WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?

Ethan has developed a habit. The habit of saying "what". Is it really a habit or is he really not hearing the first time around what the other person is saying. I have been feeding into his "what" for several months now in that I did not even realize just how I was feeding this habit.

If I am being honest it is very irritating to keep repeating myself and then it dawned on my this past week that it is truly a habit that needs to be broken. We were in the car coming home from school on Wednesday. With 3-5 kids, on average, in the car it gets pretty hectic with conversations all over the place, and I never noticed just how much Ethan says "what" and we all respond appropriately by repeating ourselves. On Wednesday there were just two kids in the car, Ethan being one of them. The conversation was just the two talking about this and that. Ethan would speak, or ask a question and in the same breath always added "what" before a response.

I sat for a while just listening and realized Eric kept having to repeat EVERYTHING he said, based on Ethan's constant "what". I stopped the chit-chat and told Ethan to stop saying "what". He said he could not stop it, as it reminds people that it takes him longer to understand. I asked if he said "what" to his teacher all day, to which he replied "no". I said you can't add "what" to the end of every sentence and the he has to wait until the other person answers. He said "oh is that how it works". I just chuckled, because this "what" word truly had become a habit. Now in the past few days, he is thinking, asking questions and waiting for answers and hearing with no problem the answers. His "what" use is down about 80% and every once in a while he catches himself.

I think it's funny the little things we discover and work through with our deaf implanted children. I have written out on his phone number listen specific questions he can be asking people on the phone to make the conversation flow. It is helpful to him, and none of the questions are followed by a "what". Oh the joys of raising a deaf kid with implants.

I am the only mommy who gets weepy with each passing grade? Each time Ethan comes to the end of a school year I cry thinking about him while driving down the street. It is not a hormonal imbalance of any kind, this I am certain of. I just know the work that got him here. I know the hours of flash cards and saying "Ethan this is a bear" now you say it. Working for articulation, working to teach him to express himself. And now he is ending second grade strong. Reading at a 3rd grade level and knowing his passions for reading, writing and learning. He has learned the value of reading this year. The value of that "fact" book that he can now explore for hours on his own and he does. His passions vary. He loves geography and last week he asked Emily and me to name the capitals if we named the states. We looked at each other and laughed because right there we knew he knew more than we knew and it would be easier for us to name the states and have him say the capitals, which he did.

So for all of our kids who are progressing well, congratulations for all the hard work. Congratulations to those kids who are moving to the next grade, and to each person who works so hard to make it happen for your child.