Thank you so much to everyone who commented or e-mailed me after Kole’s birthday post. I was so touched. Some of you mentioned the post made you cry…well some of your sweet words made me tear up so now we’re even! :) I really appreciated your thoughtful words and the way so many of you openly shared your experiences with your own children. Hopefully Kole is just a late talker and will speak when he is ready and everything will be fine. He is the third and he is totally spoiled and he does have two older sisters who do everything for him. Fingers crossed that is the reason for the speech delay. However, we do know that if it is something more, early intervention is key which is why we have started some therapy with him. He is too little for a formal assessment – we will know more next year when he turns three – so until then we are just going to work as hard as we can with him. There have been several nights that I have stayed up way too late researching possible causes for the delay and it has done nothing but make me emotional and stressed. So my current plan is to ignore the Internet (aside from blogging of course!), focus on working with Kole, and take it one day at a time. :) Again, thank you for your support. It really does mean so much to me. I read your comments and e-mails several times over the weekend. They always bring a smile to my face! I am continually grateful that I have so many wonderful and kind people reading this blog.
Kole wants to thank you all too. He was sick on his birthday (spent the morning at the doctors because of an ear infection and cough) and your comments seemed to cheer him up as well. :) He was a little bummed we had to cancel his birthday get together at the park with his buddies, but perked up in the afternoon for some cake. Even though he didn’t eat a bite he sure enjoyed destroying it. And clapping because all of us were standing around cheering him on. :)
In other random news I spent Saturday afternoon at one of my favorite malls because Ellie had a birthday party there. Kenny had our other two kiddos and it felt so nice to have a little down time wandering around my favorite stores. I saw so many fun things that I almost bought! Things that I may still go back and buy because I’m still thinking about them. And if I’m still thinking about them it’s probably because they were meant to be mine!
How fun are these spice jars from Anthro!? LOVE the colors and the chalk labels. So fun for Spring! I didn’t buy them because I really don’t need them. I’d love to use them to decorate with but I have NO place to put them. See why I need a new house? I’m ready to start over! :)
I’m really loving these pillows from Z Gallerie and I have been looking for new pillows for my red couches (they would go so well with my yellow hutch!). But they are over $60 bucks each and I keep thinking do I really want to spend that much on pillows that I’ll most likely replace as soon as we move and I have different couches? I am going to be in this house over a year still though…hmm…I may need them after all.
Fun lanterns are popping up everywhere this Spring and I LOVE them! These are from Z Gallerie and like the Anthro spice jars, if I had a spot for them they would be home with me right now. Aren’t they fun!? Pottery Barn has some black ones I have my eye on also.
I’m still debating purchasing these items, but in case I talk myself out of them (for the second time) I am sharing them in hopes that some of you will buy them! They are all too cute to just sit in the store!!
:)
Wanna see what I did buy?
Board shorts for Kole. Yea! Beach days will be here before we know it!
I wanted to buy him this set too but his size isn’t available anymore.
Bummer because we are big turtle fans around here.
Wanna know who else we are fans of?
Is this guy not the coolest!? Kenny and I are loving him on American Idol this year.
Who do you wan to win?
Well that was a random post. Random Monday. Hope yours is a good one!
xoxo, Erin
As a fellow patient of Dr. Google :) I’d concur that I have needlessly worried about potential diagnosis on many occasions. Hang in there momma. As a former teacher of students with special needs, no matter what the delay- you are right that early intervention is ALWAYS key. Also, sometimes diet can make an impact on these delays. Our little one had some speech delay with the occasional ear infection/ allergy type symptoms. A holistic physician suggested we take her off dairy (milk/cheese/caesin) completely as an experiment of sorts. In about three months, all symptoms disappered, and the bit of fluid that was always present in her ear canals totally dried up. It was amazing. Even some of the behavioral symptoms (fussy + clinginess) resolved, as she began to feel better. From one mom to another, do your best but remember that God has a plan for Kole’s life, and his grace will carry you through this. Take care, Erin!
Oh yes – stay away from Dr. Google he can add to our stress and worries agree. Steve’s family loves to share how he didn’t talk til he was almost three. His mom still cries sharing how he suddenly one day greeted all his siblings talking. Cheering you on as I know that isn’t easy and sounds like you are doing all you can. Oh my those spice jars from Anthro … I am meeting a friend at Gateway which is near Anthro. Thank you :).
