A Pinch to Grow an Inch (or Half Inch)

Oliver had an appointment today at Gillette to be fitted for a few things. First was the corner chair. It is just like it sounds. The back of the chair is a corner so when Oliver sits in it he has support. In the front there is a tray so he can practice using his arms and pushing off things. It is a lot like a high chair, but it is on the floor so Oliver can be at the level we are when we are playing on the floor. Insurance does not cover it but we will use the benefit money for this. Gillette found it at a store for $200 dollars off the retail price. I was going to ask them to fit him for a bath chair as well but Abby (Oliver's Physical Therapist) beat me to the punch. She already had that all arranged! So he was fitted for a chair that will make it easier for him to sit in and better for our backs. Right now he uses a bath chair that is for children of normal development. One more month until he gets fitted for the wheel chair! It also will take a while to get the bath chair. First the therapist will fill out the form, then it will be sent to insurance, then they get to decide if Oliver is delayed enough to need a bath chair. They get to decide a lot of things. I know, me venting about insurance is a common thing. Most likely they will cover the bath chair because bathing is necessary. The corner chair however will not be covered. Sitting and learning to use your arms is not as important as a bath? I know I know, not everything can be covered. I should be happy that we have insurance, and I am. Without all of the help we have received I am not sure where we, or Oliver would be.

Appointment two today was Oliver's 15 month check-up. Great news of the day.... Oliver's head grew a half of an inch!! This is big big BIG!!! It has not grown since he was four months old and we have no idea if and when it will grow. I took Adina's head growth for granted. Oliver's head growth we celebrated!! His height and weight is still going well. He also had an x-ray of his lungs, all clear!! No aspiration of food, whew. So, I would say it was a fantastic day of appointments. More therapy tomorrow and an assessment on Thursday to see if Oliver will qualify for any private nursing hours. Not going to hold my breath. I just keep reminding myself to be patient. As Oliver gets older he will receive more help. Right now they (the state) say that everything we do for Oliver is the same that other parents have to do for their kids. So we wait. Wait until Oliver reaches an age where all other kids are potty trained and we have to start ordering bigger diapers. Wait for other kids to feed themselves when Oliver still uses the tube. Wait for other kids to walk/run... you get the point. We are not sad about this, we just know we have to wait. We are having as much fun watching Oliver grow as we did with Adina. Oliver continues to teach us a lot. He really is the best, just like Adina. We got it pretty darn good! We just have to be patient =)