So this is going to be one of those "Snapshot" stories, which includes multiple one-shots, in no particular order, that span our favourite couples life together. Haven't decided how early in their relationship I'm going to write... or how late, we'll see where it goes!
I'll try to be good with the updates!
Oh and the rating may change to "M"... we'll how smutty I feel!
Sign For Your Food
"Bones? What are you doing?" Booth asked as he walked into the kitchen. The scene before him was not one that he understood. Bones was sitting near their 8 month old daughter, who was in the high chair, reaching forward towards her food, which her mother was holding just out of her reach.
"Eat," Bones said to her daughter, bringing her own fingers up together to touch them to her lips. "Yum," she said then pretending to eat from the spoon of the strained squash.
'What?' Booth mouthed silently to himself.
Jacqueline let out a wail of frustration causing Booth to step forward and take the spoon away from his wife, scooping up some food and sitting down in another chair to feed his daughter.
"Booth don't!" she scolded reaching for his arm, but it was too late, he was already placing the full spoon between their daughter's eager lips. "Ugh," she sighed in frustration. "I'm trying to teach her something, and she'll never learn if you give in that easily."
"What are you trying to teach her? To beg for her food?"
"No, I wanted her to ask."
"You what?" he asked in disbelief turning slightly. "Bones, she's 8 months. Just because she has your DNA doesn't mean she's going to be able to ask for her food at this age."
"I'm trying to teach her sign language," she said watching Booth turn towards her once more with an incredulous look on his face. This time she expected this reaction from him.
Jacqueline however, was not happy that her spoonfuls of food were so far and few between. She managed to grab to spoon from her distracted father and waved it happily in the air giggling, sending splatters of squash in multiple directions, including Booth's hair. He didn't seem to notice.
"What do you mean you're trying to teach her sign language? She's not deaf! Are you worried..."
"I know she's not Booth. Baby sign language is rapidly becoming very popular with many of today's new parents. It's an early method of communication that has shown a lot of potential. People start to teach it to their kids as young as 7 months."
"I don't like this Bones. What's wrong with waiting for her to learn how to speak? You know the way babies usually do... you're the anthropologist."
While Booth was mulling over this, Bones gently took the spoon back from her daughter and continued to feed her.
"Non-verbal communication is very important to a child's early development," she defended. It gives them practice in sharing their needs, and lets them exert some degree of control over their own environment. Babies hand signing works because the child can control some of their hand movements long before they can do much with their vocal cords."
"I don't know Temperance. I've never heard about this. What if she doesn't speak later on, because she's happy with her hand speaking?"
Bones stood up and took a now dirty Jacqueline out of her high chair. "That's nonsense. Research clearly shows that using sign language does not mean that a child will not learn to talk. And, researchers have also found that using sign language with babies does help to improve their language learning and IQs. And it's not hand speaking, it's signing. No one speaks with their hands."
Booth followed them into Jacqueline's room where Bones was removing the dirty outfit and getting her ready for her bath. Booth was hovering.
"Do you want to read my book on the subject?" Booth didn't respond. Jacqueline squealed in delight and her mother lifted her into her arms, and approached Booth.
"Look, just let me try it for a bit, and if she doesn't take to it, or you're still up unhappy, I'll stop. Alright?" She looked into his eyes and as he stared back at her gorgeous blue eyes, he nodded finally giving in.
"Fine," he grumbled, but then smirked. She leaned in to kiss him, balancing Jacqueline on her hip.
"Now give me my squash faced baby!" He said enthusiastically reaching for his daughter as she lifted her arms out towards her father. Bath and bed time was his time with her, since he usually came home from work later than Bones did nowadays. "Bath time Wackie!" he said as he planted consecutive kisses on her forehead.
"I'd still prefer that you didn't call her that!" he heard Bones call down the hallway.
"Sign language Bones!" he called back, just before he blew a raspberry on his daughter's stomach sending her into a fit of giggles.
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