Speech

Yea. About 4-6 weeks ago, I was really worried about Ché's speech. Mike was not. Well, he was right.

I contacted Indiana's Early Intervention Program: First Steps. They come out to your home, do an evaluation, and provide services if necessary. You don't pay anything until services are provided, so the first meeting and the eval are free. I just didn't see a reason not to do it. #1 it was free, #2 if there was a problem, it would be caught early, and #3 if there wasn't a problem it would provide piece of mind.

I was really worried about Ché not saying parts of words. Particularly s's. He doesn't seem able to add an "s" to the end or middle of words. The speech pathologist kindly pointed out that this is not a common pattern in Spanish and so his ear and tongue aren't trained to do the sounds of "s" in different places. duh. I felt kinda dumb at that point.
So, the two very nice ladies arrived. The speech pathologist, and the physical therapist. (Ché's broken leg that was never set.)

Here's what came from the eval:

Ché got to play and impress some people with his fine motor skills. He got to run around pantsless, which in the toddler world is awesome. He babbled, he played. It was great having 2 extra play things in the house.
The speech pathologist, and the PT sat at our table to go over their observations. The whole time they sat there, Ché brought them toys, the church bulletin, anything he could find. He really liked them.

And then they said, "He's normal. Congratulations."

There was mention that he's bow-legged, and that at some point we may need to see an orthopedist. But it hasn't hindered his gross motor skills, and he's talking just fine.

Now, because he's my kid, and he likes to make me look bad, his speech has just exploded since the 1st Steps people came. He is now talking in 2-3 word sentences, repeating everything we say, and just generally holding conversations with you.

The other day on the way home from school (daycare) I asked him what he did. In the past I've had to ask him yes or no questions to figure out his day, but not Monday. He started talking:

Throw ball Hannah. Poop potty. Eat lunch.

Now, this took some time to come out, about 10 minutes, with the thinking, the scrambling of words, me asking more questions, etc. But he was able to tell me about his day, without simply saying yes (aye) or no.

It's simply amazing, how a few weeks can totally change everything.

Back to Normal

I had to go back to work today, and Mike is going back tomorrow. This gives Ché one more day of staying home with a parent. Tomorrow Grandma will come, and Friday it's off to Nana's.


Luckily for him and us, we have some awesome parents. Mike's mom watches Ché 3 days a week, and my Mom watches him 1 day. This only leaves Mondays. Mondays are "school" days where Ché goes to a Presbyterian Church for the day. We call it school, and even though it started out rough, with a lot of crying and tears, both on his part and ours, it is really an enjoyable place.

We just had a holiday lunch at his "School" right before Christmas, and I have to say that I was really impressed. They had 2 year olds singing Jingle Bells, and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. The older kids had other songs that they sang, and then they had a turkey dinner for everyone that attended.

Ché is still in the toddler room. They didn't do anything at the program, just ate and drank. He'll be in the toddler room for a bit, since they have a grace period, and the toddler teachers don't want to give him up. I honestly don't have a problem with him hanging back awhile. He's small, and often gives in to bigger kids, not that I want him to be a bully or anything, but sometimes you have to take a stand, I mean especially when it's the cool toy in the room. No honestly, we have no problem with him being mild mannered, but sometimes you do have to stand up for what's right.
I'm sure they'll be a bit of seperation anxiety involved when we move to the two's room. He has really gotten used to Miss Angela and Miss Rose and even has to give them hugs and kisses byebye when I pick him up. Sometimes he isn't really ready to leave either which makes me think that this really must be a great place for him to be.

On another note, Mike and I are seeing an RE this Friday. It's only a meeting and will last about 30 minutes, but it's a step closer to seeing what's going to happen. I'm afraid of daily injectibles, but you have to do what you have to do.

I'll keep you posted!