Life Is Good

Friday, March 4, 2011

Can you believe this kid?...

Yep! He's all wet. For some unknown reason he decided to take a dip in the tub with all his clothes on. The best part was the pride he felt at "pulling one over" on us. He's learning to "play jokes" on us and intentionally try to "get our goat".

He's growing so much and changing all the time. He just turned four and eventually I'll do a "Four-Year-Old Post" but I'm waiting until his well-child-check this upcoming week so I can have some stats to talk about too. In the mean time...it's time for some Ryan-isms:

Go away baby. I'm trying to sleep and you're waking me up. Go to your own room!
I have enough energy to go "toot toot". (This was on one of those days where the correct interpretation of this goes something like this: "I am now feeling energetic enough to go find some new way to make a nuisance of myself.")
But I'm hungry. (For some reason Ryan was just about to bite Evan's foot. When scolded by his Daddy this was his response.)
Can you feed me again. (Why certainly as soon as I feed the rest of the animals.)
Daddy you look like a dandelion. (Can you say Oklahoma humidity?)
I think I'm hungry. My tummy is talking. (Food has been on his mind a lot lately. However he has started using "But I'm hungry" as a cop-out statement to avoid anything/everything he doesn't agree with...Me: It's time for a rest. Him: But I'm hungry! Just the other day we pulled into a parking lot and I said he had to hold my hand. His response: But I'm hungry.)
The letter B starts with Pink. (We're talking about the alphabet more these days. We spent a week on "A" and since we haven't designated a week for "B" we've been discussing it off and on for a couple weeks. Did I ever mention I really haven't figured out a good daily routine that we can stick with? Anyway... the other day we were discussing "B" and naturally I mentioned that blue starts with "B"...B...Buuu(sounding it out)...Blue! Since blue is NOT his favorite color that just couldn't work so "B" starts with pink!)
Daddy has a big tummy with big food inside. (Hehehe)
My Googin's right here (holding up his foot). In my feet. (That must have been some really good googin')
Thanks Mom I couldn't have done it without you. (Oh! So sweet is this kid! He said this to me when we returned to the car after a March of Dimes luncheon meeting.)

Evan is doing well. As you may have remembered he celebrated his 8-month-old birthday fairly recently.

He is growing and changing a lot too! He is such a happy baby. At 8 months old:

He smiles often.
He has 2 bottom teeth coming in at the same time and they are ALMOST in! Thankfully. Because he just doesn't tolerate the discomfort of teething well.
He has started cruising along the furniture and just within this past week he can really get moving pretty fast along the couch.
He started army-crawling although he still doesn't much care for creeping along the floor. He'd rather be upright.
He walks in the walker all over the house.
He sometimes forgets that he can't walk by himself yet and gets mad when he topples to the floor.
He LOVES his big brother. He follows him around everywhere. Sometimes he annoys his big brother.
He is still nursing but will not nurse in places where there is a lot of noise and activity because he is too interested in everything going on. Unless, that is, he is getting very tired.
He is eating 3 meals a day with snacks in between occasionally. He eats many of the veggies (still hesitant with the green ones), loves fruits of all kinds, started some meats (turkey and chicken), and for the first time today ate a puree of black beans and applesauce. I'm making our own babyfood.
He loves finger-foods. He can eat any of those first finger-food foods...those that basically melt in his mouth. He can also eat Cheerios and Cheetohs.
He has basically given up the pacifier. He will sometimes chew on one but he hasn't used one for a pacifier in several weeks.
He still wears cloth diapers.
He still hates being wet or dirty.
He has started chewing on my chin as a pacifier. Every time I pick him up to comfort him when he's crying he grabs my hair (what little I have left after having my 7-grade haircut "fixed") and pulls my face to his until he gets my chin. He chews on it for a second or two and for some reason finds comfort in that. It's actually very, very sweet. I love it!

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Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander