NICU Reunion

Well Thursday marked Bryce's one year anniversary of when he finally came back to the place he was born - home.

Man, time flies.

The NICU seems all at once a lifetime ago and just yesterday. And we've come a long way in that time. Bryce was on oxygen, a pulse oximeter to monitor is oxygen levels and a nasal gastric feeding tube to supplement breast feedings with tube feedings. We were on strict lock down - no visits out unless absolutely necessary and few visits in but no children (aka little germy people) inside our home, period.

All of that is a thing of the past and although we have many struggles and hurdles yet to face we can look back and see that whatever it is, we'll figure it out. I'm one proud Momma of one amazing baby boy.

And what a better way to celebrate all of this than to attend the Dell NICU reunion yesterday? Bryce commemorated the event with his first tattoo - a "Proud to be a NICU graduate" tat on his bicep, of course.


It was a beautiful day and we had a great time visiting with all of our old nurses, respiratory therapists, neonatologists and friends of the NICU. It was really awesome to see some of Bryce's old NICU-mates too. Jaden has gotten so big that I thought at first he was someone else's kiddo - way to go Joanna! And Luke was sans helmet and as cute as ever! The Whitakers are one amazing family!

I also finished up my training to be the Dell NICU's March of Dimes parent-to-parent volunteer. I need a TB test, shot record and badge to finish up preparation for this exciting new role. I'm planning to make weekly visits to the NICU where I'll visit with any family on the unit and offer an "I've been there" ear. I just know that this would have been a priceless asset while Bryce was in the NICU and I'm so looking forward to the opportunity to do that for someone else!

There are only three more daily opportunities to vote for Bryce and spread the word about prematurity. Then we'll find out if the celebrity judges also agree that Bryce is the super hero we think he is at the Preemie Power Family Celebration on Saturday.

Please take a moment to click here & vote for Bryce.

Preemie Power

Hand to Hold is a new non-profit doing something few have done here before, offering parents of preemies other parents of preemies to connect with. It's a simple idea with a profound possible effect.

My mentor is a woman named Stephanie with a tiny miracle of her own who has now grown into a charming and handsome little boy. They've encountered many of the same hardships as we have and are living proof that you can make it through. It's funny because although Stephanie and I have still not had the chance to meet face to face I know she's there for me in a way my oldest and truest friends simply can't be.

Of course those old friends are cherished and invaluable in helping us to normalize after the trauma of a premature birth and the ensuing emotional roller coast ride that is the NICU. They remind us who we were before and help us find our way back to that center, in whatever way that we can.

November is National Prematurity Awareness Month and many organizations across the country are doing hard, valuable and never-ending work to help more babies be born at term and healthy. And to help the parents of the children who aren't to cope and to navigate the world of having our tiniest, most fragile and helpless people depend entirely on us.

My wonderful friend Mary and I are looking forward to putting together our first fundraiser to raise money for Bryce's March for Babies team, team BAM!. Funds raised will help further the groundbreaking research that the March of Dimes continues to do and has done since FDR founded it in 1938 to find a vaccination for Polio. You'll be hearing much more about that in the coming months.

And then there's the Graham's Foundation, who sends out NICU care packages to parents whose babies are in the NICU. We received one completely by surprise while Bryce was in the NICU. It had some activity books, hand sanitizer, snacks, a Target gift card. More importantly though it contained a personal letter from the founders who had walked in our footsteps and taken the time to prove to us that we weren't alone in a world that felt so distant.

So in honor of National Prematurity Awareness Month Hand to Hold is hosting a Preemie Power Photo Contest. The idea is that we can help raise awareness about prematurity, the number one killer of infants in the U.S., by celebrating the astounding stories of some of our local preemies, our "preemie superheros." We've entered Bryce and coined him "The Amazing Bryce-anator!" His super powers include his inexplicable ability to overcome adversity and his use of slobber as a weapon against the evil tickle monsters of the world!

