Smiles

Junior slept all night last night and woke up with a huge smile. He then looked at his window and requested(demanded) I open the curtains for him. What a difference a day can make. Wednesday night he hardly slept at all and was tired and cranky much of yesterday.
Hopefully today will continue to go well.
He is now looking out his window and wanting to go outside so badly. With him recovering from being ill and dealing with so much asthma I am very reluctant to take him out. I think I will take him out on the porch for a very short time just to allow him to get out of the house and get a little sunshine. Sometimes you just need to get outside and it is beautiful outside.

Years ago the speech therapy folks told us that if a child is not speaking by around 6 years old then they would never talk. Over the years I have seen many children who proved that wrong and didn't even say their first words until closer to 10. Because of Junior's high palate there are many sounds he absolutely cannot make and many words that sound the same to those who aren't around him often. BUT, he is talking and recently his speech has made some huge leaps.
Last night I put him to bed and he wanted his curtain open. He looked at the curtain and said "Heidi out"(his way of asking me to open the curtain). Now he has said my name as well as the word out for a long time. The difference here is that he did not say his usual hIIEE for my name but clearly said Heidi with every sound clear. Also he is using language sooooo much more often now and typically with no prompting. I am hearing more distinct sounds when he is attempting speech. Junior has almost completely replaced his YES eye gaze with a verbal "ya" and is now replacing his No eye gave "O" much of the time(he uses the eye gaze if I or some else isn't understanding him). When we got the ipad I thought of it as a way to give him a voice I really didn't expect it to get him to use the voice he already has. He still uses the ipad a lot but much of the time first tries to verbally get his point across before using it.
Best of all he is sharing his voice with others and even "talking" at doctors appointments. I am getting some totally amazed reactions from those that have known him for years but he had never actually shared his ability to communicate in front of them. My heart was jumping with joy when a doctor made the remark that they couldn't believe how well he communicates(a doctor we have been seeing for nearly 10 years but who had never seen Junior really show his abilities). I know Junior will never talk like a typical child but his ability to communicate at all is truly a miracle.

I will post Junior smile pictures later today. Now it is time to go have some fun with Mr. Happy. Praying for the good weather to continue and Junior to have an awesome weekend with no more asthma.