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My mother-in-law left on Thursday after what ended up being some nice final days. It took nearly a month for us all to find our groove and accept each others differences, but in the end, the visit ended on an up note. Thomas and I have decided to definitely bring her for shorter periods of time more frequently. I really love my mil...but we are two very different people and that can make things very difficult when we are living under the same roof for such a long period of time. I think that the children will also benefit more from having her here more frequently for less time.
Zoe's much anticipated physical therapy evaluation finally arrived in the mail:
Zoe is a pleasant 1-year-old girl, adjusted to 10-months, evaluated today secondary to concerns of gross motor delay. She was evaluated using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2nd edition, which actually places her gross motor development within normal limits for both her chronological and her adjusted age. Unfortunately, the test is not sensitive to gait abnormalities and other atypical movement paterns. Zoe presents with lack of trunk rotation during ambulation as well as static play. She presents with intoeing as well as difficulty with toe clearance during ambulation as well. In addition, Zoe demonstrates limited midline play and is not observed to reach passed midline with either extremity. Zoe also presents with functional shoulder girdle weaknes, as a result of no crawling on hands and knees. Zoe is noted to ambulate with a wide base of suport, with increased lordosis and arms in a moderate guard position. She does not demonstrate any trunk rotation and uses a pivot like motion to increase exursion, resulting in an intoed gait. She presents with a mild delay in hip flexion and dorsioflexion during swing, resulting in a mild toe drag, bilaterally. This pattern is noted to intensify both with increased speeds as well as fatigue. Neurological evaluation shows muscle tone mildly decreased throughout. All of these concerns place Zoe at significant risk for developmental delay, particularly in the area of fine motor skills, as well as at risk for over/misuse syndrome in the neck and shoulders.
I am....at a loss for what to feel when I read this. My overwhelming emotion is sadness. Obviously, this is something that can be worked with and treated. I just feel afraid that it was the vincristine that caused this and that there could be other issues related to behavior or learning that will also crop up. I will whisper this thought because I don't want to say it too loud...but I feel like her speech has regressed and though she continues to babble, she does a lot more grunting now. I know I'm overanalyzing and I probably wouldn't do this with my other children. I just can't help but go down that road now. Amanda didn't talk until she was 2...and then it was in complete sentences all of a sudden. Each child is different....right.... I just don't want to voice my fears too loud. I don't want to be right about this.
Friday, Andrew's marching band had their first performance at the middle school for parents to come and watch. My little boy....is big enough to be in the marching band.
I took a lot of deep breaths while they all marched out onto the field....a real band...with a flag to announce them, flags to wave to the music, and a real sound....a....real band.
My little boy is growing up.
When I saw him march onto the field, my mind saw was this:
When I took his picture after the marching band had finished, here is how he stood before me:
How did this happen? When did he grow up into a young man?
We got home in time to meet my dear friend, Kelly....for our last and final get-together. She is the closest friend that I have had since college ....Together, we have brought babies into the world, survived a pregnancy loss and cancer .... We have debated the meaning of life, argued about politics, contemplated leaving our husbands to move in with each other ala *Golden Girls*. We have met at McDonald's play areas, beaches and each others homes despite living hours away....have logged more hours on the phone than...my tween daughter and her friends.
And now...she is leaving. Her time in MN has come to an end and she is moving on with her family to begin a new chapter in her life.
Our children played one last time...
We talked all day....and then....
We said good-bye...
Amanda had a friend over and was on a bike ride when we tok this picture....
As the sun was setting in Sartell, I walked out onto the deck to take a picture and the phone rang......
"Hey, what are you doing....".....it was Kelly on her way home....We chatted for another hour while she drove....and darkness fell.
Good bye Kelly....I love you...
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