She has recently figured out how to get her leg up and over her ride-on toys at our house, so she must have figured Nana has a ride-on toy as well :-)
Thursday, August 24, 2006
look at my new toy!
Hailey has found a new "toy" to play with at Dooda and Nana's house! Nana said she was ironing, turned around and Hailey was riding the new vacuum!
She has recently figured out how to get her leg up and over her ride-on toys at our house, so she must have figured Nana has a ride-on toy as well :-)
She has recently figured out how to get her leg up and over her ride-on toys at our house, so she must have figured Nana has a ride-on toy as well :-)
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
attempts at walking
Today is my 25th birthday - yeah!!! I keep thinking back at where I was a year ago. With my husband, driving to work, trying to remind him it was my 24th birthday (ha,ha) then off to another day of working/NICU duty. Getting to my wits end of keeping up with the schedule and wanting so badly to bring my baby girl home. No there wouldn't be a celebration (I think we probably ate at Panera Bread), but I was where I wanted to be, by my baby girls side. I NEVER missed a day or night by her bed. On this particular day, I remember sitting by Hailey's "big girl bed", which she moved to the day before - and wondering on this special day what my 25th birthday would be like. Knowing by then Hailey would be 1 and HOME! And here we are ... not only home, but with a healthy baby girl!
And as the title says, we are on our way to walking. No she did not take steps by herself, but for the first time on Sunday she walked only holding one of my hands. This is a big accomplishment!!! As Tracey said, she did look like a monkey puppet (ha, ha), but she did it nonetheless. She still prefers to crawl, but we are working on it. Our physical therapist is on vacation this week, but will be happy to hear this next week. Last Monday she said Hailey is hitting many of the goals we had for her and may not need therapy for much longer!
This past weekend Hailey also met her cousin - I guess she would be a second cousin, Brianna. We went to Freeport for some shopping! So much fun! We had a great time! Here they are shopping at the Gap :-)
Then on Sunday Hailey celebrated Taylor's 9th birthday! Happy Birthday Taylor!!!! Tim and I started dating a few months before Taylor was born. I can't believe we have been together that long!!!
Hailey is doing much better around people and has become a social butterfly. She did well both on Saturday and Sunday, she especially loves Taylor and always smiles when she sees her!
Lastly, we had our first report of RSV on my preemie board ... sigh ... let the worries begin!
Oh - and not to forget - Happy Birthday Laura!!!! Hope you have the best day ever!
And as the title says, we are on our way to walking. No she did not take steps by herself, but for the first time on Sunday she walked only holding one of my hands. This is a big accomplishment!!! As Tracey said, she did look like a monkey puppet (ha, ha), but she did it nonetheless. She still prefers to crawl, but we are working on it. Our physical therapist is on vacation this week, but will be happy to hear this next week. Last Monday she said Hailey is hitting many of the goals we had for her and may not need therapy for much longer!
This past weekend Hailey also met her cousin - I guess she would be a second cousin, Brianna. We went to Freeport for some shopping! So much fun! We had a great time! Here they are shopping at the Gap :-)
Then on Sunday Hailey celebrated Taylor's 9th birthday! Happy Birthday Taylor!!!! Tim and I started dating a few months before Taylor was born. I can't believe we have been together that long!!!
Hailey is doing much better around people and has become a social butterfly. She did well both on Saturday and Sunday, she especially loves Taylor and always smiles when she sees her!
Lastly, we had our first report of RSV on my preemie board ... sigh ... let the worries begin!
Oh - and not to forget - Happy Birthday Laura!!!! Hope you have the best day ever!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Trying to stay "sane"
Today Hailey is officially 13 months old! How does time fly ... Also, sadly, Tim's nana, Hailey's great-nana, died yesterday of cancer. She had so much spunk and we all loved her so much! I am so blessed that she was able to meet Hailey and spend some time with her this summer. Please keep the family in your prayers! The funeral will be Thursday at 9am.
Hailey with her Great-Nana.
Also, as many of you know Tim has been out of work for a few weeks now and has been interviewing, but with no luck. Last week he had an interview with the "perfect" job and Thursday, the same day as the funeral, Tim has his second interview. The problem is the owners only have one day where they can interview so Tim will have to go to the funeral and run back for the interview. Please keep him in your prayers as it is going to be hard, but this job is so needed!
Well, on a lighter note, this weekend we went to Freeport for the first time and really enjoyed ourselves. We bought Hailey her first little LL Bean jacket for winter. So cute! Also, we went to the Concert on the Commons and actually had to wear coats! It is already getting cold - argghhh! In MD it didn't get cooler until the end of September/October and by then you were ready for a break, I am defintely not ready mid-August. Also, the cold weather is bringing back the dreaded RSV fears and knowing that Hailey will have to go back into hibernation. If you want to know more about RSV go to www.rsvprotection.com. The pediatrician told us at her 1 year appt that she is at risk until the age of 2 due to prematurity and to keep her away from sick people this winter. I actually follow the journal of another 30 weeker who is now 3 and he was a pretty healthy 30 weeker like Hailey, but got RSV his second winter and now has asthma. That just reminded me how vigilant I still need to be. Please pray we are able to stay healthy AND sane this season! I want Hailey to be able to "socialize" as she is older, but I also need her to stay healthy and being lax this season could cause her problems for the rest of her life. Also, I don't think I posted yet that Hailey got her new "captain's chair". She is still only 17 lbs, but cries almost everytime she is in her carseat so we figured she needed to get a convertible car seat sooner or later so why not now and see if it helps. We bought the Britax Marathon and love it, she on the other hand is not impressed. Oh well! Well, now on to the pictures.
