So Proud!!

I tell ya, it is so rewarding being a mom.  I just can't imagine not having these two sweethearts in my life.  I just am so filled with love and adoration for them, I'm so proud of their accomplishments, and I am constantly learning something from them everyday!  As a stay-at-home mom, I get to be a part of every second of their lives, and although it's not always easy, and every day has its challenges, it is such a PRIVILEGE to be at home with them.

I gotta give a couple "shout-outs" to my two little ones.........



Our little guy, Luke, (or, Deebee, as Ava calls him!) turned 2 a couple months ago, and I'm amazed by his intelligence, everyday.  He picks up on things SO quickly and is so insightful.  Just the other day, as we were sitting at the table for breakfast, I always go over with them what our plans are for the day, and as I was talking, he was very intently looking outside.  It was windy and the trees were moving back and forth.  He said, "Mommy, wind blowing the trees."  And I said, "It sure is!"  We looked a little more, and then he proceeded to say, "Deebee don't see the wind, but it there." I turned to him in amazement and said, "You're right Luke!  We can't see the wind, but it's still there!!"  I mean, I could just be super biased, and I probably am, because we all think our children are geniuses, but I just thought that was so insightful and so amazing of him to notice!!  As he says to us all the time, "I'm so proud!!"  (It's true, Luke is always giving us and other family member's hugs and telling them he's "so proud!"), and I really am just SO PROUD of him!  He is such a sweet boy with an insightful and smart little mind!!

Not only is he smart (and not to mention, ADORABLE!!), he is such a help, verbally, to Ava.  It's usually the other way around, the oldest child being a verbal example for the younger child, but, in our household it's reversed.  Here's why:



Ava, our amazing 3 year old was diagnosed with a speech disorder, Speech Apraxia, at around 20 months of age.  Speech Apraxia is a neurological disorder where the brain does not send any and/or the proper signals to help her mouth/tongue/lips, etc, all work together to form her words.  She was barely saying any words at 2 years of age, but was SO SMART and could understand all that was being said to her or asked of her.  She knew exactly what was going on, but our dear girl just couldn't get her words out.  We started early with sign language and other forms of communication and we were able to communicate with her fine, even though she wasn't using many words.

When she was being evaluated for the Developmental Preshcool that she now attends, I remember them saying, "She just doesn't talk at all, does she?  How do you guys communicate with her?"  It was weird, but I had never really thought about it.  We just did it.  She was our daughter, who we loved dearly, and we just made it work however we could.

She has been in this preschool for 4 months, now, and has been going to Speech Therapy for quite some time, and with those two put together, along with the work we try to do at home with her, she has come LEAPS and BOUNDS!!  I can officially say that she has hundreds of words (she doesn't always say them, but they are there!!), and can put 2-3 word sentences together if she really tries!!  It is so heart-warming and truly touching to see the progress she's made.  True, she has so much further to go, but in just 4 short months she has made tremendous strides and is talking in a way we've never heard her before!!  Even, every now and then, an "I wuv you Mommy" will come out of her mouth and I literally want to cry!  She is such an inspiration to us all.  I am astounded at what Ava can do.  She's amazing.  I'm so proud.

I just had to give this "shout out!", because I really am just so proud of our two children;  I'm so impressed with their individual talents and abilities, and I just can't wait to see what the future holds!!

I encourage you.....if you have a child who is not talking, or you think might have some sort of speech delay, and your "gut" is telling you there might be something wrong, then follow your instincts and get your child checked out immediately!  I think the best thing we did for Ava was get her diagnosed EARLY!  I had a "feeling" long before any doctor mentioned anything to me.  In fact, they always said that it "would come" and that she was just a late talker, which, may be true for many children, but I just had that gut instinct that this was not true with my child.  Be your child's advocate and be their voice!!  I researched my heart out and didn't let what the Doctors said influence me.....I forged ahead and took matters into my own hands.  Do as much research as you can, and break down those brick walls that stand in your way!!!

For more info on Speech Apraxia, visit HERE