Speaking in Phrases!

I’m amazed that there is yet another update on Drew’s speech progress already!  I really didn’t believe that he would show so much improvement this quickly.  In fact, I’d barely let myself believe he would improve at all, for fear that he wouldn’t!  It’s been about a month of working daily on getting him to speak in syllables.  He’s done great with the therapy, repeating the words better and better every day.  We knew that the natural progression would be that speaking in syllables would lead to phrases, but for it to have started to happen already is completely thrilling!  At first he simply started using two words together on a regular basis and beginning to use the descriptive words we’ve also been working hard at getting him to use (ie. Black car, fast car, big truck, sad Beebee).  But last Sunday he put together a three-word question!  We stopped at the bank after church on Sunday and he asked, “Bug there, please?”  Bug is what he calls himself, and he was pointing at the bank building.  It was clear that he was thinking very hard about how to ask the question, and each word came out very distinctly and carefully.  We were so elated!  We both cheered, I cried a little (ok, maybe a lot).  During the past few days there have been a handful more phrases and I am so proud that he’s doing so well!   He’s also begun being able to pronounce and use people’s names better.  This week he’s said “Nini Nani” (Auntie Dani) and “Bug talk Nini TaTa” (Bug talk to Auntie Tanya).  I have to point out that while he’s making this huge progress, he’s still very difficult to understand, but we’re hopeful that his clarity will improve more and more as the structure of his speech improves.  A friend recently told us that she is beginning to understand him better, and that was a real encouragement!

At the same time his baby sister, who will be 10-months-old on Monday, has begun saying her first words! “Wall” came last week, and this week she’s said “Baby”, “Kitty”, and what we’re sure was “Night Dad”.  Of course, at this stage she’s mostly just repeating the sounds Mommy makes, but it is really exciting to hear.  Especially because she is so much more vocal than her brother ever was and we’re so encouraged by the natural progress of a baby who doesn’t seem to be headed towards any speech problems of her own!