On Monday, was Raffi's 11 month birthday. I can't believe he is one month shy of his first birthday. I'm tentatively planning a small shindig for our friends in home area. I'm planning for an adult get together in the name of Raffi's bday. I'm looking forward to watching him devour his own little cake. We shall see if he takes the bait.
On Tues, development specialists from a local program assessed Raffi. Because of his prematurity and the slight bleeding on the brain that he had the first week or so after his birth, he qualifies for free development therapy. At first we didn't decide to pursue it because we thought it would label him or some other fear I can't quite describe. But since we saw the development specialist from the hospital, we have warmed up to the idea of getting some help.
They assessed him and he was at or above his adjusted age on gross motor skills, social skills, cognitive ability but was below in communication and listening(related to communication not his hearing.) Raffi has just started verbalizing limited consonants but we learned some ways to encourage his sounds by repeating back what he says and then waiting for his response. Raffi, of course, showed off to the ladies and was cute as ever.
After the appointment, the mom in me felt a little scared, nervous and anxious. It is just one of those things as a parent, that when it comes to your kid, it just makes you sort of crazy. I felt a little depressed, I mean. Once I got some food in me and as the day progressed, I felt much better.
Through this program, we will see a specialist twice a month. I'm looking forward to learning more exercises and ways to encourage Raffi's growth and development. Doug and I both know that he will develop at his own pace, but due to his prematurity, I think any help and attention can only help him.
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