Month 6 & Month 7

I can't let another month go by before making another update... so here goes trying to catch up! Now I know why it seems baby books are so overrated and why there are always missing parts or pages in so many of those cute little books! Luckily it is so easy to capture all of the moments with our iphones... and I know it may seem we share a TON of pictures on facebook and instagram, but trust me when I say we have a MILLION more photos from where those came from!

I can't even believe it when I say this, but in order to catch you all up to Landon's 6 month mark I have to go all the way back to Thanksgiving! It seems like Thanksgiving was so long ago! Wow... now I wish I hadn't put this off for so long!

So right before Thanksgiving we had Landon's 6 month follow up at the NICU. As much as I was super nervous for the appointment and our visit with the nurses (more nervous for me as I knew Landon was going to do great!), we had a wonderful day! We had a nice little play date with two of Landon's NICU buddies and it was so great to see them! After a short visit we had our appointment in which they assessed his muscle tone, coordination and cognitive skills... which basically was playtime with tummy time, bells, whistles and lights! Landon did really well and they were so pleased with his progress. Afterwards we headed into the ICN and saw a few of his biggest fans. I am so glad we were able to do that because after our 52 day stay, some of the nurses and the LC truly became like family. I spent about 8 hours a day with Landon so it was such a great experience to talk to the nurses throughout the day as well. They loved seeing Landon and reminded me of how much trouble I am in store for with his baby blues! We are scheduled to go back again for his 1 year assessment to continue to monitor his development.

About a week later we also had our first night out as new parent's at our friends wedding... a big milestone for mommy and daddy! We have yet to have another one, but I think the time is coming! We just hate leaving his side!

So here goes for Landon's 6 month milestones (if I can remember correctly)...

LANDON LOVES...
... Miss Wendy! She has been a savior in helping me return back to work without worrying about Landon in daycare by helping out with him here at home. Landon adores her and has been developing leaps and bounds because of her!
... Smiling at the phrase "what are you doin'?"
... Carrots! We started with feeding him homemade baby food!
... his first snow!

LANDON CAN...
...  jump, jump, jump! It was finally time that we invested in a jumperoo and he loves it!
... pet his doggie... we have been allowing more playtime with Hunter-boy and Landon loves to feel Hunter's hair.
... try to sit up on his own, but it looks more like he is attempting his 100th sit-up in a row!

Month 6... better late than never!

Once we got past the 6 month mark, it seemed like we all hit a really good stride! We were all getting into a really good routine and Landon seemed to finally be over the major reflux issues. His feedings became much easier and he also began napping a bit better as well. I'm not sure why but it took us a while to get into a bedtime routine and we finally created "the 3 B's" as Lance would call it... bath, bottle, bed. Sometimes we add in other "B's" for when we're feeling wild... books, beer (not for Landon of course!), etc. :)

We were also getting excited for our first Christmas as our little family. We had a great visit with Santa and enjoyed a lot of great company with family and friends around the holidays. This was the most hustle we've had since Landon was home and it was exhausting but so worth it! I truly never knew how much preparation it takes to get a baby out of the house as much as we did... I'm pretty sure we could've spent a few nights away from home with everything we had packed for him.

Christmas day was Landon's 7 month birthday exactly and the greatest gift was him sleeping through the night! He has been sleeping through the night consistently since then and it is a marvelous thing to wake up feeling refreshed again! We didn't splurge on gifts for Landon this year and I'm glad we didn't because he ended up liking the tissue paper in the wrapping more than anything! I am so excited about the HD camcorder that I got Lance for Christmas as pretty soon we will be using it more frequently when Landon begins to "talk" more and of course once he is on the go!

LANDON LOVES...
... kicking his feet like crazy in the bath!
... Butternut Squash & Pears
... grabbing onto our nose, chin & hair
... raspberries and kisses on his belly
... playing "eyes, ears, nose, chinny chin chin" and "patty cake patty cake"

LANDON CAN...
... touch his toes!
... giggle like crazy (although mommy ends up giving him the hiccups half the time)
... sleep through the night!
... munch on his fingers (no matter what his fingers are always in his mouth!)

There he goes with those fingers again!

Probably our 2nd only family picture

Christmas Morning!

Wow, what a relief to finally catch up on this! Now only 9 more days until he turns 8 months and I hope I can continue to keep up with it! He is just too much fun to play and snuggle with than to sit at my computer! :)

Month 5!

