And Momma's beat!
We were up before the sun this morning to head out for Bryce's monthly RSV shot. No fun. Poor baby was in such a good mood, there were mirrors in the doctor's office and he was having fun looking at the baby in the mirror, playing with the crinkly paper on the bed. And then the nurse walked in and stuck him in the leg with that big bad needle. Poor Bryce went completely red in the face instantly, screaming and crying huge tears that would melt even the hardest of hearts. Fortunately for me he forgives fairly quickly. It took a couple of minutes to calm him down but he's since forgotten.
Good thing too because we had to rush home for physical therapy. That was pretty good, despite a sore baby leg. He played and cooed and bahhed at Danny, his therapist. He did not however show any interest in turning his head from his left side to look at anything Danny could conger up on his right. Therapy always wears him out and he was sound asleep before we'd left his room. Just long enough for Mommy to grab a quick bite and wash some dishes.
And before I knew it 2:30 p.m. had come around and the ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) people were here for Bryce's assessment. A nurse, case manager from Williamson County's Pride Program and speech therapist came by to determine what therapy Bryce qualifies for. They decided that he will get speech/feeding therapy once a week for awhile. A nurse will also come by twice to teach us some exercises and infant massage. They'll also be putting me in touch with a therapist to talk to about the PTSD that is the usual result of a long NICU stay. At their expense too. I'm looking forward to talking to a professional about how all of this has changed me and it can't hurt in helping me be a better mom - which is always at the top of my list.
So at the end of the day we accomplished a lot but we're exhausted. And we have another early day tomorrow. You wouldn't believe how long it takes to get me and a baby out of the house for an entire day away - add thirty degree weather and we'll be up before dawn once again.
Night, ya'll.
Monday, January 11
Thursday, January 7
Hook 'Em!
Is it a match made in heaven? Bryce's 7 month birthday (lucky number 7) and UT playing for the national championship on the same day...I dare say not.
Bryce (and us, too!) with Brandon Collins and Eddie Jones...here's to hoping ol' Brandon will make a career of football instead of crime, but that's a post for another day.
Bryce, us and TX kicker Justin Tucker.
Bryce in his game day gear, my oh my how he has changed! NOTICE: this is the same onesie he's wearing in the last picture, from today, it fit a little better back when this picture was taken!
Bryce, Caleb and UT linebacker Dustin Earnest.
Bryce and his many visits from UT football players, in order of appearance.
Bryce (and us, too!) with Brandon Collins and Eddie Jones...here's to hoping ol' Brandon will make a career of football instead of crime, but that's a post for another day.
Bryce, us and TX kicker Justin Tucker.
Bryce in his game day gear, my oh my how he has changed! NOTICE: this is the same onesie he's wearing in the last picture, from today, it fit a little better back when this picture was taken!
Bryce, Caleb and UT linebacker Dustin Earnest.
Bryce and us with Colt McCoy and Adam Ulatoski just over a week before Bryce got to come home - what a farewell!
And today...Bryce and Daddy ready for the championship!
Hook 'Em Horns!!!!!!!!
Hook 'Em Horns!!!!!!!!Wednesday, January 6
Change is a coming...
My oh my, I can't believe the time is here already. Tomorrow Bryce will be staying with Miss Mary and Lil Miss Adalyn for 4 whole hours while mommy goes to work.
This will be the first time I've left Bryce alone with anyone except his father and my mother. And neither of them has had him for more than a work day.
One might say I'm a little, okay a lot, attached. But hey, he's MY baby. I share him with no one. Except now Mary and Adalyn.
Obviously I'm confident he will be in capable hands, otherwise I never would have asked Mary for "the favor," as it is now referred to. Beginning tomorrow Mary will watch Bryce on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can go in to work, without distraction. Tomorrow is our test run, only four hours and only once this week.
And I've got her all set up with a new, full package of diapers and wipes, a new pre-made bottle of formula, a Boppy, a car seat base, an extra set of clothes, two bottles, our two favorite nipples, two pacifiers, a folder with all of the medically necessary information anyone could imagine, emergency contact numbers beyond reason, doctors' contact information and handmade, printed spreadsheets for tracking his bottles, sleep and diapers...oh and one precious baby boy.
I suspect poor Mary has no idea what she has signed up for, but boy will she when we show up with all of our necessities in tow tomorrow morning. I'm anxious to be committing myself to be away from Bryce so much in the coming weeks but sure we're doing the only thing really possible. At least on Wednesdays when I have to be away at work he'll be home with his daddy. It'll be good for us all.
And as a side note, we had the most unexpected treat today. I took Bryce to get some more formula and while I was sitting in the car feeding him I thought I saw a familiar face. Upon further inspection I was delighted to confirm that that face was Dr. Imm.
Dr. Imm was the neonatologist who rounded on Bryce the first two weeks of his life. I very much credit him with helping to save Bryce's life. This otherwise stranger has seen me in a more vulnerable and weak state than I care to recall, he's seen the worst of me as he was the very doctor that somberly informed us that Bryce's brain bleeds (IVH - intra-ventricular hemorrhages) had in fact worsened to a stage three and four. I, for some unknown reason, pride myself for not crying in front of people but Dr. Imm witnessed a breakdown like none other that morning. It is forever etched in my mind's eye.
Needless to say, I literally bounded out of the car, ran around to snatch Bryce out of his car seat and nearly trampled poor Dr. Imm and his family to show off how far Bryce has come. It was funny too because this must happen to them fairly often. His wife barely seemed surprised. Dr. Imm immediately recognized me pummeling toward him and lit up when he saw Bryce. I bragged on and on about how well Bryce is doing and he went on and on about how great Bryce's head looks.