Do I look cute or what?!
Me and my friend Elita!
Me, Uncle Matt, Kare Bear and her niece Jasmine (10 months)
Reading my favorite book before bed
(notice my hip helper shorts - they force me to sit straight!)
Hailey with her Great-Nana.
Also, as many of you know Tim has been out of work for a few weeks now and has been interviewing, but with no luck. Last week he had an interview with the "perfect" job and Thursday, the same day as the funeral, Tim has his second interview. The problem is the owners only have one day where they can interview so Tim will have to go to the funeral and run back for the interview. Please keep him in your prayers as it is going to be hard, but this job is so needed!
Well, on a lighter note, this weekend we went to Freeport for the first time and really enjoyed ourselves. We bought Hailey her first little LL Bean jacket for winter. So cute! Also, we went to the Concert on the Commons and actually had to wear coats! It is already getting cold - argghhh! In MD it didn't get cooler until the end of September/October and by then you were ready for a break, I am defintely not ready mid-August. Also, the cold weather is bringing back the dreaded RSV fears and knowing that Hailey will have to go back into hibernation. If you want to know more about RSV go to www.rsvprotection.com. The pediatrician told us at her 1 year appt that she is at risk until the age of 2 due to prematurity and to keep her away from sick people this winter. I actually follow the journal of another 30 weeker who is now 3 and he was a pretty healthy 30 weeker like Hailey, but got RSV his second winter and now has asthma. That just reminded me how vigilant I still need to be. Please pray we are able to stay healthy AND sane this season! I want Hailey to be able to "socialize" as she is older, but I also need her to stay healthy and being lax this season could cause her problems for the rest of her life. Also, I don't think I posted yet that Hailey got her new "captain's chair". She is still only 17 lbs, but cries almost everytime she is in her carseat so we figured she needed to get a convertible car seat sooner or later so why not now and see if it helps. We bought the Britax Marathon and love it, she on the other hand is not impressed. Oh well! Well, now on to the pictures.
Do I look cute or what?!
Me and my friend Elita!
Me, Uncle Matt, Kare Bear and her niece Jasmine (10 months)
Reading my favorite book before bed
(notice my hip helper shorts - they force me to sit straight!)
Monday, August 07, 2006
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
3 month PT goals
Well now daddy is really sick with a bad sore throat. I am hoping and praying Hailey doesn't get it. He is just miserable. I guess it is going around. ARRGGGHH ... Lets just say this last month has been a "trying" time in our lives (I won't bore you with the details of our lives), but lets just say I am waiting for the good news to start pouring in at some point. I am sticking to believing the verse in Psalms that says God will not withold any good thing from those that walk uprightly. So good has to come sometime soon :-)
Anyway, Hailey had her physical therapy appt yesterday. All went well. I figured I would share Hailey's 3 month goals so when we get there and look back we can see if they were met.
1. Hailey will crawl forward on her hands and knees 10 feet using a cross lateral pattern.
2. Hailey will negotiate the threshold in her home, by crawling up and down without hesitation and without losing her balance.
3. In sitting, Hailey will pivot 180 degrees on her bottom.
4. In a kneeling position, Hailey will maintain high kneeling while rotationg her head without losing her balance for 5 seconds.
5. Hailey will stand for 5 seconds without support and without losing her balance before lowering herself to the floor.
6. With one hand held assist, Hailey will walk 8' alternating steps and moving forward.
7. From sitting on the floor, Hailey will transition into standing using a plantigrade position (bearstand) without turning her body more than 20 degrees.
8. Hailey will squat to the floor, pick up a toy and return to standing without losing her balance.
So there you have it. This is where Hailey should be by November. We also discussed with the PT about Hailey's "energy". Now that she can move, she doesn't stop and doesn't focus very well on one thing. She has to keep moving and check everything out. She did say preemies can have sensory issues due to these sensory skills not being fully developed before entering this world. From watching Hailey she just thinks we could have a high energy child on our hands because she can sit when she "wants" too. Watch out world! Being a worry wart already before Hailey came, and then her giving me a reason to worry with her early arrival, I am now officially over the edge. A sniffle has me calling the doctor as we were warned time and time again about RSV. Stuff I would not even think of worrying about now becomes an issue. Who thought that when your child was born you would have to worry about them "forgetting" to breathe!? On it goes with new worries at each step and each age. Oh the joy of being a "preemie" mom. Yet, I do have to add that I am so blessed with how far she has come and how well she is doing. She has fought so hard to get where she is today and I know she is and will be just fine. My living, breathing miracle!
Anyway, Hailey had her physical therapy appt yesterday. All went well. I figured I would share Hailey's 3 month goals so when we get there and look back we can see if they were met.
1. Hailey will crawl forward on her hands and knees 10 feet using a cross lateral pattern.
2. Hailey will negotiate the threshold in her home, by crawling up and down without hesitation and without losing her balance.
3. In sitting, Hailey will pivot 180 degrees on her bottom.
4. In a kneeling position, Hailey will maintain high kneeling while rotationg her head without losing her balance for 5 seconds.
