My first big run-in with the milestone chart was when Wesley turned one. When I think back to when Zach turned one, I think back on all the excitement of that first birthday. This is the monumental moment when a child goes from being a baby to being a toddler. They start walking, talking, eating table food at meals with the rest of the family, playing games, and so on.
When Wesley turned one, my response was very different. It hit me even harder than it ever had before that things are going to be different for Wesley. He was still drinking from a bottle and not even trying to hold it on his own, had just learned to sit up at 11 months (although he had been army crawling since 7 1/2 months), was refusing to eat any solid foods that were not Gerber 2nd baby foods, and was not even remotely close to talking, signing, or walking.
One day as I was grieving over the life that Wesley would never have, a dear friend shared with me that she had been praying for me and felt that the Lord had laid it on her heart to encourage me with the fact that Wesley may not be meeting the milestones in the time frame that an average child might meet them, but that doesn't matter. God has a perfect milestone chart for Wesley, and I can know with confidence that Wesley will meet every milestone on His chart at exactly the right time. This has been such a comfort for me to come back to time and time again. Whenever I am tempted to compare Wesley to other kids or be discouraged/worried about him because we have been working for what seems like forever on something and he's still not doing it, I go back to that and remember that Wesley will do everything that God has planned for him to do in exactly the time frame that God has planned for him to do it.
While I know it will still be hard for me every time Wesley's milestones are mapped to a chart, I rejoice that I can trust God's good and perfect plan for Wesley's life.
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