2014 Review

I can easily say that this has been the absolute hardest year of my 30 years.  I am happy to see it go, and look forward to all that 2015 has to offer!  Here is a look back at the major events of 2014 for this Fleisher family of four!

1.  Mike and I celebrated 6th wedding anniversary in January!  I honestly can't remember if we did anything because everything before April quickly vanished from my mind.  I'm sure we at least went out to eat, but I do know that we were still thrilled after sharing the news that we were expecting baby #2!

2.  It's a BOY!  We found out in early March that we were expecting another little boy and we were so excited!  We gathered both sides of the family at a local restaurant, and had them choose either a blue or pink balloon.  I had poked holes in the pink balloons, so once they were blown up they would immediately start to deflate.  At least, that was the idea.  Everyone blew up their balloons at the same time, but it took the pink balloons forever to start deflating!  Thankfully, everyone figured it out pretty quick!  I some how managed to not get any pics from the gender reveal, but here are some that we had my doctor take :-)

3.  Perdido Key, Florida - we went with my family to the beach over Spring Break and had a blast!  Unfortunately it was too cold for swimming, but we still found fun adventures.  We took Matthew to a zoo where he was able to feed the animals for the 1st time.  We even went to an air show and he absolutely loved it!  

4.  Bunco with my girls!  This has become a monthly highlight and I am beyond grateful for this time with great women!  We had our first Hot Springs Bunco in March and we can't wait for our next Bunco trip!  

5.  Samuel James Fleisher - our sweet 2nd son was born at 24 weeks on April 7, 2014 weighing 1 lb 15 oz.  Needless to say, this was the start of a roller coaster that I never would've chosen to get on.  That roller coaster got even more scary when Samuel was sent to ACH and we were facing the possibility of losing our sweet boy.  The miracles that were revealed to us were absolutely amazing!  I still think often about Samuel's birth day and the month that followed.  I know one day, it will seem like a distant memory, but for now all of the emotion, fear, hope, saddness, etc are still very close.

 

6.  Happy 30th Birthday to Me!  I turned 30 on May 7th, the night we didn't think Samuel would make it.  I spent the whole day holding him - I could've cared less about my birthday.  Several weeks later, my family and friends threw me an amazing SURPRISE birthday party at my sister's new pool!  It was exactly what I needed and I loved having everyone there to celebrate with!

7.  Quality time with Matthew - while Samuel was in the NICU, we tried to keep life as normal as possible for Matthew.  We spent many Saturdays at the zoo, the park, or at Aunt Lala's pool.  I cherish each of those special trips with Matthew before Samuel came home!

8.  NICU - the majority of my time during the week was spent sitting next to Samuel's bedside in the NICU.  Before he was off of the ventilator, I spent my time updating his NICU calendar, getting to know his nurses, and writing in my journal.  After he was extubated, I spent a lot of my time snuggling with him.  

9.  Matthew turns 2!  I cannot believe Matthew is already 2 years old - how did this happen???  We had a relaxed pool party to celebrate and it was perfect!  I see many pool parties in our future with him having an August birthday.  Of course, I managed to not get any pictures (ugh!), but we got a cute one of him in his crib before changing his room over to a Big Boy room!

10.  Eye Surgeries - In September, Samuel had to undergo 2 major eye surgeries in order to try and repair his detached retinas.  He already had laser surgery on both eyes, but with how much oxygen he'd been on, his little eyes just weren't strong enough.  It was so hard on both momma and daddy to see him be so miserable after each surgery, but thankfully the right eye has taken well to the surgery!

11.  Samuel comes home!!!  After 205 days in the NICU, we were able to bring Samuel home for the very first time.  Words cannot describe how amazing it felt to walk out of NICU with Samuel right by our side.  I didn't have to leave him there by himself anymore.  It has been a rough transition, but we are making it and Samuel is doing well.  I'm just happy that he's home!

12.  Adventure as a Family of 4 - bringing home a preemie is no easy task.  Things have been completely different than they were in the NICU.  It has been so much fun to see Matthew's love for his brother grow and to watch Samuel smile & laugh when he hears his brother.  It's absolutely precious!  We are busy with doctor's appointments and therapies, but we are figuring out our new normal.  Thankfully, this "normal" won't be around forever and we'll be able to adjust to whatever real "normal" is.  

I think I'm just as happy as Samuel to see what 2015 has in store for our family.  Happy New Year!