5. Hailey will stand for 5 seconds without support and without losing her balance before lowering herself to the floor.
6. With one hand held assist, Hailey will walk 8' alternating steps and moving forward.
7. From sitting on the floor, Hailey will transition into standing using a plantigrade position (bearstand) without turning her body more than 20 degrees.
8. Hailey will squat to the floor, pick up a toy and return to standing without losing her balance.
So there you have it. This is where Hailey should be by November. We also discussed with the PT about Hailey's "energy". Now that she can move, she doesn't stop and doesn't focus very well on one thing. She has to keep moving and check everything out. She did say preemies can have sensory issues due to these sensory skills not being fully developed before entering this world. From watching Hailey she just thinks we could have a high energy child on our hands because she can sit when she "wants" too. Watch out world! Being a worry wart already before Hailey came, and then her giving me a reason to worry with her early arrival, I am now officially over the edge. A sniffle has me calling the doctor as we were warned time and time again about RSV. Stuff I would not even think of worrying about now becomes an issue. Who thought that when your child was born you would have to worry about them "forgetting" to breathe!? On it goes with new worries at each step and each age. Oh the joy of being a "preemie" mom. Yet, I do have to add that I am so blessed with how far she has come and how well she is doing. She has fought so hard to get where she is today and I know she is and will be just fine. My living, breathing miracle!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Standing!
Well, where do I start? Thursday Hailey woke up not feeling well and vomited 4 times. Yikes! Because of this I stopped whole milk for the time being and went back to formula. I am not sure what caused the vomiting since she had shots, started whole milk and tried a new food all in the same 24 hours. It could have been any of those things, but I feel better going back to my original plan of delaying things till her adjusted age. I delayed starting solids till she was 8 months actual, 6 months adjusted and had always thought I would follow that plan with whole milk and when introducing it I will take a slower approach.
Anyway, I really wanted to post to let you all know that Hailey stood on her own not holding anything for 2-3 seconds today, not only once, but three times!!! I was in shock and so excited! The physical therapist has been working with her on this, but she always has lost her balance when we let go, but not today. All three times she was leaning on me and then just decided to let go and there she was still up! Way to go Hailey!
Lastly, I told Tia that I would give a RAVING review of her birthday party so here it is ... Tonight Hailey and her parents were invited to a lovely party to celebrate Tia's 26th birthday. We all had such a great time and Hailey loved every bite of the cake :-)
Happy Birthday Tia!
Love to all!
Anyway, I really wanted to post to let you all know that Hailey stood on her own not holding anything for 2-3 seconds today, not only once, but three times!!! I was in shock and so excited! The physical therapist has been working with her on this, but she always has lost her balance when we let go, but not today. All three times she was leaning on me and then just decided to let go and there she was still up! Way to go Hailey!
Lastly, I told Tia that I would give a RAVING review of her birthday party so here it is ... Tonight Hailey and her parents were invited to a lovely party to celebrate Tia's 26th birthday. We all had such a great time and Hailey loved every bite of the cake :-)
Happy Birthday Tia!
Love to all!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Growth over her 1st year
Just beginning:
2lbs – 15.5oz
17 in
1 month stats:
3lbs – 12oz
2 month stats:
6lbs – 7oz
3 month stats:
7lbs – 10oz
4 month stats:
10 lbs - 10oz
22 ¼ in
5 1/2 month stats:
12lbs – 15.5 oz
24 in
6 month stats:
13lbs - 10 oz
24 ½ in
head: 40 1/2 in
7 1/2 month stats:
15 lbs - 9 oz
25 ½ in
9 month stats:
15lbs - 14 oz
26 ½ inches
head: 43 in
11 month stats:
16lbs – 10oz
12 month stats:
17lbs – 3oz
26 ¾ in
Head: 44.8
2lbs – 15.5oz
17 in
1 month stats:
3lbs – 12oz
2 month stats:
6lbs – 7oz
3 month stats:
7lbs – 10oz
4 month stats:
10 lbs - 10oz
22 ¼ in
5 1/2 month stats:
12lbs – 15.5 oz
24 in
6 month stats:
13lbs - 10 oz
24 ½ in
head: 40 1/2 in
7 1/2 month stats:
15 lbs - 9 oz
25 ½ in
9 month stats:
15lbs - 14 oz
26 ½ inches
head: 43 in
11 month stats:
16lbs – 10oz
12 month stats:
17lbs – 3oz
26 ¾ in
Head: 44.8
1 year check-up
I still can't believe she is 1! I am having a hard time leaving behind the baby stage, mostly, because I know I probably can't have another child without weighing out the huge risks and so as we go forward I am thrilled to watch her grow, but sad knowing I may never have a "baby" again.
Well, on to the good stuff. Hailey weighed in at a whopping 17lbs, 3oz and she is a long, o.k. short 26 3/4 inches. She is in the 5th percentile for her height and weight. The ped was happy about her growth saying that they didn't expect her to be 25lbs at her year check-up since she started out so small and as long as they see that she is steadily growing they are happy. She does recognize the doctors office now and wasn't a happy baby overall. The funny thing was the time where she was the most relaxed was when they did the finger prick and drew blood. HUH?! You heard it right - she cried while the doctor examined her and when she was given shots, but sat quietly during the blood draw. Can't explain that one ... Any her growth is good, her iron is good and she is doing well overall. We were also given the go ahead to wean her zantac and start whole milk. No more formula, weaning the bottle?! Most mom's would be happy about this, but like I said before I am having a hard time, bittersweet ... leaving the baby "year" behind and not to mention as we start more solid foods I am deathly afraid of the "c" word (choking) - yikes!
