“Are the girls hitting their milestones?” is a question I get asked quite a bit. Obviously with them being so premature they go developmentally by corrected age not actual age. (In case you don’t already understand those terms Actual Age is from the day they were born and Corrected Age is from the day they we due.) So currently the girls are almost 19 months Actual Age but only 15 and a half months Corrected Age – so this means developmentally they should be roughly doing what a normal 15 and a half month old would be doing.
After our 12 month Corrected Paediatrician check-up we knew Hanna was on average where she needed to be but Riley was approx. 3 months behind. We knew this would be the case and always has been due to Riley’s rough start to life, size and other factors such as large doses of steroids. It’s hard now for the girls developing at a later age as they understand risk a lot more unlike a younger bub who wants to stand and will fall many times before getting it. They understand that things are hard and come with a risk – hence they hold on to us a lot more and don’t like letting go etc. Encouragement is a big factor in this case. 

How are they now?

Hanna is progressing well with her vocabulary saying quite a few words now including dad, mum, Addie, dog, star, Minnie, oh oh, bye, hi, ta, car etc. She understands most things we ask her to do and say to her which still amazes me how clever they actually are. Her fine motor skills are good and there is no concern there by the OT. Physically Hanna is doing well too, she still needs to work on her core strength to be able to walk unassisted, but she will happily walk along furniture and hold our hands to walk. Finally she can also get into and out of a sitting position as this was one thing she did struggle with for a long time as well as 4 point crawling. We have no concerns with Hanna at all and she is a little character – such a sweetheart but then so cheeky at the same time.

Riley is also progressing well with her vocabulary. She doesn’t have as many words under her belt like Hanna but she can say mum, dad, Addie, ta – when she wants to haha, dog and she actually came out with star the other day in the car! She is pretty switched on to what we say to her but she is still sometimes off in her own Riley land – we know she can hear us but she is just so cheeky! We are still working with the OT on her fine motor skills, wrist strength and using both hands, as she tends to favour the Right hand. We are also trying to work on activities like stacking blocks and putting items into another. She is improving every session which is amazing! Riley’s development tends to go slow and steady for a while then it’s like a light bulb switches on and bam she just leapt forward 5 spots. For example the other day something just clicked with 4 point crawling (been commando crawling for ages now) and off she went! She gets so proud of herself when she does something new – like crawling or waving or walking assisted – it is very adorable. Physically Riley has just started pulling herself up onto her knees and then onto her feet which is AMAZING! She has also just started taking steps when we hold her hands which is also amazing as she used to be strong on her legs but very stiff! Another physical milestone she has just got as well is getting out of a seated position – she can’t quite get herself back into it but can easily get down now. Overall we are so proud of Riley’s development and have no major concerns as we know she will most likely be behind Hanna for a little while longer – and that is ok.

 

 

Going from twin babies to twin toddler is starting to get interesting and I can say I have no idea how I will keep the 3 girls reigned in once the twins start walking haha! I do miss the girls just staying in one spot to play but it is also such a privilege and makes so proud of how far they have come seeing them grow and develop into two cheeky toddlers! Every time they smile my heart just burst with love for my two miracle babies.