Holden's Perfect Timing

Holden in now 20 months old!  Oh, how I love this boy.
We are learning so many new things these days... throwing, smiling upon being asked, sign language, frustration and the anger it brings, and holding snacks out of the dog's reach.  It's a lot for a toddler's day.  He has taken a huge liking to cars.  He spends time rolling them off of objects and pushing them across the floor.  Tractors have caught his eye lately and he loves pointing them out as we drive through our construction site neighborhood.
He's still a little squirt at only 22 lbs and 8 oz earlier this month.  At least he moved up to the 7th percentile!  He is wearing 12 and 18 month clothes.  I've had to use the wonderful invention I found on Amazon to keep his pants up, the Dapper Snapper!  
He eats heavy some days and light on others.  His food of choice would be sweets if I'd let him.  He particularly likes ice cream that Pa Pa gives him on Sunday nights, he finds my M&M packages when I haven't hidden them well enough, and he knows what a cookie looks like.  But in general he eats lots of fruit- peaches, apples, pears, raisins, oranges and also rice, broccoli, green beans, eggs, and peanut butter on bread.  He would love to eat processed foods such as pop tarts and crackers, but those exist in rarity at our home.
Dancing is a large part of probably why this kid is so skinny.  I've posted a few videos on Facebook demonstrating his moves.  Watch out ladies!  Recently he has wanted partners for dancing and I'm hoisted off the couch to come dance with him.  I can't tell him no.  I am thrilled when he wants me to hold him and dance.  The best snuggling I can get from this active boy!  He lets me sway while he lays his head on my shoulder.  Oh Lord, let him not grow out of that too soon.
The area of least activity for Holden is speech.  He has his mind set on his own timeframe for developing speech.  Currently he will only say Ma Ma.  Now, I'm thrilled that my name is his only word.  I feel very blessed.  In the past we've heard him say Kitty and Beasley (our dog's name), but it has been awhile since we've heard either.  And lately we are so starving to hear him talk, we keep asking ourselves, did he just say something?  He refuses to imitate us or repeat something if he did say it, further leading us to second guess ourselves if we thought we heard him say something.
I've been brushing Holden's speech delay to the side for the last several months.  He's just going to be a slow talker, we are doing all the talking for him, and his every need is met have been all my excuses.  Then in January I realized that he wasn't saying Kitty or Beasley anymore, and in fact, he hadn't said either in a few months.  How did I not recognize this sooner?  So of course my mommy mind goes in crazy mode and I'm fearful of what might be going on in my baby.  I got a second opinion from another pediatrician because I'm not interested in the wait and see option right now (I am a crazy, hippie, therapist mom after all.)  This pediatrician said we should peruse a speech eval.
Last Tuesday we went to Wendy Cassady Speech Therapy in Springdale.  It was a pleasant experience and just like I knew already, the therapist determined that Holden has a significant delay in expressive speech but absolutely normal receptive speech.  He actually was given the score of 1 percentile.  Yuck.  Our lives will be changing soon in that we will be heading to speech therapy weekly to see if we can unlock this little guy's voice.  (It is such a sweet voice when he says Ma Ma.)  The TV has completely been eliminated during Holden's wake time- and therefore, I feel so behind in the weather and news.  I'm anxious to learn how I can best support him in language development and praise him and Him as the words start coming.
Please join me in praying for speech.  I long to hear his sweet voice!