CA Tax dollars at work

Thanks to his early birth and Intraventricular Hemorrhage, Miles qualified for a state-funded developmental follow up program. Once every six weeks or so, a nurse comes to our home to do an evaluation of Miles to help catch any delays head on. And while CA is pretty much broke, our benefits are still intact, for now.

On Friday, Judith, the nurse, came for her fourth visit. She was last here just six weeks ago when Miles had first mastered the roll over. As he sat up in my lap, she tested him with small colored squares. He grabbed them both and brought them to his mouth. She rang a bell outside his ear, he looked toward it. And very quickly, she noted. She gave him a black and white ring and watched him take it from one hand to the other and then to his mouth. She measured his head, noted his height and weight and in between it all, got taken by his ear to ear grin. "What a good looking boy!" she cooed. After she watched him on his back, his belly, being lifted up, being laid down and back on my lap.

Her evaluation: Miles is doing fantastic. No delays whatsoever. Just a normal 5 and a half month old. And for the first time, our adorable five and a half month old made the 7 month (his actual age) growth chart. Weighing in at 15.5 pounds, he is at 5% mark, but at 27 inches long, is at 25% for height. While we know how extraordinary he is, the reassurance that he is indeed progressing like any other baby, is always well-received.

I asked Judith if given the current economic climate we would even qualify for the program now. She paused before responding. The prematurity might be borderline but with the hemorrhage, we'd probably still make the cut. While the whirlwind and fear of the NICU feels like eons ago, she reminded me of just how close we came and how many more challenges Miles might have faced.


We will see her back in September. Given the state of California finances, I feel almost guilty for this incredible service but thankful we are that Miles has this benefit. If things were not going so well, I know we'd be able to get him the right resources.