They are shared across parenthood, the milestones. We put our hands together in excitement and encourage them, the first time they roll over, that first laugh, those first wobbly steps across the floor. For these things there are dedicated spaces in baby books, waiting for us to dutifully pen in the date of their first word; “Mama” she said. These are the conversation makers, “Is she walking yet? Is she talking yet?”
Even the most average of things is tinged with prematurity. There she is, sitting up for the first time. She’s eleven months old and it took months of physical therapy but this milestone, she hit it. I write it in the baby book with qualifiers: “Sits Up Unassisted. Eleven Months (But Actually Seven And A Half Months Adjusted)”
And then there are the preemie milestones, the ones that are squeezed into the baby book in a joyful handwritten script: “Eight Months Old- No More Feeding Tube! Ten Months Old- Goodbye Apnea Monitor!”
There are more and different milestones on this particular prematurity journey and yes, that has made it hard. But it has also provided even more cause for celebration.
She’s twenty three months old and she runs up to me and says “Mama, gibberish gibberish gibberish book! Elmo! gibberish!” and then runs off, looking back over her shoulder at me and laughing. I watch her legs carry her away and breathe a silent thank you to the Lord and to her physical therapist, who held her tiny body over a rubber ball and stretched and moved her muscles until they were strong enough to send her running.
This week I wrapped my arms around the neck of her feeding therapist in gratitude and I said goodbye.
And then I did the same with her occupational therapist.
Just like I did with her physical therapist. And then her cardiologist. And her home nurses.
I penciled a new date in the baby book “October 2012- End Of Therapy.”
At her evaluation her therapy team and Jeff and I agreed that we had enough tools to continue working with her at home but that she was ready to phase out of her rigid therapy schedule. She’s made huge progress with her team and I am so thankful for the work they’ve done and how much they’ve helped me to help her.
I’m so proud of her, because these are big accomplishments. And sure, yesterday she spit out every single bite of the pumpkin oatmeal that she normally loves but the thing is she can eat. Now when she won’t it’s not because she can’t. It’s because she’s stubborn. And also because she learned about cookies and has decided she should just try to convince us to let her eat those all day long.
People ask me often when she’ll be “caught up” and I don’t know. Her doctors tell me that most preemies are caught up by age three, meaning that hopefully they’ll no longer use her adjusted age rather than her actual age. There is still therapy happening here, learning to turn our wrists and drink from a straw without gagging but on smaller scale, a family effort rather than a professional one. She turns two next month and it will mark the first time since she was born that we will be alone with her, without therapists and nurses coming often to our house. I am thankful for that time but I am joyfully anticipating this new future.
I remember when our house was full of medical noise, alarms from heart monitors and blood pressure machines, the sound of her heartbeat through a stethoscope each day, the sound of my heartbeat in my ears as I tried to position the feeding tube correctly on the first try. I thought it would always be a deafening roar.
And now it’s quiet except for the sound of her laughter as she names the letters on her alphabet blocks “A, B, C, Q!” and her feet pad across the floor to show me. Making a new joyful noise to the Lord of all the earth.
Goodbye, therapy 
About Kayla Aimee
Tears in my eyes. Celebrating right now in my little cubicle at work. My heart is running over with joy for you guys. Praise the Lord!
So so happy for you guys!! This must feel like such sweet release. Congratulations to miss Scarlette and to you and Jeff for making it to this awesome milestone!
Yea! Way to go Kayla and Scarlette! I know it has not been an easy journey, but you have reached an amazing milestone.
amen!! and woot! woot!
Praise God!! What a huge milestone! Celebrating with you today! she is so sweet
KA, I love your blogs! I wrote you a long time ago that I am also the mom of a preemie, although our situations are drastically different. However, even though our situations are that different, the emotions are the same. Everytime I read your blog, you are able to put those emotions into words in ways I never could. Congratulations on this achievement! A true testament to your mothering and Faith.
Congratulations! I look forward to the day we can say goodbye to Connor’s therapists.
Favorite post ever. Congrats, big girl!!!!
Go, Scarlette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations to you all on this big milestone. Give your cutie a big ol’ kiss from “the Internet.”
LOL! I totally will
God is Great!! I am so happy for Scarlette and the whole family! She is such a blessing!
Crying joyous tears here in New Jersey… SUCH happy news!!!
What wonderful news. I don’t even “know” you, Scarlette or your hubby, but I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. She is truly a miracle!!!!
Thanks so much Sandy
Exciting news!
My coworkers and I remember those days – reading your blog posts…crying and praying for a miracle (or ten or twenty…).