Now on to physical therapy. It was scheduled for Thursday, but had to be moved up due to a scheduling conflict with the therapist. We weren't sure how Hailey would do since she was just returning from the peds office, but she was fine. She really likes the therapist and since it is done at home I think she feels comfortable. She was defintely worn out though after her long day and was asleep by 7:30pm! The appt went well and the therapist gave us some goals for where she should be at when we are done and we were very happy with them. I will post them another time. She did notice yesterday that Hailey was a little stiff in her hips and unless she is standing/cruising her legs are always in the frog-like position. She said we can correct it with positioning & therapy. We will be looking into getting something called hip helpers (www.hiphelpers.com). They are the answer to excessive hip abduction in babies and toddlers with low muscle tone. They have been found to improve rotational movement and limit "W" sitting in babies who are developing their movement skills (quote from the website). Anyway, I am very happy with all the physical therapist is doing and glad we went ahead with getting Hailey followed up.
Well, on to the good stuff. Hailey weighed in at a whopping 17lbs, 3oz and she is a long, o.k. short 26 3/4 inches. She is in the 5th percentile for her height and weight. The ped was happy about her growth saying that they didn't expect her to be 25lbs at her year check-up since she started out so small and as long as they see that she is steadily growing they are happy. She does recognize the doctors office now and wasn't a happy baby overall. The funny thing was the time where she was the most relaxed was when they did the finger prick and drew blood. HUH?! You heard it right - she cried while the doctor examined her and when she was given shots, but sat quietly during the blood draw. Can't explain that one ... Any her growth is good, her iron is good and she is doing well overall. We were also given the go ahead to wean her zantac and start whole milk. No more formula, weaning the bottle?! Most mom's would be happy about this, but like I said before I am having a hard time, bittersweet ... leaving the baby "year" behind and not to mention as we start more solid foods I am deathly afraid of the "c" word (choking) - yikes!
Now on to physical therapy. It was scheduled for Thursday, but had to be moved up due to a scheduling conflict with the therapist. We weren't sure how Hailey would do since she was just returning from the peds office, but she was fine. She really likes the therapist and since it is done at home I think she feels comfortable. She was defintely worn out though after her long day and was asleep by 7:30pm! The appt went well and the therapist gave us some goals for where she should be at when we are done and we were very happy with them. I will post them another time. She did notice yesterday that Hailey was a little stiff in her hips and unless she is standing/cruising her legs are always in the frog-like position. She said we can correct it with positioning & therapy. We will be looking into getting something called hip helpers (www.hiphelpers.com). They are the answer to excessive hip abduction in babies and toddlers with low muscle tone. They have been found to improve rotational movement and limit "W" sitting in babies who are developing their movement skills (quote from the website). Anyway, I am very happy with all the physical therapist is doing and glad we went ahead with getting Hailey followed up.
Monday, July 24, 2006
We have teeth!
We have teeth! YEAH! Not one, but two bottom teeth at the same time! We can cancel our appointment for dentures :-) All weekend she has been exceptionally crabby, with a runny, stuffy nose, grabbing her ear and by Sunday she didn't even want to eat. Saturday night Meme and I checked her mouth because I figure she had to get teeth sometime, but nothing was there. Sunday while having one of her many mood swings she started screaming and there they were gleaming - two bottom teeth. Well, at least the tip of them. At least we have an explanation for the "symptoms". She has her 1 year check up Wednesday and I was getting worried that she was sick.
Also, at the young age of 1 Hailey is already driving. Yes, we bought her a car this weekend. She received a gift card for her birthday (thank you Uncle Jeff, Auntie Jessie, Bing and Manny). So Friday we went to Toys R Us and got her first car! She loves it. We are trying to teach her to keep both hands on the wheel and use the horn like her daddy :-) At least for now daddy can use the horn for her. She drove to the park yesterday and absolutely loved it. This week Hailey has her 1 year checkup and her first physical therapy appointment so I am sure there will be updates to follow later in the week.
Also, at the young age of 1 Hailey is already driving. Yes, we bought her a car this weekend. She received a gift card for her birthday (thank you Uncle Jeff, Auntie Jessie, Bing and Manny). So Friday we went to Toys R Us and got her first car! She loves it. We are trying to teach her to keep both hands on the wheel and use the horn like her daddy :-) At least for now daddy can use the horn for her. She drove to the park yesterday and absolutely loved it. This week Hailey has her 1 year checkup and her first physical therapy appointment so I am sure there will be updates to follow later in the week.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Therapy Begins
Hailey had her physical therapy appointment yesterday. Just as the physical therapist was about to arrive we lost power. It doesn't take long for our third floor apartment to heat up when the air goes off and its 100 degrees outside. The appointment itself went well though. Hailey immediately decided that she like the therapist and showed off her newfound skills. The therapist could not believe how far Hailey has come since her last evaluation. After seeing her though she put it this way, she said that by 2 or 3 Hailey would be caught up with kids her "actual" age or we could do therapy for a month or two and have her caught up now. What would you choose?! So we are going to have her come to our house once a week for two months to work with Hailey. Mostly what we are working with is her "core" strength. She does crawl and cruise with the best of them, but here and there you can defintely notice some strength issues. I will keep you updated on how she does week by week. Also, next week she has her 1 year check-up with shots - yikes! She does not like the doctor anymore so that should be fun (not)!
