When Miss G was born full-term the day after my due date, making sure she met milestones reasonably ‘on time’ wasn’t something that was even on my radar… We simply trusted that she’d develop new skills as she was supposed to and celebrated them when they came along. With Sam, our little preemie babe born 27 weeks into my pregnancy, it’s a different story… Thankfully he’s done remarkably well in his first year home from the NICU, but his development has been closely monitored every step of the way and I’m much more aware of what he’s supposed to be doing at each stage. So when our baby boy developed a fascination with the hook-and-loop fasteners on Sister’s well-loved school sneakers, the first thing that popped into my mind? ‘Ooooh – what awesome fine motor practice!’ Seriously, this is how my mama brain thinks now. {Also, did you know that when we use the term “velcro”, we’re actually using a brand name to describe hook-and-loop-fasteners?? Me neither, but the team over at VELCROⓇ Brand kindly let me know that it’s much like using the term “kleenex” to describe all tissues… You learn something every day I guess!}