Thanks Mailyn....

Yesterday was Miles' last day of Infant Stimulation class and I was very sad to see his teacher go. Miles is starting at an Early Intervention pre-school on Monday so the regional center took away his Infant Stim teacher. In preschool, he will be basically doing a lot of the same things the teacher did with him, but three times a week for three hours a day.  It's a good thing for Miles, it means he's progressing well.  It was just sad for me because she's been with him and us since the beginning.  Mailyn was the first teacher/therapist to work with Miles.  He was just four months old when she started coming to see him.  Miles could barely hold his head up, he couldn't roll over, he wasn't making much sounds and I wondered what was this teacher going to do with him?  What could she possibly teach him or us at the time?  She actually taught us a lot.

On her first meeting with Miles, Mailyn showed us how he was tracking objects really well.  She showed us how he reacted to sounds and started introducing him to different textures.  At first, I wasn't sure how knowledgeable she was, she seemed a bit timid with Miles.  It turned out that she was new to this job and he was one of her first clients.  But within a couple of weeks, she had gained much confidence handling him and talking to us and I saw how his eyes lit up each time she'd come for a class.  She always brought different toys and stayed well on target for all his goals.  As the months passed, Miles began engaging more with her, actually playing, understanding what to do with certain toys and listening to Mailyn and her instructions.  She helped us with his physical and cognitive skills in so many ways.  We learned about child development and milestones and how to push Miles and introduce new objects, sounds, textures all from watching her play with him. 

Miles at 4 months

Of all of Miles' therapists, Mailyn has also been the one with least drama.  She was never late, she always called if there was a problem, she was courteous, sweet and very nurturing.  Miles got to really enjoy their classes together.  She would show up with two huge bags full of different toys and it was like Christmas to him.  He always sat attentively waiting to see what new toy would come out of the bag.  I'm so glad she got to see Miles crawl, stand and walk.  She got to hear his sound progression too.  He used to make no noises in the beginning, no cooing sounds, no baaaa sounds, nothing.  He never responded to his name or to any commands and now, he won't stop talking!  We might not understand what he's saying, but he's got such complex and varied sounds that he makes, he points, he inflects, he knows his name and her name, he helps her clean up after class....I could go on and on.  The point is, Mailyn was a huge part of Miles' early intervention.  She was a huge part of our first year, with all of our fears and anxieties about Miles' cognition and motor skills, what he would or wouldn't be able to do.  She saw us go through all that and helped to ease our fears.  And so I cried when we said goodbye.  We both cried.  She loves Miles very much and was also torn by having to leave him.  She told me he was her first student and couldn't believe how much he had accomplished in two years.  She is very proud of him.  As are we.  And thankful to have had her around.

So here's a big Thank You to Mailyn for being such a nurturing, knowledgeable, caring, warm, positive and wonderful teacher to Miles!  I feel very fortunate for Mailyn and other great therapists Miles has, who are not only helping him, but they are helping us navigate through this journey.


Below is a little video of Miles at around 5 1/2 months, discovering new sounds with his mouth and tongue and tripping out on his hand.  Pretty cool.....