Blargh

Well, it seems my daughter, at 2.5 years old, has been diagnosed with speech delay.

Lovely.

But seriously, it's been tough on all of us that she is unable to communicate her needs and wants to us.  She gets frustrated and angry because I don't know what she wants, I get frustrated and angry because I'm not a mind reader, and it just devolves from there.

We started speech therapy today, but I am not pleased with the facility, so we are switching to another one.  My first impressions were pretty unfavorable, and I don't have time to dick around and see if they are truly any good or not. 

The faster we can help her, the better.

So why Gina, you ask, did you wait this long to get her help in the first place?

Well, that's a hard one.

First, the Munchkin had a very slight speech delay, but that was because if he couldn't say things perfectly, he wasn't going to say them at all.  We went from grunting one day to "I'd like some water" the next.  No baby talk or "wa-wa" for him. 

We kept thinking that maybe something similar would happen with her, but it never did.

And then it would seem like she was making progress, but then she would suddenly regress.  She has said words one time only, and then I've never heard them again despite the word being a common one.

This little girl, although I love her and her big heart ever so much, has been a huge parenting challenge for me.  She couldn't be more of a polar opposite of her brother, and since he's the one I've already parented, I keep thinking she'll do things in a similar way. 

And yes, I know that every child is different, I just never imagined how much my two would be!

She is currently being evaluated by the state of California for speech and behavioral delays, and we could possibly be covered for therapy through them, but with the huge budget shortfall the state is going through, my hopes are not high.

As for me, I'm doing just fine after surgery, and it's just a matter of getting my meds at the correct level.  But I do feel better overall.

Also, my BIL's BIL has just been diagnosed with his cancer being terminal after he decided to forgo surgery and try a holistic approach.  A la Steve Jobs, it didn't work and now it is too late.  I think of his kids as my kids' cousins, and I weep for them that at ages 10 and 6 their dad will be taken away from them.

Cancer sucks.

Comments

Kelley @ magneto bold too said…
You are onto it early enough my lovely, stop beating yourself up. I can hear it in your words.

And it flabbergasts me that people would take a purely holistic approach to cancer treatment when they have children. Do both SURE, but to take such a huge gamble with your life when you have kids is just, well, selfish.

Love you babe. xx
6:43 PM
Awesome Mom said…
If you can't get her covered then at three she should be eligible through the school system to get speech therapy. Also your health insurance may cover it as well. My eldest gets therapy through California Children's Service but our insurance covers the cost of it. Good luck!

I don't understand why people go for woo over cold hard science. If I get cancer sure I will be applying a ton of prayer and stuff like that but it will not replace any of the proven therapies for cancer either.
9:17 PM
Anvilcloud said…
The day will likely come when you will wish she'd stop talking for a moment. :)

I just got the report of the cancer death of a young lady last night. Her last days were absolutely brutal.

Not that she went that route, but IMHO holistic medicine is a crock.
6:00 AM
J said…
I was like your son, in that I didn't talk until I was damn well ready. My first word was a fully formed sentence, "Where's the little dog?" I didn't walk until I could walk all over the house. Some of us are that way.

I sure hope things go well with your baby girl. It's so hard to be doing your very best, and wanting it to work, and at first it's not...I don't know what I'm saying. Just that I know how frustrating it is to have a child who needs help. We went through some of that around here a few years ago, of a very different kind.
9:20 PM
Liz said…
You should think about sign language. Lots of kids who are non-verbal (and frustrated that no one gets them) do well with sign language. The basics are easy...milk, sleepy, hungry, share. Something to try anyways.
10:10 PM
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