March for Babies

Every year, our family participates in the March for Babies here in Boston. This year our walk will be on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 starting at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River.

Last May, we did the walk while I was 25 weeks pregnant with Grace and it was tough, but we finished! Jacob was a trooper and didn't mind the free ride! He was 13.5 months old (10 months adjusted) and it was great to see so many other miracle babies out there walking (or strolling) to save other babies. There was even a 23 weeker at our walk!

The March of Dimes is very close to our hearts since Jacob was born at only 24 weeks. After spending a long 116 days in the hospital (3 months in a Level III NICU and 3 weeks in a Special Care Nursery) he came home to us a healthy 7.9 lbs.

The reality of this is that the majority of babies born at 24 weeks do not make it and most of the 24 week survivors have multiple physical and mental disabilities. Our son is living proof that miracles do happen! He overcame all the odds and arrived home only 10 days after his original due date with no medications, no monitors and no oxygen!

My wish is that someday, every birth will be a healthy one and that is the motto for the March of Dimes. Please help this cause by donating to the March of Dimes - March for Babies. You can donate to this worthy cause by visiting our team's homepage (Team Chicken Wing....what else?!) or sign up to volunteer at your local chapter's walk.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1373526

Please consider donating your time or money to this worthy cause because every baby deserves a fighting chance!

Jacob's NICU Follow-Up

While I was in the hospital on bedrest with Jacob, a doctor came into my room and discussed all of the difficulties we would face if he was born that day. He explained in graphic detail all of the disabilities, hurtles and trials Jacob would have to face and overcome in order to survive or have any quality of life. At the time, I was 23 weeks pregnant and the chances of a baby surviving at all or without a physical or mental disability were slim to none. The good news was, that every day I stayed pregnant, the odds of him surviving (and/or avoiding these physical and mental disabilities) increased dramatically. You might be surprised to learn that once I hit 24 weeks every DAY I kept Jacob in my womb meant 3 days less in a Level III NICU. That is huge!

The Neonatologist that came to speak with us was running a study for premature babies born between 24 and 28 weeks. He asked us if Jacob was delivered between 24 and 28 weeks if we would be willing to particpate. You can read about the clinical trial here and for the record, they never put Jacob in harm's way! His health and survival always came first if any part of the study interfered with his ability to be resuscitated at delivery.

After discussing it with Ian, we decided that if I delivered early we did want to be part of the study. The bottom line is that 30 years ago 24 weekers didn't have a fighting chance and because of modern medicine (and the grace of God) children like Jacob DO survive and some (like Jacob) have few, if any, side effects! How amazing that because of past studies, modern technology and new medicines they are able to help babies like Jacob thrive! We decided that whatever the case, we wanted to do our part to help future 24 weekers have higher chances of survival. No parent should ever have to go through what we did with Jacob and if this increases the chance of a 24 weeker's survival then I wanted to help. You can't begin to imagine what it is like to be told that your baby has a 39% chance of living and an 80% chance of him/her having a physical/mental disability. That and the day-to-day drama that comes with not knowing if your baby will still be here in 5 days, 5 hours or even 5 minutes.

As part of the study, Jacob is seen at a "follow-up clinic" at Tufts Medical Center in Boston where he was delivered. They first saw him in January of 2009 when he was 10 months old (6.5 adjusted) and every 6 months thereafter. This past January 19th was the "big" appointment because Jacob is 22 months old (18.5 adjusted) and 18 months is when the child has developed sufficient skills for them to test and determine how he is doing compared to his peers. Most preemies catch up by age 2 and the earliest of preemies (23-28 weekers) usually catch up by the age of 3. We have a long way to go, but this appointment shows us on paper how much progress he has made. The test is not an exact science and if "the toddler" (who shall remain nameless) refuses to cooperate on certain parts of the test it can throw it off. At this appointment, Jacob met with a Neonatologist, a Physical Therapist and a bunch of fellows. They tested him on everything from fine/gross motor skills to language and cognition. This is what they found:

