“I love you”

It’s no secret that Jackson communicates differently than most. There are times when J and I will look at each other in pure defeat as Jackson repeats his words over and over. If we cannot figure out the word then we ask Jackson to “show me” and sometimes he is able to take us to whatever he is wanting. When  “show me” doesn’t work we start the guessing game of “do you want this” which usually ends in frustration for all parties involved. One method of communication that has worked is sign language. We need to get better about being more consistent with using it so it becomes second nature for all of us. I recently showed him how to sign “I love you” and it’s one of my favorite signs thus far. Watching him making his pointer finger, pinky, and thumb do what they are supposed to do is so awesome. I think the thing I love most about sign language is it’s a deliberate way to communicate. It’s not something you just do accidentally or randomly. It takes him time to look at his hand to get the sign correct. This evening as I was walking on the treadmill he did something cute so I told him “I love you Bubba”. He then sat there, used his other hand to help make the “I love you” sign, and then showed it to me. If my heart could burst with happiness it would have. He has worked so hard this year with speech therapy and all of his hard work is starting to show. I am so thankful for his speech therapist, his teachers, and our family unit for helping him flourish.