Resourceful

Resourceful.....not a word I would typically use to describe our son. In fact, most of the time I am reminding him to speak and be a big boy! He has taken to the habit of grunting when he wants something. He will hold your finger and guide you to the area that houses his desire and grunt & point until he gets his way - this is usually referring to the refrigerator....my bottomless pit! So, I have started making him say what he wants.

After he leads me to the fridge:

"Are you looking for a drink?"

Nods yes and points.

"Can you say drink?"

"dink!"

"Drink, what?"

"ease!"

"Okay, mommy will get you a drink. Can you say thank you?"

He signs thank you.

"Good Job! High 5!"

We are getting pretty use to the routine and Tripp has started to say things when he needs / wants them...in his own, I'm learning to talk way. The only problem is now he says it over and over again and with increasing intensity and volume! Dink! Dink! Dink! Dink!

So the other day when Tripp was drawing in the kitchen while I was cooking I truly did not expect the following event to happen.

I had moved Tripp to a tall cabinet behind the side door so that I could prep food and load the dishwasher without my usual dance around him. Well, Tripp had filled up the cabinet with beautiful chalk drawings as high as he could reach - but he wanted more! He started whining. "What is it baby?"

grunt

"you have to tell mommy"

"up! Up!"

"Sorry baby, mommy is busy I can't stop and pick you up"

with tears, "Up!"

"Sorry, why don't you color on a different door?"

"Up!"

"Nope, why don't you get your stool?"

I didn't really expect him to get his stool. I figured I would find a good stopping point and go get it for him, but to my surprise I could hear his over-exaggerated grunts and knew he was doing it on his own! Around the corner he came with his potty stool, grunting and panting - what a drama queen! he then placed it at the foot of the cabinet and sat down for a rest. He then patted the stool and said "Up!"

"Good Job!"