Patty & I attended our first ASL (American Sign Language) course this past week at the Metro Deaf School in St. Paul. Since Isla has been learning a lot of signs, we figure we’d better do something to keep up.

We actually know quite a few signs from earlier attempts, but this class seems more immersive. The fact that the teacher is deaf forces our brains to learn differently. We need to really pay attention to context and facial expressions, since there no is no speech to explain what we’re seeing. Time will tell how effective it is. As far as I’m concerned, this is going to be my second language (well, I know some German, but only enough to get my face slapped in Berlin.)

We’re also starting to see Isla’s nurturing side. She loves to hug and she is really good around the animals. With any luck, she’ll avoid my whole “sitting on the cat” phase. She also loves taking care of her dolls; however, she doesn’t seem to understand that Elmo might not be a fan of lemon juice.

 Pictured: Nurturing

Here is the full one-minute video. And yes, it is equally as exciting as the photo above.  By the way, Isla doesn’t have her implants on because I was just about to drive her to daycare. She tends to pull her implants off while riding in the car.

In case you were wondering.

My wife, Patty is the “Professional Crafter” in our house, whereas I need to settle for the title of “Crafty Professional.”  She built, painted and installed these bookshelves in Isla’s room. My assistance was minimal since I was busy tracking down the perfect Theremin sound for an upcoming Groundhog Day post.

For a much better post about the shelves themselves (including photos,) check out Patty’s blog. It’s OK, I don’t mind. I figure you probably read other blogs anyway.  She’s got a whole bunch of posts about her various projects, most of which involve a hot glue gun, some sparkly ribbon, and a DeWalt DW718 12″ Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw (you know, for the Li’l Princess House.)

I, of course, was a boatload of help.

I think I need a shave

Isla loves the new shelving with easy access to her books, while I wake up in a cold sweat worrying that she is going to climb the hell out of them.

And no, I have no idea why she’s wearing her jacket in a 70 degree house. It’s a thing she has.