5 Months

I'm a little late posting this, but Samuel is now 5 months old or about 1.5 months adjusted.  You reached a lot of milestones this month that brought you even closer to us being able to bring you home!  I cannot express how proud I am of your strength, endurance, perseverance, and feistiness.  All of these things are what have brought you so far.  You're my little hero!

~ You are now 4299 kilograms or 9 lbs 5 oz and 53 cm or 21 inches long.  You've grown SO much - it's the first thing people comment on when they see you in person.

~ You are wearing size 1 diapers.  You've pretty much outgrown all of the newborn outfits and fit in 0-3 months or 3 month clothes.  I can't wait to dress you without worrying about all of the wires.

~ You quickly moved from the CPAP to the regular nasal cannula!  You started on 3 Liters and 30% oxygen.  You eventually weaned down to 1/2 a liter and 21%, but you started to have more desaturation episodes.  Because of this they put you at 1/2 a liter and 100% oxygen.  That's okay because that's the typical level for babies that go home on oxygen.

~ You started learning how to take a bottle for the 1st time!  Such a big step for you!!!  You're having to re-learn how to suck, swallow, and breath since it was lost with you not eating for so long.  You've taken to it pretty well.  You had an Upper GI test done in order to figure out why you were having so much residual with each feeding.  Thankfully, everything looked good!

~ You got up to 78 mls every 3 hours with 2 bottles per day.  

~ You had 2 hearing screenings.  The first, which you passed, tested the connection between the brain and your ears.  You passed very quickly and the audiologist was very impressed!  The 2nd screening, which you didn't pass, checked for cochlear movement.  The audiologist said it was okay that you didn't pass this one since you are on oxygen.

~ You continued to have eye exams as Dr. Bradford watched to see if you needed surgery.  Your exam on the 5th is when we found out you would need surgery on both eyes in order to clear away the scar tissue and fix your retina had it detached.

~ You also had another ECHO and head ultrasound.  Both were stable - praise the Lord!

~ You were able to get off several of your meds during this month also!  You're now only on D-vi-sol, Prilosec, and Arginine.  

You have really taught us this month how much you love being held and love your paci.  We may have created a little monster, but you've earned it!  I will hold you as much as you want sweet boy!

2 Years Old

I have no idea how 2 years have passed so quickly!  It really does seem like yesterday that we were bringing Matthew home from the hospital.  While Matthew is in the stage of pushing boundaries, I wouldn't trade anything.  He is a sweet little boy with such a kind heart!  He also knows how to keep us laughing!

I mean, could he get any cuter!

~ You now weigh 27 lbs which is in the 37th percentile and you are 34 1/4 inches long which is in the 34th percentile.  Your head circumference is in the 85th percentile at 19 3/4 inches.

~ You are wearing size 4 diapers.  We are slowly getting you use to sitting on the potty, but have yet to go in the potty.  He loves reading his potty books (especially the Potty Train when it says "Chugga, Chugga, Poo-poo!").  I know you will figure it out one day, so I don't want to push you too hard.  

~ You are wearing 2T size clothes, but can still fit into size 18-24 month clothes.  You can wear a few 18 month shirts and pants depending on the brand.  

~ You're vocabulary is unbelievable!  For the past several weeks, you've been repeating everything that we say.  You're even picking up on phrases we use when you are disciplined and like to say them to others.  It's really quite funny!  Some of your favorite phrases are "back Bella", "I get it/I did it", "more buses", "I see you".

~ You can sing your ABC song.  You mumble through some of the letters, but you've got it down for the most part.  Your favorite letter to say is "P".  You can also count to 11.  Your favorite sequence is 8-9-10-11.

~ You are now sleeping in a big boy bed!  You are so proud of your new room & big bed.  It's become a new place to play.  You've only fallen out once, but have done great so far!  

~ You still love your books and have really gotten into trucks and cars.  It's amazing how little boys are just born with the knowing how to make car, truck, train, airplane, etc sounds.  

~ Animals are still your favorite things.  I'm pretty sure you could visit the zoo once a week and never get bored.  This has helped you develop your ability to pretend play.  You are constantly pretending that you are a monkey, elephant, lion, or bunny.

~ Swimming is your new summer favorite activity.  You've come so far from the beginning of the summer.  You can now swim around on your own with your floaties and are not afraid to jump in the pool.

~ You love to sing songs.  Your favorite song is "E-i-e-o"!  You also like Jesus Loves Me, ABC's, Ba Ba Black Sheep, Row Row Row Your Boat, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

~ Elmo has become your fave character.  You also really like Cookie Monster, Bert, & Ernie.  We have a Tickle Me Elmo, but you're not a fan of it talking and moving around.  You're starting to like Mickey Mouse and Veggie Tales.

~ You had to go to the doctor while you had a tummy bug to check for Shigella since a case was found at daycare.  Thankfully, the stool samples we collected came back negative.  You only had Rotavirus and Cdef.

~ You love going to ACH to visit your "Bro".  I know you are so ready for him to be home!  You have been such a big help in getting his room ready and have been such a trooper these last 4.5 months while life has been so chaotic.  I know it's been hard on you, but you have made me so proud.  You are a GREAT big brother!

I love you to the moon and back sweet Matthew!  You are such a blessing in our lives and Samuel is beyond lucky to have a big brother like you.  I thank God for your gentle spirit and your kind hearted nature.  Here's to adventures with a two year old!