The sweetness in his little voice

If you are a parent, you know how proud and excited you feel when your baby says their first word and how fun it was to hear the dozens or so others that come over the next year or so. Now, imagine what it would be like to wake up and realize your child can now only say a dozen words unlike the dozens from a month or so ago...and then within weeks, they can only say a handful of words. It's called regression...and until a few months ago, I never realized that is one of the first signs of Autism in many children.
Brycen's first word was "ball," besides Dada and Mama of course. Before he was two years old, he was able to say at least two dozen words and a few phrases...and then within a matter of weeks, he was only able to say a handful of words. It happened so quickly and within a few months after his little sister was born, so we just put the blame on not being an only child anymore. Now at almost 3 years old...he can say about 5 words spontaneously and another 5 or so with prompts from us. I remember so much about his first words...the way he said "bye"...he would drag it out and say "buhbuhbuh-byyyyyyeeee" and it was so adorable! He "lost" the word "bye" for about 6 months and only recently did he start saying it again (with prompts from us). "Ball" is the only word he has consistently said on his own since that first time.
This morning I had to get up long before anybody else to get ready for an early meeting for work. I had just finished showering and dressed and kept the bathroom door open in case he would wake up (by the way, this was a night that he slept all night long which only happens a couple times a week so Mommy was very happy despite being up earlier than normal). When I was brushing my hair, he came running out of his bedroom just like he does every morning and stops outside the bathroom. I said "Hi buddy...you slept all night long like a big boy!" and the sweetest thing came out of his mouth "Hiiiii." Now for many parents, this wouldn't be a big deal as this is one of the first words most children say, including Brycen. But in Brycen's case, this word was "lost" for the last 6 or so months and this is the first time I have heard it since then. I almost started to cry...but instead, I got down and gave him a big hug and said "you said Hi like a big boy." I didn't want to make a big deal about it as I don't know if it is here to stay, but to hear his sweet voice respond to my words appropriately and to say an actual word that can be understood is such a big deal in our house! I could not stop thinking of this moment on the drive to my meeting, during the meeting, and the drive home...and obviously I still can't stop thinking about it!