Talking

BB is finally starting to talk.  Literally, until March, I think he had about six words.  Other than "please" and "bye", they weren't used much.  He didn't say "no" or "mom" or "more" but sometimes out of the blue he would surprise you.  He said "football" last year - ONCE.  He repeated "astronaut" while looking at a book - yes, really - ONCE.  He "talked' all the time, but no one could understand anything.  It was his own language.

He has been in speech therapy since last summer.  In March, they changed the format of the therapy, deciding he was old enough and had a long enough attention span to progress to a new level.  It seems to really be making a difference.  Within a couple of weeks, he was finally starting to mimic.  Can you imagine a two year old that doesn't repeat things?  Well, that's where we were.

But, now he is trying to repeat, even on demand, which is huge!  Although he has signed "all done" for a while (the only way he was generally let out of the high chair), he didn't want much to do with other signs.  Did I mention he has a mind of his own and really only wants to do the things he wants to do when he wants to do them?

Well, now he may be up to a couple dozen words that those of us around him can mostly understand.  In context they make perfect sense, even though few are clear or even complete.  But they are repeatable.  He is also saying short phrases.  Sometimes they are even clear enough for others to understand, but not frequently.

The good news is that he is now steadily progressing, after two years of little progress communicating.  He understands everything.  No issues there.  Hopefully soon his expressive communication with catch up with the rest of his talents!