I know that so far this blog has been mostly about Kalyssa, but her big sister Brianna was also a preemie of 5 weeks (weighing 4 lbs). Brianna is now tall for her age and you would never know that she had any developmental delays. We did recently have to get her glasses as apparently she is extremely far-sighted and it was causing her left eye to turn inward toward her nose when she was trying to focus. Many call this lazy eye. Daddy had this problem when he was around age 6 though – so likely it has nothing to do with being born premature. Last weekend we celebrated her 3rd birthday with a Tinkerebelle party. This year she finally got it. She knew it was a birthday party and knew to blow out candles (twice because she loved it so much) and she LOVED everyone singing Happy Birthday. This time last year she was still a little intimidated by all the people in the house, but this year she was excited by everything.
The one thing she is behind on, though I’m told she will do it in her own time, is potty training. She will tell you when she has had a BM afterwards, but otherwise she does not seem inclined to use the potty at all. Though she knows all about it and will sit on it … I’m told it will happen any time that she’ll just “want” to.
She can count to about 20, though sometimes stumbles in the teens, and doesn’t really know what they mean since if there is more than one ball there are two balls (even if there are eight). She knows her basic colors and shapes really well and is getting better at coloring all the time. The thing that warms my heart the most has been two-fold though. She now will tell me she loves me when I put her to bed and sometimes she sings the songs to me that I’ve been singing with her at bed-time for the last two or more years. She may stumble on a few words now and then, but she’s definitely been paying attention. She will also initiate names of friends to pray for and family members during “pray time” and it’s oh so cute.
Brianna and daddy check out Tinkerbelle on her cake
Happy Birthday to my big girl. You are closer to being 40 pounds instead of 4 now, but you’ll always be my little one.
That blog gave me a lump in my throat; what precious little girls. Yes, she will just decide it is time to use the potty, she is fine just the way she is. If I had the chance to raise my sons, I would worry less and trust that each child has their own little time line. She has good/sound guidance from her Mommy and Daddy.