What we already knew.

We met with our Early Intervention case coordinator.  She gave us the huge packet that contained all of the information about our Madeline Claire.  The good and the bad. 

None of it was a surprise because the occupational and physical therapists that did the evaluation were excellent at communicating every little detail to us.  So we knew what to expect.



Our "Sneak Peek" from this weekend's photo shoot.



And yet, when you are sitting across the table from a virtual stranger and everything is in front of you in black and white, well I don't think it is something you can be prepared for. 

It took a minute to realize what the numbers meant.  The standard deviations and numerical values that score the areas - social, adaptive, cognitive, gross and fine motor skills - were all a little jumbled until the case coordinator began explaining the data. 

The good news is that Madeline is a smarty pants. But we already knew that.  The bad news is she has a gross motor delay.  We knew that, too.

According to the official Early Intervention report, Madeline's gross motor delay qualifies for one hour of physical therapy a week. She is automatically enrolled in the Early Intervention program for a year but we will reevaluate in six months.

There was talk of goals and objectives.  I kept reiterating the point that we weren't worried that Madeline wasn't walking at one.  And our goal isn't for her to walk.  Our goal is to make sure she walks well, without a limp or any abnormality.  Our goal is for her to run.  To jump, skip, hop and play just like everyone else her age.

We've known that Madeline is a smarty pants.  When she couldn't crawl she invented her own way of scooting to get around.  You can't underestimate our baby.  You can't count her out.  And while seeing everything we already knew in black and white made it official, I'm thrilled that she will get the extra help she needs to catch up.  I know she will achieve the goals we have set before her.