More words!

Ava said Mom! Her babysitter told me she was sure that Ava said mom but I knew that although she does not babble she will occasionally say something that sounds like mom. But for yesterday and today she was really saying it. Not mama like Meggie but mom. Then she looked right at me and said slowly but clearly mom, up! That is two words in one week. I really hope this trend continues because she can do so little that it would be nice for her to be able to let me know what she wants. You can really see her thinking out the word when she says it and the deliberate way she pronounces them. That is how I know it is not a babble. When Ava first said up, I had to call Theresa, Ava's early intervention worker to let her know. She is an amazing part of Ava's therapy.
She said that usually when kids (even kids with a global delay) start to speak, it is an explosion of words and it doesn't take long for more to come. So I guess it is unlike her painfully slow physical development. I can easily track each movement over the months down to when she learned to shift her knee from one spot to the next. I have tried to slow down my words now to Ava and have been pointing to and repeating words all the time now that she is paying attention.
I tried getting her and I to learn some baby sign but I don't think that will work since her mouth works better than her hands or arms.
You can see her exercising her tongue during the day. She will twist and turn it and her newest hobby is to push all of the food out of her mouth while eating, so that has become pretty difficult for meal times. Oh well, it's progress so I won't complain.
We also went to see a homeopathic doctor yesterday. I was pretty weary going but she made me feel a bit better by saying she needed to do more research and look into it. I think her focus is food by the sounds of it and I told her that her diet could not be touched. I think the best thing that I took from the appointment was her suggestion to rub Ava's stomach in a clockwork pattern every diaper change using castor oil. (on the skin not ingested). She had her first solid poop in months the next morning. I think that Ava's stomach has been irritated lately and maybe this will help. I think I will go to one more appointment and see what she has to offer before making a decision on whether to continue.