Christmas 2014

It was this time last year that we were announcing to family and friends that we were expecting baby #2!  Crazy how time flies!  This year, I really wanted to do a few special things with Matthew because I know he's had a rough year also.  I made a little Christmas "bucket list", but only accomplished a few of them.  Matthew and I made a gingerbread house and Christmas cookies.  Both were not easy to hold the attention of a 2 year old for long, but he loved it!  My parents took him to see Christmas lights, which was on the list.  My hope is that next year we can do everything on the list as a family of 4 :-)

Anyways, we really did have a wonderful Christmas.  What made it even more special, was that we were given the go-ahead to take Samuel to our family Christmas celebrations as long as everyone was healthy.  Yes, we were taking a risk, but our family needed a little normalcy.  

On Christmas Eve, my parents came over to give Matthew his first present...a trampoline!  Oh, he loved it!  That night, he opened our Christmas Eve box that had matching PJs for him and Samuel, a Christmas book, Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas DVD, and hot chocolate.  We spent time as a family enjoying some relaxation by just watching a movie!

We went to my parents house early Christmas day.  Matthew was very excited about opening gifts...much different than last year.  After breakfast, we passed out the gifts.  Matthew tore through his so quickly, it was hard to see everything he got.  It was so much fun having him ask me to open every new toy that he opened.  Samuel just chilled in either mine or Mike's arms, but he did a great job!  He even got to meet a few of our neighbors that have been praying for him along the way.  That night, we celebrated Christmas with just the 4 of us and played with Matthew's new train set.

The next day, we went to my in-laws in Conway.  This was the first time for all 5 grandkids to be together at the same time, so it was definitely a special occasion.  Present time was insane with 5 little ones aged 3 and under!!!  Wrapping paper was flying everywhere, happy laughter/squeals were heard every 30 seconds...it was madness!  I can only imagine what next year will bring?!?!?!

Here are pictures of our 2014 Christmas...

He was in a trance watching Alvin & the Chipmunks

Ready for Christmas morning

Taylor family Christmas

He loves his new grill!  Immediately started cooking us food :-)

He has a love/hate relationship with this new seat

The Fleisher Five!

Samuel (8 months), Matthew (2 y/o), Alli (3 y/o), Emily (1 y/o), & Juliette (5 months)

He LOVES Grammie & Grandpas cat!

 Matthew's gifts - spoiled much???  This doesn't even include clothes and a few other toys

Samuel's gifts - he also got several new outfits!

This was our project in order to make room for all of the boys new goodies!  

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas.  I will do my Year in Review soon!

8 Months

My how time has flown since you got home, Samuel!  While you were in the NICU, time seemed to move slower than ever.  I have already been thinking about your 1st birthday party since it's only 4 months away (tear!) and I am super pumped about it!  For now, let's see what you've been up to this past month.

~ Your weight has been a bit of an issue this month.  You got up to about 13 lbs 3.5 oz, but then went down to 12 lbs 10 oz because of a cold and not eating well.  You are closer to 24 inches now and I can tell you've grown!  You legs look much longer to me!

~  You are in size 1 diapers, but are just about to outgrow them.  As for clothes, you can still wear most of your 3 month outfits, but many are becoming too snug!  I know most parents get sad having to pack up baby clothes, but I can't wait for you to get into bigger clothes!  You are a good 3-6 month size right now.

~  After your High Risk Newborn appointment, we were suppose to keep you on a strict schedule of 6 am, 8:30 am, 11 am, 1:30 pm, 4 pm, 6:30 pm, and 9 pm with 95 mls per bottle.  However, you had a different plan, like always.  You continued to throw up or not be interested at certain times.  So, we made the executive decision to just feed you when you're hungry.  You have been eating at about 8:15 am, 11:30 am, 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm, & 8:30 pm with about 100 mls per bottle.  While you still aren't taking the full volume each time, you are at least happier and aren't throwing up as much.

~  You are now able to sleep through the night without being woken up to eat.  It's a win-win for both you and your parents!  You typically go to sleep after your last bottle at 8:30ish and won't wake up again until about 7-8 am.  The past few nights you've been wanting to wake up around 4 am to talk for about 30 minutes before going back to sleep :-)

~  You had your first cold recently and it definitely kept us on our toes.  We took you to the ER when your fever got to 101 degrees and you wouldn't eat.  Thankfully, there was no sign of Pneumonia after they did the chest x-ray using the worst contraption ever!  Your doctor has been very pleased with how well you've handled your first cold, so I'm a happy camper!

~  You are still on a 1/2 a liter of oxygen.  Since you were sick at the High Risk appointment and cold/flu season is horrible this year, they are keeping you on 1/2 a liter for now.  We go back in early January, so I'm hoping they'll at least wean you to 1/4 of a liter.  I still worry about your eyes with you being on oxygen.

