I kept track of all of Mr N's words yesterday, I wrote down everything he said. Below is a list of some of the sentences and phrases that he used.
Get back here
Where are you?
Where'd he go?
Need help over here
I'm hopping
Here you go
Brush teeth
I'm going faster
Get down here
Good morning
He's stuck, how do you get him down?
I'm coming
In addition to those phrases he used about 50 words independently or in 2 word phrases. Obviously he has a bigger vocabulary than that. I may keep track today to see how many additional words and phrases he uses.
My goal is to determine what age he is at now verbally. The last evaluations we had put him at 12 months, but when I look at milestones for 18 month olds I'm certain he's beyond that and much closer to 2 years old. If we could get him caught up to 3 years old by next summer then I am confident we can get his speech on track before he starts kindergarten. If I am right and he has progressed a year in speech over the last 6 months, I am sure he can gain another year over the next 9 months.
It seems like the more words he strings together the easier it is to understand what he is saying. If he is just using one word it can be difficult to understand. His more frequently used words are getting much clearer, like thank you, apple, daddy, sissy, honey, etc.
I'm so incredibly proud of my little man for all of the effort he puts forth to communicate. He will repeat things many times if I'm trying to get him to pronounce things correctly. For example, I was trying to get him to say "milk" correctly because it is very difficult to understand. It sounds like "nill" so I had him look at my mouth and pushed his lips together so he could make the "m" sound instead of "n". It seemed to help, but we never did get the "k" at the end.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Coffee & compound sentences
I'm hoping to start blogging more frequently, I feel like I was better able to track Mr N's progress when I was blogging his daily accomplishments. Today I'd like to keep track of everything he says so I have a better grasp for where is his speech truly is at this point. His frequent use of full sentences has been impressive, for example yesterday he said "can you do this for me?" and "I hear something". I'll post his list tomorrow and maybe try to dig up the last list I did for comparison. I think having something concrete to give to his speech therapist in a couple of weeks when therapy starts will be beneficial.
Yesterday we spent a few hours at the cousins' house playing, the kids all had missed each other when we were out of town. Mr N and K played together so well while the older three kids spent most of their time together.
After we arrived home from our day of playing and grocery getting we headed to a friends house for a kid party and dinner. The kids did some swimming, water balloon throwing then played inside for a bit. Mr N had a meltdown when we were eating dinner because he wanted to go inside and play. Daddy ended up taking him for a drive until he calmed down. When they returned he again played well with the other kids and had a good time.
I must wrap this up as Mr N is begging for his iPad.
Yesterday we spent a few hours at the cousins' house playing, the kids all had missed each other when we were out of town. Mr N and K played together so well while the older three kids spent most of their time together.
After we arrived home from our day of playing and grocery getting we headed to a friends house for a kid party and dinner. The kids did some swimming, water balloon throwing then played inside for a bit. Mr N had a meltdown when we were eating dinner because he wanted to go inside and play. Daddy ended up taking him for a drive until he calmed down. When they returned he again played well with the other kids and had a good time.
I must wrap this up as Mr N is begging for his iPad.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Sunday Travels
Sunday was our last day of traveling, we spent Saturday night in Sioux Falls then headed for home on Sunday. We had decided we should stop and do a couple of fun things on the way home. Our first stop was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, what an impressive place. We let the kids pick out souvenirs, E picked a snow globe and Mr N picked a car that in now way says anything about the corn palace, but it was his pick. The kids loved the corn grinder that removes the corn kernels from the ear, they did several ears then we moved the corn to the mill and ground it into corn meal. Super fun!
Once we were in the car Mr N noticed the snow globe and wanted to play with it. We talked to E about sharing, reminding her that Mr N shares his toys with her, hoping she would let him see the snow globe for a bit. She was convinced it was a good idea, but made Mr N say "snow globe" before she let him see it. Then proceeded to make him say snow globe every time he wanted to see it. You can't imagine how impressed Daddy and I were of our little girl.
During our drive the kids watched a few Baby Einstein videos, when Mr N would say the word, E would tell him he was doing a good job. She was such an amazing big sister coaching him, encouraging him and praising him. E is the best sister Mr N could ever have, we are so proud of her.
Our next big stop was at Wall Drug, we meandered around a bit choosing a few more souivenirs then hit the cafe for some pie (for Daddy) and ice cream. I don't remember Wall Drug being so busy last time I was there (17 years ago) but it was still fun to tour. The rest of our travels were pretty uneventful.
Once we were in the car Mr N noticed the snow globe and wanted to play with it. We talked to E about sharing, reminding her that Mr N shares his toys with her, hoping she would let him see the snow globe for a bit. She was convinced it was a good idea, but made Mr N say "snow globe" before she let him see it. Then proceeded to make him say snow globe every time he wanted to see it. You can't imagine how impressed Daddy and I were of our little girl.
During our drive the kids watched a few Baby Einstein videos, when Mr N would say the word, E would tell him he was doing a good job. She was such an amazing big sister coaching him, encouraging him and praising him. E is the best sister Mr N could ever have, we are so proud of her.
Our next big stop was at Wall Drug, we meandered around a bit choosing a few more souivenirs then hit the cafe for some pie (for Daddy) and ice cream. I don't remember Wall Drug being so busy last time I was there (17 years ago) but it was still fun to tour. The rest of our travels were pretty uneventful.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Grandparents
Friday we departed for a week long visit with both sets of grandparents in Daddy's side of the family. We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house with a sleeping Mr N on Saturday evening, which resulted in a crabby little boy who only wanted to climb back into the car. Of course, he eventually calmed down and started exploring his new surroundings. E, on the other hand, was full of hugs and love for Grandma and spent most of her time cuddling and being cute.
