Cute little girl - cute photo. Not sure why she likes to stick out her tongue for pictures. She certainly thinks it's a hoot! (she's kind of spunky that way)
Olivia is my little smack-talker (and I didn't teach her); it's awfully hard not to laugh when I should be giving her the disapproving mother eye;-)
Tonight she said her R sound.
**(Daddy, did you catch that?!!)**
It is the first time I've ever heard it, and I was astonished! Daddy especially has been working with her to properly say a couple letter sounds. Her little speech impediments are So incredibly CUTE, but Daddy says they won't be so fun when at age ten she doesn't even know she mispronounces things.
The proverbial "I do NOT have a lithp!" problem.
Some sounds haven't been so difficult.
In order to say the S sound, we get the children to keep their teeth closed.
The TH sound we get them to stick their tongue between their teeth.
But the R sound is made all inside of your mouth. We haven't figured out the trick for that one. No matter how hard daddy, momma, or Olivia tried, we weren't getting the sound out of her.
Not intentionally.
Not on accident.
Our biggest break-through was her willingness to TRY saying the R sound.
Olivia has been seen dancing around the house saying "uhl - uhl - uhl" very diligently. We have encouraged and exhorted her for her efforts, but as I've said: no banana.
Tonight however, as I tucked her into bed for the night she told me that she is getting SOOO big, and demonstrated by standing up tall and placing her flattened hand on top of her head.
Yes she is. I couldn't deny such proof!
She then proceeded to tell me she'd have to "stop growing".
Wait! Hold a minute! What? Did you say GRowing?!! Say it again!
"Grrrrowing."
"GRRRowing."
" GROWING!"
She really DID say that R sound. And she said it again. And again. And brother asked her to say "GRass; say GRound..."
And she said it.
*Sigh...*
I am GRRReatly THRRRilled!!! HooRRRRay for Olivia Honor!!!
6 comments:
Being one who had some difficulties with certain sounds myself, I know what an accomplishment that is. Grrrreat job Olivia!
Good for her! Good job, girrrlie girrrl!
Shauna,
I vividly remember a little friend of mine trying to tell me about something she saw on the windowsill.
"Board?" I asked confused.
"No BOEHD!" she insisted.
It took me quite a while to realize that it had been a BIRD she saw on the windowsill, and not a BOARD (which made a lot more sense!).
I did feel a little silly since I had not intended to offend, but I think my friend was fairly exasperated with me by the end of that conversation! ;-D
None of my siblings had speech impediments. I had not lived it before then, and I'm pretty sure that my experiences with my own children have been punishment for not being more sympathetic towards that dear sweet friend long ago!
Love you!
-'Lene
Oh, 'Lene,
That particular word caused me more than a little embarrasment! While I don't remember the incident you mention, I do have vivid memories of trying to tell my Sunday school teacher about the little bird I was hand raising, and getting the same response. How could everyone think I was saying board when it was so clearly a bird I was talking about?=) My favorite was always being asked if my parents were from England.
I'm quite certain your children's struggles are NOT punishment, and I'm sure that with encouragement, they WILL get it. I did... eventually, although, I do find myself saying things with that particular accent of mine if I get tired or upset, but apparently I notice it more than others at this stage in my life.
Love you,
Nauna
Hahaha!!
From England - that's priceless!
Susanna had a Bosten accent, and I told AJ the other day that if Olivia could roll her R's like the Mexicans...
We could teach her Spanish and her R's would be perfectly acceptable.
That could cause more than a little confusion in our home though, since I have a couple who CAN'T roll their R's.
With a language custom chosen for each child, our home could begin to sound like the tower of Bable!!
Yay Olivia! :)
Joshua is having quite a bit of trouble with some of his sounds. He insists he HEARS them that way though. Hmmmm... My brother had that issue as well. It was supposed to be a brain thing not an ear thing since his hearing is just fine.
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