Cognition: 13 months
Fine Motor Skills: 13 months
Gross Motor Skills: 14 months
Receptive Language: 11 months
Expressive Language: 15 months

There were certain tests where he refused to cooperate with the PT, but overall he is where I expected him to be. When people ask where I personally think he is functioning I have been saying 15 months so I was pretty spot on with his skill level. His language has really been lagging behind and I was pretty shocked to see that his expressive language was as high as it is. He only says a handful of words (Mama, Daddy, off, chicken, duck, cat, etc.) and some of his "words" are communication, but not actual words (uh-oh, woof, moo, etc.).

The bottom line is that he is here, he is healthy and he is thriving! I am so happy we decided to join the study and I am hopeful of the results once all is said and done.

2010

Happy New Year! First a couple of pictures that we sent out as New Year cards:

As 2009 becomes a fading memory and we turn to the new year ahead, I figured I would blog about my NY's Resolution. I have never made a resolution and prior to this year didn't believe in making one. I feel we should always try to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today. I try my very hardest to make changes daily in places I feel I have been lacking, but spending half the year in a high-risk pregnancy and the other half with two kids 16 months apart (not to mention that the 16 month old requires weekly Early Intervention, bi-weekly PT appointments, quarterly eye appointments in Boston and semi-annual NICU follow-ups in Boston) I have been severely lacking in every department since the early Spring.

When we found out last December that we were expecting....AGAIN, I was prepared for bedrest, weekly monitoring and bi-weekly ultrasounds. I knew bedrest was a possibility and that having to drag Jacob to these appointments by myself every week would be a trial, but I was willing to try at least one more time for a healthy, full-term baby and knew what I was getting into having had a 3.5 month premature micro-preemie the first go around. Needless to say, once I hit 24 weeks, life came to a screeching halt. Everything went on the back burner as I tried my hardest to do everything possible to keep Gracie inside just one more day. This was totally normal considering what I went through my first pregnancy, but the problem is I never found my rhythm again after having her in July.

After a 2008 that was filled with fear, anxiety and desperation, 2009 was a complete 180. There was still some fear and anxiety, but no desperation this time around. Grace was born in July just 4 days shy of full-term which was good enough for me! My baby was healthy, was able to room in with me in the hospital and was discharged to go home the same day I was! All my prayers had been answered. That's also when life got crazy. The first day home alone with both kids was quite an adjustment. I was pumping due to some latching issues, I was juggling the schedule of a 16 month old and a newborn and trying to adjust to the daily grind with Ian back to work. That first Monday alone also happened to be Grace's two week check-up so on top of everything else that I was adjusting to, I was supposed to load both kids in the car and venture out for the first time with TWO kids in tow. To this day, I have only let 3 people in on this secret: My first day out with both kids I managed to lock myself out of my car......with Grace inside......in August. As I shamefully ran back inside yelling at the receptionist to call 911 because I had just locked my 2 week old in the car I thought, "It can't get much worse than this!" Thankfully, I had used my automatic starter to get the car running so the AC was on full blast and Grace was in no harm. Three firefighters, 2 paramedics, a police officer, my Pediatrician's wife and myself watched as Grace peacefully slept through the entire thing. I could only imagine what all the emergency personnel were thinking and my Pediatrician's wife tried to assure me that every Mother does something like this once in her lifetime.....suuuuure. Thanks anyway.

I am happy to report that things only went up from there! After two weeks, we got a rhythm down and life started settling into a routine. Grace started successfully nursing again so I was able to cut pumping out of my life which allowed me to add another 3-4 hours to my day. I learned to change both diapers at once and coerced Grace into following Jacob's nap schedule so I could nap myself when they were both sleeping. Around 10 weeks old, Grace started sleeping through the night which allowed me a full nights rest and energy to get through every day without nodding off around dinner time. The only problem was I started using my free time to check my Facebook page, log on to my "Mom" message boards, surf the internet, watch TV, etc. I did dishes....when the sink was overflowing. I did laundry.... when we ran out of clean clothes. I cleaned my bathrooms.... when we had company coming. I was getting lazy and I would like to say that this was something that began after I had 2 under 2, but it has been getting gradually worse since I quit my job to stay home.

