Logan suffered from O2 deprivation at birth due to what they call nuchal cord, i.e. the cord was wrapped around his neck four times. He and I battled with birthing him for 42 hours. At birth, his apgar score (3) was telling and it meant that he required resuscitation. He pulled through fine but we were told to watch for signs of the lack of oxygen. They weren't sure if it would have a lasting effect or not.
When the time came, they did developmental tests on him and he was only ever lacking in one category. The kid hardly ever talked. I might get one word but mostly he pointed and grunted. He was a quiet baby and a quiet child. When he went to pre-k, his lisp became apparent and he went to speech therapy. His therapist said he was capable of talking up a storm but he felt insecure about sounding funny. So, they fixed him right up. And now, of course, you wouldn't know it at all.
When he was a toddler, his funniest word was his own name. He called himself "Hoagie Zzzzickery" and he pronounced and enunciated it just as I've written. It was the cutest thing. I remember the day he repeated his name to someone correctly. I should have been overjoyed but it made me sad. My guy was learning and maturing. He was not ever going to be a baby again.
Zoe and Sam have been big talkers from the beginning. Compared to Logan's early years, their ability to make their specific needs known seem a little surreal to me. Zoe is about to reach the age Logan was when he started speech therapy. She will be three on Monday. Before I know it, the little ones won't be making those cute verbal errors anymore. They won't call them "Flutterbyes" any longer. Sam won't ask for any more "Heart Tarts" for breakfast and Zoe won't tell me that she loves to "eat cheese dick" ever again.
Why do these little errors already seem so bittersweet to me? I don't know. I guess because I'm the mom and the baby will be three years old on Monday. One day you're birthing them, the next you're diapering them, and then one day, someone states their name correctly, for the record and you realize they really are becoming right before your very teary eyes.
