Expressing Herself

This week Grace has been expressing herself vocally- alot,

The first time was when I was folding a sweater I had worn that she especially liked. The first said and signed Black then vocalized Sweater- so we learned the sign for sweater and she was off. She said BLACK SWEATER til she went to bed.

The second one, which I had thought originally was the best one, was when she told me:

Mama, I love you.  -- I melted. That was the first time she put it all together.

But today she was with her new after school Tss, Beth, who is a lovely person. They were drawing on the chalk board and I went into the room and Gracie pulled me over to draw.

Beth told me that they were drawing Miss Heather-- Grace's Tss who left the agency before Christmas.

After a moment, I looked at her ipad that she uses for her words. 

It said:

I WANT MISS HEATHER DO SOMETHING ELSE,

This to me was more gut wrenching than when she said I love you to me. 

Heather had been with her for at least 3 years, day in and day out. All of a sudden this person who she

depended on and worked with is no longer in her life. She just disappears.

Some might think that since she is unable to express her emotions like we do that she doesn't feel things like we do. Or since she doesn't talk she might not think like the rest of us do.

But how would you feel in her place?

Miss Heather, if you read this, we-- Grace misses you. Thank you for the years you spent with her,

teaching her, pushing her, laughing with her, fighting through the bad days. You made a lasting mark on her and SHE wants you, US to know that.