I love it! That sweet baby girl that we prayed for so often in those early days, it’s just awesome to see her now. When I see a cute picture of Scarlette on FB I show my kids and say, “Remember that teeny, tiny baby we prayed for? Only 1 lb.?” and they do and they smile with me. Everything that she and your family have gone through; it’s truly amazing! A miracle for sure!
Congrats to you all!
That is so sweet! It’s crazy for me to think back about how small she was!
Such great news! God truly is great!
Praise God for another milestone for Scarlette!!! Such very good news!
What thrilling news to read! So happy for all of you…and she is so darn cute!!
tears of joy and love from CO as i read this post. i rarely comment but have followed along since you were pregnant with her and am praising God for this day, this post, that sweet baby. Congratulations, you’ve worked so hard.
Thanks so much Meg!
Big old tears in my eyes. Miss Scarlette: You’ve come a long way Baby! K.A: Thanks for sharing it with us all!
This makes me tear up with JOY! And gratitude to our great God. I rejoice with you and Jeff – and so many others like myself that fell deeply in love with her through our fervent prayers. She will always hold a place in my heart, KA. And I thank YOU for sharing your heart and your stories with all of us over these years. I look forward to watching her grow… Blessings!
I <3 you Jan!!
That si beyond exciting! Congratulations to the whole family and best wishes for endless joy in the new “therapyless” phase.
This put a huge smile on my face! Congratulations to you all!
Congrats, Scarlette! Such an amazing milestone
Way to go Scarlette!!! And way to go Mama (and Daddy too!) because you got her to this graduation date!
We had ours with the twins in April of 2012 at the actual age of 26 months same month they actually made it onto the real growth chart without age correction.
Therapy grad is the best date ever for a preemie Mama! Though every milestone you’ve reached thus far has of course been amazing, this one is somehow different. You finally feel like you might actually begin to forget to add the word preemie onto sentences with strangers who wonder why they are so small for their age, or not doing this or that for their age. Oh, how good it feels!
Sending a big high-five to Scarlette from her Canadian preemie buds Carter and Preston! Yay!
YES, that exactly! I feel like I don’t have to “qualify” to people her as much as she’s getting older
YEA SCARLETTE! Such happy news!
Congrats Scarlette!! And Mom & Dad too!! What an awesome milestone in the life of a preemie!
I completely understand as I feel like we took a step back with increasing PT to once a week (although I agree it’s necessary) but then Iearned that she scored too high on her early intervention evaluation & doesn’t qualify for occupational therapy any longer. Such a bittersweet moment.
Bittersweet- and it’s up and down. We went from 2x a month tPT to 1x a week PT and then a couple of months later it was ALL DONE PT! It’s sort of still a roller coaster after the NICU too! I think the EI evals are sort of weird too, don’t you?
oh miss scarlette is just precious, ka!! big *hugs* and much aloha, steph
Thanks Steph
<3
Oh happy day! My son (born with Spina Bifida) is 7 1/2 now and therapy is still part of our life. But now it’s just for 1 hour per week at a local PT center. I remember the days of Early Intervention when there was a therapists visit almost everyday. When his list of goals were posted on the fridge so that we didn’t forget about which sounds to practice or the proper activities for crossing midline. Now looking back, I miss those therapists and hold them on a pedestal for the way they got our family through the tough early years. I’m so happy for you that you can start “looking back” on her journey, and looking forward to the multitude of new things that she’ll learn each day.
Yes, we are being let out of therapy incredibly early considering
Once a week is great! ANd I know what you mean, for awhile I loved the therapists coming just so that I had another adult to talk to during the day, HA!!
scarlette’s story…your story…continues to bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. my children and I prayed with you in those scary days and months, and each time i check in here, i am overwhelmed by His answers to prayer.
so excited for y’all as you enter into this “therapy free” chapter! to God be all the glory!
So happy for you all!
I’m continually amazed by the miracle of Miss Scarlette. She has come so far, and done so well, with so many obstacles to overcome and beating the odds in every way possible. Congrats to Miss Scarlette and her mama and daddy. Much love and blessings to all of you. xoxo
Thanks for the sweet words Gayle!
Aaaaaawwwwweeeeesssssooooommmmmmeeeee work Scarlette (and Mommy and Daddy)! Such a big girl…… Caught up? Pshh – she’s ahead of the game.
TOTALLY ahead of the game
Wonderful news! Very happy for you guys!
How wonderful! I’m so happy for you guys!
Go on, Scarlette! We preemies do just fine in the big bad world. Here I am, 30 years later (and still stubborn about my oatmeal). “Caught up” is ridiculous. You have already overcome many obstacles and are already so much stronger than most!
Go Scarlette! Go Mom!
This happy ending is making me so happy today!