Yes or No Questions Only, Please!

I'm not sure if I mentioned in my posts about our trip to Denver how special it was to have a week's worth of one-on-one time with my boy.  It brought me back to the days before Riley when all of my attention, love and affection could be devoted to just one child.  That almost seems like a lifetime ago.

Having that week with just Cale brought me so much closer to him, I feel.  I got to know him better, which seems silly considering I spend every minute of every day with him...what on earth could I possibly be missing?  A whole lot apparently.  He even fell asleep two or three times while I was holding him, which never happens.  Cale has never been one to snuggle and he's an extreme creature of habit (just like his daddy) who refuses to fall asleep anywhere but his own bed.  He won't even sleep in the car, which I think is just purely bizarre considering any length of time in the car puts me fast asleep.  Cale relished in being able to push the elevator button every time, never being forced to share a turn with his sister.  He got to play with his iPad without interference from Riley and never once had to listen to her drawn-out, hard-to-follow mythical stories.  He always got to sit in the preferred spot in the grocery cart and always had a free hand to hold if he wanted extra support while walking.  He was basically treated like a king and I loved every minute of being able to spoil him.  


Something even more amazing happened during that week, though.  For whatever reason, perhaps receiving feedback for every sound he made or every word he tried to say, he started gaining more control over his speech.  He can now say yeah, uh-oh, and uh-huh (no).  As long as you ask him yes or no questions, he can have a full conversations with you.  It became clear to me how monumental this was while he was talking to my mom on the phone yesterday.  Usually he signs his responses to her questions, which obviously does the person on the other end no good and which is why video chats are so great, but this time if she asked him yes or no questions he could respond with his mouth every time...and she could understand him!!!  It is so fun to hear him use words and it gives me great hope to know that even if he isn't fully verbal, he will slowly gain more and more control over the sounds he is able to make.

Now if only he would learn to say mommy.