Okay, that's a lie. I'd be unhappy for a month, then when I went back, I'd tell the hairdresser what happened and ask if there was something we could do to prevent it, and she would say, "You should have called me. If you have a problem, you shouldn't wait 'til your next appointment. Let me know, because I'm happy to fix it."

In love with this answer, and Cindy of course.

Poor, Em. I hope she's feeling better soon.

Me, too. Big yard sale is this weekend and I need to steam clean the sofa and loveseat.

Back from the pediatrician. Owen's healthy as a horse but we've got to get him evaluated for developmental delays/speech therapy. He's missing a lot of benchmarks for a 3 year old (Can't tell you his name, if he's a boy or a girl, can't draw a circle, the communication skills are lagging, etc.) I've got a call into the director of special ed for our school system and am waiting for a call back. Now I have have to navigate the system to see if he qualifies for early intervention and see what programs they offer.

Feh. I feel like I didn't do something right (although I KNOW that's not true). He's beautiful and smart but I've had this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite hitting on all cylinders. And I have NO idea how long it will take to get him in to be evaluated so I get to sit and worry.

Oh, Aims and Cashmere. Rough mom day.

Cashmere, go easy on yourself. You've done *everything* right.

Mom just called. It is "stuffed animal day" at CJ's school. Without her saying it - I knew what he took with him.

Picture my skinny little 4'6" boy schleping a 4' stuffed Pillsbury Dough Boy. This thing is HUGE.

She let him take it. Walking to school 2 blocks away. I wish I had a picture.

Cashmere, go easy on yourself. You've done *everything* right.

A world of this. I know it's not going to alleviate the worry, but try to keep it in your mind that you are one of the best parents that I know and strive to be like.

Maybe he just doesn't want to feel boxed in by a certain gender at this point. I mean, he's only three. How does he know what gender he's going to want to be when he's six, ya know? And if he doesn't know what gender he wans to be, why should he learn his name is Owen when he might change it when he's seven? He's a very advanced thinker, there babe. Damn society boxing our creative and beautiful and advanced children into labels so early.

shakes fist at society

Plus, there are lots of kids for whom that stuff just gels later. It's like the kids who won't talk, and then suddenly start speaking in full sentences.

What Vortex said, too.

{{{{{Cash}}}} Try not to worry too much.

{{{Cashmere}}} I hate the sitting and worrying. Try to remember that the benchmarks are based on averages, and every kid is different. This may well be a case that Owen's developing on a different timetable than most kids, and nothing else. He's got a pretty strong will for a little guy. If there is something else at play here, I know you and your husband will find him the support he needs and he will do well. By the by, it seems to me that I know a lot of little boys who've needed speech therapy around age 3. It's like they need a little kick to get in gear and get over the hump.

When Christopher went to "go get a Slurpee," one of the things I was afraid of (before I found him) was that if someone found him, he wouldn't tell them his name. He was 3 years and 4 months. About 6 or 7 months later, he wasn't only talking in paragraphs and pages -- he was reading fluently and spelling better than his then 8 year old brother.

I hope this all just ends up being more evidence in your, "My kid is trying to kill me, slowly, with unnecessary stress," case file.