Did 'Month 5' already come and go?!? I feel like I haven't even had a chance to blink yet and we are only 12 days away from Landon being 6 months old!

Landon is getting to be so much fun now as his personality continues to develop into the sweet smiley little boy he is! He is quite the chatter box too as he's discovered his voice and it is so fun to babble back and forth with him! Sometimes it actually sounds like he is saying some words too... we think "mama" will come first as he is really good at going "mmmmmma!" We shall see though, I hear that babies tend to say "dada" first... so not fair!

This past month certainly was a doozy at times! We had our share of visits to the pediatrician this month for an assortment of things: ear infection, thrush, reflux, etc. Those few weeks (yes, weeks!) were so unpredictable, but I'm happy to say that it seems like the brunt of it is behind us. Turns out our little man has a mean case of silent reflux and without a doubt the same witching hour at 5 o'clock on the dot no matter how happy he is just a few minutes beforehand. No matter what though this is by far the greatest experience of our lives and we are so glad this little boy is ours!

LANDON LOVES...
... his bunny blanket, so soft and silky, and loves rubbing it with his hands and on his face
... playing with his hands and holding his fingers
... playing "row row row your boat" sitting on mommy's legs
... football Sundays with daddy
... hearing new voices and seeing new places

LANDON CAN...
... talk and talk and talk, such a chatter box at times!
... hold onto his toys and other objects
... spring up with his legs
... laugh a little like a small chuckle, still waiting for that big ol' baby belly laugh!

Although my post is late, this picture was taken on his 5 month birthday! Pardon the pants... he was in an awkward stage at that time... 3 month pants were too small but 6 month pants were way too big! At least his socks stay on now!

Up next for us next week is Landon's 6 month NICU developmental follow up appointment... eeeek! I am so excited but am already getting nervous! I think I am more nervous for me rather than Landon because I have already started to become emotional about it! Fingers crossed for all of us! :)

Late post... 4 Months Old!

Wow, another month down! Landon hit his 4 month mark on September 25 and also celebrated his 2 month adjusted milestone on October 3 as well! We are enjoying the new adventures of parenthood and can't believe how quickly he is already growing up. Landon has really matured over the last month as he is now becoming more active and alert to new sounds, toys, etc.  Here are some of his 4 month highlights...

LANDON LOVES...
... learning the eagles fight song
... kicking his legs
... pulling on mommy's hair and daddy's t-shirt
... watching his mobile in his crib
... playing with his music box/piano
... hearing the silly noises mommy and daddy make to catch a smile

LANDON CAN...
... bear weight on his legs (assisted of course)
... blow bubbles
... sleep 5.5 hours through the night
... SMILE!
... some babbling
... find his hands

We also decide to take his monthly photo shoot outdoors due to the beautiful fall weather and... besides the 5 minutes that Hunter stole his hat and was running around the yard with it... we had a great time!

"you're really making me do all this, mom?!"

Landon's reaction to the Eagles last Sunday

Happy 3 Months!

We can hardly believe it, but our little Landon turned 3 months on Monday!

Preemies are often referred to two different ages that help track their developmental growth: their "actual" age (date of birth) and their "corrected" or "adjusted" age (due date). Although Landon just turned 3 months, his adjusted age is only 3 weeks old. We have been quite impressed with Landon's strength and determination to develop into the little boy he is becoming. He is now over 3x the size of what he was when he was born, weighing in at 9lbs 6oz and 20.5 inches long!

Here are some of his 3 month highlights...

LANDON LOVES...
... tummy time
... bath time
... getting his toes licked by Hunter
... dancing with mommy & daddy
... being pampered during his baby massage
... his MyPal Scout and his Sleep Sheep
... looking at ceiling fans and lights

LANDON CAN...
... hold his head up while on his belly
... roll from belly to back
... track toys/objects with his eyes

We are looking forward to seeing him smile, hearing him laugh, and watching him grab his toys... these are the next milestones that seem to be near!

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk... Oh, But I Did!

I always thought I was a decent multi-tasker, but I didn't understand the true concept until we settled in at home with Landon.  It has been such an experience learning how to juggle everything, especially when Lance is at work during the day.  The biggest task and possibly one of the most important one has been the biggest target of multi-tasking in its prime... pumping.  I am usually strapped up while cleaning bottles, feeding Landon, brushing my teeth, eating (sometimes cooking too)... I feel like I have really become the pro, but every once in a while there is a slip up or minor spill that will really put me in check.

