So proud: JJ's progress

So I sat down and wrote a blog the other day when I was feeling like super frustrated in my mommy abilities. I was in a place I often go where I blame myself for any perceived short-comings in my child. Don't get me wrong; I love JJ more than anything, but he is behind in his speech and sometimes he's a bit of a spaz and needs to calm down and learn to pay attention and listen to direction and somehow in my mind that is all my fault, but he's amazing and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. Then I got busy and never posted it. I suppose I probably should have, I mean isn't that what having a blog is for? To be honest about things? In a way, though, I'm glad I didn't post it, because it was just based on my mood that particular day at that particular moment and was not particularly indicative of, well, anything concrete.

Again I suppose that's what this blog is actually about though...

Anyway, in the few days I sat on the original entry--my cooling off period--I was inspired by something else. I don't know if it was a coincidence or if God just smacked me in the back of the head, but I started to see what was happening right before me. Almost daily, JJ's speech is improving and getting better and clearer. He is saying more words at time than he ever has before and my heart leaps when he does it. Just last night we were playing around and my husband was pretending to be asleep. JJ looked at him and said, clear as day, "No sleeping, Daddy! Wake up!" and when we went in the other room he said, "Come with me, Daddy. Come on!" I was so proud in that moment, I couldn't stand it!

JJ's never had a problem really understanding us and what we say, and his ability to soak up information and remember the things he is taught is remarkable. I'm actually a little jealous of that quality because I really think it is going to help him tremendously throughout his schooling, to just be able to remember almost everything he's taught with ease. That is definitely not a quality I had in school! The problem came in his communicating back to us. He said a lot of words one-by-one, but not too clearly and not in sentences or phrases. Over time, the last 5 or so months in particular, he has bloomed in his speech. He is saying more phrases and is pronouncing words more and more clearly.

He still has improving to do (yesterday he got a new train at Grandma's house and when I woke him up from his nap he just said, "Choo choo train. ABCs." He just wanted to show me his train that has ABCs on it.) But my fears about his development are slowing down considerably.

He still a very spirited, independent, fun-loving, friendly, sweet, kind-hearted, funny three-year-old and he is going to be just fine.