Speech graduation

Enjoying our favorite new local restaurant

So it seems a bit odd to be writing this, since we just met and decided to continue, but that is how quickly language explosions happen.  It's been a busy couple of months and weeks of talking for our little chatter boxes, but in today's session it became very obvious to both our speech therapist and me that the twins were ready to graduate and be dismissed from treatment.  So there you go!

She is sweet and assured us that we are doing a great job creating "a language rich environment" and she said with two such involved parents, the kids will continue to do well.  Cue tears.  Love those kiddos!

We're enjoying a visit w/my dad and step-mom and work has officially started on the kitchen!  She brought me an advance copy of the now available, "All Joy and No Fun."  Have you heard about it?  The interviews I've seen/heard with the author, Jennifer Senior, are full of intriguing factoids.  Can't wait to read it.

Speech status update

It seemed a bit early, but we had our six month status update for speech therapy today.  The kids love their therapist, Miss Katie, and it has been really amazing how much progress they have made in just the last few months.  They are both talking like crazy and using two (and sometime three) word phases now.  We are going to continue therapy for now, but see in three months if we are going to continue (vs. scale back or stop) in case they plateau.  We discussed what happens at three, when they age out of EI, since it is a very long process leading up to then and special preschools, but we agreed they will likely graduate before then.

As much as we all love her, I have to admit from watching the therapist interact with them that she really isn't doing anything unusual, that we don't already do with them.  She basically just sits on the floor and plays with toys, puzzles, and books that she brings.  My sister is an SLP and while it requires a master's degree, it's not exactly rocket science (no offense if you are/love an SLP).  She still can't figure out how to say Marielle's name or spell Alistair's.  Oh well, she's sweet.

 

The (joke of a game) Superbowl viewing party that Mari set up by dragging the mat and Boppys from the living room.  She also thinks she wants to play.  These two crack me up...

 

Another thing we've been using the last few months are Preschool Prep Company's DVDs, since my mom gave us one as a gift.  I had heard of them, but we had been holding off on TV.  My sister swears by them, as her kids watch TV all.the.time.  We bought into the whole "no TV/screen time until two" rule.  I'm all for rules, but I think it's more of a slippery slope problem is if you are using it as a babysitter, as my sister does, or are not otherwise engaging with your children.  I myself was raised in front of the TV.  Anyway, the kids both know all of their letters now.  Not to brag, because I wouldn't really care if they didn't know them for several more years, but these damn things really work, like crazy.  In case you are interested...  We keep a second copy in the car, which helps pass the 20+ mins to preschool (each way, twice a week).  Alistair especially likes to yell out the letters enthusiastically from the back seat.  I love it!    We also just got the numbers, colors and shapes, which seem to be catching too.  They, like most kid's videos I would guess are annoying, but the things we do for our kids...