Reaching out

You don't realize how many of your baby's developmental milestones are vision motivated - until your baby isn't vision motivated.

You go to the pediatricians or the neonatal follow-up clinic and of course they pull out their chart and start asking away. Does he reach for toys? Um, no, he can't see them. Does he turn toward your voice? No, he doesn't need to, his ears work from all sides. And then there was that unfortunate incident where the doctor dive-bombed him toward the examination table to see if he would put his arms out to break a potential fall. Um, did I mention that he can't see the table and maybe he doesn't know he needs to protect himself because we don't go around dive-bombing him into things? Thank goodness for the vision therapist and he developmental scales normed on visually impaired children!

So any and all steps are reason for praise and cheers.  Two days ago, Mariana was holding Victor. I walked up to them and started talking. He twisted to bring both hands to the front and reached out for me. He reached out. For me.

I've been asked if I didn't just break out in tears right then and there. No, I did not. I did promptly hand him right back to Mariana to test it out again. And he did the same thing. H reached for me.

Then we cheered and praised and kissed and hugged the sweet little thing.