How do YOU spell success?

The most amazing thing happened to me today....all the tiredness, the cramping, the restless legs, the sciatic butt pain....it all went right out of me in an instant. How you ask? Not some miracle drug, or pill.....but it was Hunter showing me that I'm doing something right.

I really can't remember if I've ever posted anything about how "concerned" I am about him being 21 months and not talking. I put that in quotes because yes...he's slow in speech according to books, articles, and my doctor (and apparently the lady at his kids gym who proceeds to inform me that her son is 18 months and speaking full sentences....great....shove it...oh lies....sorry....), but I'm not terribly troubled by it as he's signing things, and even using it to ask for things now like juice and milk. He also knows a ton of animal sounds, vehicle sounds, and he responds to questions. And every one assures me that he may not be saying things...but that he KNOWS everything. Yes...that's great...thanks. But for me....I guess I expect him to know things by now. I want him to surprise me.

Well today I got my wish!! It was amazing, exciting, and everything that the pregnancy is taking out of me was whooshed back into me in 3 seconds. What was it you ask? Hunter spelled his name. Oh Yes!! I do not lie!! He SPELLED his name!!! At 21 months!! That's genius!!! Ok so this is how it went down. Well wait, let me preface the story by saying that we have his name hanging in his room like so many nurseries do and we point to the letters every morning when he wakes up and every night before bed. It's kind of his ritual.

So continuing on with the flash of genius, Hunter has this wooden toy that looks like an abacus but has lettered blocks on it. One side of each block has the letter and the other side has a pic of what that letter starts with (you know....A is for Apple, B is for Butterfly...etc, etc, etc). So I flipped them all over to the letters side and asked him to point to the A. He went right to it. So I asked where the H was....Tada!! Went right to it. Continued on with asking where the U, N, T, E, and R.....and he went right to each letter!! He didn't miss one!!!! I mean he squarely placed that chubby little index finger right on the letter and squealed with each one, knowing he had gotten it right.

My heart swelled, my mind raced, I squealed back at him with pure delight!! Everyone tells me that he's smart, and that he knows things....but this was the first proof that I got that I AM TEACHING my child things, and he is responding. I was so excited I called Sonny, called my dad, called Heather.....my son can spell (kinda)! He may not be talking but he'll be writing novels by age 3!!! I AM doing something right....

Heather and I will be the first to tell you that parenting isn't easy...and most of the time you have this nagging feeling that no matter what you do....you might be doing something wrong. This was the proof that despite all those "maybe i should be doing this" and "what if I wasn't supposed to do that's".....I AM doing at least one thing right....and that my little dude is benefiting from me.

(sigh) This high will probably last me for a couple days....and although the nagging sciatic butt pain has returned...I feel like I'm as light as air!! H-U-N-T-E-R! Wahoo!