9 Months & Unplugged!

We keep getting asked what is new with Benjamin, so I guess it is time to write more :).  For starters, Benjamin is 9 months old!  He had his regular check-up with the Pediatrician today and we learned that our miracle boy just keeps surprising us...he is at 42% for weight and 47% for length!  Considering that he was at zero in June, this is amazing!  His doctors/dietician are very pleased (and if you haven't guessed so are his parents. :) )

Medically speaking, he is also doing really good.  His digestive system still gives him fits and he still has problems with a sore belly (many articles of our clothing, lots of carpet, and a bean bag can attest to this.)  So when is that age where they stop puking, again???


New foods!  Benjamin's first non-milk food was...prune juice!  Yum :)  The dietician recommended it for helping his system move along.  Last weekend he enjoyed his first rice cereal, which he seems to enjoy and today he had part of an orange in his Munchkin fresh food feeder (great invention!) and he loved it!  Messy, but fun.

Christmas lights!  Benjamin loves lights and to have a tree in his living room all lit up is simply magical.  I love to get him up from a nap and watch his face go from sleepy to bewildered at the sight.  I decorated with sparkling snowflakes on the ceiling that catch the light which he enjoys too.

Unplugged?!?  A couple weeks ago we decided that it was finally time to let go of the monitor that measured his heart rate and oxygen saturation.  It had been months since he had real drops and even then he didn't need assistance.  Honestly, we were the ones who needed it, not Benjamin, and we finally weaned ourselves off of it (with the help of an apnea mat under his crib mattress :).  It was mixed emotions for me - on one hand we were letting go the last "attachment" and yet on the other it felt like a piece of my security was gone.  I had to (and still have to) stop and remind myself that this boy is in God's hands, and He has brought him so far.  In Psalm 139 He reminds me over and over again that before Benjamin was even a thought, God knew how many days he would have and our having the monitor or not having it will not change that.  That simple truth is the only reason I can sleep at night...thank you, God.

Jamie

PT, Glasses, & RSV - Another Update

Good things to report...praise God!  The day after Benjamin's Neuro-development appointment his Physical Theropist came by.  We shared the test scores with her and she was very impressed by them as well as how much change had happened since the previous visit.  He was able to show off his new speaking abilities and she worked on rolling over with him.  He is a long way from doing it on his own (at least the right way), but it makes for a good activity to do together.  We are working on tummy time a lot these days...here is a fun view :)

Today was his Opthamologist appointment.  This one was much smoother than our first one in early July!  We even found our way to the Eye Institute on the first try this time.  Of course there was that part where Benjamin choked on a little spit-up and threw up all over himself and his car seat when we were checking in...yeah, that wasn't as fun, but we are pros now and had him cleaned up in no time.  The doctor reported mostly good things...not cross-eyed, eyes track together as they should, a little trouble looking up-though not much of a concern.  He is still near-sighted, but there is no need to take action at this point and the goal is not to get glasses until he is closer to school aged if possible.  It is possible that his vision can change for the better.  We are praying for his vision to be improved, but honestly, I am not very worried about it.  We don't have to go back for about 4 months.

Friday is our first RSV vaccination...finally!  This is to help him against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus that can be life threatening.  It is very expensive and he has to have one a month for the next 5 months.  Though I am not a huge fan of vaccinations and sticking my baby with needles, we will gladly do this one.

Halloween Fun

Last week was Benjamin's first Halloween experience.  My sister Jodi was in town so we kicked off the weekend by a visit to Grandma & Grandpas.  Benjamin was decked out in his happy ghost onesie that Grandma bought him.

We were enjoying my dad's warm shop and I had started carving my pumpkin.  I turned away for a few minutes only to find Benjamin's hand in my pumpkin!  Of course he was aided by his aunt Jenny who insisted that he needed to get the full Halloween experience and feel pumpkin goo between his fingers.  You can tell he has a really high opinion of slimy textures :)

Then on Saturday night we got together again and Benajmin decided he better dress up - at least a little.  He already had a cute little outfit with stripes and owls, so we decided he would be our little "jail bird."  And what is a jail bird without a ball & chain.  Lucky for Benjamin he already had the chain! (aka his monitor lead.)  He enjoyed hanging on to it and swinging it around.  No trick-or-treating for us this year, but considering he hasn't had an solid food, I suppose candy wouldn't have been a good idea anyway.

