His First Written Word

My son is not much of a talker. At 4 years old he doesn't care to express himself verbally as much as other children his age. As someone who encourages the freedom of expression across many platforms, this concerned me for a minute or two. He speaks however seems more comfortable using his "baby talk" language when he's in an expressive mood. His pediatrician quickly put all negative notions to bed by asking a few questions.
Dr. Amazing: "Is he able to express to you what he needs?"
Me: "Yes"
Dr. Amazing: "Do you or his father have trouble understanding him?"
Me: "No"
Dr. Amazing: "Is he having any trouble learning?"
Me:"I mean no but....." 
DR. Amazing: "Leave him alone. Every child has their own developmental time table"
And that was that. LP knows the alphabet (backward & forward), numbers, shapes, etc. He paints lovely pictures on his easel and when he isn't being territorial he is a wonderful brother to his younger sisters. Writing seemed to be a bit of a hurdle for him and so for the longest time I zeroed in on teaching him to write his name. There were many sighs of frustration as unused crayons rolled off of the table. My thoughts slowly edged toward the question of whether this was the "difficulty learning" part that the pediatrician mentioned. We were making so much progress. Maybe I'm not such a great teacher. Maybe, maybe, maybe *channeling my inner Jan Brady* So I prayed on it. And I guess the heavens saw fit to send me an answer. During one uneventful "session" while we were working on the letter P, LP looked me in the eye and said "No, Mommy" ever so sternly. I must admit that my reply was in a fit of exasperation. "Okay, what can you write then?....Sheeesh". And that's when he did it. He answered me with a simple "L, Mommy" as he scribbled it down. Just like that. Here I was pushing the issue for him to write what I wanted him to instead of asking him what it was that he could do. No wonder we were at a standstill. So I asked him if he knew how to write any other letters and the floodgates opened. The subsequent letters were O, V, and E. So thrilled was I at the breakthrough that I ended our little session with a homemade Popsicle and a short hike on a local trail. Well anyway, the next day I looked over our scrap paper and noticed that LP had written the word LOVE. This humored me to no end. He is the recipient of so much love that the very letters are subconsciously swimming around in his head. Well, that's my theory anyway. So my sentimental aka corny aka super cheesy personality had the ultimate desire to memorialize this picture. I was going to frame it. Then I entertained the idea of a tattoo. But then I stumbled upon this adorable website; kidzcandesign.com. They basically turn your child's artwork into jewelry. The customer service was excellent and I am completely satisfied with my order. Now I have it forever. 





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