I suspect that even when your job is saving babies lives, most often the sickest of the sick, you still remember having to tell a mother that her baby could be severely handicapped, neurologically delayed or wind up with Cerebral Palsy - and there is not a thing in the world you can do about it.
Thanks again, Dr. Imm for doing what you could about the things you could do something about. And thanks again, to everyone at Dell Children's hospital NICU for saving Bryce's life. We think of you all daily and hold a new found hope that we'll have to opportunity to run into you someday and show off how well our baby is doing.
This will be the first time I've left Bryce alone with anyone except his father and my mother. And neither of them has had him for more than a work day.
One might say I'm a little, okay a lot, attached. But hey, he's MY baby. I share him with no one. Except now Mary and Adalyn.
Obviously I'm confident he will be in capable hands, otherwise I never would have asked Mary for "the favor," as it is now referred to. Beginning tomorrow Mary will watch Bryce on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can go in to work, without distraction. Tomorrow is our test run, only four hours and only once this week.
And I've got her all set up with a new, full package of diapers and wipes, a new pre-made bottle of formula, a Boppy, a car seat base, an extra set of clothes, two bottles, our two favorite nipples, two pacifiers, a folder with all of the medically necessary information anyone could imagine, emergency contact numbers beyond reason, doctors' contact information and handmade, printed spreadsheets for tracking his bottles, sleep and diapers...oh and one precious baby boy.
I suspect poor Mary has no idea what she has signed up for, but boy will she when we show up with all of our necessities in tow tomorrow morning. I'm anxious to be committing myself to be away from Bryce so much in the coming weeks but sure we're doing the only thing really possible. At least on Wednesdays when I have to be away at work he'll be home with his daddy. It'll be good for us all.
And as a side note, we had the most unexpected treat today. I took Bryce to get some more formula and while I was sitting in the car feeding him I thought I saw a familiar face. Upon further inspection I was delighted to confirm that that face was Dr. Imm.
Dr. Imm was the neonatologist who rounded on Bryce the first two weeks of his life. I very much credit him with helping to save Bryce's life. This otherwise stranger has seen me in a more vulnerable and weak state than I care to recall, he's seen the worst of me as he was the very doctor that somberly informed us that Bryce's brain bleeds (IVH - intra-ventricular hemorrhages) had in fact worsened to a stage three and four. I, for some unknown reason, pride myself for not crying in front of people but Dr. Imm witnessed a breakdown like none other that morning. It is forever etched in my mind's eye.
Needless to say, I literally bounded out of the car, ran around to snatch Bryce out of his car seat and nearly trampled poor Dr. Imm and his family to show off how far Bryce has come. It was funny too because this must happen to them fairly often. His wife barely seemed surprised. Dr. Imm immediately recognized me pummeling toward him and lit up when he saw Bryce. I bragged on and on about how well Bryce is doing and he went on and on about how great Bryce's head looks.
I suspect that even when your job is saving babies lives, most often the sickest of the sick, you still remember having to tell a mother that her baby could be severely handicapped, neurologically delayed or wind up with Cerebral Palsy - and there is not a thing in the world you can do about it.
Thanks again, Dr. Imm for doing what you could about the things you could do something about. And thanks again, to everyone at Dell Children's hospital NICU for saving Bryce's life. We think of you all daily and hold a new found hope that we'll have to opportunity to run into you someday and show off how well our baby is doing.
Hallelujah
Oh glorious sleep, how I have missed thee. Let me count the ways:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a row!
That's right ladies and gentleman, for the second time in the seven weeks Bryce has been home he slept completely through the night. He had a bottle at 10:30 p.m. last night and was asleep by 11 p.m. When he awoke this morning and it was still dark outside I naturally assumed it was his regular 2 a.m. wake up. Imagine my surprise when the clock read 6 a.m.
I even asked Caleb what time his clock said because I couldn't believe it.
Now we're left to wonder whether it was the 10:30 p.m. feed (an unusual feeding time for Bryce) or the fact that none of us has slept longer than 2 hours in three days. Was he just completely exhausted or content?
Rest assured, I'll be scouring the Daily BAM report's plethora of stats and data for any clues that might help me solve this great mystery. But if you think you know something I don't please do tell!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a row!
That's right ladies and gentleman, for the second time in the seven weeks Bryce has been home he slept completely through the night. He had a bottle at 10:30 p.m. last night and was asleep by 11 p.m. When he awoke this morning and it was still dark outside I naturally assumed it was his regular 2 a.m. wake up. Imagine my surprise when the clock read 6 a.m.
I even asked Caleb what time his clock said because I couldn't believe it.
Now we're left to wonder whether it was the 10:30 p.m. feed (an unusual feeding time for Bryce) or the fact that none of us has slept longer than 2 hours in three days. Was he just completely exhausted or content?
Rest assured, I'll be scouring the Daily BAM report's plethora of stats and data for any clues that might help me solve this great mystery. But if you think you know something I don't please do tell!
Monday, January 4
Better Late Than Never
After I took all of the ornaments off of our Christmas tree this past weekend I realized that we didn't have any pictures of Bryce in his myriad of Christmas outfits or in front of the tree. So we played dress up this afternoon for as long as he would stand it and captured these wonderful pictures.
Although sleep has been a challenge the last couple of nights, Bryce is making strides in other areas. He's holding his head up from his belly quite well, he's smiling more and more, constantly riding his invisible bicycle, making tiny little baby sounds and tonight for the first time he tried to reach for a toy. He never fails to amaze us, our miracle boy.
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