Ah. The song I was thinking about mentioned the painting of the swan that's pecking at the woman's nipple.

It's a nipply day here on Buffista Island.

It's a nipply day here on Buffista Island.

Well it is winter.

Do they think the delays are the "blindisms" you've described?

Blindisms are things like counting, tapping and fidgeting, autistic type behaviors caused by lack of vision rather than a brain-function issue. Developmental delays are different, though I don't quite understand them, really. Being almost blind has caused him to miss out on some things that we sort of take for granted--watching a parent's mouth move to learn how to pronounce things, for instance--but that doesn't really explain everything.

I did some research and discovered that developmental delay can be a politically correct (kinder, gentler, anyway) way of saying mentally retarded. Officially, it's my understanding that DD is used as shorthand for "too young to determine what his mental age will be when he's done, but he could be mentally retarded or he could outgrow this." It took one family until their daughter was 15 to realize that developmental delay didn't mean she was guaranteed to catch up some day.

I don't think anyone believes that Aidan is retarded, though. He's somehow not quite firing on all cylinders at the proper age. He does things now that Kara did at 1 or 2, and they're brand new to him and exciting. It generally only takes once for him to get, but he just wasn't ready to know it before now, so genuinely delayed, but he may catch up. When he does figure things out, though, he often seems to skip intermediate stages, or go through them quickly. So, for instance, that he can stack 10 blocks (1"x1") one on top of another without missing or knocking them over is better than many 3 and 4 year olds can do, but he didn't understand stacking until he suddenly got it, later than other children do, and then he could do 9 or 10 right away; none of this namby-pamby 2 or 3 block business.

Basically, he confuses me. I know there's some sort of cognitive disconnect between the words the specialists are using and my understanding of the situation and I'm trying to just accept that I may not ever completely understand, but that doesn't mean I can't help him be or do whatever he has the drive to be or do. He seems very smart to me, but that could be because I have to think that.

Someone please remove my pain addled head.

Please please please???

He seems very smart to me, but that could be because I have to think that.

Maybe... but he is your third child, you have some clue about these things.

I'm sorry, Aimée, but the only licensed decapitator we have is strictlimited, by Buffista Law and royal decree, to stupid people.

With exceptions made by The Empress. Which, I am.

OFF WITH MY HEAD!

hmm.... it IS stupid to want your own head cut off...

Quickest way to lose 10 pounds. I am nothing if not vain.