Back to Work

So I headed back to work on Monday and this week has been quite the adjustment.  Luckily, Jack has been home on paternity leave, which I think has helped our transition.  But being away from them for 10+ hours is really tough.  I am going in super early so I can get home by 5, but those couple hours in the evening before bed just aren't enough.  I miss them quite a bit.  Andrew has also decided that nighttime is no longer for sleeping and has been waking up every 3 or 4 hours again either to eat or just be awake and play.  This does not make getting up at my 5:30 alarm very easy! 

Being away from them more, I'm noticing their subtle changes each day.  Paige just looks older and more mature to me lately - where did my newborn go??  And Andrew has really made great progress with his head control and now brings his hands to midline.  We had our intake assessment yesterday afternoon with our case manager for the ITC (infant and toddler connection) program in Fairfax County.  It took a couple hours for her to review the program and the process to get started, talk about our concerns and their strengths and weaknesses, and fill out all the paperwork to consent to things and agree to their policies.  Next step is their eligibility meeting on Monday - we already know they are eligible simply based on the length of their NICU stay and the fact that from yesterday's assessment, are delayed in a couple areas.  Then we schedule a long assessment with a big team of people including two developmentalists, speech pathologist, social worker, case worker and a couple other people I'm forgetting.  This will help us focus on what services they will need and how often.  From yesterday's meeting, we basically know that Paige needs to focus on communication with the speech pathologist and Andrew needs help with his gross motor.  They will both likely need some help with fine motor, too.  We're very anxious for the big assessment to get some expert opinions and guidance but it likely won't be for another month or so...

With me being at work, I haven't been as great with taking pictures....but we will take videos and new pics this weekend. Stay tuned!