First Graduation

Wow, what a tough day today was.  

Wes and Ava will turn three on Tuesday, Jan 10th.  A magic day, developmentally speaking.  I always wondered what it was about three that made Birth to three what it is.  And I never got a good answer.  In so many ways, Wes is not at all ready to loose Birth to three, but the one way that maters is upon us.  Today he had his last visits with physical therapy, speech/feeding therapy, and occupational therapy.  I know that this will not be the last time we see these therapists, but it is the last time we see them as clients.  I think what is so difficult is that they know, and I know that their work isn't finished.  Unlike when Taylor and Alivya graduated, Wes still has so much work yet to do.  I think a sense of completion, an understanding that your patient is so much better than when you started would make a day like this easier.  Yes, Wes is much better than when he started, and I do think a lot of that has to do with these people in our lives, but I would have liked him to be further along today.  

I was proud of myself, I didn't let my tears fly, though they have several times over the past few days.  It was Lisa (PT) who encouraged all my children to walk... even Ava, who never officially received any services.  It was Jen who teased out their first words, even Wes, who I worried might never talk.  And although Sharon hasn't been with us as long, she discovered that the key to distracting Wes was, most unusually, a little bit of rough housing.  I know I have written posts like this before, but these people come to your house, weekly for three years.  They see the best of you as a parent, they see the worst of you as a parent, they see the struggles, the potential, the messes, the celebrations...  They are sometimes the very best resources, a break in the monotony, willing ears and very often the only adult interaction for an entire day.  Their role in my life is so much bigger than one of my children's therapists.  I have grown extremely close to these women, I think of them as friends, and while I know that they are just an email away, I will miss them very much.  

I hope that through the years, I have expressed how important they are to our family and how grateful we are to them for care and compassion that they brought to our home.  They have taught me so much about my children, myself, and my community!  

Thank you to all the staff at Outagamie County Birth to 3!

and especially our therapists:

Lisa

Jen

Mary S.

Mary G.

Sharon