Luke is 17 months old as of April 9 and not talking. He whines and fusses a lot, indicating that he's very frustrated with his inability to communicate his wants and needs to us. There is lots of melting down and throwing of objects when they are offered.
Signs of hope:
Luke signs please, more and all done when prompted.
He occassionally signs please spontaneously.
He is beginning to make the /p/ sound when signing please.
Words: Mama (not necessarily for me), MY! (means Mine!), and tonight he said, "nigh-nigh" when I said, "Are you ready to go night-night?"
Just yesterday he started giving mouth (his) to face (mine) kisses while making a sound.
He waves all the time, even when no one is around. As soon as I unload him at his babysitter's house, he starts waving.
He touches his head when asked. He touches his nose when asked.
He made an animal sound one evening this week. (I think it was moo for cow.)
He tickles us.
Worrisome signs:
He doesn't consistently call me mama.
He doesn't call Meryt anything.
He rarely responds to his name (turning to me, laughing, etc.)
He doesn't make animal noises.
He doesn't know his body parts (except head and nose), despite us talking about it every bath.
He screams A LOT. (He's perfecting this horribly annoying screeching scream that is so horrendously high pitched that it hurts your ear drum.)
He just doesn't have any words for common things: cup, food, basic needs, etc.
Since September, he's had a lot of ear infections--he is not usually symptomatic, so I never know if he has one unless I just think there is something wrong and we have him checked. I've been caught off guard twice because I didn't even realize anything was wrong.
I know part of this is a comparision between Meryt and Luke and that isn't fair to either of them. I don't want to do that. But I want to be aware of any delays or concerns so I don't let too much time get away before dealing with any issues.
Luke is very aware of his surroundings. He watches what other childern do and mimics them. He tackles Meryt to engage her. He knows how to climb up a ladder on a playset and slide down. He loves our {almost unlovable} dog. He is jealous when I give someone else affection (like holding another baby, loving on one of his school friends, etc.). He saw Meryt hunting Easter eggs and wondered around the yard to collect a few for himself.
Just to remember what Luke looks like at almost 1 and a half, feast your eyes on this complete cuteness:
