early intervention evaluation

Today a developmental and an occupational therapist came to evaluate Hannah for early intervention services. We had a phone call on our answering machine Sunday night that they were changing our appointment time. I was able to switch things around at work to arrive home 15 minutes after the appointment began. I tried to sneak into the front door hoping Hannah wouldn't make a scene and come screeching and crawling to me like she often does when I come home. Instead, she was eagerly playing with developmental toys, looked up briefly at me, and then kept on playing with the two women and their big bag of toys! In the end, the therapists expressed what we already knew. Hannah has great fine motor skills but her gross motor skills are delayed. They also classified her as language delayed, but all other areas check out fine. Next week we'll have an eligibility determination/individual family service plan meeting to see if we qualify, and then choose what therapies we'd like to receive and what therapists we'd like to receive them from. I'm scoping out the First Steps physical therapists and speech pathologists that service our area to be able to tell them who'd I'd like, and we'll go from there. I have a strong feeling that we're not going to have problems qualifying because they considered Hannah's walking to be markedly delayed. Now I'm wishing that I would have pushed for this much earlier. I'd encourage any parent just thinking about the possible need for early intervention services to go ahead and pick up the phone now, rather than wait and look out for more red flags of delays.

In other fun news... I've picked out Hannah's first Halloween costume. Any guesses to what she'll be for her first Halloween? I'm eager to read what you think I'd choose!