I understand your concerns with speech – my older son has Down syndrome and is quite behind in his speech development, though he gets better all the time. It’s something with him that is a daily effort and one we knew was coming when we found out about his extra-special extra chromosome! :) My second son is 2, almost 3 in June, and has just now in the last few months really picked up in his speech. Girls are generally much more early/quicker talkers, so try not to compare your little boy to them and your experience with them. (though it’s hard not to!)
I’ve had those nagging worries about my second son, but deep down knew that he just needed more time and I should be patient. If my deep down thoughts weren’t that settling to me, I would have worked much harder to get some help and feedback, but thus far, he’s finally really picked up in speech – going from just saying a handful of words at early 2, to know speaking in pretty full sentances (though not all words are understandable, he definately can make it understandable enough). I’m just glad to finally hear those sentances/longer thoughts expressed.
Another thought – maybe you could consider putting your son into a formal setting with other children his age or tad older once or twice a week? I did that with my second son and saw almost immediate improvements. Despite the fact that I of course converse with him and what not, he didn’t have much of a peer model in his brother and my older’s son speech therapist spoke well of the idea to get him around kids his age a lot more. When we moved, I actually did find a local child care center that I enrolled him in full time just for a few weeks while we unpacked and got settled and he experienced some great gains from that peer experience. He doesn’t do that anymore, but I do try to get him around other kids whenever is feasible (the occasional all day with babysitter that has other kids his age when I have to take my older son to appointments and such) – – a little time off for me and I know he’s getting that peer interaction that can benefit him at this stage.
Sorry for long comment – try not to worry too much unless your gut is telling you too really worry, because by and large, kids develop when they develop and we just have to be patient. Unless there is something seriously off that needs addressing, it’s hard for us parents to learn to just do our best to encourage, be patient, and try not to compare them to other kids or even our older children. Good luck!
(I don’t like that they don’t give us an edit button for comments – or that I don’t edit beforehand – ha!…”know speaking” should be “now speaking” and “telling you too worry” should be “to worry” – – Grrr!:)
just a hello and a {hug} for you today Erin!
xo
I am a faithfully follower and this is my first comment! Yay!
I know you have received a ton of comments about this, but I know they helped me when I was in your shoes…he will be fine! My second son only said “ma” “dada” and “up” at his second birthday. Three months later, the speech took off. I feel that the pit in my stomach sometimes took away from the joy of spending time with him. Enjoy Cole, he is perfect. We did therapy too and it made me feel better, but our stubborn boys will talk when they are good and ready.
Breathe easy, Erin. :)
Erin,
Don’t worry about this delay. Boys are more lazy than girls and spend much more time for start talking.
My son starts talking just after 2 years old.
He just need your love and patience because when he will be ready he will talk a lot and you will miss the silence.
My third child didn’t talk when he was two. I reasoned the same as you- older siblings… I did have him checked out by our school district early intervention program and he qualified for a weekly playgroup and speech therapist to come to our house once a month. We did these things and the light bulb of talking came on! I am sure that he would have started talking eventually, but he loved the added attention he received and now as a Kindergartener no one would know he was delayed! Happy birthday Kole!!!
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Hi Erin! I know how it feels to be worried for one of your children. Only Moms can understand what it truly means.
I just wanted to share with you that my son started really talking several months after his first birthday. Before that, just a lot of non-sense gibberish. Also, my Mom told me that my brother didn’t speak until about 2 years old and when he did he came out with whole sentences at once!
I invite all Moms to remember that milestones are milestones and children are not born “pre-programmed” to meet certain deadlines. Of course, you wouldn’t want to miss things like a hearing impairment so I would consult your pediatrician, but it is probably too early to worry so much!
Above all, trust God that he has your child in His care and that He loves him and your whole family more than you can ever imagine!
I don’t have any original pearls of wisdom to offer that the previous posters haven’t already hit, so I’m just going to say “Ditto!” and let you know I wish I could give you a virtual hug!