Monday, July 17, 2006
Party Girl!
Hailey is officially 1! She had a wonderful birthday party on Saturday and really enjoyed herself though it was quite hot! She received LOTS of wonderful gifts - thanks to everyone who came and even those who couldn't. Its hard when you have so many you want to invite, but a limited number you are able to invite. I will post some cute birthday pix below.
Before I do that I had to share that Hailey finally said Mama yesterday and bye, bye! We were so excited! She also started clapping on Thursday. So many milestones... I think it will still be awhile before she walks, but she is getting steadier on her feet these days.
We also had a scare this weekend, Hailey woke up congested on Sunday and ended up having a nosebleed. So scary! It was coming hard and fast, but looking back I used saline to help her congestion and that could have thinned the blood and made it look worse than it was. We were scared to death. All is well now though. She wakes up many morning's congested, I think it is the dry air in our apartment.
Lastly, we had Luke's 5th birthday party yesterday which was a great time and Hailey ended up going in the lake with Meme, Daddy and then Auntie Tracey and surprisingly - she LOVED it! I think it was because we slowly introduced her this time and the water was like bath water. It was great to see her enjoying herself.
Well, here are the pix!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
One year ago our life changed forever ....
I have been thinking today about how blessed we are. Our tiny baby girl has gone from 2lbs, 15.5oz to a “big” 16lbs, 10oz in a year. She went from relying on machines and meds to crawling and cruising all by herself!
A year ago tonight, July 13th my water started trickling. I disregarded it thinking that urine was leaking and ended up going to bed. No more leaking through the night, but many cramps to follow. Surprisingly, I slept through most of it till about 5am when I couldn’t stand it anymore and I woke Tim up. We decided to be safe and called my OB Dr. Timoll who told us to go to L&D. I just thought I was constipated and having cramps from the pizza we had the night before (because at that point in my pregnancy I was dealing with LOTS of heartburn). We got ready and joked all the way to the hospital still oblivious that I was in premature labor. I was dressed for work! Once we got there they hooked me up to an IV and said that my water had indeed broken. I actually was in shock because I only had that small leak the night before. We didn’t know what the future would hold for our beautiful baby girl and that broke our hearts … By that time I was having severe, constant cramps, not on and off contractions. The nurses just kept telling me to hang in there. By this time I was in excruciating pain and couldn’t sit still so they called my OB again, he said to start magnesium and give me the steroids shot for Hailey’s lungs. Well, they gave me enough magnesium to make me very sick just in time to push. Yes, they checked me and I went from 1cm to 10cm in a half hour! After that it is all a blur, a “million” doctors rushed in, none whom I recognized and told me to push because her heart rate was dropping. I pushed will all my might, but they still had to cut me – twice - NO pain meds! Surprisingly my parents, whom I called on the way to the hospital and told that I was going in for a check-up and not to come to the hospital, ignored my advice and made it in just as she was cresting. She was out within 5 minutes and screaming up a storm. All this happened before 9:29am. Little did we know what life held beyond that moment. Would our child live, what would her life be like, what did it really mean to have a preemie, what are some complications she could encounter?! About an hour after birth they let us go to the NICU, what a sight. We didn’t see the blood, the wires, the CPAP – we saw our beautiful tiny little girl! We were blessed!!!!
That night as we were settled in at the hospital and all family and friends had left the doctors came in to get consent to check for spinal meningitis. At that moment again, our world spiraled out of control – we were certain she had meningitis. We eventually learned that they test for many different conditions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she has them. Over and over we went up and down on this rollercoaster ride called “NICU”, two steps forward, one step back really felt like four steps back, one step forward. Many nights we cried out to God to save our tiny baby girl’s life and He did. By the end I was getting very jealous of the nurses who took care of my baby and we were ready to break her out of there, but whenever we got close to going home a small set back would occur. Finally, after 7 ½ weeks in the place she called home, we broke her out. I was worried she wouldn’t adjust well to her “real home”, but she did better at home then she did her last few days at the hospital. She had to go home on an apnea monitor, but that was o.k., she was home!!!! We are blessed!
Now we watch our baby girl crawl and cruise, we watch her take a 6oz bottle in 5 minutes and think back on when we tried for a half hour and couldn’t even get her to take 5cc’s without her turning blue and choking.
We stand in amazement and look forward to what her future holds! Mommy and Daddy love you our Itty Bitty Baby Girl! Happy 1st Birthday!
