Wain Wain Go Away

My middle son Jack has always had funny little speech imperfections.  During his first 3 years, Jack was incapable of pronouncing the first letter in any word.  This proved highly problematic one day when I loaded the two younger kids in the minivan.  Joey was still in his scream-through-his-entire-life mode, so I was exhausted.  As I pulled out of the driveway, 2 year-old Jack started going crazy.

"OOOR, Mommy, OOOOR!"

"What's that, Jack?"  I asked as I adjusted my mirrors.

"OOOR!  OOOR!"

"I don't know what you're saying, Jack," I replied as I tried to find a good song on the radio.

"OOR!  OOR!  OOR!"

I started going through the alphabet to try to figure out why he was so hysterical.  It didn't take me too long to get to the letter "D."  I had left the the minivan doors wide open and was speeding along with little Jack getting the brunt of wind and snow.

Fast-forward to kindergarten.  Jack had started the year omitting "R's" and "L's" from all words:

"Mommy - I'm wiwee (really) hungwy."

"I can't weach the Wegos (Legos)."

"Can I bwing my umbwewa when it's waining?"

I never bothered correcting Jack because I thought it was cute and figured he'd grow out of it.  One morning a few months ago, Jack was getting ready to carpool with his older cousin, Drew ("Dwoo").  As Jack loaded up his bag, he stopped and asked:

"Mommy, I really want Drew to let me sit in front."

I started telling him that 5-year olds can't sit in the front seat, but then I realized his speech had changed.  Drastically.  A few weeks ago, it would have been:

"Mommy, I weally want Dwoo to wet me sit in fwont."

And so I lost that cute little boy speech.  Without a warning.  Without a chance to embrace it one last time.  Why didn't someone give me a head's up on this one?

I willy would have appweciated it.