Forever ago, way back when Alexis was barely able to sit up by herself, we started to teach her sign language. By the time she was 14 months, well, she could do this:
(HOLY CRAP was that kid an early talker. I didn't realize it at the time, but HOLY CRAP.)
She peaked at around 500 signs. Which, yeah. She kicked some sign language ass.
Her signing vocabulary is dwindling these days. Quickly. She still knows the alphabet and a few signs here and there, but she's no longer putting together sentences or songs or having conversations with me across a crowded room using signs.
But there is one sign that she uses every single day. It takes her a minute to get her fingers placed just right, but every morning she runs across the room at preschool to the glass door that looks out on the parking lot. Every morning she runs to that door, looks out until she sees me as I go to drive away, and she fumbles with her fingers until she gets it right. She flashes her sign.
It's the only sign she needs.