Today was one of Gabriella's last birth to three visits. We had assumed that she would be enrolled in these services until she was 3 but much to our surprise, she has caught up developmentally enough where she doesn't qualify anymore! Her prematurity automatically qualified her when she was discharged from the hospital but that only is used as a qualifier for 1 year. The therapists evaluate the child yearly and Gabriella is no longer delayed enough to get services. This was amazing news for us; when she first started they talked to us about watching for cerebral palsy because she had some tightness in her hips and now that is no longer a concern. She is slightly delayed with speech but in Connecticut, speech alone doesn't keep you in the Birth to 3 program. In January, she will have 2 final visits, the first will be her exit evaluation and the second will be with a speech and language pathologist who will evaluate Gabriella and give us her opinion on whether or not we should enroll her in speech therapy.
We are so thankful for the services we did receive this year. Our physical therapist Chris was so kind and wonderful with Gabriella. She taught us so much about how to play with her, which toys were best for her development, and was so encouraging. She would get so excited when Gabriella hit little milestones, like picking a toy up, or passing a toy from one hand to the other. Chris was patient when Gabriella wasn't in the mood to participate and even though we only saw her twice a month, Gabriella lights up when she comes in the house. There are some people in this world who are born to work with special kids and she is certainly one of them.
She is a very experience PT and she is certain that Gabriella will be walking without assistance by her due date (January 16). Today she stood Gabriella in front of the fridge, back to the fridge, and sat down in front of her. Gabriella stood there, slightly leaning back against the fridge for support, for several minutes! And then she tried to take a step towards Chris! She didn't quite succeed but her will and determination will certainly make it happen soon. Chris also gave us the tip of using a dish towel or small blanket to help Gabriella walk instead of holding her hands. We put the rolled up towel under her armpits and hold the two ends behind her. This allows Gabriella to use her hands and arms to balance and is a bit more secure (so we don't have to worry about popping her arm out of the socket if she were to lift her feet suddenly).
Realizing that Birth to 3 is coming to an end is another reminder of how lucky and blessed we are. It is simply amazing to think about how much has changed over a year!
xo,
Mary
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| Eating apple squash muffins |
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| Hurricane Gabs |
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| "Is this mine?" |
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| Pushing her doll in her old rocker |
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| Not amused |
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| Look at how little she was?? This photo was from February! |
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