Words (Plural!)

When Zach was two years old, my grandmother told me I should write down everything he said so that I wouldn't forget.  I remember thinking that it would be impossible to record every new thing that he did or said since at this point he already had a full vocabulary and added new words by the handful each day.  Looking back, it was such a joy to converse with him, but I never rejoiced at new words he spoke the way that I do with Wesley.

So, in keeping with my grandmother's wise words, I want to take a moment to write down and thank the Lord for the new words Wesley has started saying this week.

In the past week, Wesley's speech has exploded.  In addition to the words he was already saying ("all done", "Daddy", and "in"), he is now also saying "up", "down", "on", "off" and "bye".  He also is consistently signing "more", "all done", and "up".  And, he is starting to imitate us more too.  As he poked at my mom's face this weekend, she smiled at him, removed his hand, and jokingly said "enough".  Much to our surprise, he cheerfully looked back at her and said "anuff".

He is also imitating non-verbal sounds when we play games, such as "eee", raspberries, putting his lips together over and over again to make the "p" sound, saying "lalalala", and spitting with his lips closed (which is difficult for him to do with the low tone in his mouth).

The most exciting part of his new explosion of speech is that he seems to be adding words and signs without losing others.  In the past, every time he has added a word or a sign, he has lost all previous words and signs and just used the new ones.  So seeing him add words and signs while continuing to use his other words is a big step for him.  He is still having difficulty with motor planning, sometimes using the wrong sign until we remind him of the correct one, but the fact that he remembers the correct sign as we redirect him is wonderful.

His favorite thing to do is play games where he can use his signs and words over and over again.  He loves it when we turn the lights on and off for him.  As soon as we turn the lights on, he starts yelling "off" until we turn them off.  Then, the moment they turn off, he yells "on" with a big smile.  He could play this game forever.  We also play "up" and "down" with a parachute.  He throws his arms up in the air and says "up". Then, when we lift the parachute up, he throws his arms back down, saying "down".  He laughs and jumps around as we play these games, loving that he has the ability to tell us what he wants and that when he speaks things happen!

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without sharing the bad news as well.  On Monday we had Wesley's hearing re-checked and it appears that the tube in his left ear is blocked and is starting to fall out.  There is also fluid in his left middle ear again.  So, we have started him on antibiotic drops and then will switch to a hydrogen peroxide solution in a few days in hopes that this will clear up the wax and the fluid.  Please pray that the fluid will drain and that surgery will not be needed to re-insert a tube in his left ear.  We will see Wesley's ENT again in a few weeks to see if the drops and solution helped or not.