Developmental Doctor

Monday we took Marleigh down to check her eyes and to see her developmental doctor. Her eyes were perfect which was great, but I was especially pleased with what the developmental doctor had to say.

The OT evaluated Marleigh first. She is about at a 12 month level in her gross motor skills. They were happy with that. She is crawling and pulling to stand (oh yeah!!!! we'll get to that later!). Her muscle tone was good as well. One of my most favorite things of the day was, "Marleigh DOES NOT have Cerebral Palsy. We can 100% rule it out." I was ecstatic to hear that! I have said many, many prayers that Marleigh wouldn't have CP. She was at risk for it from being so premature.

The actual doctor came in to evaluate Marleigh next. She is mostly in the 12 month range, but is at the 18 month range in a few areas! We simply could not be any prouder of her! That is unheard of! Her verbal and problem solving skills are exceptional! The words she will say is: no no, Dada, Mama, baba, kitty, bye, and sometimes papa. But she understands so much more! I will ask her for her horsey out of her barnyard animals and she will find the horse. She also knows where her toes are. The doctor did a few activities with Marleigh. She first rang a bell, then set plexiglass between Marleigh and the bell. She first tried to grab it through the plexiglass, and that didn't work. She studied the plexiglass, then reached for it, pulled it to her and then grabbed the bell. She then put a tiny piece of balled up paper out for Marleigh to grab. With her index finger and thumb only, she picked them up with both her right and left hands. She was very delicate and precise. Again, this is a skill set of an 18 month old! There were a few others, but you get the drift.

The doctor and I talked and she has no concerns at all with Marleigh. At this point, they usually like to see babies every 6 months, but with as well as Marleigh is doing, we get to wait a whole year! At that point, if she is still doing as well as she is now, we won't have to go back.

I know I'm being one of those mothers that thinks their child is the smartest kid in the world and totally bragging, but I can't help it. Marleigh is incredible!

Oh... and Sunday night Marleigh pulled herself up for the first time! She pulled herself up on the couch. Now that's ALL she wants to do. And watch out.... if you're sitting on the floor, then you're fair game. She'll maul you! She used my head/hair last night to pull herself up!