Kole’s amazing, Erin. You’re doing a great job. :)
My son did not talk until 3 weeks before his 3rd birthday. I was stressed to all degrees. He is totally fine now. However, be prepared when he start preschool and doesn’t want/know how to write his name. We are giving our son 2 years in preschool to develop more on those skills :)
I have freaked myself out enough using WebMD to realize that I need to stay away from the internet self-diagnosis. ;) I don’t have any wise wisdom to share, just know that I’ll be keeping you all in my thoughts. As far as Idol goes, Philip is awesome! :) Jessica is a fave too, so young and so tiny but so much power!
Erin,
just wanted to share that my older 2 boys (now 13 and 11) didn’t talk until they were 3. I think my oldest was 3 1/2. We had him tested and shortly after he started to talk so with my 2nd one I didn’t worry so much. However, my daughter was talking in short sentences by 18 months! They’re all different. Try not to worry. I found that my daughter excelled at speech, but my oldest had great fine motor skills, and my second boy could ride a bike without training wheels before he could put two words together. There focusing on so much from fine motor, gross motor, language, that some things come quicker for some. And Kole is obviously so social! No worries my friend.
I didn’t get to comment on Kole’s birthday post so I wanted to tell him Happy Late Birthday and I hate that he was sick and I hope he is feeling better. My Kendall is exactly one week older than Kole so I love reading your updates on him and seeing how alike and how different him and her are! It’s just neat to see a boy her age and how they progress so alike and so differently at the same time:) Early intervention is key and I am sure you have experience with that with your teacher background! Definitely ignore the internet it is NO good! I am sure Kole is his own little sweet boy and will do things when he is good and ready:) Hope ya’ll have a great week.
You pillow picture got me all excited for the fun spring pillow slipcovers I just ordered from Etsy. Maybe that is how you can get some new pillows that are more ‘temporary’ and much cheaper??? Just buy slip covers for them.
I ordered a total of 13 slip covers in assorted sizes and it only cost $144 including shipping!
And yes, NEVER ever research health issues on internet. They always make you feel like things are doom and gloom.
We must talk this week. I need an update on your life.
Hi Erin. I love the lanterns. I so want them. They really are showing up everywhere.
I love Philip Philips too. I think Jessica is going to win but Philip will reach a larger group of people as far as his music goes. We will have to wait and see.
Sorry to hear that Kole was sick on his birthday. He sure looked happy in the picture. I hope he is feeling better.
As far as his speech goes. Your his mommy and you know best! Regardless, he is flippen precious..:).
Love to you,
Cathy
Hi sweet friends! I am e-mailing most of you back but for those of you who have a “no-reply” set up for blog comments I just wanted to say that I can’t thank you enough!! Your sweet thoughts/suggestions/support means the world to me and has made me feel SO much better about my boy and his decision to stay silent and stress me out!! :)
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
xoxo,
Erin
HA! I LOVE your shopping rationalizations!
Don’t worry too much about Kole at this age. Girls and boys are a whilrlwind of difference. My daughter had LOTS to say at 2. My son knew baby sign language (and was the third child, and was completely catered to) and he didn’t really need to talk….so he didn’t care to.
Yes! Yes! I love Phil. He’s the bomb. I called him on the try outs. I think he’s gonna win. If he doesn’t I’ll be shocked and bummed. I love your blog, and I think were Pisces twinsies… Much love, Raquel
http://RaquelEnglish.com
[email protected]
Happy Birthday again, Kole!! I love the cake photo :)
We’re American Idol watchers too. I ahve to be honest and say I’m not a huge Phillip Phillips fan… he doesn’t really sing.. I don’t like Dave Matthews and he has a Dave Matthews feel I guess.
My favorite so far? Joshua Ledet! I also like Colton & Skylar.
First time commenting:) Like fellow posters have said, stay away from googling those symptoms!! I can’t tell you how many sleepless nights I have had over doing this sort of thing. It doesn’t do us Moms any good! I also have to second the comments made about kids developing at their own rates. So true! At my daughters 2 yr dr appt she said maybe 5 words. Speech therapy was recommended. I just knew though that she would come into it on her own and she did. She will be 3 next month and now uses complete sentences! My son though did go through speech therapy at that age and it helped him catch up to his peers. Use the therapy, it could do wonders!