fireball in denver

An Xcel substation exploded last night in Denver only a few blocks away from old University Hospital, the VA, and Rose. That first picture was taken from National Jewish- I know that because it's the same view that I had when I was doing my research rotation there. This picture was taken off of Colfax and is looking to the southeast. You can see the VA- it's the dark red brick building to the right of the smoke plume. According to the Denver Post article, Rose had to evacuate some ICU patients, but the VA didn't evacuate. Amazingly, nobody was hurt in the explosion itself.

at the park

play/ exercise

doctor visit

I took Chris to see his pediatrician today regarding my concerns about his development. She agrees that his speech and motor development are both at about the 6 to 9 month level. However, she isn't very concerned about him and thinks he will be just fine. He is developing slower than normal, but will eventually get there.

Based on her experience (which is 50 years as a pediatrician), Chris doesn't look like he is mentally retarded. The kids that end up being retarded just lie there, and Chris looks around, and is attentive and engaged. I also asked her about autism, and she said he doesn't look like an autistic child either. Kids with autism often do have slow speech development, but they don't engage with others, and often do the same thing over and over again. She mentioned those reasons, and also said her gut feelings tell her that Chris is an intelligent baby. With her decades of clinical practice, I am inclined to trust her gut.

Dr. Bublitz thinks Chris is going to be an engineer. In her practice, the kids who end up being engineers sometimes had later speech development. They are also kids who are interested in mechanical things, remotes, cords. She said she wishes she could be here in 20 years to see if he goes to Colorado School of Mines.

His weight at the appointment was 17 lb 5 oz, and length 28 inches. Head circumference was 18 3/4 inches.

special needs

I think the time has come for us to accept that Chris has special needs. While he hasn't been officially diagnosed with developmental delay, it's clear to me that his development is delayed. He is not developing at the normal rate. That was very apparent to me today during our playdate with Angie and Johnathan. Johnathan climbed all the way up our stairs. Chris. . . rolled on the floor. Chris is behind in his motor skills and in his speech/ language skills. These have both been evaluated by professionals. He looks and acts like a six month old should. A very quiet, sweet 6 month old, but not an 11 month old.

Chris was seen in November by Developmental Pathways. That is a group that provides early intervention services to babies and toddlers with developmental delays and support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. At his assessment then, he did not qualify for services as he scored in the low normal range. However, the OT said that I could have him reevaluated at any time if I had any concerns.

After Chris's appointment with the Speech Therapist, I decided to have him reevaluated by Developmental Pathways. Today I got a call from Child Find (early intervention) to schedule Chris's appointment, and the earliest date they could offer me was August 2nd! That is stressful, because I won't be able to go to the appointment. Missing work for personal reasons is not accepted in medical training. You or your family member need to be really, really sick in order to miss work. Going to my son's developmental assessment is not an acceptable excuse. There will be cancer patients depending on my care. So, that means Doug is going to have to miss work to take Chris to that weekday appointment. Hope he can make it.

I feel best about Chris's abilities at Physical Therapy. It is therapeutic for both of us. Chris gets his exercise, and I see all of the kids that are worse off physically in the waiting room and treatment room and am grateful that Chris's problems are not so bad after all. There are kids in wheelchairs with contractures. There is a little girl that always has her appointment at the same time as ours who has limited use of her legs. She is very sweet and inquisitive, and came up to us and introduced herself. She does not appear self conscious in any way. Also, Chris's physical therapist is great. He notices and points out progress from week to week. He cheers Chris on whenever he does something right. I think he probably uses the words "good" and "great" fifty times each session. I know he has seen kids who are much worse off than Chris. I can tell he truly enjoys helping kids. It reaffirms to me- your kid is okay. He is quiet and observant. He is making progress.

kids clothing sizes

Apparently there is no standardization of children's clothing sizes. Most of Chris's clothes are now 9 or 12 month sizes. However, he still has one 3-6 month size t-shirt that still fits, and I just got him a Gymboree sleeper at Once Upon a Child that is 18 month size and he fits it great. So, he is in the 3 to 18 month range. Here he is in his new short sleeve sleeper:

omg it's june!

I have orientation at the end of the month. Chris starts daycare the last week of June. It's June now. Wow. There have been some long stretches where I felt like I was living the same day over and over again, but now my time off is almost up and I'm not ready for it to be over! I'm used to Chris's schedule, and slumming around in jeans or sweats, and showering mid-morning when he naps. This will all change on the 28th.