During our NICU stay, pumping was like my saving grace.  As difficult, painful and frustrating it was at times, it was the only thing that I could physically do by myself to care for Landon since his birth.  It kept me sane while waking up every few hours in the middle of the night to ensure that I could bring a supply into the hospital the next day for Landon.  The middle of the night pumping sessions also gave me a chance to continuously check in on Landon by calling the nurses to check in on every milliliter he had at his feeds while keeping my fingers crossed that they would tell me no brady's and minor desats.  Often times a heart to heart with his primary took place as well.  My pumping times then were mostly uninterrupted, which was great because all the research and articles suggest that you need to take a break during this time in order to maintain a good supply,  but what a different story it is here at home.  Take a break???... ain't nobody got time for that!  Which leads me to the title of this post...

It started out as a normal day with me managing all the nighttime feedings so Lance can get as much sleep as possible to be productive at work.  Usually after Landon's morning feed I will still kangaroo with him on my chest as we both rest our eyes.  Feeding, changing diapers and cuddling always trumps when I need to pump, but as the time passed I realized it had been much too long since I last pumped.  So I set Landon in his mamaroo, Hunter was snoring in his crate (he seems to be more tired than Lance and I combined), and Kelly & Michael were on TV... the ideal scenario to have a relaxing pumping session.  So there I go pumping away in a daze from the previous nights exhaustion.

After a short while I knew my time was almost up as Landon was starting to squirm, but I tried to hold off as long as I could to get a good session in.  I began to call it a wrap, which is where it all went wrong... very quickly!  As I was removing the pump it became very apparent that the bottle wasn't secure as the bottle with about 110 mls (almost 4 oz) fell and poured all over my lap!  I quickly fumbled to pick it up and sighed after realizing I only saved about 60 mls (2 oz), but at least I was able to save some of this liquid gold!  I tried to compose myself despite my soaking wet lap and placed the bottle on the coffee table... well the terror continued as our coffee table made of slate tiles doesn't have a completely smooth surface and the bottle toppled over again... my hands began to shake at this nightmare and I was finally able to steady it on the table.  While this is all taking place, Landon began to cry and Hunter woke up to figure out what all the commotion was... I may or may not have let out some explicit phrases as well which probably drew more attention to this disaster.  So I quickly removed the other pump with my quivering hands and what do you know that one topples on the uneven surface as well!  Now I am desperately fumbling, Landon is screaming, and the dog is now at my feet trying to lick it all up!  I rush to just grab both bottles, run them to the kitchen to put them on the safe counter, and sprint back to find the biggest disaster of spilt milk... you know the cereal commercials of the kid trying to pour some milk out of a gallon container into their bowl and it just goes all over the table and floor... well that was a spitting image of what took place in our living room during what I thought would be a "relaxing" pumping session!

As I was cleaning everything up, my hands were still shaking in disbelief and I was a sobbing mess!  This was hard earned milk, just wasted... and now the saying, "don't cry over spilled milk" has a whole new meaning to me as an exclusively pumping mom!

Happy Due Date!

August 3rd will always have a special meaning to us.  Today should have marked Landon's anticipated due date, yet he is already 10 weeks old. 

Looking back on our journey to get to where we are today I will always cherish this experience and will always hold all of its memories so close to my heart... from his first fighting days to the first time holding him, our first diaper change and night-time bath routine, falling asleep to the sound of his CPAP during kangaroo care, feeling the first grasp of his fingers, seeing his eyes open for the first time, seeing his first outfit, growing out of his preemie clothes, all of the 3am phone calls checking on him while pumping, finding friendly faces in the lactation lounge or the isolette nearby, our primary nurses, my supportive and loving husband, participating in rounds, anticipating the results from every blood-draw/ultrasound/xray, having my good days, feeling like my body failed him, feeling robbed out of the pregnancy that I just had begun to embrace, feelings of hope, every gram, every milliliter, every tear, every smile, watching him grow, seeing his strength, knowing he is a fighter and above all believing in him and knowing that he is perfect.

This experience has been like no other, but I wouldn't change a single thing.  We are so blessed to have witnessed a miracle grow right before our eyes with such an amazing transformation.  Landon has overcome a remarkable journey in his own life and I hope that one day he will know how special he truly is.  We are so blessed with our healthy baby boy and we look forward to every day, every new milestone, every new memory.

