Lost in Translation: Katie Edition

It can be hard to understand what your child is saying, when they're not even 18 months old. Especially in this family. We don't exactly have a good history of intelligible speech: Emma's been in ST since she was 2, but needed it about 6 months before then. By 18 months of age, Emma had 1 word we could understand: dad. She wasn't trying to imitate any words we said to her. So a ST was needed. With Sarah, I know many kids with T21 who have very good speech. Sarah isn't one of them. At 3 1/2, again, there are very few words we understand. BUT, the plus side is, she will try her very best to repeat a word when you say it to her. And when she signs, she tries to say the word as well. So, we're making progress there. With Katie, I have to say my biggest wish for her was that she would progress "typically" in the area of speech & language. I know this will probably sound petty & uppity to some people, but when you've got 2 kids who it seems you need a translator for, it's right up there with the "10 fingers & 10 toes" part. Not that I'm trying to belittle my 2 kids who have issues in the speech area. Quite the opposite. I know Katie will have her struggles, in whatever area they present themselves. I was just hoping that speech wouldn't be one of them. Well, she isn't spouting poetry on a daily basis, but I think she's progressing quite nicely. She's learning some signs, and has a few words. Mostly "dada", "mama", "Emma" (or what sounds like it), "ball", and "shoe". This last one brings up the title of this blog. I WISH I could record her saying the word "shoe". And that I could post it here, because every time I hear it, I think she's cussing me out. It sounds exactly like the word "sh*t". And it makes me laugh every time. She will toddle on over to the shoe rack, which sits right in front of the door, and she will take all the shoes down, saying the word "shoe" for each one. So, you can imagine, as a parent, going about your daily work, and all of a sudden, from the corner of the room, you hear this little angelic voice, saying what sounds to you like, "Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t." And I will look over at her, and she'll catch my eye, proudly hold up the little white Gerber walker she has in her hand, and say "Sh*t". And I'll smile & tell her "Good job, Katie!, Yes, that's a shoe". Then she'll toddle off again on her new found walking legs and go play. And I'll think to myself, maybe I should get that ST on the phone now...