Not the Same Child!

Nyx has been progressing rapidly with her communication the past couple of weeks. She is consistently signing for "more" and "all done" (she says all done at the same time she signs it, which is nice.). She's got most of her alphabet and numbers down, and shapes and colours. She's saying "thank you" and "hewwo/herro" and "Sissy". Animals and their noises are a favourite - her piggy snort is hilarious!  So, great strides. 

A playgroup friend we see occasionally commented on this the other day, remarking, "She's not the same child!"  Well, yes and no. She is who she's always been, and she's becoming who she will be. Just like her seemingly-continual physical  growth spurts, her communication/social growth is happening all the time. I think now we're just paying closer attention. 

I must say I am quite pleased to see her interacting with other kids more in a mostly-appropriate way. She has started sharing toys more frequently with less fuss, and rather than avoiding playmates entirely (or screaming when they come near), she will observe them and take part in lateral play - even if she is still a bit of a bulldozer, now she is learning "gentle with friends", so is pushing gently with one hand rather than a full-on body check!

This progress does seem to have one catch; the better her communication gets, the more frustrated she is getting when she can't make herself understood.   Tantrums are abounding lately. Then again, she's also 21 months now, so "terrible twos" may be imminent.  I'm really hoping the OT and PC will help with some strategies for that in the fall.