What's tough about being 2.......

This summer has been packed full (as you have read) for Griff.  As he turned 2, we started in with 2 major undertakings....

The first is one is regarding the big boy bed.  It's been tough for him to get used to going to sleep in there and it seems we have to sit in front of the door for about a half an hour just repeating, "Griffin, get back in bed!".  My parents said they did it with Andy and they still laugh about it....and wince a little too:)!  It's hard when they are so unhappy and just exhausting for us to have to see him cry and be so diligent about getting him to sleep.  He usually passes at the end of the bed from exhaustion, as the picture above!  He has had many hilarious escape moments when we aren't standing right at the door....such as the other morning we woke up to our car alarm honking in the driveway.  Griffin opened his door when he woke up, hopped the gate and grabbed my keys setting off my alarm.  Another time he used a little chair in his room to hop the gate and go to the playroom and cook himself a little meal in Elmo's kicthen all while I thought he was sound asleep.  To his advantage he has the cutest darn smile that makes it all seem worth the fight and we will get the hang of it!

The other struggle that we are having is with Griffin's speech.  He is really not very verbal yet, so we had him evaluated by the state and found that he does qualify for the speech therapy program.  This is a HUGE blessing for me.  As a former teacher, I just want to know some more ideas and "tools" I can use to help his speech progress along and the therapists that came for the evaluation were very encouraging and helpful.  He will probably start classes in our home come August and they will be once a week.  The ladies all agreed that he probably wouldn't need more than a few months of therapy before I was asking myself when will he stop talking:)!  Also, encouraging is that he has been using a few more words (I am thanking our good friend Charlie Mick, who has excellent verbal skills and talks to Griff (or should I say "Giff Gan") all the time!)  He is using the word ON for any kind of preposition and doing a lot of yes and nos!   Typical 2s:)!  It was humbling for me to be on the other side of this type of evaluation, as I have been apart of many at school, it is different to be the one hearing that your child does need extra help.  It was a very positive experience for me and I feel thankful for the help we are going to receive as we'll as that I did get to see this side of things and I am sure that this is just the first of many....how weird is it going to be when I am sitting on the other side of the desk at conferences, AHHHHHHH! 

So, if you think if it...please pray for our sleeping and speaking!  Both minor in the long term, but both big struggles in the moment!  I have faith God is going to pull us through to the next stage sooner than later and then there will be something else to pray about:)!  Thanks!