Sometimes you just want your Mommy

Liam had surgery to put in ear tubes today. The worst part of the surgery wasn't when he woke up from general anesthesia in a fit of rage like I have never seen before (managing to claw my face hard enough to make me bleed). The absolute worst part was when my littlee boy, looking so vulnerable in a hospital gown, was taken out of my arms and reached to me and cried "Mommy!" ....and I had to smile bravely and tell him "It will be alright."

Over the past 9 months, I have wanted my mom more than anything. I haven't wanted her guidance this much for about 10 years now, but I am finding myself wishing I could talk to her now. While my Dad was here, I asked if I slept as poorly as my boys (as he was in shock at how littlee they sleep) and he told me that I was an angel. After I stopped laughing, I realized my mom probably did alll the work and she probably knew how much I slept.

The good news is that the ENT said Liam really needed the surgery--his ears were full of fluid and inflammation. The poor boy has already had blood drain out from the inflammation he was dealing with before the tubes. The better news is that he recovered quickly. The jury is still out on whether this will help his speech. I am not too hopeful as the newest thought from his SLP (speech therapist) is that "speech" is no longer a problem since he has a large vocabulary. Noww his problem is "language processing." He can name things and can memorize books and songs. But when you say something to him, he cannot break down the meaning of it.....so he cannot follow commands, answer questions, or respond to verbal social interaction. This is a huge problem and will only become bigger as kids his age become more verbal. Typical speech development has a 3 year old speaking in simple sentences with 90 percent of what they say being intelligible. Liam speaks in 1 word commands or memorized phrases....or just echos back what you said. For example, he can name tons of things, but show him a picture of a monkey holding a banana and ask him what the monkey is holding and he'll say "bye bye monkey!" or maybe "banana good!" if you happen to point to the banana. He is smart so it frustrates him as he knows he isn't answering correctly....and then we usually see a meltdown or he tells you he is "all done" with answering questions.

So, tonight after an early morning and long day, I want my Mommy.