Speech

Caroline went to her 4 year well baby visit last week.

Word to the wise... take backup to this appointment.

My BFF went with me and thank God.

It was awful!

Eye exam= battle

Hearing screen= battle

Finger prick followed by uncontrollable screams= WWIII

Tee tee in cup= did not happen. 4 year olds NEVER have to tee tee when they are suppose to. They only have to use the bathroom during meals and when you are in the bathroom.

We got to the room and waited for a little while.

Dr. came in and we discussed the normal things.

Then speech came up.

Yuck.

Caroline is extremely smart. She is well behaved (for the most part) and has a little anger management issue (hello, I have to admit... she gets that one honest). However, her speech makes me nervous.

We don't make a big deal out of it because we don't want her to become upset or self-conscience about it.

Recently she was playing with a friend. Caroline had the hardest time saying the friend's name... Spencer. The "sp" got her.

She tried, and tried, and tried. The poor baby could not say the name to save her life.

She has started covering her mouth when she can't get words out. She will also become very upset when she can't get a word out.

"I can't say it. I just want it to go away." Talk about break a mama's heart. Mine rips into a million pieces. I knew then that she needed help.

It is hard to admit to anyone that your child may have an issue of any kind. It is extremely hard to ask for help.

I did though. I just feel like Caroline is four and I would rather address the issue now instead of waiting until she is older. It will only become harder to address and fix as she gets older.

We are waiting for a therapist to call us for an evaluation.

I know I will feel much better once the evaluation is done. I feel like I will have answers. Right now, it is just kind of scary. The not knowing what is going on. The not knowing what is going to happen to make it better.

Caroline may not be able to say "Spencer" all of the time but she can say "shit". Score!

Hey, at least we know she can say the "sh" sound. ;-)

Have any of you been through this with your little ones?? I would love a little support through it all. Meredith Reese (you better be reading this) you better be my support too. ;-)

PS- The appointment ended with flu mist and 5... yes, FIVE... shots. Yes, I laughed as I held her down and she screamed. Maybe while Caroline is seeing a speech therapist, I need to go see a therapist to understand why I laugh.

S words suck

"Mama, Mom, Mama, Mama... Mamaaaaaaa... MMMMMMMamaaa"

"Caroline, slow down. Think about what you want to say. Only say Mama ONE time. Let your brain think about the words."

"Mama. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII wawaawant..."

"Caroline. Calm down. Think about it. Say it without stopping."

In the beginning, this was a major concern for me. It faded and now the concern is back.

Caroline was a late talker and has never used the correct words for things. For the first 6 months after FINALLY beginning to talk, she called a cookie a "goga". Eventually, a close family friend named Justin because "Goga". His wife, Jordan, is affectionately known as "Boobie". I swear it has nothing with the fact that she does, in fact, have fake tits.

Anyway, I have recently become concerned again. She just can't get the words that are in her brain to come out of her mouth the correct way. Most of the time it is a jumble of words or words are extremely drawn out. She also can't move past words. She will get stuck on "Mama" because what is about to come next is extremely important to her. She will sometimes get stuck on a sound versus a word. For example, "S"s are hard for her. Say "snake". Go ahead say it. For the S sound, we put teeth together for the S sound. Caroline puts her tongue between her teeth for the S sound. Now say "snake" and start with your tongue between your teeth. Go ahead. Do it. That is how all of her S words sound. So, she will get stuck on the S sound because she knows it doesn't sound right.

I've been calm about the situation. Handling it with patience. I stop her from talking. I tell her to think about the words. I tell her to slowly tell me what she is trying to say.

She has become aware of the situation. She is self-conscience and that upsets me. She will cup her hand in front of her mouth as if it is going to hide the fact that she is stuttering.

About a week ago, we were really working on her speech. She had a really bad day and being tired wasn't helping the situation. We have noticed that when she is tired is when it happens most. Anyway, all day long we worked on letting our brain think and then saying what was on our mind.

The next morning she woke up. She rolled over and said, "Mama, do I go to school today?" Before I could answer, she grabbed her mouth, and through a huge smile said, "MAMA! GOD FIXED IT!"

I talked to my pediatrician about it when we were there last year for her yearly well baby. He wasn't extremely concerned but told me to watch it. I've watched and it hasn't gotten better. Part of me really feels like it is getting worse.

Now, as a mother I am scared of what the future holds. Will she need speech therapy? If she does, is it best to do private therapy or have her pulled out of class (when she goes to Kindergarten)? Right now, I am not jumping to conclusions but I feel like if therapy is what is best for Caroline, I will opt for private sessions.

As a mother, you do not want your child to be labeled. Especially a label like "speech impediment". However, I want what is best for Caroline. For her sake, I need to talk to the doctor about her situation.

And I am scared shitless... said with my tongue between my teeth for giggles and to lighten the mood a little.