Why Are All These Strangers Offering Me Milk??

Baby sign language is a way for babies to communicate before they can talk.  They can signal when they are hungry, sleepy or even grateful.  This makes life easier for both babies and parents!  

The one sign that we started with was "milk" which is squeezing your hand like milking a cow.  Before nursing we would ask Ocia if she wanted milk while making the sign.  Sure enough she caught on...all I would have to do is make the sign and she would get a big grin on her face!

One day shortly after we arrived in Italy we were on the metro.  A woman said "Ciao, ciao!" to Ocia while making the milk sign.  Huh??  Erik and I looked at each other in horror.  She's making the milk sign!  Turns out the sign for "milk" is the same as "ciao" so we see this everyday.  Oh how confusing.

After a few months of this, dear daughter has emerged triumphant.  In the past few days she now comes up to me and very clearly and confidently makes the milk sign when she is hungry.  And she responds to people's "ciao" with an open hand waggle wave instead the italian squeezing version.  Whew.