On to the point of my post.....I have decided that I am going to be everything I've always wanted to be in 2010! I will:

• Strive to be a better mother. I want to get out and do things with the kids. Play at the park, go to story time at the library, go to the beach (in season of course), have playdates, etc. Jacob is a GREAT independent player which is excellent, but quite often I find myself taking advantage of that so I can read or watch Ellen. I could do either of these things while he naps or after he goes to bed. Most days we stay inside and do nothing except, eat, sleep, play, repeat.
  
• Strive to be a better wife. With everything else I need to do on a daily basis usually Ian comes last and I want to spend more quality time with him. Even if it just means watching TV with him for a half hour at night or having a glass of wine.
• Keep up with the housework! I have set a new schedule that will help me do the housework over the course of a week so that it is spread out and not something I have to spend all day doing. For example, on Mondays I do laundry. All my laundry. This includes washing, drying, folding and putting away! On Tuesdays, I vacuum and wash my floors. On Thursday I do my bathrooms and on Friday I do the dusting. Dishes are done daily as well as a general pick-up and so far this is working out nicely!
• Get healthy! I never take time for myself and my ratio of junk food to healthy food is off the charts. I only gained 14 pounds with Jacob due to his prematurity so that was gone in a matter of minutes. While pumping/breastfeeding I was able to drop an additional 9 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. Grace's pregnancy is a different story. I gained 45 pounds and 8 of that was fluid in the last week. I developed some pretty bad eating habits while on the go and back and forth to the hospital to see Jacob and then I was pregnant with Grace. I used my pregnancy as an excuse for eating whatever I wanted. I have now cleaned out my fridge, replaced all my junk food with healthy food ($$$$!) and started preparing meals out for the week instead of winging it at dinner time. I am also excited to try new recipes! According to the scales, I am just about back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I have some major toning to do which brings me to......
  
• E-X-E-R-C-I-S-E! 5 words.....Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I bought it, I have hand weights and I am determined to do this every day for at least a month. Once I whip myself into gear, I plan to hop back on my treadmill as well.
  
• Last, but not least and most importantly - Focus on my relationship with God Bottom line...reading the bible daily simply isn't enough. I need to study His word and make sure my life is on the path that it needs to be. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful, HEALTHY babies which is more than I ever thought possible after what we went through with Jacob. I have a place to call home that provides us with shelter and we always have enough to get by which is more than enough. I need to repay Him for everything He does for me with more than 30 minutes a day.
  

I hope that I can stick with these goals through 2011 and plan to update at random points throughout the year as far as how I am doing. Here's wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2010!

B-U-S-Y

That pretty much explains how I have been in a nutshell.

Thanksgiving was wonderful, but unfortunately my camera broke shortly after Halloween. I was without a camera for the entire month of November so I don't have many pictures as far as updates go. We had so much to be thankful for this year. We were able to spend our second Thanksgiving with our little chicken wing, who was only given a 39% chance of ever spending a Thanksgiving with us, and this year we also had the incredible blessing of Grace in July who arrived happy and healthy. I thank God every day for Ian, Jacob and Gracie, but it is nice to have one special day every year to remember what we are thankful for.

Jacob has glasses! They are ridiculously ugly (sorry it had to be said), but they are a necessity and hopefully this is short term and something that will resolve on its own. If not, I just keep telling myself that eventually he will be responsible and not try to rip them off his face so one day he will not have to wear white rubber glasses. He pulls them off his face so keeping them on will be a real challenge. I feel bad for him because as a person who wears glasses (and contact lens) I know how obnoxious they are. I was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with it, but if this is the worst thing that happens to him because of his 24 week arrival then we lucked out!

