Let's give them something to talk about

Last Tuesday while at CMOM (Children's Museum of Memphis) Garrett (2.5 years old) ran up behind me, hugged me and said "Hi MumMum". The only time he usually says anything like Mama is when he is upset and wants me. He's said it twice today. I keep crying every time.
When Ben walked in the door he gets a "Hi DaDa" so it's amazing for me to get Garrett to look at me and say MumMum without being upset.

As an added bonus last Thursday in Mommy and Me class he smelled the toy flower and then held it to my nose so I would smell the flower too. He then took my hand, put the flower in it and wrapped my hand around the flower. Looked at me and smiled (yay eye contact). I was so excited, he even went and picked up another toy flower and did the same thing with another mom.

At the end of the class he walked up to me and put his arms up (a big step on it's own) and then said "up". I just about cried. The teacher in the class knows Garrett is autistic and she was so excited for both of us. I had to share because I'm sitting here blubbering because I've waited 2.5 years for him to call me by my "name"

Tonight I was doing "Up and Down" and then pausing to get him to say "up". I heard him say "dow". So I looked at him and said "Up and ...." "DOW" While I was folding the laundry he looked in the mirror and I said "who is that boy in the mirror?" and I heard "boy, boy, boy".
He saw his ABA therapist today and I told her about last week. Now I'm already excited to see her next Monday and tell her the new things he's been doing.

We've come so far recently and I just love hearing his little voice.