Mom

I celebrate little victories.  It comes with the territory.  This weekend my daughter walked up to me and said "Mom."  My heart stopped.  It was a red letter day.

When I looked back at the reports about Haley's development I read that at her first evaluation they had recorded her only saying two words.  She said "mama" and "dada."  This was at 20 months of age.  I know every parent looks forward to the first utterance of their child that means they know who they are and who you are, but for me it has been a fleeting thing.

I don't think those sounds that she made were really in reference to us.  I think they were just sounds. 

There was a time when Haley didn't really know who I was.  She didn't have separation anxiety.  She would go to anyone.  She was handed over to her daycare provider, her therapists, her grandparents and back to me and it made no difference to her.  That did change however after I "retired" from my full time job and became her sole caregiver during the day.  Eventually she did realize I was her mom and she did have separation anxiety when I left her.  She was almost three when that happened.

Over the years Haley has learned to say her own name and her sister's name as well as the names of friends at school, teachers, grandparents, animals, toy animals and dolls.  She talks about people, but she doesn't really address people.  If pressed we can get her to repeat our names, but it has only been in the last couple of years that she really uses them.

Until this weekend she had never used them spontaneously. 

She hasn't done it since either, but I am so excited about that one time that I think it will last me for quite a while.