Jai is now taking a few steps without the walker. Wide based and not especially graceful, but wonderful to see nonetheless. It gives him freedom to get around the house and let us know what he wants, so enhances his communication in important ways. I leave the back door open for him sometimes, so he can choose go in and out of the garden. He loves playing with stones and dirt and water, so he creates a proper mess, but nothing a bath and a vacuum can’t fix!

Jai’s brain is soaking up so much at the moment, he is desperate to learn. He shows me when he wants to read a book and can gesture for some of our songs, or when he wants to go to the park. He knows where the biscuit jar of scotch fingers is. He’s started to wave bye-bye pretty consistently, and has started making efforts at a couple of other signs too.

I did a really excellent course on Key Word Signing (Auslan based) on the weekend and will start to introduce some new signs gradually. If Jai can learn even a few, it will be great for him, and i can introduce them to everyone at home and at childcare.. fingers crossed!

I sometimes feel like Sisyphus rolling his boulder, but the hours of reading and playing and sharing space with Jai have slow rewards.. the joy and pride when he finally learns something new is hard to convey. And the appreciation in his hugs, his laughter, the shine of his eyes. Albums of smiling photos, my keepsakes, cheer me each night.