Three Words Can Change the World

"Oook. Ouch. Eeez."

I am sure the above means nothing to any of you. In fact, I am sure you are wondering how it was that I let the obvious misspellings go unnoticed by Blogger's spellcheck. However, the above is not a case of mistyping; it is, in fact, Connlaodh's latest move to communicating like a child and not like an infant.

For those of you who don't know, Connlaodh had tubes put it in his ears when he was 13 months old because he had been more or less deaf for the 8 months prior. His language acquisition has been terribly delayed because of this; he understands everything, but his speaking ability is hindered. He has made great gains over the last few months, but really, to everyone else, his words sound like grunts. To those of us who have been listening, though, the difference is there. Tonight's "Oook. Ouch. Eeez" was said through tears. He was bawling in my arms, pointing out the door. What could he possibly have been looking for?

"Oook" = book. Connlaodh has a few books that he will read endlessly now, and he was holding one of them in his arms...
"Ouch" = the couch, of course, as it is our favorite place to read!
"Eeez" = please!

He so badly wanted to stall bedtime by reading just one more book. And while it was incredibly sad to watch, it was such a relief to actually be able to understand what he wanted! Aaron read him a book (on his bed, not the couch, though), and little man was calmed and snuggled shortly thereafter.

Actions may speak LOUDER than words, but it is amazing how infrequently you need to be loud when you have the right words to use.