Grace is starting to sit up and roll over now and life is starting to get interesting. With the two of them on the move we had to expand our play area in the living room and the "adult" area is getting smaller and smaller. I am sure eventually it will disappear all together, but for now we have one little corner of the room all for ourselves to watch TV and have a fire. Grace weighs a whopping 16 pounds and she is not even 5 months yet! Jacob is only 21 pounds and 21 months at the end of December so I am just waiting for the day she officially passes him. That's what happens when you have a micro-preemie and then a huge full-term baby.

Both kids are on their fourth colds since September and I am just crossing my fingers that we make it through this Winter without any major illness. Winter hasn't even officially begun yet and I am already anticipating the Spring. To help the Winter go by faster, I have already started planning Jacob's second birthday party (complete with a Wonder Pets theme!) and I am hoping that will keep me busy along with sending out our first annual New Year cards. I was going to do one last year, but Jacob's "Welcome Home" announcements had just been mailed in September (I was a little behind) and I found it kind of useless to send another card so soon. I already have the card designed and I am just waiting for the kids to get better so I can take a picture that doesn't have raw, red noses. :)

I will be sure to start taking some pictures with my new camera (which, by the way, is AWESOME!) and post them soon.

Trick or Treat

Jacob has had an awful cough for a month now. We saw a substitute Pediatrician over Columbus Day weekend since our Pediatrician was out of town and he diagnosed Jacob with bronchiolitis and told us if he was going to get worse it was going to be within 24-36 hours. He never got worse, but he wasn't getting better either so on Monday I decided to take him back to our Pediatrician and have a second look. Turns out our poor boy has a double ear infection. The Pedi said it looks like one of his ears has already started to heal on its own which makes me sad because he has probably had it for a month. He wasn't miserable or upset at all so it didn't seem to be bothering him, but he had the most horrific sounding cough that was waking him up at night and was probably caused from drainage. We started a round of Amoxicillin and in 10 days Jacob should be as good as new!

This year we decided to take Jacob trick-or-treating which basically consisted of us walking next door. It was fun to dress him up as a Chicken since we call him our little chicken wing (as if you didn't know from the name of our blog!) and we dressed Grace up in Jacob's pea pod bunting from last year. We bought 150 pieces of candy and after giving out only one piece to each kid we only had 10 or so pieces left so we had a busy night this year. Here is a picture of the kids in their costumes:
Ian has had the week off so we have been tackling countless projects around the house that have been sitting since last Fall. This weekend we were able to get the shutters off the house, paint the house and the exterior door. Tomorrow we hope to make a trip to Home Depot to get a new light fixture, doorbell and numbers for the house. The outside was in pretty bad shape, but now that it has some curb appeal back we can concentrate on the major indoor projects this Winter. Ian also raked the yard so I am hoping to get some cute pictures of the kids in the leaves this weekend! I will post them ASAP.

RIP Ford Escape :(

Thursday, October 22nd was supposed to be a great day! Ian had a half day at work, Grace was exactly three months old so I was all prepared to take her "I'm exactly three months old" picture that afternoon and I had an afternoon outing to Target planned with the family!

Jacob had just started coming down with his THIRD cold of the season and at the last minute Ian suggested he stay home with Jacob. I decided to take Grace with me because she was due to nurse at 5 and I was thinking I would be home between 4:30 and 5. Just in case she got hungry a little earlier I wanted her with me. At the last minute, I decided to run to Target by myself to "save time" and leave some room in the cart (infant seats render a shopping cart useless!).

I was finished and headed home around 4:20 leaving me plenty of time to get home and feed Grace. As I was entering Manomet, near Gellar's, I noticed an "anxious" (read tailgating) fella on my bumper eager to get home. As the traffic ahead slowed for someone turning left, I hit my brakes and looked up in my rear view mirror to see anxious fella fiddling with his radio dial. I knew it was coming before he even looked up and braced myself for the impact and anxious fella slammed into me at approximately 40 mph. I was pushed about 6 feet into the guy in front of me who just so happened to have recently celebrated his 78th birthday....poor guy.

