16 months old, week 4

The toddler Juli continued her effort to jump. So cute when she tried to jump without going up as if the gravity pulled her tightly. Ran fast enough that I had to run too when chasing her.

Answering a simple wh-question

In the beginning, she understood a question -- e.g. "Where is the [noun]?" -- by pointing to an image or object. Before the emergence of finger pointing, she showed her understanding by gazing at something.

Next Juli understood my requests and performed them well. These days I kind of could make any reasonable request and Juli fulfilled it.

For examples, the other day Juli wanted to go outside. I found only one shoe of mine and asked her, "Where is my other shoe?" She toddled quickly toward the spot where I found it. She responded to other requests such as "Please give it to Dad." "Throw it into the garbage."

This week I asked some simple wh-questions and she answered. At one point, I asked "Where is Dad?" Juli answered work. (See video)

One bedtime reading, Juli sat on my legs facing me on the floor. She opened the page where a cat was hiding behind the greenery. I asked "Who is hiding?" She answered cat.

Then Juli turned the next page where a dog was hiding behind the barrel or some sort. I asked "Who is hiding?" She answered dog (patting on her leg) and then produced #DOG.

Interesting, she was ready to try the next level of challenge by uttering the regular ASL word for "dog" which is an ASL fingerspelled loan.

The ASL word #DOG is not fingerspelled letter by letter. It's a lexicalized sign that Ameslan perceives this sign by its movement and shape. Juli has demonstrated her perceptual skills by producing a similar pattern of the movement and shape of #DOG.

Use of ASL words and two-word utterances

The following referential words that Juli has used this week: another++, candy (jelly beans in the picturebook), jump++, ant, bug/insect, light, skating, some more shown in the video above, and some reguarly used ASL words.

Saturday, Juli and I took for a walk outside. She excitedly pointed at the red robins in the distance. She uttered bird flapping.

Sunday, Juli laid in my arms at a bedtime in her dark bedroom. Suddenly, she got up and asked for, if not commanded, grapes to-eat. I replied in ASL, (translated as) "No, it's bedtime now." Shortly then, she uttered more milk.

Tuesday, riding in the stroller at a shopping mall, she asked for more cookie. Later, an older toddler or preschooler passed by. Juli tried to make friend with her, but the other girl waved bye-bye. Back home, Juli recalled and told a story friend bye-bye (see video).

Wednesday, bath done (see video) referring to the picture in a book.

Viewing through toddler's lens

Or, toddler says the darnest cute.

Worm-like object

Juli spotted a thick flattened thread with a worm-like texture on the road near the sidewalk. She uttered worm. (See video, semi-reconstructed. The original production was much better.)

Later that day at around bedtime, Juli repeated uttering light, light.. light.. light. Her father turned to me, "What did she sign?" Without any reference, I answered my best, light. I trusted my instinct.

The father let Juli lead him from the family room through the hallway to the front door. He came back, "You're right. She was referring the light to the sunset." Sunset? I thought, fascinating.

Pretend play in bathtub

Like typical toddlers, Juli played with stacking cups and drank bathwater. I kept stopping her from drinking. But, shortly I realized what she was doing. Pretend play.

Juli cupped and poured and uttered drink milk. Whoo, I jumped in pretend play with her.

I picked up the rubber elephant and told her elephant want-to drink milk. I picked up the bathwater-filled cup and poured over the elephant's trunk. I did the same for the rubber dog and the rubber duck. Juli observed with a pondering look.

People

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