So as we have finally made it to his full-term date, I want to take this moment to thank you all again for the tremendous amount of support we have been so fortunate to receive.  We have received an overflowing amount of love and encouragement from everyone near and far, from the closest of friends and family to those that we haven't spoken to in years.  It amazes me to this day how blessed we are to have you all in our lives.  So thank you once again for all of the prayers, positive thoughts, calls, texts, visits, meals, cookies, flowers, cards, etc., and of course for following our blog!

So with that said, Happy 40 Weeks our little Landon!  There is more love for you in this world than you know! xoxo!

Settling in at Home!

I can't believe it has been so long since our last post... I guess time has gotten away from us since Landon has been home!  Between all the snuggle sessions, bottle feeding, pumping, diaper changes, sleeping, etc., I guess the last thing on our mind is updating the blog.  We have definitely been taking advantage of all of the snuggle sessions now that he is in our home away from the tiny hospital crib, wires and monitors!  Landon is now spoiled because of it and when he cries 9 out of 10 times its because he just wants to be held so let's just say we are catching up for all the snuggling we lost out on while he was in the NICU. :)

I guess I will pick up where Lance left off... I'll try to be quick!

The night before Landon was discharged I decided to stay the night in the NICU's mothers room so I can have a night of "practice" with his care throughout the night.  The room was nothing special, but it was incredibly special to me that I was able to care for my son through the night for the first time of his life.  Just knowing that I was there under the same roof was an amazing feeling.  That night Landon had his last bath and final weigh in at the hospital... he tipped the scale at 6 pounds, which was another huge milestone!

The next morning I headed home in order to make our final trek to the hospital together to bring home our little guy.  I think Lance would agree with me that our discharge day certainly ranks up there to be one, if not the best day of our lives, even above our wedding day and the day he was born!  We were so anxious and excited, but were filled with nerves.  It was also such a bittersweet feeling as the NICU became our second home and the nurses and other mommies became our second family.  To leave all of their support and what grew to be the comforting sounds of the monitors was somewhat scary... "this is it", "can we do this", "will he be okay" were phrases on repeat in our heads all day long.  Lance was also trying to stay calm to get ready for our first drive with Landon on the Schuylkill for our final drive from the hospital.  I have to admit that I still to this day have not been the driver with Landon in the car just yet!  Nonetheless, we made it and we are thriving here at home!

I have to mention this as it is so fitting that we ended our NICU journey being discharged by another Dr. Dennis!  Things like this really make be believe that the world works in mysterious ways.  To make it even better, they looked very similar to one another and even sounded alike too!

We've had a few doctor's appointments since being home too.  We had our "newborn" checkup at the pediatrician two days after discharge and had to return a week later for a weight check to ensure that he was steadily gaining weight with the transition at home.  We also needed to get a blood test for Landon to check on his hemoglobin and reticulocyte counts again... we STILL need to get this done as we've been to Quest twice now and the results have come back with an insufficient amount.  The poor little thing has gotten his heel pricked and had the technicians squeeze blood out of his heel twice without any luck.  We are heading to Phoenixville Hospital's NICU this week in order to get this taken care of as we think they will be more equipped to handle an infants blood-draw.  Landon also had another eye exam as his retinas are still forming.  They are still not quite where they need to be yet, but it is typical due to his prematurity so we have another appointment later this month and we are hoping that his retinas and blood vessels will be fully formed by then.

We've also been enjoying many strolls in the neighborhood, especially with the incredible weather we had last week!  The first few days it was a bit too bright for Landon, but unfortunately these shades were still too big!  I think Landon can double as Carlos from the Hangover...

Hunter-boy is adjusting very well to being the older brother.  He absolutely adores Landon and would do anything for another chance to lick Landon's little feet.  He is so well behaved with Landon and we couldn't be more proud of him either!

Since we've been home, we've had a few more milestones take place too... Landon celebrated his two month birthday, he began to lift his head on his own and drove right passed the 7 pound mark!

Unfortunately this is the best picture I got of him with his blocks - the poor little guy was exhausted from the photoshoot we did!

He is so strong already! He loves to look all around and especially likes looking at the ceiling fan and skylights in the living room!

I can't even believe how big he is now! His cheeks are too cute!

I could go on forever, but I will save some for next time! xoxo!