Language has been elusive for our twins. They babbled and started saying first words around their first birthday, but sometime in that second year the words just faded until they were all but gone by the time they turned three. For Sawyer, there are still no words. But for Xander, the words seem to be coming back.
It's been there for a while, a new word or two here and there. Not always consistent, and probably not always clear to those who don't know him well, but they are there. And they're heard more and more frequently. At one time, I could have counted the words he used consistently and appropriately on my two hands. But after the last few months, I probably couldn't even list all of the words he's starting to say.
Part of me was kind of waiting and watching, almost afraid to talk about how well he was doing for fear that it wouldn't last or that it would disappear just as those first words did. But every single day I hear new words. Not always articulate, mind you, but new words. He's saying the beginning sounds, trying to sound out things that he hears other people say. And he's putting a lot of new words together that I've never heard him say before. Of course, like so much with our twins, his words are only things that interest him, things like "bubbles" and "juice" and "want" and "throw" or something along those lines.
Beyond the words themselves, he's also learning context. He's been mimicking me, saying "hush" to Buster and "share" to Connor when he's not cooperating. So he's not only speaking, but he's using the words in appropriate situations.
And, perhaps most important, he is saying them consistently. He's trying, he's actually making the effort to communicate, out loud. That's huge.
One of his therapists always thought he was just being a bit stubborn and a bit of a perfectionist, that he was too afraid of saying the wrong thing so he simply didn't say anything at all. It wouldn't surprise me. It would actually explain things like him randomly saying, quite articulately and appropriately, things like "apple juice" and "garage" and "helicopter" one time after hearing it, and then not repeating it ever again. That was frustrating, to know that the words were there and he could very clearly say them, but it seemed like he just didn't want to.
Ever since the words went away, we've always hoped that they would eventually come back. We've always joked that one day the boys were going to surprise us by just randomly speaking in perfectly formed sentences. And while that would be nice, to hear what they're thinking and what they want and what they need said out loud, at least they're getting better with communication in general. They're both using gestures much more consistently and coherently.
And Xander, sneaky little Xander, is even beginning to use new words and familiar sign language to help get his point across. The words have not come easily for him, but I'm so incredibly proud and amazed each time a new one appears. It gives me hope, for him and for his brother, that one day those sentences will come, that we will be given the gift of seeing the world through their eyes and hearing it through their voices.
