We’ve had a little bit of a lull as far as dialogue with princess SJ lately. It’s not that big of a deal. After a year of the cochlear implant thing I have learned about the natural fluctuation of the process.

I usually meet with SJ’s teachers every other week for a parent education meeting to discuss where she is and get some insight about what I can be doing with her at home. I have mentioned before about the team of people that it takes to help SJ learn to listen and talk. Her preschool teacher and speech therapist coordinate with each other and then the school exchanges information with me. Communication amongst the team is critical to ensure that we are all on the same page.

At this last meeting I mentioned that I have not noticed a lot of change in the past month. We agreed that between the snow days and the illnesses there have been some minor set backs. Plateaus are to be expected, so we are just going to sit on the same vocabulary for an extra week before they begin introducing more. When I look at SJ’s progress I feel like it has come in waves.

In October we had the biggest vocabulary breakthrough that I’ve seen up to this point. She went from mostly imitating words to suddenly saying a ton of words on her own, including our names. Then in  December we took another big step forward and I noticed a lot more two word combinations and saw her go from just labeling things to using her words more frequently to vocalize her needs and make requests.

The next month is looking pretty busy between holidays, doctor appointments, and a big fundraiser coming up at her school. I am wondering though, if maybe, after her birthday at the beginning of March we will see another increase in her interest and understanding of language.

I make it all sound very calculated and structured, and the efforts that go on behind the scenes often are, but in my world, as the mom, the one in which I live every day, she/we are just conducting fairly normal lives.

She loves yogurt and Super V apple juice. She loves McDonald’s or Chic Fil A play land. She loves gathering all the blankets together and building forts or making a bed for her stuffed animals. She loves bubble baths and she adores her family. On a different note she is still very opinionated and strong willed about a lot of things, but especially her shoes and what she wears. Lately she has had me pulling my hair out at night just trying to get her to sleep! Then there is the constant bickering amongst the siblings. A lot of her latest words and phrases all go hand in hand with the sibling rivalry. “Z hit” “Z push, fall down” “Baby share” “My Turn!” “NO””That’s mine”. I don’t take it for granted though. Even when she screams MOMMY 40 times because she can’t reach a puzzle and I am too busy to get it right then. I still do not take it for granted.

From speech, to play and everything in-between that’s life with our little SJ. She keeps us on our toes.