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I love being witness to the periodic leaps in development that Aidan encounters.  I never know when they are going to come, but BOOM! Suddenly he is doing a TON of new stuff…almost overnight.

The generally accepted rule for adjusting a premature child’s age, is that you go by their due date for the first two years.  But many medical professionals I have encountered (Aidan’s pediatrician included) are beginning to believe that you should adjust a preemie’s age for as many years as they were months early.  (So in Aidan’s case, he was 3 months early, allowing for age adjustment until age 3)  Still other experts believe that you do at least that, and if they were hospitalized past their due date you can adjust even beyong that. 

So it is so interesting to me to watch what Aidan has done socially as of late.  He turned 3 years old on August 30 of this year, but his “due date birthday” is coming up on November 23.  I felt like Aidan was caught up to his peers in pretty much every way by his second birthday except for social skills.  Aidan was certainly the right size for his age (err….downright big for his age).  His intellectual skills are above age in many areas.  For example,  he has known his phonics for many, many months and has had a dozen or so sight words.  He was caught up in his physical milestones save for one foot leaving the ground slightly before the other when he jumped.

Aidan spent a good deal of his first year and a half with not a lot of social contact.  We had immature lungs to deal with.  Oxygen, RSV shots, etc, etc.  So I wasn’t surprised that he progressed well socially but just seemed a few months behind.  It is with that knowledge that I decided no preschool this year.

But this kid has had a crazy developmental week!  Some of the highlights.

• Just suddenly “got” the jumping.  Both feet leaving the ground at the same time.  It is all he wants to do.  Things are taking me 3 times as long because he wants to jump everywhere instead of walk.
• I took him to the Pacific Science Center last Friday.  He was so behaved.  Very curious.  Asking me questions.  Exploring levers, wheels, dinosaur bones, etc.  We went into the Tropical Butterfly Room and he was a perfect angel.  There was a gorgeous blue butterfly that had landed on the ground.  I told him he could get close and watch but NO touching.  I stayed close, fully prepared to yank him away when he tried to touch the butterfly.  He sat there squatting and watching that butterfly for seriously 3-4 minutes.
• He went to storytime at the library with me on Tuesday.  I had my doubts about this too.  The librarian who does the toddler/preschooler storytime is wonderful.  She always chooses a theme, sets out books, stuffed animals, pictures, etc.  She always reads 3 books but breaks up the in between time with interactive songs and the like.  Again, Aidan was an angel.  He loved the song where he got to use his hands to quack like a duck, flap his wings like a chicken, roll in the mud like a pig, hop like a bunny, and so on.  Then she did Ring Around The Rosey.  Aidan cheerfully looked at the little girl next to him and said, “Hold my hand?”  We have a huge fan of Ring Around The Rosey now.
• Aidan went to dinner with Brandon and I and 4 of our friends on Friday.  He was the only little one and he was so well behaved.  He picked up on all the adults saying “Cheers” and clinking our wine glasses.  So Monday night, suddenly, Aidan lifts his sippy cup (looking at Brandon and I) and says “Cheers!!!”  Too cute.
• Whenever he wants to try something by himself he says, “Mommy can watch!”  I love it.  A unique, Aidan way of saying “I’ll do it myself.”
• He is hugging his playmates, giving high-5’s, chasing each other, etc.
• And today at lunch as I was offering him a bite of my pizza, he really threw a curveball my way.  We work on using manners a lot, but with kids this age it takes time.  I could tell he didn’t really want a bite of my pizza and I expected the normal routine of shoving my hand away, but instead he said, “No thank you.”   You could have knocked me over with a feather!!!  I was so proud.

So, in a way, I am convinced that there are aspects of a preemie’s development that really do follow his/her adjusted age.  Aidan is coming up on his “adjusted 3rd birthday” next month and his social behaviors are really falling into line with your average 3 year old.

At this moment in time, I am in awe of my child.  He impresses me so much.  He always finds a way to surprise me with something new he is learning.  He has come so very far from such a rough beginning.  There is no other way to say it….He is my hero.

Some Aidan cuteness from the Science Center….

And last night in the tub.