Blabbermouth

I just HAVE to share my Livie's new found voice with everyone. She's been in speech therapy for a couple of years now. They have worked on her oral muscles, motor planning and making sounds. The therapist has always said that she would get the relevant sounds out of her; a K-K for cookie and cup; a P-P for 'up' and quite a few others. But Lin and I were never really privy to her vocalizations; it was probably just situational that she was expected to make sounds in speech, so she did. We would only rarely hear 'pop outs' or relevant speech when she really wasn't thinking about it. We'd get the mama and dada and an occasional coo-key; but it was never consistent.

Yesterday, Linda drags me into the bathroom with her and Liv and tells me that Livie has something to show me. "Go ahead, say it". She come out with, what I can tell, is a very deliberately oral motor planned "UUUU---PPP". Of course the room explodes with our praise and she does it one more time "UUUPP". It was a request to get up from the seat! YESSSSS...

Later that evening, I took her into my bedroom and Aly was sitting working on the computer. "Hi Livie, how ya doing, Aly's in here too". "AAAALLLEE" comes out of her mouth as clear as day. Shock and a congratulatory eruption comes out from us and she says it once again "AAAALEE". We got ourselves a trend here!

Now today, she's leaving speech and waves goodbye and comes out with a "BU-BYYE" at the same time. She was so proud of herself, she jumped up and down with everyone giving her the WO-wo-WO-Wo!

Sorry all you looking for why it happened; no changes in diet, no new protocols, supplements changes in therapies; just good old fashioned hard work from a little girl who is such a trooper working the cognitive, muscular and breathing into vocal replies. Congrats Liv!

Just to cover all her other methods of communication, she really has dropped off using PECS, her teacher at school is into signing and she's picked up on a half dozen new signs. I am even pushing a new sign into the mix: 'gum' . She is TOTALLY into gum and those are the things that will motivate; she will now pinch her cheek several times to request a piece.

No matter what form it is, I can't wait until I can have a two way conversation with her. I know she has so much to tell me and sometimes I can tell that she's frustrated that she can't get it out...but she will...