We're baaaaccckkkkk! It's hard to update a blog when you don't have a computer so huge thank yous to Mom and Dad Melville for getting us back up and running! Just in time to share some wonderful Olivia news!
As part of a follow up study that Duke is doing on very low birthweight babies we were asked to bring Olivia in for an evaluation/assessment. They administered what is called the Bayley exam. It is a standard series of measurements used to assess the motor skills (fine and gross), language (receptive and expressive) and cognitive development of infants and toddlers 0-3. Here is Wikipedia's definition....they can explain it better then I can.
~~~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayley_Scales_of_Infant_Development~~~
The results...........................................................drumroll please .............................................................. the results confirm that she ROCKS!
To quote the doctor "you should put all of your preemie worries behind you." "Not only is she not delayed but she is doing exceptionally well." Of course my eyes were welling up at this point but the tears really started flowing when the supervisor came in to say that not only did the doctor (who administered the test) report to her that Olivia was doing a wonderful job developmentally but that she was also taken aback by just how pleasant, personable and attentive Olivia was during the testing. She administers a lot of these tests and Olivia really stood out.
Don't get me wrong, I already knew all of this in my heart of hearts. All of us have known. It is just so different to hear it from professionals with so much experience in this particular field.
So to respect her achievements (and to acknowledge how silly I have been to have it in the first place) I have removed the "adjusted age" birthday ticker from the heading above. She doesn't need that margin/allowance for "adjustment" .... she is developmentally on track to be exactly what she is! (26 days shy of being a full fledged TWO YEAR OLD!!!!)
An expressive almost 2 year old at that! Check out her "style". She has really been into getting dressed (and undressed ~ regardless of her father's disdain for it) throughout the day. On Thanksgiving she decided she had to have her bathing suit on over her clothes....
She accessorized with daddy's hat....
And then Savanah's shoes.....
And then Savanah's shoes.....
And then Grandma's cell phone....
Santa!!!! She was more excited to see Santa then what it appears like in this picture. 2 hours late for nap + lots of things going on around her that looked like fun = a so so picture. I didn't have my camera with me so I had to use my phone but I believe family took some good pictures and I'll need to get copies so I can post one where she is at least smiling.
(below) On our way to Duke in the weee hours of the morning. 
*as a side note, Mike said it felt much better to be leaving Duke this time since we were able to bring Olivia out with us...unlike all of those times where we left heavy hearted and empty handed. (he'd probably want me to add some sort of disclaimer about how he is NOT a softy, he was just making an observation. tee hee)
1 comment:
yay olivia! we have known how amazing and exceptional she is from the beginning (what *full term* baby can lift and turn their head like she did weeks before her due date?)
we love, love, love her! and good job to Mom and Dad too!
ps. who *doesn't* know that M is just a big softy at heart?
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