Becca is 2 - Again!

Today is two years from Becca's due date. That makes her two by virtually all definitions. Her actual age is 27 months, but her adjusted age is now officially 24 months. I have a 2-year-old. A lot of professionals stop "adjusting" for prematurity at 2; that is, they don't take into account the extra 3 months that she's been ex utero, but the doctors who deal most with micropreemies (preemies born under 2 pounds) suggest giving a child until 3 to fully catch up and adjust up until that third birthday. I figure at this point it's easiest just to refer to Becca as being 2, and I'll tweak when I bestow upon her 2 -and-1/2-year-old status. Unless, of course, she starts telling people her age herself. Could happen tomorrow.

I won't rehash the past 34 months for you and tell you how thankful we are to be here. I'd do it all over again in a minute if that's what it would take to have our baby girl with us today, and it's simply impossible fully to express our gratitude. I'll just skip to the best part. And here she is:

saying "Ta-Da!" (from gymnastics)

being beautiful:

telling Sasha "No!" while Daddy puts the smack down, Dog Whisperer-style:

and one more "Ta-Da!"

(The real-from-the-pro-shop leotard was her "other birthday" present...off the sale rack, of course! She loves that it's covered in stars - a big favorite these days!)

I would really, really love to write a long, eloquent post about how wonderful Becca is, give you an in-depth update on all her medical issues (some of which are non-issues now!), and tell you her birth story the way I now tell her, but, frankly, I don't have it in me tonight. I've got a million appointments this week, a trip in a day and a half, a sick husband, a very rambunctious 2-year-old with an ear infection, and 2 days of Clomid in me. Someday these posts will be written, but not tonight.

Tonight I'll just say that Becca is happy, so very happy. She loves the life that she almost never had. She takes everything she has to do in stride...and a stride that is more barreling than tiptoeing. She makes herself known and knows no fear. She has developed the funniest sense of humor and is just plain cheeky at times. She's stubborn and determined. She's everybody's friend and can charm a full waiting room in 5 seconds flat. She's a happy girl...and so am I.

I am so grateful.

This Week's Preview

This is one very busy girl this week.

Monday, she goes to school (hooray!) and then to see the nutritionist at Vandy.

Tuesday, she goes to gymnastics in the morning and then the ENT and audiologist in the afternoon -- AND TURNS TWO, ADJUSTED! Wowzers!

Wednesday, she has physical therapy, occupational therapy, and a pediatrician appointment (probably with a flu shot), all in a row.

Thursday, she has her 2-year (albeit late) NICU follow-up appointment, which is rumored to be 2 hours full of in-depth assessments. I, of course, am excited about this one, except that we are going to have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get there!

Friday, she has feeding therapy, like normal.

SuperDad is in Kentucky all day on Tuesday, and on Thursday night I - I'm so excited! - fly to NYC to see one of my best friends in the whole wide world (Lauren S., for you Brentwood folks) and her sweet baby Everett (or Eh-vy, as Becca calls him)! We had some vouchers from past travel so Lauren's sister, Sarah, and I are flying for $64 roundtrip! Wohoo! So it's really a busy week for all of us, but I'll try to update as we make our way through appointments. And while we don't actually (yet) use the Wii in her therapy, I do often see this hard-at-work expression on her precious face. She's such a trooper! You're doing great, Becca Hill!

Gymnastics!

Last week when I caught Becca doing this:

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I knew that my plan to enroll her in parent-and-child gymnastics classes was a good one! (And apparently Sasha needs them, too!)

We started today at the Spring Hill location of Let It Shine, the same organization through which I took gymnastics classes as a kid. She had so much fun! (And I kind of kind of loved it, too!) We spent the first 15 minutes working our way through an obstacle course, which included activities like climbing up and going down a slide, walking on two stripes (that will eventually turn into crab walking or bear crawling), doing a very rudimentary cartwheel over a bolster, trying out a forward roll down a slope, etc. Then we moved into the big gym and bunny-hopped and/or ran down the tumbling track (think huge mattress with sides), rode a zipline (on a seat and being supported, of course), walked on balance beams, jumped on the trampoline and, yes, jumped into the foam pit! (The foam pit is a big pit with a trampoline at the bottom, filled with foam cubes. It's fun to get lost in, to wiggle in, to bounce in, really to do anything in. Everyone loves the foam pit! Is this a Let It Shine thing, or do most gyms have them?)

Becca did really, really well, considering that it was her first class and given her sensory issues. I often talk about her sensory issues in relation to her eating, but they also come into play (in a big way) with gross motor skills. Since her vestibular (balance) centers are wonky and she doesn't have good proprioception (the ability to know where you are in space and in relation to objects and such), skills like standing, walking, running, jumping (and even earlier skills like crawling) are difficult for her (hence the delays). At the same time, though (I feel like I say that all the time...sensory issues are so complicated!), since she is hypo-sensitive, generally speaking, (meaning that she doesn't really feel things correctly), she seeks sensory input she can feel well, like rolling, spinning, swinging (depending on the direction), shaking and generally rough-housing.

Gymnastics, then, is perfect therapy for her! It works many of the areas that need to be worked by doing things that she loves to do! And actually, her physical therapy sessions these days really do look a lot like gymnastics class, complete with a pit (not foam, but similar), a balance beam, stairs and a track. (There are also other exercises, like kicking a ball, that we do that aren't really gymnastic-y, but they all work together.) And since Becca is so social (if you know her in person, you are smiling now, right? Because she's really beyond social. :) ), the class setting is ideal for her. She loves to watch other kids and then jump right in. According to her (new) occupational therapist (who is great but is no Karla B. ;) ), since things feel weird and unstable to her, she depends more on watching other kids (or people in general) do things to know that they are okay. The good thing is that with her personality, she doesn't just watch for very long!

And I'm not going to lie; I really liked getting to meet other caregivers of young kids in the area (mostly moms, but one dad and one grandmother). I'll also confess that while I certainly don't want to put any pressure on Becca to become a star athlete at age 2, I also have some long-term motivation in enrolling her in gymnastics. Becca can and will do whatever she wants in terms of extracurriculars (as long as we can manage it logistically and financially), but I also want to introduce her to the areas that might be a little easier for her. Let's face it: she's not built like your average WNBA star. Of course I'd never say that she's not going to play and love basketball, but it makes sense to start her off with activities in which she's not already at a disadvantage because of her size. I mean, she is still our Itty Bitty - but I'm not about to be the one to tell her so! :)

p.s. Big thanks to Aunt Daphne and Uncle Rob (and crew), Martha S., and Cousin Mary Lou, our gymnastics "sponsors" for September and October classes! :)