Milestones

Milestones are a big deal, especially when an infant is growing and developing. As a parent you get excited when something huge happens and you feel like the proudest parent in the world. I remember the first time Evan rolled over; we were at my Aunt’s house and it just happened out of nowhere. Only myself, my Grandma and my Aunt Susie saw it and you would have thought someone won the lottery we were so excited! From there he crawled, pulled himself into the sitting position, then standing and eventually walking. Right now he has his own little language going on but last week clear as could be he said “Mama” for the first time. I still have a smile on my face.

Alex hasn’t had the milestones Evan has had but that is to be expected. There was a time when I would get really sad about this as he would lie on his back on the floor while Evan roamed the room. But then I think about the things he HAS done and I couldn’t be more proud. Recently he has reached for the spoon or fork while we are feeding him because he wants to do it himself. So I let him do it every time he reaches! Today, he was holding his sippy cup with his left hand – which is also his dominant hand -  and out of nowhere he grabbed on with his right hand and held it with both hands for a couple of seconds. He's never done that before and I think my excitement may have startled him, that’s why he let go! My favorite moment this week was at therapy on Monday. He has been using the gait trainer towards the end of his session (for those of you who aren’t familiar with a gait trainer, it’s a fancy walker for kids his age) and he does a great job of holding himself up and standing on his own. His Therapist Kate has been assisting him in moving his legs while he is in it, but he decided that he was going to pick up his left leg and do it all by himself before she could get to him. I freaked out – in a good way of course; I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Then she just had to touch his right leg to get him to move it on his own. My excitement made him super happy and he was smiling and moving his legs. It took everything in me not to cry.

It’s these small moments that keep me going. It takes some of the sadness away and gives me hope for his future. It’s also not fair to Evan for me to be sad because he is doing things Alex can’t. His milestones and accomplishments need to be celebrated just as much as Alex’s. They are both so strong and determined at 17 months old – each in their own way – how can I not be proud?

I love when they make each other laugh. Evan cracks up whenever Alex sneezes and Alex cracks up whenever Evan crawls around really fast in front of him. They give each other hugs and kisses and when one gets in trouble, the other gets upset too. I love having twins and even though things are a little harder for Alex, I know things could be much worse. His Cerebral Palsy isn’t gonna go away, so we can either let it control our lives or we can control it by making the most out of what he CAN do and focus on teaching him new things every day. I refuse to let him down.