17 Months

Junie turned 17 months old today. We had her looked at by our local EI (early intervention) program. Three people came to the house and looked at her speech, large motor, and fine motor skills. June has the skill level of a 12 month old right now, so she qualified for services through the county. Because she has only been with us three months, I opted to wait six more months to see if she catches up. Most babies will catch up on their own without any services. The EI people thought that she would catch up on her own, but said that if she didn't that she could be reevaluated.

So, where is Junie now? She isn't walking, but is getting close. She is walking along furniture and taking a step or two between two people. She would rather be carried. She still doesn't like going to the child watch at the Y. She cries if we even get close to the door. So, for now it looks like I'm going to have to pay to have her watched while I work.

She's not saying any real words yet, but she does understand us. The only word that she is saying is ma, meaning more when she's eating. She only says it if we don't see her shake her head up and down and then it isn't very loud unless there is a cookie or cake involved. Then she says, "Ma, ma" quite loudly. I guess she likes her sweets.