Yesterday’s post described what is not going right. Yesterday I felt in the dumps (though still sanguine, I promise, sanguine). After some encouraging words from Adrian—“Stop it. Why do you get anxious? He is doing marvelous. Adjust his protocol a little, that’s all. These minor ups and downs don’t bother me.”—I decided to talk more about what remains positive, i.e., Martin’s language.

Martin is assembling original sentences more than ever, articulating his observations and needs and, well, wants.

One morning last week, while Adrian was helping Martin dress, Martin informed me, “I don’t want to go to school. I want to go to the toy store.” After breakfast, when Martin said to me, “You’re going to take me to the school bus,” I replied, “No, Daddy will take you down to the bus. I’m going to stay here,” then braced myself for protest. Martin remained calm and said, “Daddy will take me to the school bus instead.”

“Instead”!

On our way home from his school, Martin and I stopped at our favorite—well, my favorite—organic restaurant for a “mega-green juice” of celery, leafy greens, lemon, ginger, and half an apple. The apple half and raw crucifers make mega-green juice a no-no for Martin, but (ahem!) sometimes I let that slide. The following conversation ensued:

Martin: “I want to hold the juice.”

Me: “You can hold the juice. Can I have a sip first?”

Martin: “No.”

Me: “I can’t have a sip of my own juice?”

Martin: “No. I’m going to drink the juice.”

Then on Sunday night, for out last potty break before sleepytime, Martin picked up a book on ladybugs, which he decided to read while doing his peepees. Never too young to start the bathroom literature, I suppose. I asked him, “Would you also like to read this book before bed?” He said, no, he wanted to read Guess How Much I Love You? before bed. But, he continued, “I want to take the ladybugs book to bed with me.”

“You want to read Guess How Much I Love You? before bed but then go to sleep with the ladybugs book?” I asked.

“Yes,” Martin affirmed, seeming quite confident.

Martin’s ability to express himself made for an upset- and tantrum-free evening. Fifteen minutes later, having enjoyed Guess How Much I Love You? together, I watched Martin doze off, the ladybugs book snuggled under his right arm.