In theory – as far as the wife’s aware – the Monster starts his ESY speech therapy tomorrow.

We’ve noticed, as I mentioned earlier, some regression in his skills since school let out.  Aside from the issues in the bathroom, we’ve been dealing with the fact that he’s not been quite as verbal as he was during the school year, though the fall-off hasn’t been quite as bad in terms of absolute slip.  What we have noticed is a slide back to more familiar patterns that he used to use earlier in the spring.

Now, he can show that he’s capable of the same things that he was three weeks ago when school was letting out.  He can, when prompted, use longer sentences or ask with proper terms for things, but he’s equally likely to say that he would like “choc” instead of “chocolate”, and he’ll ask for things with a “Can I have…”, a pause, and then “please” again.

Part of me is just realizing that this is something that we’re going to have to power through, by making sure that he’s held to full phrases and the like… and part of me is kind of resigned to the fact that we’re going to have to expect some of this over the summers.  (I mean, hell, this is why my mother used to insist that we spoke Hebrew at the kitchen table over the summer, to ensure that we didn’t really “lose” much of our vocabulary.)

On the other hand, there’s this weird inconsistency with him – sparks of brilliance jump out of his mouth at times.

Tonight, while the wife was at Moms’ Group, I was home alone with the Monster (as R was already in bed) and he was playing with some Stackadoos in the back of the play/media room.  He’d asked – very nicely, in fact – for me to help him open the blocks (they’re in a plastic container with a screw-on lid that he can’t lever off yet on his own), and was playing quietly while I was watching the end of Family Feud.  When the speakers suddenly erupted with applause, what I could hear from behind the couch was, “I hear clapping.  Why hear clapping?”  Now, he didn’t repeat the question again, but did say the “I hear clapping” and “People clapping.” several more times until the portion ended…

I am being very careful of what I wish for, mind you.  I do want him to be more consistent, but I’d rather him be consistent towards the higher end…