A couple of things happened for the first time yesterday. First, I gave Nicky his own toothbrush and toothpaste and we brushed his teeth after he ate breakfast. He did really well!
Next, when Nicky was ready to go to sleep last night, he came over to me and sucked his finger, just like he always does. Chuck told him to go get his blanket, and he did! I think that might be the very first time we’ve ever asked him to do something realistic and he has done it. Not that I was surprised, but I guess I didn’t think he understood things that we say yet.
I’ve started to teach Nicky a few signs for things to help him communicate with us until he learns how to talk. He hasn’t done any of them yet, but it’s been recommended by many of the resources I’ve been reading, so I think it’s worth trying for a little while. We’ve used “milk”, “eat”, “all done”, “Mommy”, “Daddy” and “potty” (hey, it might be good to start exposing him to potty talk early!). We’ll see how it goes!