To make a long story short, the police came, accident reports were filled out and cops debated whether or not the gigantic pile of baby stuff I emptied from my 08 Escape could have possibly fit in the vehicle. The car was deemed a total loss which was a blessing in disguise. Thankfully I had left Grace home (don't want to even think about what could have happened), nobody was hurt and we were actually in the market for a minivan, but didn't think we could afford one at the time.

My insurance company settled with us so that we were able to pay off my Escape and have a nice $5,000 down payment on our new 2010 Toyota Sienna LE!! We pick it up Saturday and to say I am excited is an understatement! The lesson of this story is never proclaim that you will never ever become a minivan mom. You will eat your words! :)

Road Trip to Nashville

Well, we are home from our long and exhausting journey to Tennessee. As tired as we are when we return home, and as complicated as it is trying to organize a week away from home with an 18 month old and a 2 month old, we all had a good time even though three out of the four of us got sick. Jacob started wheezing on Friday morning a full 7 days after his cough started and after a trip to the doctor's office we were told he has Bronchiolitis (RSV). The next day Grace came down with it and is now sleeping upright in her bouncy seat because she can't breathe when she lies down. I am hoping it passes quickly, but I also have a feeling our time in large crowds of people is over until the Spring thaw. :)

We had a great trip and enjoyed the spiritual uplifting we had at the Berean Tennessee gathering. We saw many familiar faces that we hadn't seen in years and it was nice to socialize with everyone and take in the local sights. We arrived in Nashville late Thursday evening and spent the night there as we were planning a trip to the Nashville Zoo on Friday. The weather cooperated and we had a fabulous time! I was a little skeptical going in because the reviews on Trip Advisor were hit or miss, but Ian and I thought it was a fabulous zoo and Jacob had a blast. I was worried that he would be too timid and not old enough to enjoy it, but Ian took him into the petting zoo and he had a great time. We also took a ride on the carousel and he absolutely loved every minute of that!

On Friday afternoon, we headed to Montgomery Bell State Park where we would spend the next 4 nights. The theme of the Berean gathering was the Cherubim and the many talks surrounding the subject were very enjoyable. We also enjoyed socializing with everyone between and during meals and exploring the State Park in our free time.

On Monday, we attended the outing in the State Park which was a BBQ along the creek. By this time, Jacob had already come down with his cough so we took off a little early and let him take an extra long nap. In the late afternoon, we headed to Jim and Terri Rankin's house about 60 miles away for dinner and goodbye since we were leaving the following morning. We returned to our room and packed up the car. Our alarm went off at 4:3o AM and off we went with the kids still their PJ's and sleeping soundly. We drove all day and made it to Staunton, VA where we had hoped to land that night because we wanted to spend the first part of the next day driving up Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. The foliage at that elevation was pretty amazing and there were many lookouts, but it was awfully windy and about 20 degrees colder as you neared the top. Towards the last few lookouts, Ian and I took turns getting in and out since it was too cold for the kids.


We drove the rest of that night and stopped in Mystic, CT for the last night on the road and departed the following day following a lazy morning of baths and breakfast. We arrived home around 1 PM and then the laundry began!

I traveled all over the country in our family van as a kid and I was very excited to start road trips with my own family. I am happy Ian is on board and we already have a family trip to Yellowstone in the works. We just have to wait until the kids are a bit older for that one! Lord Willing, we are hoping to attend the Hye gathering in Texas next Summer. I started going to Hye when I was 8 years old (20 years ago!) and had only missed one Summer up until the year I got engaged. Then it was the engagement, the wedding and one kid/pregnancy each Summer after. Hopefully, next Summer we will not have any wild and crazy plans that keep us away again.

Until next time.....