A Little More Uplifting!

I was asked to get something up that was a bit more encouraging than the "late talker" post. I have heard from many of you and have gotten all sorts of input after that post. Truthfully, I think she has been using more words already since we have been encouraging her more. We are still having her see a speech therapist in early March just to get an expert opinion.

Life is good! We have been busy around here and preparing for Molly and Brian's wedding in Tampa next week. I did not reach my 10 pound weight loss goal, it ended up being more like 3! But the dress fits and I plan to eat really well and workout all week before we leave. Samantha has been busily been practicing her flowergirl duties, and has been excelling. We will see how she does in front of 300 people.

We had a really wonderful Valentine's day and you can see our mini photo shoot here. Samantha is really growing and has been cracking us up conducting when music is played and climbing on top of everything. I am posting this particularly cute picture I took today, we are ready for some warmer Florida weather next week!

Late Talker

I've had a nagging concern about Samantha's speech development. She clearly understands what we say to her and can follow directions. Lately she has really taken to the sign language and I can tell me when she's hungry or thirsty and what she would like to eat with signs. But she hasn't been progressing with saying new words.

Yesterday at a Superbowl party we went to, there were about three other kids Samantha's age, all of them talking up a storm. I try not to be one of those "comparative" moms but the differences were impossible to ignore. Not only did these kids have many words but they were saying things clearly and even putting two or three words together.

I came home and called my mom to find out that she also had been growing worried about Samantha lately. I consulted my trusty "What to Expect the Toddler Years" book which said that at her age, with the amount of words she uses, she is now considered a late talker. For the most part everything the book said made me feel much better. Some kids simply wait to talk, it also said as children develop physically, sometime they are literally using their energy for things like kicking a ball or running rather than talking. Also, all the things they listed to encourage speech like reading books, singing, reading nursery rhymes, etc. are daily staples for us.

But, just to be sure, I'm going to call today to schedule an appointment to have a speech development analysis. Will keep you posted...

Animals in the Bath

For awhile Samantha went through a phase where she really disliked bath time. I can't exactly explain it but after our trip to Oklahoma and having fun sharing a bath with Lola, she has now decided she is obsessed with baths. She points at the bath throughout the day asking "Bath?" The only painful part is getting her out where she acts like we are torturing her.

Here's a video I took about a month ago of her in the bath doing her animal noises. Her Tia Molly thinks her dog impression is particularly funny because it sounds suspiciously just like the dog Samantha is most familiar with, our pug Javier. She has really gotten good with her sign language, I can barely keep up with all her signs. Video to come on that soon.