but to me it was a breakthrough. Last night while I was checking my email, Maddie left watching Signing Time to come see me. (That in itself is pretty amazing. LOL) I turned to her and asked her what she needed and she lifted up her hand and signed:

DRINK.

I almost started to cry. I know that for most kids who are almost three, asking for a drink is something they have been doing for at least 2 years. But drinking has always been really challenging for Maddie. We have worked and worked to help her to learn how to drink. We have tried so many cups and straws and water bottles to try to find the best and easiest one for her. We have worked to strengthen her oral muscles to help her to use a straw, which she is really great with now! Still, every day Matt and I have to offer her drinks and remind her to drink at mealtimes. She has never just come up to me to randomly ask for a drink before.  This means that she has learned to do a few new things: Maddie is using her signs to really communicate her needs, rather than just identify objects or answer questions, and Maddie is recognizing that she is thirsty. I really don't think she could tell before, so I am so excited to know that she does feel thirst and now she can identify it, and that she knows what to do to fix it. That shows that she is learning problem-solving skills too, which is totally cool! I am so proud of Maddie. I know this probably seems like a pretty small thing to be excited about, but one thing that having Maddie has taught me is that it's important to celebrate the little things!