Communicating

Just within the last couple weeks Lincoln has been communicating more and more with us. Before that he was signing and talking a little but it seemed to be more at our urging or only in certain (usually food related) situations.

Then, his desire to talk exploded. Many mornings he will babble and babble. He will also repeat what you ask him to say. His pronunciation is still developing, but his inflection is right on. It's exciting and wonderful.

I think it was just last week that we gave Lincoln his pacifier during the day a few times because he really seemed to be struggling with his incoming teeth hurting. He loved that. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have a problem not having it always and not having it when he went back to school. Last weekend Lincoln seemed to be signing when he'd say "sucker" (our word for pacifier) and then gesture wildly at wherever the sucker was that he saw. I tried asking him what the sign was but he was too excited to get the sucker to show me. It took two or three days but he started signing and saying sucker at the same time, as if to teach me/us that that's what he was communicating. Then, we'd be rewarded with a HUGE smile when he got it.

He was getting the benefit of communicating, he was signing and talking (which I think is just really cool), and he had made up his own sign to communicate better. I'm such a proud momma!

Since then he has also picked up the sign (very roughly) for airplane, which he does as he says airplane, each time one flies by.

He can and does also sign: more, food, milk, drink, please, thank you , blowing kisses/I love you, play, washing hands, amen, help, and maybe some more, but I think those are the main ones.

He says (basically unsolicited, at least sometimes): more, milk, juice, sucker, airplane, ball, car, bus, bubble, outside, momma, dadda, hi, hello (but these last two only if he's playing like he's on the phone), and a few others that I'm not able to think of right now.