So Thursday I’m taking Jonah for the speech-delay evaluation. He’s 19 months old now and really doesn’t have any consistent words. He says “da-da-da-da” and tries to say “kitty”…once in a while he’ll say “uh!” (meaning “up”) if he wants you to pick him up and you prompt him first by saying “up!” yourself. he calls me “em,” when he is looking for me, but usually he just cries and babbles.
They say Einstein didn’t talk until he was three or so, I think, so maybe I ought not to worry about it.
The thing is, everything I read on the subject tells parents not to worry if their child seems to understand what is said to them or can respond to simple commands. Jonah doesn’t seem to understand much of what we say. If I say “where’s daddy?”, for example, it’s unlikely he’ll look over at his father. If I were to hand him a crumpled up piece of paper and ask him to throw it in the garbage, he’d be more likely to throw it on the floor or back at me. Jonah knows “NO” — and he knows when he’s doing something I don’t want him to be doing, like climbing up on the little wooden table in his room. There are so many things he doesn’t “get”, though.
And yet I don’t think he’s autistic or anything. He looks you right in the eye and is a very engaging little kid when it comes to laughing and playing games. He is very cuddly and lovey.
I have no idea. I mean, this is the only kid I’ve ever had. I don’t have a whole lot to compare him too. He has other little friends around his age but I don’t spend enough time with them to notice any major differences in ability or behavior.
I can describe him some more, and may bring this to the evaluation appointment with me. Some other things about Jonah:
He loves to suck him thumb. It’s comforting to him. He loves balls and can throw surprisingly accurately. He adores when you roll a ball to him so he can scoop it up and throw it back to you. He laughs out loud while playing and thinks games of chase (or any kind of sillliness) are great fun.
He hates to have his diaper changed, and lately also hates being put in his car seat. Jonah is very strong and will arch his back or go limp to avoid being caught or lifted. He can scream and flail and kick with the best of them.
Jonah adores the Teletubbies. When the show first comes on (or when someone he likes first comes in the door), he’ll run away shrieking in delight and then reappear, as if the whole joy of it were too much for him to handle. He also watches Sesame Street videos I bought him and he likes Playhouse Disney. He rarely watches regular TV, though he enjoys “Wheel of Fortune” because of the spinner and letters and clapping.
Jonah loves to clap and he loves music. He’s just now trying to dance, and it’s very cute watching him bop around. If there is a ceiling fan in the vicinity, he’ll stand under it and look up as if amazed or in awe. He also likes to spin the merry-go-round thing at the playground. At home he’ll take a play car and place it upside down on the floor to spin it. A top, a spinning stacker ring, or any kind of spinning object will easily capture his attention.
He’s pretty good at going to bed, as we’ve established a bedtime routine where his dad gives him a bath after “Wheel of Fortune” and then I read to him and put him in his crib. I play a music CD I made for him called “Sleepy bye boy” with soothing songs. I wind up his music box as well. usually if he cries, it’s only for a few minutes.
His waking time varies but has lately been excruciatingly early – like quarter to five. ugh. last night we left him in his crib to cry instead of going to get him…he fell asleep again on his own and slept till 7:30am, which was like heaven!
I try to put him down for a nap every day around 1pm, and for the most part that works out so he’ll nap for an hour or two. When he wakes up, he cries. He’s never been one of those kids who plays in his crib until mommy comes. He doesn’t call “em” (mom) or anything – he just cries.
After waking we always cuddle him and give him a sippy cup of milk. I breastfed him until he was 15 months old and he doesn’t love the taste of “regular” whole milk, so we usually put a few drops of strawberry syrup in it. He’s inevitably cranky for about 45 minutes after waking, especially after naptime.
Jonah’s never been a big eater, really, and it’s been challenging to find foods that he likes and yet are healthy. For breakfast he usually has either baby-yogurt and cheerios, or a whole-wheat waffle w/real maple syrup, or flavored oatmeal. i give him 50% water and 50% juice in his sippy cup pretty much whenever he wants it. For snacks he has Gerber crackers and cookies, or a banana, or Pepperidge Farm goldfish, or applesauce. For lunch I usually cut up a peanut butter or turkey/cheese sandwich on wheat bread and let him pick it up with his fingers. He can’t (won’t?) manipulate a spoon, so if it’s spoonable, i feed him myself. he sits willingly enough in his high chair so long as you’re right there with him and eating too. when he’s done, he’s done, though, and he’ll try to climb out if we don’t put him down. for dinner he usually eats whatever we’re eatng, or we’ll give him a gerber baby food meal, which he’s beginning to reject more & more often. Recently we were told he was a little bit anemic, so now we give him vitamin drops every day which include flouride and iron.
He never would wear a bib or suck a pacifier. He never wanted to be “swaddled,” even as a little infant, and he could hold his head up when he was just a week old. Jonah walked at 8 1/2 months old. He loves the playground – swings & climbing especially, though he doesn’t really love the slide. i used to put him on my lap and go down the slide to assuage his fears, but after he hurt his leg one time, i haven’t tried to get him on the slide since.
Right now it’s 2:08pm but I can hear him yelling (not really crying) in his crib. Sometimes he refuses to nap until hours after his 1pm naptime.
He’s a kid with a mind of his own, that’s for sure. i just hope i’m up to the task of raising him well!
The Never Normal 
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