Our Parents as Teachers Coordinator stopped by this past week to check on Olivia’s progress and administer her 12 month ASQ Screening.  As I expected, Olivia passed with flying colors and even obtained perfect scores in the gross and fine motor skills categories.  Part of my homework from this session including filling out Year 1 of a multi-year medical record.

The questionnaire started with the normal rundown of documenting birth and medical complications.  On the next page, I found a box labeled “General Development.”  Such simple questions… that left me with tears streaking down my face.

I’m not sure what it was… perhaps the act of writing it down or seeing it so neatly condensed on 2 sheets of paper served as a trigger… but the juxtaposition of Olivia’s early start compared to her vibrant and healthy current reality has never felt so palpable.  I am just so grateful.

My beautiful, feisty, independent girl is thriving.  These days, she is literally running to embrace life.  I struggled to contain all of my answers to the first question {What can your child do well?} on a single line and felt my heart swell with all the memories of Olivia’s milestones.  I didn’t even know what to write for the second line.  Yes, she has trouble sometimes focusing on listening to an entire storybook BUT that is usually because she is ready to practice a new motor skill.  Perfectly normal at this stage.

Not to say that there aren’t difficult moments and darn right challenging days.  Sometimes, it’s minute by minute!  Despite demanding learning tasks (for both mom and baby!), watching Olivia awaken to all the wonderful possibilities of this world is such a special gift.

I am so grateful.