Learning a New Language

I never thought that I would learn another language.  I speak English, and I speak enough Spanish to get me by in an emergency.  After graduating high school, I thought my language learning days were over!
ENTER MY SON WITH A HEARING IMPAIRMENT
Even when we learned that his diagnosis included profound hearing loss, I didn't really think sign language would become a part of our lives.  We did baby sign with Abbie, and with Brady.  Helping them communicate with us before they were able to speak was wonderful.  Signs like "more", "please", "eat", "thank you", "all done", and "drink" were the only thing we taught and practiced.
I knew the ASL alphabet from my childhood, but spelling out words is still very challenging.  Trying to figure out the letter that is being signed while spelling a word is not easy!
As his therapies began, and we met more and more people that could sign, we added signs to our vocabulary.  We use signs like "play", "you're welcome", "calm down", "help" often.
So, when I was invited to attend the Parent Child Advocate Group this month, I was excited and eager to have the chance to learn more!  I registered myself and the kids, and we headed to the meeting with no expectations!  Upon arrival, we were thrust into the world of hearing loss in the best way possible!  Ironically, we knew one of the families there from VCU Audiology Camp!
The kids were taken into a room to play games and do art.  The teachers in these classes spoke and SIGNED everything to the kids!  The children were learning signs without having to SIT and learn!
The adults were in the main auditorium.  There were people there with all different levels of proficiency in sign language.  Many of those attending were profoundly deaf children and their families.  They knew a lot of sign and had many conversations in silence.  I am completely infatuated with watching an ASL conversation! A signed conversation is really a beautiful thing to see.
In our household, sign language cannot and will not be our preferred method of communication.  However, I want to ensure that we can communicate with Brady, and am willing to do whatever to make that challenge easier.  Learning sign and incorporating it while we speak makes it easier for us to understand what Brady is saying.
We were at the meeting for 4 hours!  The first 2 hours were intense learning, and then we broke for lunch.  I debated leaving at this point, because I felt very overwhelmed and defeated.  It is hard to feel lost for 2 hours straight!  BUT... In reality, I wasn't lost at all!  The last hour was a quiz on our knowledge of the signs we learned, and I was shocked to see how much I retained!

I learned 47 new signs!!!

Yes, you read that correctly!  The theme of the language learned this month was school and military, so there is a large chance that I will not use a good amount of the signs that I learned.  However, I think I can apply them, and I will continue practicing them!  My sign vocabulary includes about 75 signs and the alphabet! 

This wonderful group meets every month, and I can't wait to go again in August!

Thank you so much to Andi for inviting me, and for encouraging me through the class!  You are such a blessing!