The Progression of "All Done"

Almost a month ago I wrote this post, all excited because Nathan had signed "all done" for the first time.  He signed it twice after eating that day, and then in the next day or two he signed "all done" after nursing.  And then... nothing.  For days and days I kept waiting for him to sign to me again, but he never did.

I decided to try and encourage him to start signing more.  After meals, I would sign "all done" and then take his hands in mine and wiggle them back and forth (if you don't know the sign for all done, here is a little video, just search for "all done" or "finished").  After a while, when I would ask him if he was all done, HE would grab MY hands and wiggle them back and forth.  PROGRESS!  I would clap and tell him what a good job he did!

A little while later, Nathan came up with his own sign for all done.  It was a modified clap (or to almost everyone but me, it would probably just look like he was clapping, but really he's mainly clapping with his right hand while his left hand stays mostly still).  I guess when I started clapping to celebrate when he would wiggle my hands, he associated that with "all done".  But even now he had his own sign, he would only do it after I would ask him if he was all done (which usually followed Nathan squealing, scrunching up and turning his face away from me and shoving arms straight out in front of him, his other way of communicating "all done" to me).

But today he FINALLY signed his "all done" sign without prompting again!  So maybe we are closer to him signing more on his own initiative.  Hooray!