Pumpkin Patch

October is here and that means cooler weather and pumpkin patches!  We decided to take Matthew to the pumpkin patch in Mayflower that we went to last year on the first cool Saturday of the month.  It was perfect!  Matthew was all over the place - playing on the slides, the sandbox, with the animals, on the hay, etc.  He even got to ride a horse for the first time.  There may have been a tantrum when the ride was over :-)  I'm so excited that we've made this a family tradition of I'm looking forward to having Samuel with us next year.

Happy Fall Y'all!

6 Months

183 Days - that's how old you are now Samuel.  It just doesn't seem possible that you are 6 months old.  You are also now 2.5 months adjusted.  Oh how I wish we could have you home.  You've officially spent more time in the NICU during your first year than at home with us.  We are rooting for you 110% and know that you will be home soon!  Happy 1/2 birthday sweet Samuel!

You were not in the mood for pictures this month

~ You are now 4.780 kilograms which is 10 lbs 8 oz.  You are somewhere between 54 - 56 cm in length depending on the week, which is 21 - 22 inches.  Your head circumference is now 39 cm or 15 inches.

~ You are in size 1 diapers and fit into 0-3 month and 3 month clothes.  The 3 month clothes are a little big, but you are growing into them quickly.  

~ You had 2 more surgeries - one on your left eye and one on the right eye.  Unfortunately, your retinas have detached, but we are praying fervently that they reattach with the help of the surgeries.

~ You are currently on Prilosec, Arginine, multivitamin with iron, Miralax, and the 2 different eye drops from his surgeries.

~ You've moved around the NICU a lot this month.  You've gone from room 13 in South to room 7, then to POD 3 bed 33, and you are now in POD 9 bed 91.  Hoping bed 91 is our last stop before being discharged.

~ You had another hearing screening, but did not pass because you're still on oxygen.  They will probably try again before being discharged.  You also had another Echo and head ultrasound that were both stable.

~ You were able to get up to 6 bottles, but quickly began to work harder to breath.  You are now back down to 4 bottles a day, with one having thickener and nectar in it.  We will see what needs to happen next with your bottle feeds after your swallow study on Monday.

~ You are starting to talk more and it is about the cutest thing ever!  You especially get talkative when I'm holding you up on my shoulder.  You are very opinionated and it's adorable!

~ You were able to play in your bumbo for the 1st time this month also.  You did so good!  We have to put washcloths under you and frogs on either side to keep you propped up.   

~ You are beginning to really enjoy story time!  You get curious about what you are feeling as your hands get a feel of the books.  Your night nurse the other night said she had you in your bumbo with a book and you were talking and hitting the book - haha!

You have come so very far sweet boy!  I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months brings.  You are going to move mountains and continue breaking through the odds.  I am beyond proud to call you my miracle baby - mama loves you Samuel!

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!

3 & 4 Months

Man, time just keeps getting away from me.  My time has been spent either at the hospital, getting my classroom ready, or at home with Mike and Matthew.  I have very little time to post, but I'm able to finally squeeze in 2 monthly updates for my little Samuel!  

~ You are now weighing 2.99 kilograms or a little over 6 pounds.  You are also about 53 centimeters long or a little over 20 inches.  You have grown SO very much and this is all without breast milk!

~ You are now wearing newborn size diapers and started wearing clothes!  Since you were getting so big, they moved you to an open crib instead of the isolette.  You've grown out of all of your preemie clothes that people bought for you, so we exchanged them for newborn size.  You can also wear a few 0-3 month outfits.

~ Even though you are wearing clothes, we have to keep your right arm out because of the PICC line.  So, only button up outfits will do for now.

~ Your 2nd arterial line was removed - YAY!

~ You had your first surgery - laser eye surgery to help correct the ROP in both eyes.

~ You were moved into POD 2, bed 25 due to other babies being put on Echmo in POD 3.

~ You developed pneumonia and a UTI and were put back on antibiotics.  Thankfully, this did not push back any schedule for your barium enema.

