Lots of FIRSTS for Chase

In the last week Chase has blown us away with all kinds of new and exciting things.  It started the Saturday of the Race Across the Spectrum 5k...we were swimming that afternoon and I said "go to My Miles" (which is what baby Miles calls Aunt Miles) :)...anyway, Chase said "My Miles" right after me and proceeded to swim straight to her like it was no big deal.  I wasn't sure I heard him clearly, but Miles heard it too!

Then last week at school, on Wednesday, he was working on some of his iPad goals saying "I + see + dog/frog" when the therapists holds one of the 2 things up.  Miss J said "what do you see?" and held up a dog, and he actually said "dog", then she held up the frog and he said "frog"...OUT LOUD...clear as day, like no biggie!  We tried to pull the video from the session but the sound was unplugged, OF COURSE!!!  I still can't believe it!

The next day they were going around working on waving "Hi" and "Bye" to people and he actually said "Hi" and "Bye" 3 different times.  AND THEN in the classroom they were pretending to be in a car going through the car wash and Miss Morgan said "scrub scrub" and Chase repeated it exactly like that after her!  What an exciting week!

Not only has he been saying new words, but during circle time he has been actively participating in the weather and story times and spontaneously raising his hand for a turn to do different activities...this is HUGE engagement!!!

And THEN, we went to Jackson for the weekend and Big C took Chase to the bathroom.  When he was finished Big C said "All done?" and Chase said "all done!" then hopped off the toilet and ran right along his merry little way!

He's been saying a lot of new consonant sounds lately as well /f/ and /p/.

Lastly, this may not seem like a big deal to many people, but we were at the playground last Thursday and I kept noticing Chase inching his way closer and closer to the swings.  He used to LOVE to swing, up until around age 2, then something switched and he was TERRIFIED of it.  He would have nothing to do with swinging, would run to the opposite side of the playground from the swings and completely freak out if we even tried to get him to sit on one.  I'm not sure if something happened to scare him or if it's a sensory thing, but regardless, he has wanted nothing to do with a swing for the last 2 years.  We have been working on this in OT and we got him a platform/hammock type swing for his birthday this year that he does actually like and will now sit and swing on.  But back to the playground...he eventually sat down on a a swing, lifted his feet, then began pushing off with his feet and SWINGING!!!  I couldn't believe it!  I think I took 10 videos of him doing this!  He even let go with his hands a few times!  It was amazing.

This kid never never ceases to blow me away with the skills and things I have taken for granted for so long!  He always does things on his own timing and when HE is ready to do them.  I have always said, from the time he was an infant and learning to sit up or crawl, he will do it when HE is ready and on his own terms, and that has been true of him from day 1!

I had kind of come to terms in my mind, that he may not ever talk and I was going to have to be ok with that.  I was mentally preparing myself for that to be the case.  But after last week, that is the most he has said EVER in his life, in such a short period of time, I am beginning to have new hope, albeit cautious hope (trying not to get my hopes up too high), but still praying daily that his speech evolves more and more each day.