No trick-or-treating for us this year, but considering he hasn't had an solid food, I suppose candy wouldn't have been a good idea anyway.

This picture is several weeks old, but it was cute.  Remember the preemie pumkin?  Here are both of our preemie pumkins held by Aunt Lisa.

Today was our first Neurological development appointment.  We weren't sure exactly what to expect.  First they weighed & measured him (13lb 13oz, 23.5") and then the physical theropist tested him in all sorts of areas.  If you didn't know what was happening, you would just think she was playing with him, but really she was seeing how he responded to different stimuli - toys, bells, voices, balls, bright colored cubes, my voice versus a stranger's, etc.  After that he had a physical exam with the Pediatrician that specializes in development.  We don't have the official results, but they gave us the quick version (which I didn't catch all of) and basically we didn't find out much that surprised us.  He is behind in some of the areas that are highly influenced by his vision and his same extension issues (arms & legs held straight out away from the body).  He is, however, slightly ahead of his developmental age in speech.  That's my boy!  All of my hard work of talking to him since he was in the womb has paid off :).  It was really neat at the end of the appointment when the Pediatrician shared what a joy it was to see him.  She said that a team meets together ahead of time to discuss the case and reads his history.  She said that they never know what they are going to walk in and find at these appointments.  Being that he was a 25-weeker and has had 5 surgeries, chronic lung disease, and generally a rough start, they were so delighted to see the baby in front of them.  Healthy, growing, happy, and not looking like he has been through what he has!  It was yet another reminder of the miracles of God...only God could do this!

After our appointment we stopped off at the NICU to say hello to some of our friends.  We were only able to see one of Benjamin's main nurses, but it was fun to see her again.  She mentioned that their was a grandmother of a little guy that could really use some hope, and asked if she could send her out to see Benjamin.  The woman came out and was amazed that he was a micro preemie.  She asked if we would follow her to the maternity ward and show Benjamin to her daughter.  It turned out that a little guy named Logan Daniel was born yesterday at 26 weeks, weighing 1lb 11oz.  It was their first baby and boy did I recognize the look on their faces - excitement, fear, confusion, and bewilderment.  We didn't have much time, but we were able to show them our miracle boy, give them a few pointers, and leave them with a little encouragement.  This young family has a long road ahead of them.  Pray for them.  They need it.  It was so good to be able to share hope and the goodness of God.  I pray for more opportunities to do so in the future.  Oh, how good it is to be used as a vehicle for encouragement!

Update & Prayer Request

Life at our house is busy...but good.  I am getting settled into a routine at work, Brian is settling into a new routine of school and hanging out with Benjamin, and Benjamin seems to enjoy his time with daddy, grandma, and aunt Jenny while I am at work.

Benjamin has most definately found his voice.  He "talks" to us quite a bit and also enjoys talking to the light.  As I am writing this he is talking in his room (even though he is supposed to be sleeping).  He is holding his head up very well and he loves to be talked to and sung to.  One of his current favorite toys is a gift from our friend Tracey.  It is a stuffed "Hungry Catepillar" that is crinkly when you touch it and has bright colors and fun tags all over.  We have been working with him on reaching out and touching toys and so a few weeks ago when I put him in the car on the way to church I put it in front of him on his car seat.  As we were backing out of the driveway we heard this "crunch, crunch" and thus the fondness began.

He has been doing very well overall health-wise.  He has had some eating/digestive concerns, but they seem to be resolving without medical intervention.  I will spare you the poo details (even though I am amazed how our nightly conversations often include the subject.)



