“I’ll be honest. The first couple of months, I was like, ‘I don’t need another thing.'”

That’s how Jaymi remembers her first reaction to Early Intervention. After months in the NICU with her premature twin daughters, adding another service felt overwhelming. What she didn’t realize was how much the program would help her family once Letty and Josie came home.

Letty and Josie were born at 28 weeks and spent months in the NICU. Josie stayed in the hospital for nearly seven months, and Letty for almost ten. Both had serious stomach complications that required surgery, and neither could eat normally for a long time.

Today, the twins love painting, coloring, building with magnetic tiles, playing outside and watching tractors pass. They are energetic, joyful and always ready for a new adventure. Jaymi says they’re happiest when they’re creating, exploring and spending time together.

“I tell everybody they’re my little miracles,” she said.

As the girls prepared to leave the hospital, the family was connected with the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ Early Intervention program through Help Me Grow. At first, taking on another service felt overwhelming

“We were just kind of surviving,” Jaymi said.

After they came home, however, Early Intervention became an important source of support. With guidance from Developmental Specialist Dena Woolum, Jaymi was able to better understand what development should look like for two children born so prematurely, alongside the girls’ medical appointments and therapies.

“I was more reassured when Dena would talk to me about things that were developmentally appropriate for them, rather than just having a checklist,” Jaymi said. “Here’s where they are. Here’s where we want them to be.”

That perspective became especially important because the twins developed very differently.

Josie reached many milestones on a more typical timeline. Letty’s medical complications delayed many of her gross motor skills. After months connected to intravenous nutrition and living with short bowel syndrome, she had fewer opportunities to practice movements like tummy time and crawling.

“There was a realization that one kid is very different than the other,” Jaymi said. “Not better or worse. Just different.”

Instead of comparing the girls, Early Intervention helped the family celebrate each child’s progress and understand their unique developmental paths. Dena answered questions, shared resources, connected them with additional support when needed, and adjusted visits to fit the family’s schedule and needs.

“Any question I ever had for Dena, she gave me something,” Jaymi said. “We trusted it. Having confidence in the program gave us confidence that we were doing the right things.”

That relationship made everyday moments feel worth celebrating, too. Jaymi remembers sharing videos and milestones that might have seemed small to others but meant everything to their family.

When Letty took her first steps at nearly 20 months old, Jaymi immediately sent Dena a video.

“When Letty walked, I sent a video,” she said. “She responded back and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so exciting.'”

She also remembers celebrating the first time Josie successfully used a spoon to eat soup.

“I didn’t have the personal rapport with them to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, look at Josie using a spoon,'” she said, referring to the difference between her relationship with Dena and some of the girls’ other providers. “It was those very everyday things that really impact their life.”

Today, Letty and Josie are thriving. Letty is independent and playful and, as Jaymi says, “beats to her own drum.” Josie is quieter and more reserved. Both girls love arts and crafts, books, snacks, and spending time outside.

Looking back, Jaymi encourages other families to take advantage of Early Intervention services.

“It is always easy to use a service that you don’t need. It’s not always easy to get access to a resource,” she said. “Meet your kiddos where they’re at, and let people that know what they’re doing help you get them to where they need to be.”

She believes the support her family received made a lasting difference.

“It’s invaluable,” she said. “There is nothing else that is going to make the impact that it currently makes.”

Now, when Jaymi looks at her daughters, she is most proud not of how far they’ve come medically, but of the people they are becoming.

“They’re kind,” she said. “They’re happy.”