Language gains

Nikko has been making some expressive language gains at home.

When he has trouble building something in the living room, he'll come seek me out and say, "Do you need help?" I'll then tell him, "Say 'I need help.'" And then Nikko will repeat, "I need help" while ushering me toward the living room. When I get there, I have to figure out which train track is out of place or what is broken that needs fixing.

I have to keep an eagle eye on Nikko regarding bathroom visits. If I don't tell him to go pee pee potty, then he'll resort to doing it in his pull-up. I often say to Nikko, "Nikko! Let's go pee pee potty." and then I'll pair the statement with the sign language action of a closed fist with thumb between pointer and middle finger, waving it back and forth (potty). If he doesn't have to go, he'll say, "No pee pee potty." If he has to go, he'll say, "Yes pee pee potty." This is actually a huge step forward regarding potty awareness, so I am grateful that he has been able to express this within the last two weeks. The only caveat is that visits to the bathroom are 90% prompted. He rarely tells me of his own accord that he needs to go potty. I have to ask him. This makes me ask Ronin and Audrey if they need to go to the bathroom. And so I am chirping every thirty minutes, "Do you need to go to the bathroom? Nikko! Let's go pee pee potty!" throughout the entire day.

When we are getting ready to leave the house, Nikko puts on his winter coat, comes to me and says, "Zip, please" while holding the edges of his zipper.

I am grateful for all these gains!