Sunday morning Grandma made pancakes for breakfast, much to E's delight, then we headed off to do some shopping so Grandma and Grandpa could spoil the kiddos. E periodically enjoyed pancakes throughout the day until she had eaten all of the leftovers, which resulted in Grandma whipping up another batch, E happily finished off that batch, as well. We spent some time each evening at the park so the kids could play.
Tuesday we took the kids to the Wolf center expecting to see lots of live wolves, only to discover they sleep a lot during the day and are primarily viewable in the early morning and late evening hours. After stopping to grab a bite we headed to the bear center in hopes of better luck viewing those beauties. Mr N was done with the tours so I chilled out in the car with him until he fell asleep.
Seeing Mr N warm up so quickly and be comfortable around his grandparents was amazing, seeing then understand at least some of what he was saying was heart warming.
Wednesday morning we packed up and headed to Grandpa and Grandma's house just a couple of hours away. The transition from one house to another was what I feared would be difficult for him to handle. He warmed up to Grandpa and Grandma making our visit relaxing and fun. That afternoon we took Mr N out on his first boat ride, both kids loved it. That night Mr N ate macaroni and cheese for the first time shocking us all.
Thursday we explored a children's museum, then checked out Lake Superior before stopping to get the kiddos something to eat. Mr N again ate macaroni and cheese while E enjoyed some much loved spaghetti. We started back towards Grandpa and Grandma's for the evening when we were rear ended at a red light. Both kids were scared pretty bad but there were no injuries and minimal damage to the vehicle. We stopped for dinner on the way home where Daddy and I asked about how far Mr N has progressed with his behavior in restaurants, it's truly impressive. The meal was pretty uneventful, he was content and calm most of the meal, a dramatic change from previous incidents.
Friday more family came to visit and brought their dog with them, Mr N was beyond ecstatic. He got to pet, cuddle and play fetch with their dog after spending the afternoon playing at the park. Saturday morning we departed for home, stopping at Daddy's friend's house for a few hours to visit on our way. They, too, had dogs that were kid friendly. Mr N played fetch until he wore everyone out before moving inside to check out the toys. He did amazing considering it was the 3rd new house he'd been to in the last week. He was calm and comfortable the entire time, interacting with everyone and even enjoyed a delicious piece of freshly baked banana bread (E horked down 3 pieces during our short visit).
Mr N has progressed so much it blows my mind. It's hard to believe he is able to adjust and adapt so quickly to a new environment and warm up to people so quickly. Watching my little boy sit on his grandparents lap is such a beautiful thing. I don't know that I ever thought that was possible. His speech has improved enough that some of what he says is recognizable by others. I have so much hope for my precious little man.
Sunday morning Grandma made pancakes for breakfast, much to E's delight, then we headed off to do some shopping so Grandma and Grandpa could spoil the kiddos. E periodically enjoyed pancakes throughout the day until she had eaten all of the leftovers, which resulted in Grandma whipping up another batch, E happily finished off that batch, as well. We spent some time each evening at the park so the kids could play.
Tuesday we took the kids to the Wolf center expecting to see lots of live wolves, only to discover they sleep a lot during the day and are primarily viewable in the early morning and late evening hours. After stopping to grab a bite we headed to the bear center in hopes of better luck viewing those beauties. Mr N was done with the tours so I chilled out in the car with him until he fell asleep.
Seeing Mr N warm up so quickly and be comfortable around his grandparents was amazing, seeing then understand at least some of what he was saying was heart warming.
Wednesday morning we packed up and headed to Grandpa and Grandma's house just a couple of hours away. The transition from one house to another was what I feared would be difficult for him to handle. He warmed up to Grandpa and Grandma making our visit relaxing and fun. That afternoon we took Mr N out on his first boat ride, both kids loved it. That night Mr N ate macaroni and cheese for the first time shocking us all.
Thursday we explored a children's museum, then checked out Lake Superior before stopping to get the kiddos something to eat. Mr N again ate macaroni and cheese while E enjoyed some much loved spaghetti. We started back towards Grandpa and Grandma's for the evening when we were rear ended at a red light. Both kids were scared pretty bad but there were no injuries and minimal damage to the vehicle. We stopped for dinner on the way home where Daddy and I asked about how far Mr N has progressed with his behavior in restaurants, it's truly impressive. The meal was pretty uneventful, he was content and calm most of the meal, a dramatic change from previous incidents.
Friday more family came to visit and brought their dog with them, Mr N was beyond ecstatic. He got to pet, cuddle and play fetch with their dog after spending the afternoon playing at the park. Saturday morning we departed for home, stopping at Daddy's friend's house for a few hours to visit on our way. They, too, had dogs that were kid friendly. Mr N played fetch until he wore everyone out before moving inside to check out the toys. He did amazing considering it was the 3rd new house he'd been to in the last week. He was calm and comfortable the entire time, interacting with everyone and even enjoyed a delicious piece of freshly baked banana bread (E horked down 3 pieces during our short visit).
Mr N has progressed so much it blows my mind. It's hard to believe he is able to adjust and adapt so quickly to a new environment and warm up to people so quickly. Watching my little boy sit on his grandparents lap is such a beautiful thing. I don't know that I ever thought that was possible. His speech has improved enough that some of what he says is recognizable by others. I have so much hope for my precious little man.
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