We started off teaching Livia a few signs because we heard it was a good idea. You figure, the baby can’t communicate verbally so why not teach them non-verbal expressions? But really, there’s a reason why it’s a good idea… You teach a child sign language to prevent them from screaming and screeching unnecessarily.

Now that Livia is 15 months she seems to be hitting toddlerhood, the stage full of activity, hustle and bustle, and unmet desires. We’ve hit this point where our sweet, darling, beautiful Livia (okay, now prepare yourself) arches her back, screams and cries if she doesn’t get what she wants — truly shocking, isn’t it? ; ) It’s not like baby sign language is a cure for that. Afterall, even if she signed that she wanted that sharpened pencil, I still wouldn’t give it to her. Rather, the signs help because they reduce the sheer amount of back-arching and crocodile tears. Instead of needlessly frustrating her by removing the milk from her highchair, she can sign “more” and we’ll simply give it back to her. Fussiness solved. And when she’s finished with a meal we don’t have to wait for her to make a huge mess or drop food off the edge of her tray; instead she signs “all done” in response to our questions.

Granted, I feel like a moron when I repeatedly touch my chin and say “thank you” in public in order to teach my kiddo, but overall, the effort is worth it.

Signs Livia knows at 15 months: all done, more, thank you, milk
Signs we’re working on: please, no

I’ve been thinking a lot about waiting recently. Perhaps this is due to the number of friends in my circles who have been waiting through several long months of engagement periods. Waiting to get married can be pretty taxing! So here’s my question:

What are you waiting for?

Last Friday night, one Miss Renae Carlson looked at her cell phone and noted it read that it read “0 days, 18 hours and 52 minutes” until she became Mrs. Renae Morehead. Here is my second, somewhat related question:

What would you like to experience in 0 days, 18 hours and 52 minutes?

**Note that the answers can be the same or different, doesn’t matter. Feel free to comment anonymously if you’d like.

Trying to take a “normal” photograph of my little brother is impossible. As evidence, I present to you these pics taken on vacation in June where Andrew is practicing his best Duh/Constipated face. My lovely sister-in-law Kristin had much better luck in getting good shots. But I couldn’t post those here… No way. This post is Andrew’s penance. ; )

Our vegetable garden got off to a late start this year, but Jeremy (my resident garden hero) has cared for it admirably and now it’s really in full bloom. We have one cucumber that looks almost ready to be plucked from the trellis, and a few peppers (jalepeno, when I thought we planted bell) that are almost full grown. There are a few peas in full-sized pods and we already picked a handful of spicy-hot radishes. You might be thinking, aren’t radishes a cool-weather crop? Yes, they are, but we took our chances and planted them late as well. A few green cherry tomatoes are on the vine, whereas the full-sized tomatoes haven’t grown yet. Our bean plants are looking fabulous and bushy thanks to Brook who sprayed something on them to stop the bugs. Don’t ask me what she sprayed, but it seems to be doing the trick. Finally, the sunflowers… This year we planted three seeds and we have three magic plants reaching for the sky. I’ll post some pictures in a few weeks.

I don’t know what made me think I should hug this not-really-a-friend-but-not-just-an-acquaintance-either that I haven’t seen in 9+ years, but oh yes, I went for the hug just as he was extending his hand for a decent handshake. Hm. It was what some might call an “awkward moment”. Good times, good times.