Speech Therapy

Yesterday afternoon, Taylor and I had a date. It was not the typical date though since the first part of it involved a stop at the School District office for a speech evaluation, Taylor's third one in 6 months. The previous times, Taylor was considered borderline for qualifying for speech therapy. However, this time she was approved for receiving therapy through the school district, starting late Feb. She will even get to ride the mini bus!! She is really excited about that and Lindsey and Dylan are quite jealous.

The class she will be involved in is one hour long, one day a week, along with 7 other children and will last the rest of this school year and resume in the Fall. The therapist who evaluated Taylor strongly believes Taylor has a "minimal" issue with her annunciation which can easily be corrected. They believe by the Spring of 2010 (probably even earlier), Taylor will be right where she needs to be, just in time for Kindergarten. I am thankful for this early intervention and their expertise because the last thing we want for her is a lowered self-esteem due to her speech (or anything for that matter).

Taylor did so well at her review so I treated her to a long visit at our favorite pet store. We got to hold and play with two adorable puppies. We were the only customers so the staff was really kind and gave us lots of time with each puppy. One was a female Shih-Poo (white with apricot and black markings); the other was a male Bichon-Shihtzu (black with white and caramel markings); Black Betty II (inside joke for non-family members). If only I had the camera or video with!!! It was absolutely adorable and priceless! Taylor was giggling non-stop and both puppies were all over her, kissing her, playing with her, wanting to go home with her. She even said, "puppy, we gotta get you outta here! You're comin' home with me!" It was hysterical. I don't know who loved the puppies more; mom or Taylor. I SO wanted to bring one of them home with us but knew Dave wouldn't appreciate it without his input & approval first. "BUT, they are hypoallergenic" I proceeded to emphasize when we got home; Taylor pleading alongside me, "but Dad, I just HAVE to have a puppy!. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE" . "Maybe after we move next year and you kids are a little older to take care of it" was our final answer, "I'm not going to be the one stuck cleaning up poop and taking it on walks!" Ah, shucks! Oh well, when we get to that bridge, we will most likely visit the Humane Society first and give a loving home to an animal from there, provided we can find one remotely as cute, precious and with good temperament as the two we held (and hypoallergenic for Dave's sake). For now, Camp Clark is "puppy-less".