A year ago tonight, July 13th my water started trickling. I disregarded it thinking that urine was leaking and ended up going to bed. No more leaking through the night, but many cramps to follow. Surprisingly, I slept through most of it till about 5am when I couldn’t stand it anymore and I woke Tim up. We decided to be safe and called my OB Dr. Timoll who told us to go to L&D. I just thought I was constipated and having cramps from the pizza we had the night before (because at that point in my pregnancy I was dealing with LOTS of heartburn). We got ready and joked all the way to the hospital still oblivious that I was in premature labor. I was dressed for work! Once we got there they hooked me up to an IV and said that my water had indeed broken. I actually was in shock because I only had that small leak the night before. We didn’t know what the future would hold for our beautiful baby girl and that broke our hearts … By that time I was having severe, constant cramps, not on and off contractions. The nurses just kept telling me to hang in there. By this time I was in excruciating pain and couldn’t sit still so they called my OB again, he said to start magnesium and give me the steroids shot for Hailey’s lungs. Well, they gave me enough magnesium to make me very sick just in time to push. Yes, they checked me and I went from 1cm to 10cm in a half hour! After that it is all a blur, a “million” doctors rushed in, none whom I recognized and told me to push because her heart rate was dropping. I pushed will all my might, but they still had to cut me – twice - NO pain meds! Surprisingly my parents, whom I called on the way to the hospital and told that I was going in for a check-up and not to come to the hospital, ignored my advice and made it in just as she was cresting. She was out within 5 minutes and screaming up a storm. All this happened before 9:29am. Little did we know what life held beyond that moment. Would our child live, what would her life be like, what did it really mean to have a preemie, what are some complications she could encounter?! About an hour after birth they let us go to the NICU, what a sight. We didn’t see the blood, the wires, the CPAP – we saw our beautiful tiny little girl! We were blessed!!!!
That night as we were settled in at the hospital and all family and friends had left the doctors came in to get consent to check for spinal meningitis. At that moment again, our world spiraled out of control – we were certain she had meningitis. We eventually learned that they test for many different conditions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she has them. Over and over we went up and down on this rollercoaster ride called “NICU”, two steps forward, one step back really felt like four steps back, one step forward. Many nights we cried out to God to save our tiny baby girl’s life and He did. By the end I was getting very jealous of the nurses who took care of my baby and we were ready to break her out of there, but whenever we got close to going home a small set back would occur. Finally, after 7 ½ weeks in the place she called home, we broke her out. I was worried she wouldn’t adjust well to her “real home”, but she did better at home then she did her last few days at the hospital. She had to go home on an apnea monitor, but that was o.k., she was home!!!! We are blessed!
Now we watch our baby girl crawl and cruise, we watch her take a 6oz bottle in 5 minutes and think back on when we tried for a half hour and couldn’t even get her to take 5cc’s without her turning blue and choking.
We stand in amazement and look forward to what her future holds! Mommy and Daddy love you our Itty Bitty Baby Girl! Happy 1st Birthday!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Hailey has learned to wave, well, sort of ...
Hailey has learned to wave! Well sort of ... As you can see from the picture below she proceeds to wave with her middle finger high up the air. You should see the looks we get! In all reality, would I really teach my 11 month old child to give people the birdie, I don't think so! Truthfully, we have noticed that her middle finger snaps when she bends it and she can move it in many "strange" positions. Our theory is that she is double jointed. She does bend it to grasp things, but when waving or tapping her fingers she keeps that one finger straight. We have had many nights of good laughs over this, but I am starting to feel bad since we get people who shake their heads at us in public. She thinks she is waving, so how do you tell her she can't wave?
Also, the physical therapist finally called to schedule Hailey's appt to see why she isn't crawling, o.k., so she is now not only crawling, but cruising. Well, the therapist said it was stated on the report that they were also concerned she favored her left side, which at this age shouldn't happen. So we decided to still have her come out and see how Hailey is doing. Worst that can happen is she gets some therapy, best is that its a quick appointment and we get a clean bill of health.
Lastly, we had our first MOPS meeting tonight. We had alot of fun and it was great to be around other mom's.
Here is the pix of Hailey "waving"!
By the way, I am holding her arm because the flash takes a moment and she kept putting her hand down before we could take the picture, usually she "waves" all by herself :-)
Also, the physical therapist finally called to schedule Hailey's appt to see why she isn't crawling, o.k., so she is now not only crawling, but cruising. Well, the therapist said it was stated on the report that they were also concerned she favored her left side, which at this age shouldn't happen. So we decided to still have her come out and see how Hailey is doing. Worst that can happen is she gets some therapy, best is that its a quick appointment and we get a clean bill of health.
Lastly, we had our first MOPS meeting tonight. We had alot of fun and it was great to be around other mom's.
Here is the pix of Hailey "waving"!
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By the way, I am holding her arm because the flash takes a moment and she kept putting her hand down before we could take the picture, usually she "waves" all by herself :-)
Friday, July 07, 2006
Friends for Life
I had to share that last night while at church, as usual, Hailey could not sit still so I took her to the mother's room. Well, it seemed many of Hailey's "friends" could not sit still as well and so we had a room full. Adia, Sidney, Erin and of course Hailey. It was so much fun to watch all of them in action and it was especially neat to me because this was the first time since Hailey became mobile that she actually played with other kids. She crawled after them and played with toys and had a great time. It was also neat to see how we all came a full circle, Mandy, Sarah, Elita and I grew up together and as we got older we all moved to different places, but now we are all back with kids not aged to far apart who will grow up together. SO much FUN! Wish I had my camera to take pix, but I am sure we will have many play dates ahead!
Also, with Nana and Dooda on vacation Hailey spent a couple days at Meme and Papa's house and had a great time. On Wednesday Taylor was there as well, and Hailey has always loved Taylor from start so I know she enjoyed spending time with her. Meme taught Hailey to drink from a cup and also pick a small tea cup up with her thumb and forefinger. Oh my gosh, so cute! She also introduced Hailey to the baby cookies and Hailey LOVES them. Meme has lots of pix, so when I get them I will have to post for all of you to see.
