"Hot"

After lunch I was boiling some potatoes for Audrey (who was still napping). Nikko had dragged the stool over and stood up, surveying the pot. I stood beside him and said, "Nikko, don't touch! It's hot. It's too hot." He turned to me, put his hand over his mouth and then whisked it away, in the sign for Hot. "Yes, Nikko, Hot!" He smiled and then hopped off the stool. I was thrilled to see him sign, but I am confused as to whether our communication was a real exchange. Did he understand that Hot was a dangerous word, that heat could burn his fingers if he touched something hot? Or did he hear the word Hot and responded in kind with a sign, which is what he can imitate from watching the DVD? Oh, I'm so glad he imitated a sign, and if prompted to sign by hearing the word Hot, that makes me feel really happy for Nikko. But I have to make sure down the road that there is comprehension as well. I saw a few other signs today that he made while looking at his reflection in the mirror: Eat, Cookie, Hot. He also gave himself a big hug.

Much later in the day, after the boys played outside for a half hour, we took everyone to Costco for provisions. Nikko was not happy to leave the dirt pile he was getting into, which probably set the tone for the outing. He was whiny and irritable in Costco, seeking FS constantly. Ronin added to the stress by also wanting FS (I had only two bags left so I prodded Ronin with crackers) and crying out whenever Nikko did. After Costco, we went to a drive-through car wash. Ronin was in awe, but unfortunately Nikko fell asleep on the way in. The rest of the night was calm, thank goodness. Tomorrow is Audrey's baptism and I am nervous, of course, because I have to get us out the door by 11am (shooting for that), get the diaper bag ready with changes of clothes and extra diapers, figure out what the boys are going to wear to church, assemble the food bag with extra drinks and heat up nuggets for the boys' lunch, assemble a toy bag for Audrey and one for the boys, figure out what I can wear....