Gosh where has the time gone? I can’t believe that Ronan will start pre-school next year! I am sure many parents are thinking the same thing but when you have a child who was born too early (13wks too early for us), fighting for life it is certainly something you don’t really think about when you sit by their humidicrib watching them grow. You really only focus on them reaching the next milestone. We never thought Ronan was ever going to be weaned off CPAP as he was attached to it for so long, well it felt like 8 long weeks to us. Then the excitment of finally being able to bring them home was so joyus but we were so fearful at the same time.
As the years have gone on we have grown with him so we don’t really notice how much he has grown but a few weeks ago he was playing with his friends and it hit me, there wasn’t any any height differences, he was actually as tall as his peers! It was actually a shock to the system because he has always been behind with everything.
It is funny how you seem to fall into a routine with them and it’s not until a stranger or a family member point out how well they are doing. Ronan attends child care 2 days a week and whilst we paint and play at home whenever i pick him up his carers tell me all about his day. He has progressed so much and over the past 6 months his fine motor skills have excelled in leaps and bounds.
Ronan has been attending early intervention for the past 2 years after being assessed with Sensory Intergration problems due to his prematurity. We have been attending weekly for years and now that he has settled down and can actually focus on the task at hand we truly believe that this is a major factor as to why he is excelling and learning so much. Before he started early intervention i was going out of my mind daily. I was constantly frustrated and struggling to come to terms with a toddler that just wouldn’t sit down! Now he will sit for up to 30mins to read a book with us, stand and paint for hrs on end, he doesn’t sensory seek anywhere near as much as he did and he doesn’t walk into doors anymore as his body awarness is catching up. The only real issue we are trying to tackle is potty training which sadly isn’t going too well. He just has NO idea about when he is needing to go to the toilet as he can’t feel the sensation. I have been told on many occassions that this is very normal for children with sensory issues and to just hang in there, be patient so that is what we are doing. We are also waiting on grommets in the hope that it helps with his speech but we are hopeful that he will have an aid in pre-school that will be able to help him if needed.
Our little boy who we sat beside in hospital waiting to grow big enough to come home has grown into a toddler who is about to reach his 4th birthday. We still can’t believe that he is about to start pre-school and we will be excited & proud to see him standing there with his little uniform on walking through those doors for the first time.
Are there many other ex-prems who are starting pre-school next year?
Tristan & Ronan
Hiya Jules and everyone else,
My little Emma starts pre-school next year also.. and once again it is fraught with worries and apprehension…. though in the past few days we seem to have mastered the potty training.. she has just decided to do it… so YAY.. am very excited..
But of course, Emma also has sensory issues.. she, like Ronan was born at 27 weeks, and we spent many weeks beside her crib.. she came home on oxygen and still has problems with her lungs… and we are battling with a major problem.. she does not eat solid foods.. she exists on formula in bottles .. and she does not self feed.. we have to feed it too her.. how this is going to work next year is a major worry and stress..
It is fantastic to think that our little girl is going to kinder.. from someone who started as a tiny little scrap only weighed a tub of butter (510 grams was her birth weight) and now she is going to be a big girl at kinder.. she goes to 3 yr old kinder for 3 hours a week (we cannot let her go any longer becuase of her feeding issues) and she is doing well… though she does get bullied a bit by her peers because she is sooo small….
But we are excited about this next milestone.. she is no longer our tiny little baby.. just our tiny little girl who is so much older than her age…. bless her.. such a mother hen is our Emma…
So YAY for us parents who have got this far.. and may we shed lots of tears as we watch our little miracles walk through those doors away from us next year…. it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.. such a long and though journey… but just look at them now… !!!