignlanguage #signingwithbaby #babysign #toddlersignlanguage #toddlercommunication #learnthroughplay #teachyourbabytosign #teachyourbaby #talktoyourbaby #learnwithyourchildren https://www.instagram.com/p/B99UHVKqPWq/?igshid=7nafi2k5krmj

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Meet Lily and Ophélie. Lily is three months shy of 3 years old and has been learning baby sign language since she was 6 months old. Even though she speaks in full sentences now, today, unprompted, she used 7 signs! One of which was BUG 🐛 🤷🏼‍♀️. Ophélie, 7.5 months old, has just started her signing journey. We’ve been working on MAMA, PAPA, MILK, DOG, and BALL. In this pic, she’s showing us that she can clap. 👏 We recently moved to France but learned baby sign language in America as a way to bridge the two languages spoken in our household- French and English. My husband won’t forget the day that he asked 1 year old Lily in French whether she wanted to drink milk or water and she signed MILK. It’s an incredible feeling to watch your child communicate with you before they can even talk. Do you sign with your baby or toddler? What signs do you use the most? . . . #babysignlanguage #signingwithbaby #toddlercommunication #toddlerlife #learningthroughplay #learninglanguages #learnwithyourchildren https://www.instagram.com/p/B9XeZDECUVv/?igshid=p9fvsoj4byng

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“Milk” please mama! This is Lily at 8 months old using one of her first signs “milk”. I started using baby sign language with Lily when she was 6 months old and it was remarkable to see how her communication skills flourished. Now at age 2 years 9 months she speaks both French and English and still uses sign language to communicate with her baby sister - and whenever she needs to clarify a point! 😂 . . #babysignlanguage #signingwithbaby #babysign #toddlersignlanguage #toddlercommunication #teachyourbabytosign #teachyourbaby #talktoyourbaby #learnwithyourchildren https://www.instagram.com/p/B9WKQRHoXAe/?igshid=xi4fjlavn8co

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Here’s a fun little ditty for the sign for APPLE. Use the sound of your voice and your facial expressions to get baby’s attention. Most of all - have fun! If the learning experience is enjoyable for both you and baby, you will have greater success learning together. * Signed words are in capital letters. The following video shows each sign more slowly. Way up HIGH in the APPLE TREE TWO little APPLES SMILED at me I shook that TREE as hard as I could Down fell the APPLES, MMM they were GOOD . . . #babysignlanguage #signingwithbaby #babysign #toddlersignlanguage #toddlercommunication #learnthroughplay #teachyourbabytosign #teachyourbaby #talktoyourbaby #learnwithyourchildren #ineedahaircutiknow #whohasthetimethough https://www.instagram.com/p/B9bX2vbls-g/?igshid=1juvuuncat6vj

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We Moved to France - Part 1

And we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

In the weeks and months leading up to our move to France, people would ask me “Are you excited, scared, nervous?” Yes, I would say, I was all of those things. But at the time it felt surreal, and as the move date got closer it ever so slowly began to sink in. What we were doing - picking up our little family and moving halfway across the world to a village in France - sounded glamorous to most people. To me it was a dream come true. Somewhere inside me, I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it was difficult to imagine just how hard it would actually be on us. 

My husband is French, and it has always been a dream of mine to live abroad. So when the idea came up for us to move back to his hometown to live near his parents for a few years, I was excited by the opportunity. We were sitting on our porch in Denver one evening while our 1 and a half year old daughter slept inside and he brought up the idea of our next move. Having left Bordeaux when he was 18 to  live in Singapore, then Austin, then New York City where we met, he was enamored by a nomadic lifestyle. He had set himself the goal of living no more than 5 years in each city, and we were approaching our sixth year in Denver together. We chatted about Atlanta, and Portland, and San Francisco. And then I said, “We should move to France.” His mother was not well and the two of them were quite close. “It’s now or never” he replied. And so it was decided. A few months later I became pregnant, and so we set the date for January 2020 when our new daughter would be 6 months old. 

From that moment on, we set our sights on Bordeaux and most of our decisions revolved around this end goal. Would I go back to work after maternity leave? No, not enough time before France. Would he have to look for a new job? Yes, can’t keep this one in France. We told our friends, we told our family, we told our coworkers. And that was it, there was no turning back.

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Travel Abroad Part 1: San Sebastien and the sea

Nassim’s family is from Bordeaux, France, so after Lily was born we took some time to travel abroad and introduce her to her French family. Nassim’s job at the time gave him 6 months of parental leave so we decided to take advantage of that time together. When I proposed this to my boss at the contemporary art museum in Denver, he said “how very European of you” and promised to give me my job back at the end of 6 months.

When faced with the prospect of such an extended period of time together, I think Nassim and I were both a bit unsure at first. Even though we would be adjusting to a totally new life as parents, might we not get sick of spending every moment together without work as a diversion?

To preempt this ennui, we planned as many adventures as possible for ourselves while we were abroad. From Bordeaux we could reach the sea in less than an hour, Spain in just over 2 hours by car, Paris in 3 hours by train, and Morocco in 2 hours by plane. So we did it all.

Lily loved her first glimpse of the ocean. I loved seeing it through her eyes and imagining all over again what it’s like to experience the magnitude of the sea for the first time. We picnicked, played in the sand, chased the waves, and walked up and down the beach while she snoozed in her carrier.

I had been to San Sebastien as a college student and loved going back with Lily and Nassim. It’s a romantic town and we enjoyed strolling through the streets, tasting amazing tapas, and sipping some delicious wine. Throughout the afternoon restaurants overflow with boisterous patrons drinking wine and eating tapas. Then everything shuts down and the whole city becomes peaceful again while everyone takes a siesta.

These day trips were fun, but we made sure to plan a quiet day at home in between each one for Lily to recalibrate, play on the floor, and take solid naps. She hated the carseat for the first 4 months of her life and would scream her head off no matter how short the trip. We learned to time departures with a nap so that she would sleep most of the way. Beyond that the only thing that consistently worked would be to distract her by playing music or ringtones on our phone - not sure how we stumbled across that one!

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One thing we promised ourselves before we had Lily, was that we wouldn’t give up doing the things we loved. What we’ve discovered since then is that we don’t have to.

We want her to love adventuring as much as we do and so we get ambitious, plan trips, and set out into the wilderness with baby in tow.

Well, either we were blessed to have an easy baby or our outlook has rubbed off on her. So far, she has loved our adventures and been amazing along the way.

Our latest road trip took us to Joe’s Valley, Utah, for Thanksgiving. Papa and Mama both climbed - Papa even sent his first outdoor V9! - Papa smoked a turkey and we had an amazing camp meal with friends, and Lily napped like a champ under the stars and the blue sky.

What made this work for us? Lily loves her carrier (for us that’s the MiaMily hipster plus @miamilybabycarriers) and one of us would usually be wearing her, especially for naps. Being willing to let go of a bit of structure- being okay with shorter naps or late bedtimes- we’ll get back into a good routine at home. Finally, it was nice to have the van where Lily and I could retreat to when it got chilly and where she could stretch out during days outside and practice her new rolling and scooting skills.

What did we learn? When staying in a house with friends it’s helpful to have a portable sound machine to help baby sleep through the hustle and bustle of close quarters (and it’s easier than asking your rowdy friends to keep it down!). Safety first! We were around a lot of other people in a bouldering area so being respectful of others and keeping her safe - away from climbers and potential rock fall - was foremost on our minds. Finally, we aren’t the only ones! It was great to see another couple out there with their baby and another climbing mama!

Here’s to another great adventure with our little one and many more to come!