Juliet started speech therapy last week. It was a big move. Chris and I always noticed that some sounds were tricky for her to say--namely the "f", "s", "w" and sometimes "d". We can usually understand her, but have noticed that other people often struggle. Juliet is so agreeable (with other people--haha!) that when they misunderstood what she was saying, she would just giggle and act extra charming.
I asked Juliet's Stay and Play teachers, who said an evaluation would be beneficial; they didn't think she would qualify, but at least we would have a baseline and hopefully some strategies moving forward. Long story short, she did qualify. Her standardized test scores fell in the normal range, but the speech therapist said at this young of an age, teacher and parent input is just as important as the scores.
Our district has changed the way speech therapy is offered. It is no longer offered at the Early Childhood school, instead it is in our local elementary school. So, off we went last week! I got Juliet a new dress because the thought of my little girl inside of an actual elementary school gave me a lump in my throat. I had a little comfort knowing who her therapist would be (since I worked at the school my first year in PCCS), as well as the principal and many other faces. Her appointment felt like a mini-reunion. Juliet claimed to be a little nervous in the days leading up, but was happy as a clam sitting in the office. Her therapist asked her what she did earlier in the day, and Juliet launched into a story about playing with Lukey and Anna. The story went on so long, that she had to be cut off. She happily went with her teacher, holding hands.
The report from the therapist was that Juliet is very gifted at engaging with and connecting to adults. She does an exceptional job sitting still and doing her best to follow directions. She has a very advanced vocabulary and a great ability to tell engaging stories. However, her struggle with certain letter sounds sometimes slows her down. The first visit focused on making the "F" sound by tickling your teeth and making an angry cat sound. Juliet thought it was great!
Later that day, Leah got a turn at the school for Kindergarten Round-Up. Talk about lumps in the throat. Try as I may to stay positive, the thought of her at school all day, everyday makes me want to cry. I know she will excel and have lots of friends and fun, but joining "real school" seems to be when it all speeds up. I begin to think, at this time next year will she still love twirly dresses and giant bows in her hair or will she want to wear Justice (yuck!)...will she still love fairies and princesses or will she want to watch those awful Disney shows that are on at night...Will she still love her mama fiercely or will she start to call me "mom" and tell me I am annoying?! One of the kids in her Young 5's class is also going to her school next year, so her mom and I exchanged cell phone numbers. A day later, I started getting texts from this little girl telling Leah to facetime her. I almost had an anxiety attack. Facetiming, already?! I know time is going to speed up, and I know it's going to be a great ride, but I can't help but want time to slow down just a little.
Two little beauties in front of their new school!
Later that night, Leah had her Spring Sing. She was very excited about performing on stage. She did great!
The music teacher had a family emergency, so he wasn't there. The kids were being a little naughty with the lack of a conductor, but it was still super cute. I also liked seeing my kids from the first part of the year. They looked so big!
We celebrated by going out to Olga's (their favorite restaurant). It was a big, fun day!
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