Please take a moment to vote for Bryce. You can vote up to once per day until November 10th when local celebrity judges will choose the final winners in three different age categories. We'll find out if they agree that Bryce is the super hero we think he is at the Preemie Power Family Celebration on Nov. 14 at Covenant Presbyterian Church on 3003 Northland Dr. in Austin. We can hardly wait!

Help, Please!

Bryce has recently had the epiphany that his glasses are ever so conveniently omnipresent on his sweet little face. Which means anytime there is or isn't something else to chew on he may be inclined to swiftly reach up, pull down and insert said glasses into his mouth.

I know, it's cute ... the first time or twelve he does it before ...breakfast! But after that it's just a pain. They're not nearly as easy to pull up over his cute little nose and both ears to properly readjust for their actual purpose - seeing. And trust me, I know. I know because I do it countless times every single day.

And much to my disgrace yesterday I finally said a strong no with an ever so slight tap of the hand as he reached to pull them down. And he cried. And then I cried. And it wasn't pretty.

So what is a mom to do? How do you begin to say no to your child? Especially when they're ridiculously cute and sweet and pretty much perfect in every other way? I know, I know but I'm biased and rightfully so.

Anyone out there deal with the glasses issue with their little one? What's the trick? Please, please share!

Stander

We had ACE medical equipment supply out a couple of weeks ago and they measured Bryce for his sit to stand stander. They also came out the week before last and brought him a loaner stander which he very much enjoys. Here he is on his first outside adventure while standing.


The therapist and medical equipment specialist said that it is especially good for him to go outside in the stander where there are bumps to provide vibration to his joints while he is bearing weight on them.

It just so happened that the stander was delivered on a Friday afternoon so Bryce was lucky enough to have his Abuelita, Daddy and pretty much the entire neighborhood out cheering him on as Abuelita wheeled him back and forth from stop sign to stop sign.

We've been trying to get him outside for walks in the stander as often as possible but it's really a two person job. The stander has four casting wheels on it and long metal bars that stick out in the back which makes it difficult to navigate, especially over those joints in the sidewalk that are so helpful.



When we can't venture outside Bryce enjoys reading his daddy's Car & Driver magazine before Daddy steals it away because it ends up slobbery and torn.

Okay, so he can't really read ... yet. But he loves to slobber on pretty much anything and next to that throwing things on the floor also provides lots of entertainment. As you can see happened to his lady bug book in the picture above.

All things eventually just get swept off to the left, but we are seeing marked improvement in his use of his right hand. Above you can also see that it tends to stay fisted closed, but it's no longer always with white knuckles and very often he opens it to attempt a grab at things that are closer to his right side. It's progress we're happy to take!



Bryce is really enjoying his new perspective on the world and Mommy is grateful for the good naps he takes after an hour of standing ;-)

Sweet Berry Farm

Last weekend we took a short drive over to Marble Falls with Abuelita to visit the pumpkin patch at Sweet Berry Farm. We had a great time!

We ate fresh, homemade ice cream, bought the most perfect pumpkins of varying size and spent the better part of an hour picking beautiful zinnias for only $2/cup. If one is so inclined, which mom and I most certainly were, one can fit a LOT of flowers in a 12 oz. plastic cup!

Here's Farmer Leroy, he drove the tractor that took us from the pumpkin side of the farm to the flower side...

And here's Bryce amongst the pumpkins, he's the one with the blue glasses ;0
Bryce didn't see any reason to look up for a single picture, he was way more interested in investigating these strange new objects...
And here's a baby donkey that Caleb insisted I simply could not bring home with us...
And last but not least, here's Caleb and Bryce picking zinnias...


We had a blast making a day trip of the the farm and eating at the famous Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls with Abuelita. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a nice opportunity to get some pumpkin pictures of their little ones. We'll be making the return trip in the spring to pick fresh strawberries - I can't wait!