Today Hailey is home with Dada and its our 5th year wedding anniversary!!!! Happy Anniversary sweetie, I LOVE YOU!
Also, with Nana and Dooda on vacation Hailey spent a couple days at Meme and Papa's house and had a great time. On Wednesday Taylor was there as well, and Hailey has always loved Taylor from start so I know she enjoyed spending time with her. Meme taught Hailey to drink from a cup and also pick a small tea cup up with her thumb and forefinger. Oh my gosh, so cute! She also introduced Hailey to the baby cookies and Hailey LOVES them. Meme has lots of pix, so when I get them I will have to post for all of you to see.
Today Hailey is home with Dada and its our 5th year wedding anniversary!!!! Happy Anniversary sweetie, I LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
And she's off ...
Hailey has "conquered" crawling in the last week. As you can see from my previous posts she has slowly come along, but now she is off and running. Not only has she conquered crawling, she has conquered going from crawling to sitting and from sitting to standing. As those of you who are parent's know, nothing is safe. Especially the cat! Bedtime has become a new problem as well and can take hours because as soon as we lay her down she is up ... if anyone has any tips let me know! We have lowered the mattress and she still gets up. I have to say as much as her new found "freedom" can be a pain, I can't help but smile, even after going into her bedroom for the hundreth time. A year ago I would never have imagined where she is today, even a few weeks ago I was wondering if something was wrong because it was taking so long for her to start crawling. I just sometimes forget she was a preemie because of how far she has come! Now if we could only get those teeth to grow. I keep saying that we are getting her fitted for dentures soon! Well, I was on "vacation" from Thursday through today and though it wasn't a "real" vacation it was nice to be home with Hailey. Daddy was at camp so Hailey, I and Nana went shopping and to the beach. Then daddy came home and we went to the lake on Monday, which went sour as soon as we attempted to take her in the water! Lets say we won't do that again for awhile :-) For the 4th of July we went to visit my family in Buckfield and had a great time. Many of them hadn't met Hailey yet because we had to keep her secluded during the winter.
In the midst of all the "fun" Hailey still has a runny, congested nose from a week ago and has been rather sour lately so we took her the doctor on Monday after our beach episode to rule out an ear infection. Thankfully it is just a cold and not an ear infection. She is now at that age where she recognizes the doctors office and has grown to despise it and all you can do is hold your child down while the doctor checks her out. Not fun, and it took both Tim and I to hold down a 16lbs baby. Yes, we weighed her - 16lbs, 10oz. So in a year she went from 2lbs, 15.5oz to 16lbs, 10oz. Not bad! Well, that is all for now. I have a couple cute pix I wanted to share. Notice her on the rocker, when I tried to get her off she squeezed her legs together so I couldn't get her, she LOVED that thing. I think she was hinting to us what to get her for her birthday :-)
In the midst of all the "fun" Hailey still has a runny, congested nose from a week ago and has been rather sour lately so we took her the doctor on Monday after our beach episode to rule out an ear infection. Thankfully it is just a cold and not an ear infection. She is now at that age where she recognizes the doctors office and has grown to despise it and all you can do is hold your child down while the doctor checks her out. Not fun, and it took both Tim and I to hold down a 16lbs baby. Yes, we weighed her - 16lbs, 10oz. So in a year she went from 2lbs, 15.5oz to 16lbs, 10oz. Not bad! Well, that is all for now. I have a couple cute pix I wanted to share. Notice her on the rocker, when I tried to get her off she squeezed her legs together so I couldn't get her, she LOVED that thing. I think she was hinting to us what to get her for her birthday :-)
Monday, June 26, 2006
Growing in leaps and bounds!
Well, every weekend brings new surprises. What's neat is she waits for the weekends so we can be a part of all her firsts! First of all, as you know last weekend she started saying Ba, Ba ... well, as of Saturday night, she was talking to "Elmo" and said DADA for the first time!!!!! And now she doesn't stop saying it. It is so precious! She also was able to go to her first fireworks Saturday night after the Strawberry Festival. I was a little nervous because they are so loud, but she LOVED them! We started out in the car, but she just sat back and watched so I attempted to take her out of the car and she was mesmorized ... She might be alot like her daddy, but she defintely has her mom's fearlessness :) Then on Sunday she was off and running. Ok, maybe not running, but up until now she was army crawling and would occasionally get on all fours, but then fall down. Sunday she was off on all fours across the floor. Watch out world! She has also figured out how to go from crawling to sitting and laying down to standing in her crib. She scared me half to death last night when I walked in her room expecting her to be sleeping and she was standing in her crib laughing at me!
This morning though my poor baby woke up all congested. She cried out then just started mumbling under her breathe, almost like she was complaining. My heart melted. I am hoping this will be a quick passing cold as we are supposed to go to camp this weekend. She is a fighter though and still had lots of smiles this morning!
Robin also has Hailey's 1st year dvd almost finished. I cannot wait to share with everyone! She has come a LONG way! I am so proud of all her accomplishment ... by the time we get the physical therapy consult she won't need it!
This morning though my poor baby woke up all congested. She cried out then just started mumbling under her breathe, almost like she was complaining. My heart melted. I am hoping this will be a quick passing cold as we are supposed to go to camp this weekend. She is a fighter though and still had lots of smiles this morning!
