cheese sandwich

Maybe it was the green beans and broccoli, or brushing her tangly hair, but I bet the last and final straw was letting her cry herself to sleep at night as infant.  So when we were sitting in the speech therapists office, sweating profusely from the heat being pumped into this tiny box, I knew.  Payback time.

Let me start at the beginning. A couple weeks ago, Andy found out that kids can get free speech therapy through the public schools. Then I had this thought, it went something like this: SHIT.  What if addy should have been going to therapy long ago?  She always has had some delays with speech. I am a horrible person. I am exaggerating, but I feared my laid back personality had caused me to neglect something important.

Fast forward.  We are sitting in that teeny, tiny office, I am sweating and Addy is silent.  She will not speak.  She will not so much as utter a grunt  or syllable.  She will not be persauded.  So, being the resourceful parent, I start with a bribe.  How bout some…CANDY!?!  I get through candy, chocolate and Starbucks Chocolate Milk, and then I know I’m sunk.  So I try having her draw a picture, maybe a little art therapy, no?  A firm and definite N.O.  In retrospect it is hilarious.  She was nervous and shy.  I wasn’t mad, just frustrated.  So we went back, again, and met with Kim.  Addy was a gem, saying all the words and she even managed enunciate them better than usual.  In the end, I know she will be fine.  She will continue to struggle with certain sounds, but they aren’t anything to address now, and I’m relieved. I just want her to be a normal kid = totally oblivious to the fact that when she says the “cheese sandwich”  it is all I can do but not laugh and duck to avoid the spit heading my way.  She drew this picture during our first silent meeting.  I think we should psychoanalyze it.

Tagged as: Speech Therapy