Ummmm...

Have you noticed the LilyPie ticker in the sidebar?

Yeah, Becca is turning 2. TWO. TWO!

Wow.

In addition to our move (on her birthday!) and the upcoming Elmo-palooza, we have a string of 2-year appointments coming.

This week we've got final :( appointments with Jane (PT), Karla (OT), and Roxanna (SLP) at Sumner Station and will see Dr. Collins for the last time (at least in an official capacity) for Becca's 2-year-well CHILD appointment. (I think at 2, you're not a baby by anyone's definition. That's a little sad.)

Next week we move on Monday (EEK!).

Then see Dr. Dailey, the developmental physician in the NICU clinic, for a 2-hour appointment including a full physical workup and an in-depth developmental assessment. I'm really excited about this appointment. I'm a sucker for "objective" test scores - always loved getting those ACT and SAT and TCAP results in the mail as a kid! - so I'm really anxious to see how she scores. A few notes about such assessments, though: a) They tend not to be truly objective. If you work with kids a lot, you probably already know that child development is pretty fluid. Do you check something off the list if they do it once? Or twice? When they fully master it? b) Not all assessments are created equal. Even really goods ones can come up with different scores. For example, Becca's speech has been been evaluated recently through 3 different assessments. (I don't remember what they were called, but two were through Early Intervention and one was through her speech therapist, so it's not like I just downloaded random ones.) Her scores fell between 11 months and 26 months. Hmmm. So you can't put too much stock in them. c) Still, developmental assessments can be helpful tools, and as a mom, it's helpful to get outside professional opinions regarding the areas on which we need to focus and, frankly, to be able to give yourself an occasional pat on the back when we can see on paper that our efforts have paid off.

Okay, moving on. We'll also have a 2-hour physical therapy evaluation at the Vandy pediatric rehab clinic. After she's evaluated, we'll find out how long we have to wait until we can get in a slot (that is, if they decides she needs its...you know, if the 2-year-old who isn't walking needs PT). Hopefully it won't take too long, but we are exploring other options just in case.

On Thursday the 24th, John and I will be speaking at a conference on prematurity and infant mortality at Vanderbilt. Needless to say, I was quite surprised last week when I got a call from an acquaintance at the hospital who said, "Well, the governor was going to speak, but he had to bail, so I thought of you guys." What? Add that to the list of things I never thought I'd hear! :) I think she knew that since we are pastors, we wouldn't be too scared about speaking publicly on short notice. John and I will basically be telling our story and talking about how Becca's prematurity continues to affect our lives. The conference is open to the public, so if you are interested, check out their website. I'd love to see a couple familiar faces!

Also sometime next week we are supposed do a weight check at the GI's office and schedule our follow-up with them for two weeks from now, but I still can't get an appointment scheduled. Ugh.

Phew. Do you see why I'm so glad that Nana Dana and then G-Diddy will be here to help out?

At at the end of it, my baby will be two years old. Wow.