Please!
I'm so amazed at how quickly Mason's picking up signs. It's fun to read back just a couple of weeks ago to measure the progress. He really understands the concept of signing and is getting good at communicating. I can ask him, "What's your sign for..." and he'll demonstrate (if he so chooses). He also knows when and how to use them to get what he wants. His favorite new sign is "help" (slap your collar bones repeatedly with your hands). He defers to it now as the universal sign.

This morning I was showing him how to say "banana" - he didn't repeat it, but he kept watching. He doesn't have the dexterity yet to hold up one finger and use the other hand to "peel" it. I find that some of his signs overlap because of his ability to execute them. For example, "cat" and "eat" both look the same--they have to be put in context (and hope he's not asking to eat the cat).

It is so amazing to watch the frustration disappear as he can switch from grunting to asking. The frustration comes now if he's not understood!

Oh, and almost every sign is followed by "please." He figured out that increases his odds of success. (Does for me, at least, because it's very cute.)