Boog is saying "Ma-Ma" and "Buh-Buh" on purpose. He says "Buh" and waves his hand when he is counting. This is huge for us. It's the first time he has vocalized on command and on purpose in this way. He has cried or made noises when he wanted something or needed me before, but this is different. He's concentrating SO hard to make his mouth/brain/vocal chords all do what he wants at the same time. What's crazy is that he sounds different when he does these new vocalizations. It's Boog's voice. His real voice. He is 3 years and 4 months old and I am finally hearing his voice. So GOOD.
The easiest way for me to describe Autism is this way: My son is always down a tunnel. Some days the tunnel gets shorter and he sees me very well. Some days it's longer and I have to try very hard to reach him. The tunnel is getting shorter lately.
We have had this farm magnet toy for at least two years. Boog never did much other than take the magnets off the fridge.
I sat down with him about a week ago and used "hand-over-hand" to show him that if you match correctly, it would play a song and I would sing and dance. He loved it. His increased focus and fine motor skills have let him master this in less than a week. He can now match all 5 animals perfectly. He matches the face with the body, puts it in the correct position, and presses it again to hear the song. The reward for getting it correct is Mommy singing the song in her terrible singing voice. So GOOD.
There are literally 100 things I could tell you that I'm excited about. Some people who know special needs children would understand. Some people who know me or Boog would understand. Some people would be puzzled that he's just now doing these things. Some would be puzzled that I noticed something so small. All I can tell you is that a very wise person told me "Little steps make big steps" and it's true. If you get excited about the little steps, it makes life a lot easier to handle. The little steps are steps in the right direction. Moving forward is great. We are at our own pace, but we are on the road together. Every little step Boog takes, he's not alone. His Mommy, Daddy, Nana and Papa are there. His school family is there. And God is there. I don't blog about religion, but to see your son progress and know that you have made the right choices for him is an answered prayer.
I told someone a while back that when Boog made progress, "It's like someone takes one brick off of my soul. There's still a huge pile there, but I can feel one brick was removed".
So.....GOOD.
And so thankful.
Thank you, God.
