Jodi

After months of prodding, I finally got our pediatrician to "officially" refer us to Baltimore County's Infant and Toddlers program. I was worried that Brandon was delayed in his language skills due to numerous incidences of fluid in the ear. And to be honest, a LOT of my fear is associated with my guilt of having to work full-time outside of the home. There are never enough hours in the day to do all the things I've always imagined I would do with my child. It is all I can do to get dinner on the table, bath, book, and bed before he shuts down for the evening. Unfortunately, we don't get much time to practice all those "skills" to ensure he is reaching all his milestones.

And wouldn't you know it - as soon as I made the appointment, Brandon starting adding new words to his vocabulary each day. But his enunciation isn't clear so I kept the appointment. I was very worried that he wouldn't test well because he has a tendency to cling to me. He did fabulous!! I don't even think he realized I was in the room as he played with the evaluators. He shocked me with all the things he can do - didn't hesitate for one moment to match up all the colors or put all the puzzle pieces in the right spot. I was so happy to hear that my son doesn't qualify. I guess I needed a professional to reassure me that I am doing an okay job as a parent. I've realized that I need to give him the opportunity to succeed and that he's not a baby anymore :( I am looking forward to growing with my child and letting him be a kid!