Developmental Appointment

Today I took Caden to Sutter Memorial Hospital for a developmental appointment. They have a program in place that monitors “at-risk” children for developmental delays/concerns. This includes preemies, cardiac kids and more. Typically in the first three years, they see them 3 or 4 times. We saw them once last summer and this was his second visit.

During the visit he sees a psychologist who tests him for cognitive ability and observes his current skills. Then he sees a nurse practitioner who weighs him, measures him, checks his reflexes, and talks about his overall health, etc. Then the last person we see is a social worker who assesses the home environment, social support and provides any help with necessary resources.

When we saw the psychologist she went through her series of testing objectives and seemed to be impressed with what he could do. There was a few things she couldn't test him for in his age category because it involved crayons and pencils and he wanted nothing to do with them. He just threw them on the floor. (I have to say that my 4-year-old was, and is, pretty much the same way even now!) But even without that, she said cognitively he was pretty much age-appropriate! For us that is pretty big news. Anytime Caden is “age-appropriate” in anything, I do a little dance. :) I don't get to do that dance very often by the way... ;) She told me when she reviewed his file before we came in, she wasn't expecting him to do very well. I agree, on paper, Caden doesn't look very good at all. But when you meet him, he sure is incredible!

The nurse practitioner did her weights/measurements and we discussed several things. She was a little concerned about his small size (same as Dr. Davies, see my recent post about our GI visit). However, not so concerned that she was raising any red flags. But she did want us to monitor him and make sure he picked back up on his growth curve. She told me she thought our visit was almost a formality because she said she could see we were so on top of things already there wasn't really anything for her to suggest or recommend. She said it was clear Caden was receiving the best care possible because of how well he looked. That was a nice compliment for me.

When we met with the social worker, we talked a bit about home life, if we had the support we needed, etc. I told her I thought we were doing well with that. After discussing several things she told me she thought Caden was lucky to be born into our family where it was obvious we were doing everything we could for him. Again, an affirmation like the one from the nurse practitioner.

As Caden's mom, I don't do things for him or fight for him simply to get affirmation from others. I do it because he deserves it. I love him more than words can say and am so proud of him and how hard he works. He is my hero and I will always advocate for him and make sure he has the best I can provide him. I think that is what most moms do for their child. However, I don't think moms get enough credit for what they do. So when someone goes out of their way to recognize what we do, I think that is special. It made my day and filled my cup so I have more, renewed energy to continue fighting for Caden, whatever he may need.

So, I'm assigning everyone homework: Tell a mom you know what a great job she is doing. It will mean the world to her. :)