(Bold indicates words Jesse speaks, Italics are signs he knows.)
Jesse and Mommy had a busy morning. Mommy was cooking, so Jesse joined her in the kitchen. He got to cook with his play dough while Mommy stirred beans and fried meat and chopped onions. Then she got out some muffing tins and Jesse got to have one. He spent many minutes rolling is blue play dough into little balls and carefully placing one in each cup of the tin.
Jesse and Mommy had a busy morning. Mommy was cooking, so Jesse joined her in the kitchen. He got to cook with his play dough while Mommy stirred beans and fried meat and chopped onions. Then she got out some muffing tins and Jesse got to have one. He spent many minutes rolling is blue play dough into little balls and carefully placing one in each cup of the tin.
After a while he glanced up from his play to notice that Mommy was mixing something. Deciding that looked more interesting, he picked up all his little balls of play dough and put them back in the cup as he had been told he must do when he was all done. He snapped the lid and ran over to set it proudly on the counter with an excited cry of “Momma!” which said, “I cleaned up and now I’m ready to help YOU!”
They worked together for a while, side by side, Jesse faithfully sampling the doughs and batters mommy was making in each stage of their process. The cheesecake batter was good, but his all time favorite was the bread dough, which he continued to pick at even after mommy had rolled it out onto the pizza stone. Finally she set the dough out of reach and they began cleaning up the kitchen before Daddy’s arrival. Jesse helped put stuff away in the fridge, including a big bowl of cheese and meat that they had mixed for the stromboli for dinner. Soon daddy arrived and Jesse greeted him at the door signing “Pizza!” As they sat down to eat he was still signing pizza excitedly. Mommy said, “Say it with your mouth!” So he did the sign for pizza right up close to his lips and she laughed.
After Lunch Mommy and Daddy were hanging curtains. While they were both busy, Jesse reached high up on the counter to see if Mommy really meant what she said about the iron being hot. She was not kidding! Jesse cried while Mommy and Daddy held his little hand under the cold running water. Then Daddy got a frozen juice container out of the freezer and Jesse held it in his lap while Mommy read him a book. At naptime his hand was still hurting so Mommy tucked him in with his tag and passy and the juice can positioned under his palm. He fell fast asleep.
Jesse’s hand was better by the time he woke up. It wasn’t a bad burn. Although he did need a ‘beh’er’ (better – what he calls band-aids or any medecine) on it for a couple days.
Your writing, with Jesse's spoken words in bold face & signed one's in italics, reminds me of the wonderful “Angus” books by Marjorie Flack – your library might have them.
I don’t know why, but most of my younger siblings had to test this out on our wood stove. And yes, dad and mom were right, it WAS hot!The juice container is a great idea. We always keep a bag of “no eat” frozen peas on hand for burns.That last picture makes me sad – I hope Jesse’s burn is all better soon!