Apparently, that is the real question when it comes to child development.

This morning, Alexander had his first real no-holds-barred developmental assessment, thanks to the Early Intervention program through the state.  I contacted our county’s representative, and after a few calls and an orientation meeting, our coordinator arranged a specialist-palooza at our home this morning. Normally, therapists visit one at a time, but given Alexander’s upcoming surgery next week, we decided to lump everything together.

So that brings us to Alexander’s assessment. I didn’t take any photos, mostly for confidentiality reasons for all parties involved, but it was something else. For a few hours this morning, Alexander was entertained and entertained a physical therapist, occupational therapist, developmental therapist, nutritionist, speech/feeding therapist, and a social worker.  I was a little concerned that Alexander might be overwhelmed by so much attention, but true to his little happy nature, he waved happily as each therapist arrived and promptly attempted to empty their bags of manipulatives (ie toys and puzzles).  There were a lot of squeals from all parties as he clapped, played, and “la’d” his way into their hearts.

Overall, it was a great experience. I loved getting to share Alexander’s story, especially the part about his pacifier and just how far he’s progressed since we first met him– the physical therapist just kept going on and on about how incredible it was that he figured out how to eat on his own given his limitations.  They couldn’t believe he was unable to sit up fully or turn over in June, and now he’s literally steps away from walking unassisted.

I think the highlight of the visit was watching a whole team of therapists sincerely thrilled and cheering our little man on as he took a few steps on his own. I, of course, was ecstatic, but the therapists just kept talking amongst themselves as the morning progressed at how they were watching him meet new milestones after introducing them minutes before. “Did you see that? He just grabbed the block!” “He did a full pivot while standing!” The therapists were all really enthusiastic about Alexander’s eagerness to learn and just how quickly he’s absorbing new skills; they were clapping and cheering wildly as they watched Alexander stand up in the middle of the room and begin signing to them. While it’s exhilarating, it’s also a good reminder that little kids are sponges, and that Alexander is truly internalizing his experiences with Brian and myself.

When we did the final review of the assessment, the therapists were really encouraging and basically gave us the feedback we were hoping for– that he will need speech therapy given his cleft, but that otherwise, he’s catching up with incredible speed. If you’ve met our little man, you know that he’s small, and developmentally a little behind. However, the rate at which he’s catching up was referred to as remarkable and fairly unprecedented, so that was encouraging! They were also pretty apologetic about the milestones that Alexander hasn’t met yet, which included stacking blocks. They all laughed though, as they watched him empty a canvas toy bin, haul it over to an end table, and then use it as a makeshift step stool to try and reach something I had stashed away. “That kid is one incredible problem solver! He might not be stacking blocks, but I think he’s doing just fine.” “He’ll stack when he’s good and ready.”  We were further encouraged in our efforts to avoid developmental charts and books, because his progress is so rapid that even during the assessment, the therapists were adjusting their reports.

At the completion of the evaluation, Alexander was beat. He waved goodbye to everyone, but he was struggling to stay awake after so much stimulation. One lunch and nap later, our little guy was back to normal, but he looked a little saddened that his new friends were gone.  Soon, the toys were strewn about, and our afternoon was back to your regularly scheduled little kid’s play session.

So what does Alexander do first? He watches me pull out a bin of toys, and he proceeds to stack a bunch of blocks, one on top of the other, then proudly looks at me and claps.

Watching him learn and discover is so awe-inspiring– we so incredibly fortunate to have this little boy in our lives. He continues to show us pure joy in our every day, block by block!

Alexander’s first balloon. He carried it around all night!