A very busy day

Okay, it is the holiday season and everyone expects the days to be busy. The only difference is what fills our days now. Although we’re still trying to do some of our traditional holiday season things, it certainly is much harder with a baby (or two) in the house. Add to that the babies’ schedule of appointments for various needs, and we have a crazy season.

Today, Colin and Veronica meet with their Early Intervention team for the first time. Early Intervention is a program run by the state (I think I read somewhere that about 30 states have an Early Intervention program) to provide therapy to children (birth through age 3 in Illinois) who have or are at risk for a disability or developmental delay.

Colin automatically qualifies for Early Intervention because he was born weighing less than two pounds. Veronica will qualify for therapy services in any area where she is 30% or more behind where she should be. The idea is to provide therapy early to give kids a chance to catch up before they enter the school system, rather than waiting until they are in school and are behind their peers.

Today the babies have their assessment, so a team of four therapists (development, speech, occupational and physical, I believe) will be coming to the house to play with Colin and Veronica and see how they do. Based on this assessment, they will put together a recommended plan for therapy, which we can choose to follow or not. 

We’ll follow their recommendations because, with John being home with the babies, we can handle the extra appointments. I imagine some families with two working parents may find it challenging to squeeze anything else into their days. (I honestly don’t know how someone with a high-needs child who can’t afford to have one parent home manages to fit everything in. I can see that being a real problem for many people.)

Then, later this afternoon, Colin has an appointment with the urologist. He has developed an inguinal hernia (where the intestine drops into the scrotum), which will probably require surgery. (Inguinal hernias are fairly common in preemies because the opening between the abdominal cavity and the scrotum often doesn’t close completely.) 

(As a side note, Veronica's umbilical hernia has already resolved itself and she once again has a “normal” belly button.)