For as long as Isla could talk, there have been two words she refused to say: Gramma and flower. She knew the signs for both of these and would sign them at will, but she would not say them. In fact, she would become very frustrated if we tried to trick her into saying them. My poor mother even taught Isla to say her first name, at one point, because she got tired of waiting to hear 'Gramma'.
Then last Tuesday, I told Isla to say "I love you, Gramma" over the phone to my mother, and to our surprise, Isla said, "I love you, Gaga". I clapped and cheered and told her how wonderful she was. After that, whenever I would ask her to say 'Gramma', she would make some approximation of the word, and then give me a big silly grin waiting for her applause.
She now calls my mom "Ga-ma", but will often still sign the word when she says it. I don't know what exactly the game was, that she wouldn't say 'Gramma', but I am glad that it is over.
