First physical therapy appt.

I have to say that it turned out to be a much more positive experience than I had anticipated. After the bad taste that other physical therapist left - the one who did the initial evaluation on Finn a couple weeks ago - I've been feeling very ambivalent about this appointment. When this therapist called to make the appointment, I could feel my defenses going up right away. She turned out to be very, very nice, very warm and down to earth, though.

Fortunately the boys are both at school today. I fed the girls an early lunch and put Lilah down for an early nap, and then bribed Annabelle and Daisy with brand new crayons and princess coloring books to keep them occupied while the physical therapist was here. So I was actually able to spend a pretty calm, quiet hour with the PT.

We sat down on the floor with Finn on a blanket, and she explained to me that at this stage, with Finn being so young still, that physical therapy can be looked at as more of a tutoring/educational process. She explained how the main thing now is to build his core strength (in his trunk), because all development will grow from that. She commented on how strong he is, how he lifts and controls his head very well, how he pushes off with his feet when he has something to leverage himself against, and she saw him roll over :) She showed me some ways to stimulate and support him several times a day to help him develop in these areas further, but she commented several times that everything he's doing now seems to be typical for any 2-month old baby. I was itching to run and grab the camera, just to document for his baby book his first physical therapy appointment, but I thought it might be weird, so I didn't. Maybe next time :D

Interestingly, she also suggested the possibility of mosaic Down syndrome . . . I did not bring it up, she did. She said she wonders about it because he does seem so high-functioning and because his physical characteristics are so subtle. She has apparently worked with a lot of DS babies and kids, so this wasn't a suggestion coming from someone ignorant about it.

And of course, I again demonstrated my current affliction of diarrhea of the mouth, where I start pouring out everything in my head. I blabbered on and on about my pregnancy with Finn, his birth, his surgery, his stay in the NICU, how I recently read somewhere that 80% of prenatally diagnosed cases of DS end in voluntary termination of the pregnancy, and how heartbreaking it is that 40 years ago, these babies were institutionalized (and at that part I started crying). The whole time, I'm listening to myself go on and on and getting all emotional and I'm telling myself to just shut up, but I seemed unable. I don't know what's wrong with me. Anyway, she was very kind and understanding.

So it was a very positive appointment, and we'll see her again in a couple of weeks.