Well it's been a pretty wild ride these last few months. We finally sold our house in Hutto and moved into our new place in Round Rock, TX. The new place is 20 minutes closer to my job and gives me some much needed extra sleep each morning.
Hannah had her one year check up in January. At that time her pediatrician confirmed some concerns about Hannah's development that I have been having for a few months. I contacted ECI which is the early childhood intervention program in Texas. They came to the house for an interview and recomended testing to see if Hannah had a gross motor delay. After 3 hours of testing, Hannah demonstrated a 48% delay in gross motor and some other delays in social and problem solving with about a 23% delay, although these are due to her gross motor delay. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions as a mother and a teacher. I have a certificate in Special Education so I'm familiar with the signs, process, and structure of special needs programs. However, being in the position as a mother is completely different. I'd like to say that I don't blame myself but there's no way around it. I realize now that although the guilt may not be warranted it's a normal reaction and I'd probably be more concerned if I didn't feel any responsibility for my child's abilities or lack there of. I meet with a "Skills Training Specialist" every Friday for 1 hours. Jan is amazing. In just 4 weeks Hannah has learned how to get in and out of sit, developed rotation and muscle developement in her core area, pulled to standing, cruises around furnitute, walks holding on to one hand, and even took her first steps. We meet back with the physical therapist next week to monitor Hannah's progress and make any changes to her weekly therapy that are needed. I don't wish this experience on anyone but I have learned so much from it, both as a teacher and a parent. You'd think that maybe it would make me so sympathetic and just want to give a big pitty party for children with special needs but quite the opposite. I've learned all the differnent areas children pull from to make the world word for them: cognitive ability, logic, reasoning, social interactions, cause and effect, etc. Hannah was barely mobile yet she was able to use her cognitive skills to manipulate others to get what she needed. She knew strangers and most everyone just went ga-ga over how cute she was and she could but on a show of facial expressions and then get them to do what she wanted. Don't get me wrong, I have a deeper understanding of how to work with children with special needs and have the upmost respect and admiration for parents and other teachers that work with these children on a daily basis but I feel like I see and hear what "they" can't do, won't do, don't know how to do, etc. instead of what they can do, try to do, want to do, and could do with just a little bit of help. Now this was a tangent for sure but I just needed to get it off my chest.
I have 8 more weeks of school and am looking forward to 3 weeks of summer school as well, working with English language learners. Then 1 full month of vacation. We're planning a trip to New Jersey to visit my extended family on my dad's side, then Alabam to visit my husband's cousins and their kids.
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