~ You celebrated your 1st Fourth of July.  You were give a red, white, & blue crocheted hat that is so much bigger than your Easter hat.  There were games and ice cream sundaes in the Atrium leading to the NICU.  They even took some of the older kids to the roof to watch the fireworks.

~ You are now 3.585 Kilograms or almost 8 pounds.  Your last height measurement was 54 centimeters or 21 inches.

~ You had the barium enema (finally) and everything was clear!!!  What a little miracle you are!  Mike and I were able to go down to radiology with you and watch as they performed the enema.  It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

~ You began feedings through an OG tube.  They started you out at 7 mls over 30 minutes every 6 hours, then went to 7 mls over an hour every 3 hours.  You are now at full feedings taking 66 mls over 45 minutes every 3 hours.

~ You developed pneumonia again - boo!  Because of this, they had to stop your feedings for a few days.  You also had to get put back on antibiotics and get into a Giraffe warmer bed.  After a few days you were able to get back in your open crib.

~ You celebrated 100 days in the NICU on the 16th of July.  That is just unbelievable!  We also bypassed your original due date, July 24th.

~ You were extubated!!!  We were able to hear your precious cry for the first time since you were born.  You had the breathing tube for 107 days, but you have transitioned to the cannula like a champ!  You even started taking a paci a few hours later!

~ You had your first round of immunizations and handled them very well!

~ You've now been held by not just your daddy and me, but also your Emie, Pops, and Grammie!  They couldn't wait to get a hold of you.  Not to mention a few of the nurses.

~ You're no longer on the TPN fluids, so your PICC line is finally out!  Now we can dress you in anything we want!  You can also have a full on bath!

~ The OT/PT team is starting to work with you on oral stem and range of motion.  So far, they seem very pleased with your progress.

~ Another big milestone - you were transitioned to the CPAP cannula.  Now, you are basically breathing on your own.  

As you can see, there have been many things, amazing things, happening the last 2 months.  Now that Samuel is awake and alert more often, I don't have time to sit and read or write in my journal.  I'm helping with diaper changes, outfit changes, baths, temp checks, etc.  The best part is being able to get you out of your crib all by myself.  I snuggle with you for several hours during the day!  I love you more than you know little Samuel and I truly cannot wait to see what God has planned for your life.  He has already done so much - Samuel Strong!

2 Months

What a difference 1 month makes.  My precious Samuel is now 2 months old.  He continues to grow and get stronger each day.  I was just thinking today about how different these monthly posts are compared to Matthew's, but they are just as special.  Samuel has been given a different path in life for a reason and I'm looking forward to seeing where this path leads him!

~ You are now 2305 grams or 5 lbs.  As of last week, you were 16.5 inches long - 4 inches longer than when you were born!

~ You've been off of blood pressure meds for several weeks and have maintained your blood pressure wonderfully!

~ You are in a Pod now at ACH instead of a private room.  It's quit a bit more noisy, but you made a great transition.

~  Daddy got to change your diaper for the 1st time on the 20th!

~  You had your first eye exam this month and did wonderful with that.  I could not stay in the room because they use this crazy device to open your eye - yikes!

~ You had your first arterial line removed on the 25th because you were kicking it so much.  You just had your second one removed today after having it for less than a week.  You obviously don't like those :-)

~ You celebrated your 1st Memorial Day!

~  You've been put back on antibiotics because of the NEC infection you developed.  You've tolerated it well and have continued to maintain your blood pressure, urine output, vitals, and labs.

~  You started pooping!  This is something we didn't think we'd see for a while and you proved us wrong!  

~ You have smirked a few times when I talk to you and rub your head.  I cannot wait to see your actual smile and hear your precious cry again.

Mommy loves you, Samuel, and I pray constantly for you.  You are stronger than I could ever be and you are truly my hero.  Keep strong sweet boy!

Life Lately

I'm way behind on posting about some of the things we've done lately - trips, parties, etc.  In an effort to save time, I'm just gonna do a picture post to share what we've been up to for the past few months...enjoy!

Spring Break 2014

Perdido Key, Florida

Hot Springs Bunco

Oaklawn

Easter 2014

Mother's Day 2014

 30th Birthday

Surprise Party