Dev-Lee-Ope-Ment

Once upon a time I worked at the Utah State Developmental Center.

It was my first "real" job (not counting working in my dad's law office) but I was really just an intern and a high school student. I loved that job and honestly wanted to stay there for the rest of my life. I was happy there and didn't feel any kind of need to move on or go to college. I honestly might have stayed forever if they had let me.

It was my first experience working with people I didn't already know and immediately fell in love with. The women in my office were extraordinary examples to me and I think of them all the time.

We had a old receipt printer which used continuous stationary and we had special letter headed carbon copy receipt paper. The letterhead said "Utah State Devleopmental Center" and had the address along with other basic information.

One day someone in the office noticed the typo (Devleopmental) and pointed it out to us. We all laughed because they had been using the stationary for years and nobody had ever noticed it.

And that's why I can't say "developmental" properly. Because in my head it will always have a 10 year old typo making it say "Dev Lee Ope Ment" instead.

This walk down memory lane is really just because I've been watching my boys develop SO much over the last few weeks and I keep thinking about writing a dev le ope ment post.

A week ago John would take a couple of hesitant steps only if someone distracted him and he didn't notice he was doing something so dangerous. Today John walked clear across the room just to pick me up and giggled and clapped for himself when he sat down to rest at the end of his long journey.

A month ago Tommy refused to write or color anything on a piece of paper. Today he insisted on writing a note to "Daddy Adam Egbert" with me for when Josh got home. He reminded me to start with a "D for Daddy. Daddy Adam Egbert" and then wanted me to write "Tommy Adam Egbert" at the bottom so he'd know who it was from. In the middle he drew a happy face. And wrote (a bunch of random lines) "I love you".

John's missing teeth are sprouting up all over the place, with 4 visible today. He loves to brush them when everybody else brushes theirs.

Tommy knows all of his letters, numbers and colors and remembers things with alarming accuracy.

John is signing like crazy (more, all done, yay, me!, you, food, milk) and recognizing familiar behaviors. (i.e. getting ready to get dressed or change a diaper) and prepares himself properly for them. He races to the bathtub when he hears the water running and starts trying to undress himself. He walks to the kids' cupboard to get out his breakfast bowl in the morning. He's just starting to get stuff.

Tommy is more and more my favorite person to talk to. Telling stories, remembering things and making connections from books and ideas to real life. Today we made fishes out of construction paper, then I wanted to make an octopus too, so I told him that's what was next. He told me to "stay right there and DON'T move a muscle" while he ran upstairs to find an octopus. While he was gone I tried to think of anything that might be even a little like an octopus in this house. I came up with nothing. He came back with a kite from the back of the coat closet which we've never flown or even played with.

I miss my boys being babies, and I feel like I missed a lot of John's baby-hood because of other factors in my life, but I just LOVE watching them learn and grow up. I love seeing them pick up on things and making connections. I love watching them become capable and contributing members of our family. I love the age when they finally start to DO things and when they interact and enjoy each other.