Robin also has Hailey's 1st year dvd almost finished. I cannot wait to share with everyone! She has come a LONG way! I am so proud of all her accomplishment ... by the time we get the physical therapy consult she won't need it!
Monday, June 19, 2006
A weekend of "First's"
First of all, I want to say Happy Daddy's Day to Hailey's wonderful "Dada". I couldn't have asked for a better husband and daddy for my baby. Right from her first appearance he has been there taking care of her (and me) every step of the way. Many late nights in the NICU after a long day at work, many days of moving his schedule around to be at her doctors appts once she was home, many nights rocking her sleep in the bathroom (with the shower on) to soothe her when her reflux would make her cranky and mommy couldn't take anymore :) Thank you honey - we love you so much!!
This past weekend we had daddy all to ourselves and we had many "first's". Hailey said her first word "BABA" - now we are not sure exactly what she is referring to, but she does not stop repeating it and a few times we swear she said "DADA"! She also had her first bites of chicken and her first popsicle and absolutely loved them, yet when I tried to give her a strawberry with a touch of chocolate, she gagged. Funny child!!! She also took her first crawls forward up on her hands and knees!!! Up until this weekend she just did the army crawl. Oh, and the princess used to give kisses and then decided it was a game so when we asked for them she turned her head, but this week she started giving them generously, slober and all. And there is more, she had her first trip to the beach and her first birthday party, Adia turned 1 and Hailey throughly enjoyed herself! Happy Birthday Adia! We found out at the park this week Hailey LOVES sand, so we took her to the beach and she did love the sand, the water was a little scary for her! All in all, we are tired, but had a great weekend.
Also, Tim and I wanted to say thank you to our dad's! We love you both so much and we are so blessed to have in your lives and to be able to share you with Hailey!!!! As my daddy's day card said to my dad, you both are some of the best things in our lives! We couldn't do it without our families! We love you!
This past weekend we had daddy all to ourselves and we had many "first's". Hailey said her first word "BABA" - now we are not sure exactly what she is referring to, but she does not stop repeating it and a few times we swear she said "DADA"! She also had her first bites of chicken and her first popsicle and absolutely loved them, yet when I tried to give her a strawberry with a touch of chocolate, she gagged. Funny child!!! She also took her first crawls forward up on her hands and knees!!! Up until this weekend she just did the army crawl. Oh, and the princess used to give kisses and then decided it was a game so when we asked for them she turned her head, but this week she started giving them generously, slober and all. And there is more, she had her first trip to the beach and her first birthday party, Adia turned 1 and Hailey throughly enjoyed herself! Happy Birthday Adia! We found out at the park this week Hailey LOVES sand, so we took her to the beach and she did love the sand, the water was a little scary for her! All in all, we are tired, but had a great weekend.
Also, Tim and I wanted to say thank you to our dad's! We love you both so much and we are so blessed to have in your lives and to be able to share you with Hailey!!!! As my daddy's day card said to my dad, you both are some of the best things in our lives! We couldn't do it without our families! We love you!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
And here we are now ...
Well, to bring you up-to-date Hailey is doing wonderful and has a birthday approaching very soon! We have sent out the invites and are getting very excited! We have been taking her out more and more and she just loves it. Yesterday she stuck her feet in the sand for the first time and loved every moment. Actually, when I picked her up to go home she cried! I think we will try to take her to the beach this weekend. We also did WalkAmerica on May 7th, we raised $415.00. Thank you to all who supported us! As far as her early intervention appt, they said she is average for her adjusted age and above average for her actual age!!! The only issue is her core strength. Sometimes because preemies are in the isolette laying flat for so long and not floating in the tummy they can have muscle tone issues. So we will be working with a physical therapist through the summer. On a side note, while waiting for our first appt she started slithering along on the floor and rolls everywhere. She also gets up on all 4's and rocks so maybe by the time we get the appt she won't need it! Also she can pull up on things now when sitting, though when laying flat she can't seem to sit herself up. Anyway, we are getting there! She also had her first night away from home June 2nd at the TBS staff retreat. She did wonderful and did not cause one disturbance. When she gets out of her normal routine she gets very overstimulated and is a happy baby, but does not like to sleep so needless to say the next day she (and we) were exhausted! Here is a recent pix of her watching Elmo on the computer!
Don't you love the little clips I found for her hair?! She hardly has any hair, but I have been dying to put something in it so there is my attempt :)
Don't you love the little clips I found for her hair?! She hardly has any hair, but I have been dying to put something in it so there is my attempt :)
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Long time, no update! Mostly because no news is good news! She and I did have the flu around April 5th and boy was it bad. My grammy and relatives were visiting from ME and all of the sudden Hailey let go and that was it. We were out for a few days. Now that we are over that Hailey is doing amazing, she had her 9 mo check up yesterday. She hasn't gained much weight, but the doctor thought she is doing wonderful and was so proud of her progress. She is now 15lbs, 14oz and 26 1/2 inches long. Usually they don't give 9 month shots, but she is off schedule so unfortunately she got some yesterday and didn't take it so well. In the past she has cried and then gotten over it. This time she cried all the way home. I felt so bad! We are so proud of how far she has come and love her so much! On May 11th we have her early intervention check-up, her pediatrician thinks we will be happy with the outcome because she is right no track. I will let you know how it goes. Also our walk is Sunday, I am looking forward to it and praying for no rain!Thanks!
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