Tomorrow is a big day for Benjamin - his first Neurological Development appointment.  We get to leave bright and early in morning traffic and head up to the hospital in time to feed him before his 9am slot.  We have heard on the news that the ER there has been overflowing with people due to the whole swine flu ordeal.  That makes me a little short of enthusiastic to be there at this time.  So, I am asking for prayer again for protection from illness, and that all will go well with the exam and that they will be able to see all they need to make a clear analysis.  I am not concerned about the findings since I really believe he is doing well, but we want to do all we can to help him be his best.  One more thing - next week we go back to the Opthamologist to have his eyes checked.  We appreciate prayer for positive results, even though I feel a little silly asking for that since God has answered so many big prayers...our boy is healthy and happy...what more could we ask for, right?!?

Jamie

A Family Photo & A Pumpkin Friend

This last week was "Customer Service Appreciation" week at work.  This meant that I was spoiled with food and treats at work all week.  Part of the week included daily contests.  Wednesday's contest was to carve or decorate a pumpkin.  I wasn't planning on participating because I just didn't have the time, but Tuesday night I told Brian about an idea I had, inspired by our little man.  Next thing I knew he ran to the store and came back with this (Benjamin got ahold of it first of course!)

We borrowed a few items from Benjamin including a binky, a hat that his aunt Lisa had originally made for him, and a diaper similar to the ones he wore when he was first born.  Here is what we came up with:

We won by default (no one else entered.)

Thursday's contest was for the best family photo.  The only rule was that it could not be professional.  I had an idea that I thought would be creative and I would not have to really see myself.

It wasn't perfect since our little guy is a wiggle-worm and never stopped moving, but Brian did some great touch-up and changed it to black and white.  This time there was competition and some really good pictures, but we won again!  It was all Benjamin I think.  And yes, Brian does have huge feet :)  It was a fun little adventure.

A New Season

Time is again escaping me as I realize that Benjamin is rapidly approaching his 7 month mark on the calendar (and up to 12lbs 10oz!)  Well, life at our home is changing a bit as I headed back to work last week and Brian headed back to school.  The transition has not been as difficult as I thought yet since I am have only been working part time for the first week and a half and Brian is only taking 9 credits, but Thursday brings on full days and maybe a little sadness for mommy.  All in all, I really enjoy my job, so as long as I can keep focused, I think I will be ok.  I doubt it will affect Benjamin too much at this stage since he will be spending quality time with Daddy, Grandma, and Aunt Jenny.  We feel very blessed that I have a good job to go back to and that God has enabled close family to take care of him.

This afternoon we had a visit from Karen, Benjamin's favorite physical therapist.  He is still doing pretty good developmentally.  He is weakest in his head control and still is battling the extension issues that comes from being premature.  This means that he prefers to be straight - arms out, feet stretched, head back.  This position feels natural to him.  If he is in discomfort, it is what he retreats to.  For example, when he is sitting on my lap and is uncomfortable from the need to burp, he will launch himself into extension and bounce off my lap if I am not careful.  Sometimes I wander if I should installing a 5-point harness on my lap.  Ok, that is exaggerating a tad, but this all said, bringing his toes up or his hands in takes a little more work than it would for a full term baby.  It also means that he could be a great high jumper! :)

A couple weeks ago we went "sort-of camping" with some friends (we stayed in a house in the woods.)  I learned that spending the night away from home with a baby is hard work!  Our car was so stuffed full that I had to load items up on my lap to fit everything!  Our poor car probably looked like a dog dragging it's rear end.  I fully understand why a lot of people buy SUVs or vans, but then again I am sure I would fill them up too.  The short trip was fun and I absolutely loved the fresh air and peaceful environment.

As for prayer, protection from illness tops the list, and we could also use continued prayer for Benjamin's development and our family's adjusting to new schedules.

Thank you for continuing to pray with us and walk this road with us.  We have been so richly blessed and surrounded by wonderful people that love and care for our family.  A special thank you to all of you who have blessed us with meals, gifts, shoulders, encouraging words, and just being there.