momma mommy bwuh

Boy1 is deeply motivated to communicate with words, but his apraxia can sometimes make that feel out of reach. Even so, despite the odds, he’s learning to say new words regularly these days. He works through a preferred word list with his speech therapist and is making truly amazing progress. He’s also picking up new words through our phonics lessons and through imitation—proof that his determination runs deep.

One thing our family loves is music. We listen constantly and sing like nobody’s listening. Our car rides are traveling concerts, and anytime there’s music playing, it instantly becomes a sing-along.

Boy2 sings his heart out. Anything from cartoon theme songs to Blink-182, Taylor Swift, Riley Green, to Breaking Benjamin. The kid loves to sing, and I love listening to every second of it.

I’ll admit, I worried that with all our singing, Boy1 might feel left out. I didn’t need to worry at all. He started by humming along and has slowly evolved into jumping in with a word or two when it’s something he can say. Think the iconic “whooooa” from Livin’ on a Prayer or “baby, baby, baby” from Baby.

My favorite car concert happened recently when it was just me and Boy1. We were driving somewhere—probably to therapy—when I Never Lie came on the radio. I was singing softly, maybe even just humming, when from the backseat I heard, “baby.” Then “work.” Then “hurt.” And finally, “bye.”

He was filling in the last words of the verses—the ones he knew he could say—with so much confidence. My heart tripled in size.

Later that day, when we were all in the car and Hubs was with us, I pulled the song up on Amazon Music so Dad could hear him sing it too.

When you’re raising a child with special needs, you learn to celebrate every small victory. Every late milestone. Every hard-won piece, one at a time. I can’t fully describe how it made our entire family feel—even Boy2—to hear Boy1 expressing himself in such a beautifully “normal” way.

What are some small (but actually HUGE) victories you’ve celebrated lately?