We've struggled with helping Vincent learn to speak in an understandable manner for years. Goodness, back when he was two, we just struggled to get him to speak. He was such a master of non-verbal communication, and truly he still is.

His inability to properly say some sounds has impacted his reading ability. While I've asked others for advice on and off over the years and have searched the web for help too, this spring was enough. We reached out for help from a speech therapist. His speak has improved tremendously. While I am occasionally frustrated because while honestly, she does not a thing differently that what I had been doing, Vincent listens to her and follows her direction like he never followed mine, I am very happy with the results.

He is more understandable, and now his reading is starting to blossom.

The other day, I had the best proof of his burgeoning abilities. He wrote me a note asking for two pizzas for dinner with a picture of a pizza and the word "to" which he sounded out and wrote all by himself. He had occasionally wanted copy work to jot things down, but he had never attempted creative spelling at all before that. bliss

I love seeing little notes from him with things like "to tls" (two tools) and "misin baj" (missing badge) written down in occasionally backwards letters. This is such a huge milestone, and I am so thrilled that my little man is finally here.

Notice that it is midnight and I am posting something. The is a little one sleeping in my arms, and I found our conversation just now too funny not to record for future smiles when I reread this.

Simon: (awake and crying)
Me: Ohhhh, what's up?
Simon: Meeeee.
Me: (laughs)
Simon: (gets up and starts climbing out of bed)
Me: Where are you going?
Simon: On your lap. (sound asleep twenty seconds later as he sits on my lap on the floor next to his bed)

I do enjoy how preschoolers are completely literal. Such concrete little thinkers, even when more asleep than awake.