Dara,

Sounds like they are doing great! You should feel so proud! I am guessing they are comparing them to full-term babies, so this is completely normal. My twins were also behind when compared to full-term babies b/c they missed out on 8 weeks of growth inside me. I know it can be really upsetting to hear, but it they will catch-up. Mine are 2 and finally on track (S is a little behind with speech, but making lots of progress!). Keep enjoying them b/c it goes so fast!

Sheri

Dara, you are all correct! The boys are making phenomenal progress, and yes, they probably are delayed when compared to a large population of baby boys of comparable age. The professional examinations made by the PT, OT and pedi aren't value judgements, they are developmental assessments. Nearly all preemies are caught up by age 2, but on the road to parity with their peers they may encounter bumps where they need additional support or even specific therapies. These kind of assessments, harsh as they may be to hear, are key to preventing problems down the line. With Lucy, the issue was speech development when she was 2-3 years of age. We could hear her issues with respect to enunciation, but the speech therapist was the one who showed us that she had already developed "holes" in her language development. She did nearly two years of therapy but one day the therapist called me to say that she was forced to graduate Lucy from the program because her testing now indicated that rather than being months behind as she had been before, she was now about a year ahead!!

You are the mom, so you rightly focus on their achievements and their potential... try and use the evaluations of the developmental specialists as tool to help them reach that.

I had a hard time when I heard that Mason needed PT and that he was delayed, even though I knew he had delays. Mason is still getting PT at 2 and his problems are not severe but I am so glad we got the therapy when we did. They can be so far behind when they are in the first year because every day brings about a new developmental milestone...they go from being newborns to almost walking in the first year!! I am sure your boys are doing great!

I'm totally having fun watching the boys grow up. They're just now starting to notice each other. I know they've made huge gains.

Noah's still having difficulties on tummy time due to his severe reflux. So, he's behind a bit...can't push up while on his tummy without help. He is lifting his head by himself.

Adam is rolling over now to get everywhere...lovin' it!

I'm so proud of them! Then, the PT, OT, and pedi look them over and say that both of my boys are delayed by 40%-60%. Excuse me???!!! Anyone else have to go through this? I mean, they're doing great!