Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Back to Work!

I haven't given a general update for a while since we have been pretty busy this month. I returned to work full time this month. It is going well so far. It is tough to get up so early in the morning and feels a little rushed in the evenings when I get home, but it is working out. Nora has a very nice nanny who comes to our home each day to watch her. She is lucky to have her.



"How is Nora doing?" Now that I am back to work this is the question I am asked by everyone. At first, I felt like I didn't really know how to answer this. Seems like a simple question, but I was struggling with what to say. It seems like so much has happened since the last time I talked to some of these people. Fine seems too brief. A detailed description of every milestone and issue seems like too much. I called a client the other day, a nice guy, but I don't know him too well - strictly business. I told him I was back from maternity leave and apologized for leaving without wrapping up a project that I was working on with him when I left to have the baby. He was of course understanding, asked if I had a boy or a girl, and said, "I presume everything turned out ok then?" I just answer, "Oh yes, she is great." And the conversation moves on. I mean, what do you say? She is. I am now convinced that I am just overthinking what should be a very simple question. People are just inquiring. They want to know that things are good.



And they are. So, "She is doing well" has become my answer. What does this mean? Well, it means that she is gaining weight very well (nearly 15 lbs now!), she sleeps well (about 10-11 hours at night - most of the time), she smiles, she plays, she is starting to roll, she has good head control and is showing signs of being able to sit, she is interested in her surroundings and mom and dad, she crys when she is cold, hungary, or tired, she laughs - but you have to do something REALLY funny, she travels well, she is not afraid of strangers, she wakes in the morning and waits patiently to be fed, she likes her bathtime - but does not like to be cold, she likes to have her diaper and outfits changed, she does not like it when the dog barks, she is learning new skills every week, she has not been sick at all, she has not had any seizures.



"So, glad to hear that it all turned out ok." Not sure what to say to this either. Yes, it is all ok. She is great (as listed above). We are very lucky that she is doing so well. But the effects of her chromosome disorder and brain malformation are still a huge unknown. So far she is making improvements and changing every week; but she is a little behind her baby peers at this point. At 6 months, she has generally mastered most skills through a 3 month level according to her therapists. (Not that this matters much. I do look at the developmental timelines they give us because it is a good chronology of skills and what she will be practicing next, but I have started to ignore the x-axis that shows the age.) She goes to PT once a week. She has a Special Education teacher 2x's per month and additional PT and OT once per month. She has been examined by a geneticist, an orthopaedic surgeon, a neurologist and her pediatrician. She has appointments to visit the opthamologist and audiologist soon. And this is all "ok."



Anyway, this whole experience has definitely made me think a little more about the simple question, "How are you?"

Friday, May 8, 2009

She Rolls! (almost)

She somewhat rolls. Gets her legs going and swings them over to the side, just needs to get her arms involved and she will be all set!