What's in an name?

A lot! At least, that's how it feels today.

Lainie said her name. After 8 months, she can say her own name again. She was saying it for about a month before the seizures. Every night we'd pass her picture on the stairs and she'd say 'Lainie' clear a can be. Then after the seizures, she'd just say "eh."

For at least four months (if not all 8), I've been working with her, getting her to say Lay, then Nee and trying to get the sounds put together. Months of effort and (honestly) disappointment. I wanted my little girl to be able to say her own name, her first name.

And now she can!

Ironically, with all the down feelings of last week, I was also feeling really tired of working with her on her speech. And then I thought she's probably tired of being asked, "can you say ____?" And so I decided Saturday I wouldn't pester her at all or work with her or make her say the words or sign when she wanted something. It was going to be a day off for us both. But then, I still heard myself saying, out of habit, "use your words!" And I saw Lainie using her signs without any encouragement.

And the day after our day off, I heard her beautiful name! It's one of the best sounds in the world.