I know that most of the time you find yourself reading my posts and I am bragging on and on about how wonderful things are. Well, the truth is, they aren't always so wonderful. As a mom I am sort of a head case. You know the type, going to all ends of the Earth to mold my kids into perfect little human beings and at times somewhere along the line I lose my sense of reality. You see, Michael just turned two. And, my Michael really isn't talking. I know, I know. Some of you are thinking "He's two and doesn't speak?" While some of you may be going "He's ONLY two." You know who you are. It all began at Michael's two year appointment. I always walk in to D-Mats' office with short list of questions. My list for Michael's two year appointment consisted of 1. We've been treating that tiny wart on Michael's foot. How do you think it looks? 2. He is an extremely picky eater. Any suggestions? Should I supplement him? 3. Why isn't my two year-old speaking? As usual my pediatrician answered all of my questions very smoothly with responses I already expected. But, then I asked #3 and gave my reasoning behind my question my world was sort of thrown off kilter. I was told that Michael's vocabulary should consist of 25-30 words (Michael maybe says 6 consistently) and BLAH, Blah, blah... enter panic. I didn't really hear anything else he had to say other than "You should have him evaluated. It's easier to intervene when they are younger. Sounds to me like EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE DISORDER." So, what do I do? I rush home and Google EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE DISORDER. To make a long story short, my worries have been put to ease. After tons of reading, research and conversations with therapists I believe that Michael (who seems to be a little ahead of "schedule" when it comes to every other milestone) is just going to talk when he is darn good and ready. I am well aware that there are many factors playing roles in his language development. I have gone over each one in my head a million and two times. He doesn't have to ask for anything because I am always one step ahead of the kid. How much attention is Michael really getting when his little brother soaks up every single moment he can of Mommy time? He signs, so why use his words? HIS PACIFIER!! Let it me known that the day of Michael's appointment was also his last day with his pacifier. We took it away from him in hopes that it would encourage him to speak more. We went the cold turkey route, and I was simply horrified about taking away his favorite item on the planet. Much to my surprise he only asked for it once and we are now sailing smoothly to "MICHAEL NO LONGER NEEDS A PACIFIER" land! It appears that the paci was pacifying Dennis and I more than it was Michael.
So, now on Thursdays my MIL takes William so that Michael and I can spend some quiet quality time together focusing on Michael. We do all sorts of things. This particular Thursday I took him to Westmont Yard- where my son would rather vacuum than kick soccer balls. Hey, I'm in love with this plan!! His Daddy, not so much. Needless to say, I have spent many hours worrying "is there something wrong with my baby?" The truth is, and you see it everywhere you turn, kids develop at different rates. I think as a mom I need to slow down for a second and enjoy every moment with both boys instead of marking off milestones on their (what seem to be never ending) to-do lists.
No comments:
Post a Comment