Baby Steps

When our daughter was 3 we took our only daughter to her 3 yr check up. The Dr. was concerned about her speech development. I remember being so upset and angry. This was my baby and she was perfect, no one could tell me different. It was a tough time, we went and had her evaluated by the school district. She started speech preschool a week later with a speech IEP.

I am not going to sugar coat it, lots of tears! I look back know and she only had maybe 2 words other people could have understood. My thought was okay we will work hard with her and soon she will be at the same level as the other 3 year olds. After many conferences, most which I was in tears for. We started private speech therapy so she would be caught up by kindergarten. Lots of private tears and road blocks.

I saw her struggle in so many ways because of her speech. She struggled making friends, speaking to any adult, she struggled showing her intelligence and so much more. It is so funny the things that stick with you, I remember when she was almost 5 she got a book with a dog that barked when you said the right words in the book. She tried so hard to get the dog to bark and my heart broke every time it did not work. She go so frustrated when it barked every time when I said the right words, I was thrilled when the batteries died.

The road has been long and full of tears. Days of frustration and fights because we did not understand  each other (imagine a 3 yr old who can not communicate - boy I hope to never relive that time)

She still has a little way to go. The other day her little dog went to the Dr (her mom) and got "fixed", and tonight in the car I was the one in tears because she said "Jingle, you are a good boy" and the dog barked. My was so happy! It has been hard work for her and I am so proud. She has never given up, she is so smart and thriving.

So glad is God is charge. My timing would have been weeks, His has been years. She needed to go through this to be the one of sweetest, most compassionate, giving little girl I have every meet.