~  Speaking of your eyes - your right retina is now about 80% attached!  Oh, praise the Lord for this wonderful news!  Unfortunately, your left retina isn't wanting to behave and now has a large hole.  Don't worry though, because we are doing everything we can to make sure you have the potential for for great vision with just one good eye.

~  You are now getting OT/PT once a week for an hour each.  Both therapists got attached to you very quickly.  They've been talking at Easter Seals about how good lookin' you are and I agree!  It's been so much fun watching how they work with you and seeing the little milestones that you achieve.  It's crazy the things they want you to learn, most parents don't even think about because it's a natural thing for a healthy, full term baby.  My favorite so far is when they put you on the exercise ball!  You seem to love it and it's something I can easily do here at home.

~  You are also now being seen by the School for the Blind once a month with their birth to age 3 program.  I'm very curious how they will help you and us as we navigate life with a visually impaired child.

~  You (not technically) rolled from your belly to your back a few times.  I say "not technically" because we have to put your arm under you in order for you to fully roll, but you are super close without us doing that.

~  You are talking up a storm now and have started putting your lips together to make the "mmm" sound.  This is exciting for me because it's one step closer to you saying "momma"!

~  You are a happy baby and are content most of the time.  You especially love it when you hear your big brother talking and that just melts my heart!  You little laugh is adorable, also!

Sweet Samuel, you amaze me every single day.  Just thinking about everything you've been through and seeing how you've championed passed all of it is such a testament to God's grace and mercy.  We love you more and more each day!  Keep growing stronger and developing more each day - stay #samuelstrong! 

7 Months

I am a little behind, but it's for good reason - Samuel is now HOME!!!!  I am beyond thrilled to be doing this update while holding Samuel in my arms in our living room.  God is so very good!  We brought you home after you spent 205 days in the NICU and almost 10 days away from you turning 7 months old.  You will be 4 months adjusted next week.  Let's see what you've been up to...

~ You are now 12 lbs 9 oz and about 23 inches long.  Now that you are out of the hospital, I can go back to my customary units of measure :-)  Your head circumference is 19.5 inches.  I'm not sure of percentiles because I don't know if they go off real age or adjusted.  All I know is that the doctor says you are growing perfectly!

~ You are still in size 1 diapers, but will probably go to size 2 soon.  You are just starting to grow out of most of your 0-3 month clothes, but some 3-6 month is still too big.  You can comfortably wear 3 month size clothes now.

~  After your swallow study, we had to thicken all of your bottles to a honey consistency because you had several "deep penetrations" to your vocal chords.  Right now, you are taking about 80-105 mls every 3.5 hours (3:30, 7:00, 10:30, 2:00, 5:30, 9:00, 12:30 roughly).  We add either Thick-it or rice cereal to each bottle.  You get your Prilosec and multivitamin with your rice cereal bottles.  Your feedings have been the most difficult thing since you've been home.  This is mainly due to your awful reflux.  We took you to a GI specialist today to figure out what's causing you to throw up so much.  

~  You are still on 1/2 liter of oxygen.  Coming home on oxygen is way more intense than you'd think because there are so many things to learn.  We had to learn how to turn on/off the oxygen tanks, drain them, change them out, etc.  It also limits where you can go in the house because the cord to the main machine is not very long.

~  We are going to a multitude of appointments for you.  Right now, we take you to your PCP once a week, Dr. Bradford every 3 weeks for your eyes, and ACH for follow-ups with neurosurgery and urology.  This doesn't include the home health nurse that comes once a week and the ot/pt therapy you will start soon.

~  You are sleeping great at night, but cat nap during the day.  You've started fighting sleep almost all morning, but take several little naps in the afternoon.  At night, we have to wake you up for your bottles.  Of course, you sleep best in our arms or the pack-n-play.

~  You smile and laugh a lot and I love it!!!  You are also talking up a storm.  We have many conversations throughout the day.   

~ You are working so hard to roll from your belly to your back because you hate tummy-time.  You'll get there, but for now, you are pushing yourself onto your side.

~ You already have your big brother wrapped around your finger.  He doesn't like it if you cry and we can't get to you immediately.  He loves to help with diaper changes and picking you up.  My fave is when he'll pat your back  to calm you down and give you a goodnight kiss.  I love my boys!

 

While life is full-on chaos right now, I wouldn't change any part of it.  You are finally home and adjusting to your new environment and I couldn't ask for more.  I look forward to all of the milestones you will start reaching in the next months and years!