Liam said an "F" word

No, not THE "f" word, but in our household, any sound that Liam makes that isn't "ma" or some variation thereof is a small victory for all of us. 

Liam has been working hard with his speech therapist, Miss Michelle, for 3 months now.  Twice a week she comes to our house and works diligently with him to encourage him to vocalize his needs and wants.  He has been rapidly expanding his ASL vocabulary, but to those who aren't familiar with the signs for "more" and "food", Liam's favorite signs BY FAR, it can be nearly impossible to understand him. 

He was blessed with the gift of... well, let's call it tenacity. I see a lot of both of us in him, but Bill claims his stubborn streak is all me.  Lucky us. :-) Every new sign, every attempt at a new sound, is the result of countless hours of encouragement and coaching.  It's a painfully slow process... but sometimes, when the planets align just so, and Liam deems us worthy, we are rewarded for our patience.

This week, it was an "F" word.

Ask me what the exact word was that he was attempting and I'd be hard pressed to tell you - the actual sound of the letter itself has made an impression much greater than any word ever could. A new sound, a new barrier broken through, a simple "F" is all it took to bring this seasoned mother to tears. 

Maybe it doesn't sound like a lot to most of you, but a few select parents reading this are nodding your heads, or remembering your child's struggle to articulate the words they so obviously understand the meanings to - and the tears that resulted from each small victory.

This week, Liam brought down the house with a simple sound. It was the smallest of accomplishments to most, but to us, a small miracle... and we have learned to never take those for granted.