wow, it’s hard to believe a whole year has already passed since odin’s last nicu follow-up ( neonatal intensive care unit ) assessment, but it’s that time of year again. and since we moved to a small, rural town, getting an assessment isn’t a matter of driving across town, so kris and odin trekked 40 miles to the metropolis of la crosse to meet with developmental specialists. unfortunately, my new responsibilities kept me from going which was sort of a drag since this was the first of innumerable assessments that i’ve missed and it was tough to not hear and see exactly what transpired.

as was anticipated, for the most part odin is continuing to beat the micropreemie odds with no "significant" developmental or growth delays. at 31 pounds (14 kilos ) and 36.25 inches ( 92 cm )he’s in the 75th percentile when compared to full term toddlers for height and weight and almost nobody today that doesn’t know better would suspect that he weighed 23 ounces when he was born.

of course, he was as chatty and charming as ever and didn’t fail to impress the specialists with his smartitude ( he didn’t even get a chance to show them his puzzle mastery since they were only interested in colors and numbers which he conquered long ago ).

amidst all the positive news, they did note that he seems have an underdeveloped sense of proprioception which can lead to poor body awareness, standing balance, bilateral coordination and motor control. i must admit that it’s a little difficult for us to even notice it anymore because he looks like any other toddler who loves to haphazardly run around and wreak havoc, but to their trained eyes he’s compensating for a lack of skill in precisely determining where his body is located in space at any given moment.

amusingly, most toddlers with this sort of issue inherently know how to get the feedback they need to train their brains, so they do things like jump off of everything and anything. so, while it’s not a huge deal, we need to make sure we make a renewed effort to help him do more of things that he needs to do to get the system feedback he needs, including walking on various gradients, terrains and uneven surfaces. and lots and lots of running and climbing and jumping.

there will be plenty of time for that. and for quiet bubble baths where odin fills his poppi in on all the exciting things that happened during the day.