Ears: all clear!

We had Charlie's follow-up appointment with the ENT doc this week, to make sure the tubes were in place and clear, and to have his hearing tested.  We got the news we hoped for - everything looks good.

Since Charlie had the tubes put in, it's been noticeable how much more he chatters.  Some of it is a bit clearer, and we've heard new words like yucky (yah-ee) and potty (pah-ee), and he is calling many of the neighbor kids by name.  He definitely enjoys the sound of his own voice more, particularly his shrieks.  Yikes.  We know we've got a ways to go, but we're delighted with the improvement already!

We also are never going to know how much of Charlie's speech delay is related to his hearing and/or some other issue, and how much of it is just his nature.  Our boy is pretty strong-willed, and would much rather do things that are his idea than whatever you are suggesting.  So perhaps it's no coincidence that the words he speaks the most clearly are the things he loves the most - anything related to cars.

While with the ENT doc, Charlie spotted one of his matchbox cars in my bag.  He pointed to it and said "green car" - clear enough than anyone would understand what he just said.  The nurse's jaw dropped open, and she said "I thought he was here because he had a speech delay??"  The doctor started raving about how that was the second level of speech, that he could already describe the car as green.  He proclaimed that Charlie was going to go to MIT.  (I'm not kidding, it really made me smile.)

I didn't have the heart to tell them that yes, while Charlie does know a lot of colors, when he uses them, it's almost always in reference to a car.  Anything that is blue is a blue car.  He'll stand in my closet and point at red shirts saying "red car, red car."  I have no idea why, but perhaps it just shows us how much his world revolves around cars!