Chronological Age: 14 months, 25 days
Adjusted Age: 11 months, 9 days
Days Home From ACH: 10 months, 21 days
Weight: 19 pounds 8 ounces
Length: 27.5 inches
Samuel will be 15 months old on Saturday. By this point, most parents are BEGGING for life to slow down because their baby will soon be lost to the rambunctious world of toddler hood. I'm dreading 15 months for entirely opposite reasons.When I think of a 15 month old, I imagine a walking, talking, table-food-eating, sippy-cup-using, increasingly independent child. That thought depresses me. In the past, I have focused on using his adjusted age for milestones. The painful truth is that he's developmentally delayed for even his adjusted age. Essentially, I have a 15 month old that is the size of an average 6-7 month old, that is developmentally on level with a 9 month old. Again, depressing.
The teacher in me refuses to believe that the speed of his development is his and his alone to determine. I know, that with the right form (and amount) of teaching, Samuel can catch up. Because of that, I wear the responsibility like an elephant on my shoulders. Each milestone not met feels like my own failure. If only I knew what more I could do....
As each month passes us by, I wish that I could stop time. I wish I could keep him from turning another month older so that he could catch up! Slow down world, and GROW SAMUEL GROW!
I think the most important thing that these kiddos need is love, and I'm pretty sure you got that covered. ;) Don't be too down on yourself- it's not the course you may have hoped for back a year and a half ago but it's Samuel's course and it's a good one anyway. Also, each milestone is that much more wonderful/impressive on this course.
ReplyDeleteBy the way- we also distract distract distract while eating and I pulled up the song you mentioned- Charlie loved it too and I've used it for more than one meal now since you mentioned it! Thanks! :)
It might not help any but he sounds more like average size for 9 months or more than 6 months. :) Plus he's on the growth chart! I'm sure that was a big day just getting onto the growth chart with adjusted age. If you measured the progress he's made on catching up is the gap getting narrower? I was a teacher myself and know how easy it is to worry over each milestone. There is no magic word or potion to make us stop. As someone else said love is the most important thing and remember how large the spectrum runs in a class of first graders. If he's gaining a month of milestones every month and not falling behind that is true progress. Kids are surprising and he may leap forward when you least expect it.
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard not to compare them to other children or even to themselves at the age they would have been had they not been early. I agree with Megan that every milestone is so much more amazing! I have no advice though because I think I'm exactly where you are in the process right now. No matter how much I am doing, I never feel like it is enough. All I can say is let's just hang in there together.
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