I'm loving this warm weather we've been having. (I'd call it Indian summer, if I hadn't heard that it was a racist term. Although Wikipedia says it may have less evil roots.)
Jete worked OT again today. I took the boys outside for a couple of hours for some fresh air. Of course, I had a completely selfish reason to do that - to wear them out. It seemed to work. Around 1:30, CG went down for his nap without a fight. Ethan also passed out around then, so I had almost 2 hours in a row to myself. I washed some dishes and did some basic straightening up, then played on the computer for a while. Blogger was kind enough to eat a post, but otherwise, it was relaxing time.
What a difference a week can make. Last Saturday was cold and grey and the boys were whiny and no one wanted to nap but me. I was not in a good state. A little sunshine makes all the difference for everyone.
It's going to be a long winter.
This week, we went to the RMV to continue the process of getting handicapped placards for Ethan. A month ago, we filled out the form and sent in his certificate of blindness, and in return the RMV sent us another form. We had to bring this down to a local branch to get Ethan's picture taken.
Unfortunately, Jete had been holding onto the form for a few days, and I hadn't read it in detail. When we arrived at the photo desk, the woman asked us for Ethan's ID. When I said, "Huh?" she - both politely and curtly said - "Something that proves that Ethan is Ethan. Didn't you see where the form said to bring proper identification?
I admitted my mistake and searched through my purse. Finally, I offered her Ethan's insurance card. She didn't seem pleased, but it was the only thing I had with me that had his name on it. I used to carry his Social Security card, but Sete warned me that someone could steal my purse and his identity all at once.
Finally, the woman begrudgingly accepted that we probably weren't trying to scam the system. But it made me wonder - how does having his Social Security card prove he is who he is? I could have brought his brother's, or cousin's, or anyone else's. How many four-year-olds have photo IDs? I wanted to whip out my mini photo album, showing her pictures of Ethan through the years. "See! Here he is with a dorky Santa hat on. He really is our kid!"
CG had his 18 month checkup last week, and I mentioned my concern that he still isn't speaking. He babbles and uses one sign (for "more"), but doesn't have any real words. He doesn't even say "Mama" or "Dada". If he's upset, he whines a long "mamamama-mamama", but to me, that doesn't really count.
At his 15 month checkup, the pediatrician said we could technically wait until he's two before contacting early intervention. But after three months with no real improvement, I'd rather not wait. This time, we saw a different doctor and she agreed it was probably time to get some help.
I called L, the speech therapist Ethan had through early intervention. She was our favorite of all the therapists and had a special bond with Ethan. She recommended getting a hearing test first, to rule out anything anatomical. So this week have the hearing test and then a paperwork visit from E.I.
I'm pretty sure therapy will make a big difference. He does seem to understand us most of the time, and will follow commands like, "Point to your ears." (Of course, things like, "Don't steal your brother's blanket." tend to get ignored.) But he won't repeat words and sounds, and he keeps his tongue between his teeth most of the time. We'll just leave it to the experts to explain why.
Sometimes, I wonder if he is using words and, with my poor attention to detail, I'm just missing it. For example, he has a love/hate relationship with the vacuum right now. Everytime you enter or leave the room, he feels the need to show you where it is, and he yells, "Bah!" or "Vah!" (I can't tell which). Maybe that's his attempt at "vacuum".
Although, anytime a bus, truck or motorcycle drive by the house, he also yells, "Bah!" Maybe he's trying to say "bus" those times?
Or maybe he's trying to say, "Bah! I hate all these loud things!" If he takes after his mother - who used to watch fireworks from INSIDE the car, ears covered - it's entirely possible.
3 comments:
I will fill you in on the professional opinion of CG's speech. When he says "bah" or "vah" for other loud things, such as the bus or motorcycle, what he may be doing is generalizing. During language development, children tend to assume things that have similar characteristics are all one in the same. Who knows this could be far fetched, but it is possible that he is associating noisy things with "vah". I choose to believe he is :) I was rather impressed with his speech today!
It's getting to the point where kids are going to have to have photo IDs along with their social security cards. It's ridiculous.
I think I told you this, but Jen's daughter went through the same thing as CG. After about 2 months of speech therapy, she had the vocabulary of a 5 year old. So while I think you're smart to call EI, I wouldn't worry too much at this point.
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