"Out!"

Never has one short word meant so much. "Out" is only three letters long, but it has been given new meaning.

Yesterday, Noah took a bath by himself. Usually, he and Aidan will bathe together, but Aidan wanted to take a shower instead. Noah's been in speech therapy for nearly a year now. His vocabulary grows weekly, but he always say "Uh, uh, uh", and points to whatever he wants. It's kind of frustrating, because at this age, I expect him to tell me what he wants. If he wants a drink, I expect him to say "Drink!", but all I ever get is "Uh, uh, uh!"

Bathtime is one of Noah's favorite times of the day. He adores splashing the water, and he will refuse to get out of the tub, or throw a tantrum while we try to dress him. Last night was different. I was getting his towel out and making sure I had his diaper and pjs while he splashed around. He loves pouring water out of his bath cup and "washing" his hair. As I was getting everything prepped for when he got out of the shower, the unthinkable happened.

"Mama.....out!" Noah was standing up and holding his arms up towards me, signaling that he was ready to get out of the tub. I looked at him for a minute, not quite sure I believed him.

"Out!" he said again.

I must admit it--I nearly cried! For the first time in his entire life, Noah told me exactly what he wanted, and he told me with real words. Naturally, I took out of the tub and got him dressed.

My baby boy is growing up. He's making tremendous progress, and I now know that he is capable of telling me his needs with actual words. I am so proud of him!