Speech III

The final installment...and explaining why I even started writing these blog posts...to be pumped about what happened to my car! 

So we had set up the appointment for maybe 2 weeks after our initial meeting and in the meantime P started saying new words. 

So many new words that we decided it would be a good idea to write them down to show the speech therapist. Have you ever had anyone ask you how many words your kid can say? Ya. It's not easy to figure out on the spot. 

He was saying a new word or 2 every day and trying to say more! At one point before the actual appointment happened he said "Daddy's truck!!!" Which is beyond amazing because it was the first time he got the "t" sound. Talk about a proud mommy moment :) 

So it came time for our the speech appointment aaaaaaaaaaaand we had to cancel it because the speech therapist's daughter got sick. Totally understandable, not a big deal.

The second time we rescheduled, I was on my way home aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand my car died. It died. I called Liz beyond upset. This was the second time we had to reschedule AND something was wrong with my engine. I was more upset about the car obviously. We don't have the money to spend on a new engine which is what I was sure we'd have to do. 

So let's talk about that. I had just text Thane that morning and said, "I NEED an oil change. Like 3 days ago." I asked him to pick up some oil on the way home.

I ended up going to Target on my break and grabbed 2 quarts. I had asked him how many I would need..and he says, "Well, if you need more than 2 we have a problem."

Way to jinx us honey. 

I just pass the gas station after work and my check engine light comes on. In a normal car, you would probably pull over immediately right? Well not my car. My car kinds sucks. And when I say kinda..I mean it does. Lights come on when they feel like it...and most of the time it means nothing.

So I call Thane and ask if I should pull over and he says something like you might as well...check your oil. 

As I'm pulling into Hawk's Landing I feel my engine do something not normal and I panic. Awesome. Awesome. My engine just seized. How expensive will this be?

I make it to a side street in Hawk's and pop my hood to check the oil...yup. No oil on my dipstick. Awesome. 

This has happened before with this car too. I tell the dealer something isn't right and they blame me. I still stand beside the fact that just because I am over on my oil change, my car shouldn't be burning oil. Whatever, that time it was fine, so I hope this time it will be too. 

I put in both quarts, check the dip stick, and curse Thane. I needed one more. We had a problem. 

I call him, we talk, and decide that since the engine light isn't flashing at me we were good and I should go home. 

I start home and my car sounds weird. Really weird. I get on HWY M and I can't go over 30. Perfect. I am about to pull over on a side street when my rpms go to 0 and I am only going 10mph. Of course the car behind me is instantly irritate and on my ass. I throw on my hazards and pray I make it the next 20 feet and don't die as I'm turning....

I make it, barely, and call Liz to reschedule, and call Thane. Needless to say, we both assume its because of the oil and we are both pissed at each other. We may have yelled a bit. Who wouldn't? He had to leave work and I'm stuck on a cold day with a park in view and a 2 year old in the backseat who I have to keep occupied for an hour while we wait for his dad.

He brings more oil and we drive it around the neighborhood...at 30 mph because that is all the faster it will go...and I try to not throw up. I can't help but obsess about how much this will cost us. We call our friend who knows his shit about cars and we decide to drive it home...which took like an hour because he couldn't go over 30 and it died on EVERY hill. Every hill and in a round about in the middle of MH. 

Ugh. 

So anyways, the speech appointment.We had rescheduled for the next week.

 Of course Parker had just pooped about 30 seconds before they pulled in and of course he didn't tell me so it was in his pull up. So I am trying to clean him up quickly so we can get this appointment going. He was talking to me the whole time and apparently they were taking notes the whole time.

We walk out and I say, "Well...he can say poop!"

I handed them the list of the words and phrases he could now say and Liz was surprised. He was up to over 50 words now and when she was here he had about 10. Apparently that's a really good thing. 

We went through the whole appointment and he passed. Barely. 

They would have pushed him through to the program because he was so close but because of his progress and how much he was trying to talk they genuinely were not concerned with him. If we have any other concerns we are able to call them. He is now saying 3 word sentences though...so he is improving!! 

I truly believe that those 2 cancellations were meant to be. If we had been able to keep the first speech appointment he no doubt would qualify for speech.I have some mixed emotions about it. Glad he doesn't need services, but worried that maybe he could have really benefited from them. It does put me at ease to know that if we feel he needs it, we can call them and reevaluate him,. 

It is still difficult for me to hear how much his peers are talking, but I know he will get there.

So my car. I was still unhappy that it happened..even if it meant giving P a little more time to catch up. 

I call to pay for it. I didn't even really want to ask how much it would cost. It was the timing belt....which means they had to take apart me engine. Ya, that's not a cheap repair. 

So I call and ask to pay for the bill and the lady on the phone is super confused, "So, everything we had to do was covered under a warranty and a recall...was there another bill you needed to pay?"

I sat there dumbfounded....it cost me nothing?? Nothing!?!? "Are you sure??" 

"Yes?"

I laughed, "You just MADE my day!!"

I guess fate really came through in this one.