catch phrase

My primary purpose for sending Garrett to preschool this year is being accomplished. Every day my speech-delayed little boy gets off the bus with an increasing ability to express himself verbally. The things he's starting to say aren't anything spectacular, but I still find myself marveling. His receptive language has been making big strides, too. He has started mimicking things he hears other people say, and he suddenly has a command of synonyms. He has started not only observing his surroundings, but telling me about them as well, and when he watches a movie, he gives me the play-by-play. His memory is keener, and it is so entertaining to watch him connect the dots. His overall intelligibility still needs a lot of work, but his improvements in my eyes are so astounding that it's getting easier to look past his unique grammar.

He has finally reached the stage, that so many of his peers reached ages ago, where his experimenting with language is hilarious and he often says "the darndest things." I wish I could record everything that comes out of his mouth, but obviously that is not possible. But I did have a lot of fun writing down the following list of things he says frequently. In addition to "No cheese, Gromit," here some other things I often hear Garrett saying:

• "No touch, Baby!"
• "Get back!"
• "Stop!"
• "Come back!"
• "It's mine!"
• "No-no-no!"
• "Go away!"
• "It's my turn!" (And, less frequently, "It's your turn.")
• "Treat!" (Sometimes it's "Candy!" and sometimes he has specific requests, such as candy corn or M&Ms.)
• "Come on!"
• "Mmm...so good."
• "Hold me!"
• "Talk!" (He grabs my chin when he says this, and pulls it toward his face so he has my undivided attention.)
• "I'm sorry."
• "Thank you."
• "Excuse me. " (Sounds like "tween-tween.")
• "It's so fun."
• "I happy."
• "That's so cute."
• "Oh no -- it's broken!"
• "It's amazing!"
• "It's dark...it's bedtime."
• "I'm tired." (Usually preceded by a drawn out sigh.)
• "It's heavy." (Uses it to mean anything that is heavy or hard to do.)
• "Help me."
• "Help here." (Meaning, "Can I get some help over here?")
• "Play Dad Games?" (Meaning, "I want to play on Dad's iPod.)
• "Play Mom Games?" (Meaning, "I want to play Starfall on the computer.")
• "Whoa! That close!" (As in, "Whoa, that was close!")
• "So scared." (Meaning, "So scary.")
• "It's silly."
• "I a mess."
• "Purple milk." (Meaning the 2% milk with the purple lid.)
• "Eat at M." (Meaning, "I want to eat at McDonald's.")
• "I Charlie Brown!" (Referring to his Halloween costume, which he loved.)
  

As I read over the list, I realize that there is very little on it that isn't something you haven't heard your own children say. But because Garrett -- my Garrett -- is finally catching up in his language ability, they are unique things to hear at our house. And I can't seem to get enough of it.

Below is a conversation I've had several times a day with Garrett lately -- a conversation that six weeks ago he wouldn't have had the command over the language to even have. After my mom's recent visit to and departure from Brooklyn, he made the connection that she flew here on an airplane, and that if he wanted to go to her house, he'd also have to fly on an airplane. Our talks on the subject have only expanded from there.



After I stopped recording, he went on to tell me that his cousin Henry would also be there, and that together they could play with the train set that had a tunnel. And he said it all without any prompting from me.

And it's not just conversations that we have together. Garrett also has discovered a love of singing, and it's not a rare thing for me to catch him with a song stuck in his head. Some of his favorite songs include:

• "I Am a Child of God"
• "Book of Mormon Stories"
• "Popcorn Popping"
• "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"
• "Once There Was a Snowman"
• "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"
• "The Wheels on the Bus"
• "This Is The Way We Wash Our Hands" (a pre-snack time song he sings at school, to the tune of "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush")
• "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
• The Signing Time theme song
• The Elmo's World theme song

Even though, like any other three-year-old, Garrett often turns into a broken record, I love love love hearing him talk. It's a milestone I've waited so long for him to reach. It's funny how hearing him say, "Oh no, it's missing!" after accidentally dropping, and subsequently losing, a small item on the kitchen floor can make my insides swell with an indescribable happiness. Somehow hearing things like this makes the drama, which began a year ago this month, of getting him intervention and therapy all worth it.

_______

And because Caleb's ability to talk also seems to be moving along at the speed of light, here's a clip of him demonstrating his latest addition: "Uh-oh," which he uses in context, especially when he's being silly and purposely throwing his toys on the floor.



So Caleb's word count now includes: Hello, Mama, Da, Uh-oh, and occasionally something that sounds like an attempt to say Baby.