By far the most significant change in the last couple of months has been Levi's speech. He started speech therapy right after he turned 2, and it's been a game changer. While some of it I'm sure is coincidence, just because most kids start talking more around this age, I'm convinced the therapy has played a major role in his development. When Levi turned 2, he would basically just say "car" ALL. THE. TIME. He knew how to say "go" and would occasionally (and by that, I mean, maybe a total of five times) repeat after us. But that was as far as his speech had gone. Within the first month of therapy, Levi started saying "Dada" and "Mama," as well as making animal sounds for a few different animals.
And it just snowballed from there. Before we knew it, Levi was doing almost every animal sound, making car noises when playing with his cars, and identifying the different types of cars (ko-kuk for tow truck, mint kuk for cement truck, choo chain for choo choo train, etc). He has come up with the cutest nickname for his new little sister, and Ro-Ro has really stuck!! My favorite thing he says of course is, "I love you, Mom." Oh for Pete's sake! Recently, Levi has begun using simple sentences (I watch Airplane, Is Mama back?) and Brett's favorite, "Go Irish!" It's been insanely fun having conversations with my sweet boy, and hearing his take on the world around him.
Levi became a big brother four months ago. He has been phenomenal! I really can't believe it, still! From the day we brought Caroline home, he has been nothing but kind and considerate of her, and has recently even enjoyed laying down on the floor with her as they babble back and forth to one another. I'm so proud of how well he has not only transitioned but has risen to the occasion and surpassed our expectations! It's been awesome getting to know Levi in this new role of Big Brother, and I'm blessed to see his heart be so compassionate towards his sister. The older he gets, the funnier he becomes. Levi's sense of humor is fantastic! In the midst of his laughter, he often stops what he's doing and gives us a kiss or a hug. He still loves being chased and tickled. And he still loves chasing and tickling the dog...it's so cute. Levi has the most wonderful cousins on both sides of his family and he gets so excited when he gets to play with them! He and his cousins on my side of the family each smack their own lips together to create a popping noise, and they do this back and forth to each other and just laugh and laugh. Levi, of course, is generally the ring leader in all of their shenanigans. Cracks us up.
Levi has started to become more embarrassed when he gets in trouble, or even if he gets corrected slightly. He sticks his bottom lip out and puts his chin to his chest while burrowing his brows. Then he lets out a little sigh. I've learned that sometimes he just needs to be reminded that we love him and that we're proud of him, but that what he was doing that the time wasn't ok. That reassurances seems to help him. It's like he doesn't want to disappoint us, but he also doesn't want to be told what to do. This should be a fun combination in the future! :/
We pray more and more each day that God would continue working in his heart. Our greatest desire for our son is that he would grow up and fall in love with Jesus. We pray that he would chose to spend his life serving God and others with deep compassion and integrity. That he would be filled with joy and the strength to become more like Jesus, even when it's difficult. We pray that Levi may see his sin for what it is, and become all the more grateful for God's gift of His Only Son. May he know that the love of Jesus is always the answer and pursue Him with great determination!
We love you, Levi!!
