These Lucy Lately posts make me laugh a little because Landon is, for the most part, excluded. I feel confident he thinks things we would all find humorous. Landon was always what you’d call a “late talker” but he was doing a great job of mimicking sounds and repeating things after me. You could tell he was trying really hard to make his mouth communicate what his brain was thinking. He was pretty consistent in saying “mama” and “dada” and would randomly say longer or more challenging words like “Jack” or “Poppa”. He said “mil” for milk and that sort of thing. But then, unfortunately, when he had a few seizures last spring he completely stopped talking. So at 22 months we had him tested and his speech was declared to be at a 9 month old’s level. I feel like everyone gives me really sympathetic looks when I tell them that. But I think one of the best ways we can help our children is to not take their [or our] shortcomings so personally. We’re here. We’re doing the best we can. And that’s enough. We’ve been working with our awesome speech therapist on a weekly basis for a couple months now and at almost 27 months he’s back to saying “mama”, he’s significantly increased his sign language vocabulary [which is way better than the grunt shriek he was using to get our attention], and he’s added some sounds back in to his vocab like “ga, ba, ah”. Who would have thought I’d ever get so excited about one syllable sounds. Some days, when Lucy fills any penetrable silence our home might posses I feel a shred of guilt about my quiet one. :) So, there’s a really long explanation for why I only quote one of my children. Yikes!
Lu: “It is such a beautiful day!”
[swats at mosquito.]
Lu: “Okay. I’m ready to go inside.”
Me: “Lucy, Daddy is putting you to bed tonight. Say good prayers.”
Lu: “Good prayers.”
Lu: “Mom, come sit beside me on this pillow. I left a really big spot for you.”
[coinciding with]…
Lu: “Mom – I need to eat more chocolate so that I can be as big as you.”
Lu: “Moooooooooooom. I want to have Mommy and Lucy time. Play tag with me.”
Me: “Luce, sometimes when mommies have babies in their bellies they need to rest more than usual.”
Lu: “Well, just take him out already!”
[jumps on top of me]
Me: “Lucy, you need to be careful – there’s a baby in my belly and we don’t want to hurt him.”
Lu: “Oh, Mom. He’s fine. He’s sleeping. He thought it was funny. He wants me to do it again.”
Lu: “I did school today. It was really fun. I learned a lot.”
Friend: “What did you learn?”
Lu: “Oh. I don’t know. Mom, what did I learn?”
Lu: “Mom! Did you know a zero and an ‘O’ look the same?!”
Lu: “Mama, let me talk to Mimi. I need to ask her a question.”
[Talking into phone.]
Lu: “Mimi. Mama is going to have a baby. She’s going to go to the hospital to teach the baby how to eat with Daddy and the doctor. And you’re going to take me and Buddy to the playground. Okay? Oh, and then it will be Christmas.”
[thinking…]
Lu: “Mimi. I want Minnie toys for Christmas.”
[Putting on socks]
Me: “Okay, put your toes in.”
Lu: “Did you say cousins? I have cousins… Let me see. Their names are Maddison, Taylor, Pa…”
Me: “No I said put your toes in.”
Lu: “Oh, well I really love my cousins.”
Lu: “Dear God. Jesus Lord God. Jesus Lord God. Jesus Lord God. Amen.”
hey, beth baker! 