Teaching birds to talk is a riot, consistency & patients is the key.
Me myself and I don't have expectations from birds, I simply enjoy the inocence and beauty, the wife on the other hand loves to teach our birds to talk and do tricks.
Sammy, our male TAG will only repeat and learn from me, Sooooo the wife reminds me that Sammy is being waisted, the African Grey is one of the most intelegent birds in the world, Rose will say "you have to do the training", "he won't learn from me", this kinda thrust's me into a world I am not comfortable in, buuuut...I have taught sammy to tell the wife "I Love You", and he can count to 7 (so far), Sammys says "Sammy's a pretty boy", "Nite Nite", He (coughs,sneezes), "what are you doing down there pretty boy?", and recently I taught him to ask the wife "hows your tomatoes", she is still alittle set back with me concerning that issue...LOL
Sammy will not talk around me, only the wife, I love Sammy so very much, I kiss him in the scruff of his neck, sooo he always sticks his long neck out and pushes himself up to my face for a nice long "KISS", then his eyes go partly shut, Sammy is a GEM.
I would love to come to California and help you train your birds CatsChair, but I simply don't trust anyone to care for our birds, My wife gets away now and then for a vacation, Me...welllll...anytime away is nothing but pure worry, soooo I stay at home here with my KIDS.
BW

I hear ya! Will try to send a little sunshine out your way. Cheers,

What a little doll!