Reflections...

The girls had an appointment with the NICU Follow-Up Clinic on Tuesday. They GRADUATED! It was our last one and a LONG one. They both met with Child Psychologists who administered IQ tests. Lindsey was done in about an hour, but apparently Sydney was just getting a lot right, so kept having to answer more questions. She ended up taking a couple breaks in the TWO hours and then we left to go upstairs for the weighing/measuring/eye/ear stuff. Then we went back so she could finish the last section.

Sydney was 39.5" and 30 lbs. 15th percentile for both.
Lindsey was 38.75 and 27.5 lbs. 7th percentile for height and <3rd for weight. Still following her own curve.

Back to the IQ test...we just got the raw scores on that day, and they will be sending out a detailed assessment going over all the subtests. BUT, we were told they did very well. The neonatologist said they wouldn't expect to see scores this high. All I was told was that anything over 100 is good, because 100 is average.

Lindsey - 119
Sydney - 133

I went home and looked up this IQ test to see what it really meant and 110-119 is High Average, 120-129 is Superior, and 130+ is Very Superior! I'm anxious to see the details and see where their strengths are. I know there are still issues that can come up. I'm definitely not naive about that, but this is just so much more than I ever expected.

I almost don't know what to think about it. I'm really not that big into tests and assessments. I mean they have always had them and I think they've been a good guage for us, but what does it really mean? I was very reflective about this on my drive home that day. I guess just because the things that my girls have done I just was not expecting, given the fact they are 24 weekers and how their stay was in the NICU. Their whole life to me is just amazing. Those long weeks on the ventilator I thought for sure would cause tons of lung damage, months on oxygen, breathing treatments, illnesses, asthma, etc. None of that happened. They didn't even get so much as a cold until they were 17 months old. I expected all sorts of issues, possibly delays in walking or speech. Nothing. No OT, ST or PT., and meeting all their milestones, etc.

On my drive home, I just kept asking myself why? Why them? Why not others? I meet a lot of preemies through my volunteering and there are so many with so many issues, especially early ones like L & S, but also ones born bigger and further along. Why don't L & S have these same issues? Is it something Brian & I did? Is it due to their genes? Is it the care they received in the NICU? Or is it God's grace, God's plan? I know I'll never figure it out in this life. I guess it's probably all of the above.

It just makes me wonder though. You know, nothing at all has ever been normal about my reproductive life, not getting pregnant, staying pregnant, or delivering. So, I sometimes wonder if maybe God isn't just trying to give me a little "normal".

Things to think about...