HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! As you can see, I've changed the title of this blog. I decided that we are past Reid's difficult NICU journey and should now focus on our lives at home. And the blog will now be all about the whole family and our happenings. I'll continue to update Reid's growth progress - keep in mind that he is really (gestationally) only one month old! That is still so hard for me to believe. It's funny because when you look at him, he does physically look like a one month old - 8 pounds, 7 ounces as of last night. BUT, he is doing so many things that older babies are able to do. He holds his head up pretty well and focuses very intently on everything. He has also rolled over already, which is something that no newborn can do. So all in all he is really catching up! Oh, and this is one happy mama because Mr. Reid slept for 5 straight hours last night!!! We are heading out for Uncle Chris and Aunt Tina's house tonight for some fun trick-or-treating. As most of you know, Jimmy and I live in an 'active adult' community - we are far and away the youngest family in the neighborhood, so trick or treating wouldn't be a whole lot of fun. It would just be one little princess going from door to door. Anyway, I'll of course take lots of pics of Cinderella (Cameryn) and the little pumpkin (Reid) and will post early next week.

Closing in on 8 lbs!

As of last night, Reid now weighs 7 pounds, 14 ounces - only two more ounces before we hit the big 8 pound mark! My friend Amanda's little girl Addison was born two weeks before Reid and weighed 8 pounds at birth....so, we're a little behind, but making GREAT progress! It's hard for me to explain well enough in writing just how small Reid is compared to another baby his age. So, I've posted the pic to show you all. The first picture above is of Reid & his buddy Brady Wendt. Brady is the son of Erich Wendt (Jimmy's old college roomate). Brady was born two weeks before Reid - hard to believe! The picture was taken about three weeks ago, so Reid HAS gotten bigger! I think I am going to take Reid back to visit the NICU nurses and Dr. Ahmed during the second week of November. That will be nice to see them all again and I can't wait to see their faces when they see how much Reid has grown. Cameryn is doing well. She has been on Orapred (an oral steroid) for about three days. She had a nasty cold which was causing her to cough and of course when she coughs her asthma kicks in. It's just a vicious little cycle she has to deal with. I hope she grows out of her asthma issues. I've also included a couple of pics from our weekend trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Reid had to stay home with Mimi - he can't go out in public places for a long time. I look forward to next fall when we can get pics of our WHOLE family!

Well Rested

So, it's been WAY too long since I've updated the blog. I don't really even have an excuse! Nona has been in town for a whole week now and I've certainly been able to catch up on some much needed sleep. I will try my best to get back into a routine of updating at least a couple of times a week. Mr. Reid is all the way up to 7 pounds 5 ounces! He really does look and act like any newborn baby would - except for the fact that he's actually 3 months old now (as of Oct. 10th). He is doing some pretty incredible things though. He can hold up his head really well. He also rolled over from his tummy to his back a couple of times this past weekend. I still haven't witnessed it myself, but Nona and Aunt Janine both saw him do it. So I'll take there word for it! Speaking of Aunt Janine, we had a wonderul visit with her this past weekend. She finally got to meet Reid and spent many hours holding and feeding him. She also had a chance to spend some quality time with Cameryn. They went shopping and had lunch together on Saturday. I think she has become Cameryn's favorite person in the whole world. No kidding. We already miss her so much. Reid is still eating about every three to four hours and eats between 2 1/2 and 3 ounces per feeding. Apparently he ate every 2 hours while Nona was on duty last night - maybe another growth spurt??? He is starting to enjoy bath time too. We go back to the Dr. on Nov. 7th (happy birthday me!). I think he'll be due for a few more vaccines then, but I'm not exactly sure which ones. Cameryn has come down with another cold, so we are having to be SUPER careful at home. Lots and lots of hand washing! It's very hard for a two year old to understand why she can't give her baby kisses on the face though. We try to explain, but she just doesn't get it. Hopefully she'll get better soon. She did just get her flu shot yesterday, so that should take care of that. Until next time....

Cameryn & Reid

Finally, we've taken some pictures of big sis Cameryn with her baby brother. She LOVES 'her baby' and wants to spend all her time in his room 'helping.' It's really very cute. Today is my first day at work with Reid. As most of you know, I work for a small home builder. Our office is in the basement of his home and it's just me and my dad that work there. I've even got a small nursery set up for him here! I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Reid with me to work. He won't be able to go to daycare for at least a year (because of his weak immune system), so this is really a life saver. The only monitor Reid is still using is the apnea/brady monitor. I still have the pulse ox and oxygen at the house for emergency situations. Dr. Kahn actually said we could stop using the pulse ox, but I haven't gotten up the courage to do so yet! It's amazing how dependent you become upon machines! Our next doctors appointment isn't until Oct. 3rd, so no weight updates until then. It should be a huge increase though! I'm hoping for 7 pounds! Oh, and Reid has graduated from preemie diapers to newborn!!! He can still squeeze into his preemie clothes, but I like to put him in newborn clothes too. He sort of swims in them right now, but that's o.k. He'll be out of those in no time!

Look How Far We've Come!!!!

These two pics were taken exactly 2 months apart -- simply AMAZING! And yes, those are little fat rolls you see under his chin! :-)

Update

Reid's in-home nurse came by yesterday to weigh him and answer questions. He now weighs 5 pounds, 15 ounces!!!! At this rate, he'll be between 7 and 8 pounds by his original due date. Speaking of, hard to imagine but Reid really wasn't supposed to be born for another 2 1/2 weeks (Oct. 4)! I look at him now and can't imagine having TWO in my belly - I would have been H-U-G-E!!! For the most part, Reid is eating every 3 hours. I think he went through a bit of a growth spurt last week b/c he was eating more like every 2 - 2 1/2 hours. He sleeps well too, as long as he is swaddled. He still rarely cries, but grunts a lot! It's very cute. He is also holding his head up for short periods of time. We have another appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow at noon - I'm betting he's over 6 pounds! Just as a comparison, Cameryn weighed exactly 6 pounds when she was born at 38 weeks gestation. She was pretty tiny her whole first year, but look at her now! Cameryn is really starting to come around. She was very scared of all the wires and alarms at first, but now likes spending a lot of time in his room. And she has made it very clear that Reid is 'her baby!' Can't wait to see these two interacting with each other in the coming months and years - I think they will be great buddies!

Off of Oxygen!

Well, Reid has been off of his supplemental oxygen for 3 days! You can finally see his whole beautiful face - cannula free!

We went to the pediatrician last Friday and found out that Reid gained 10 ounces in one week!!! He seems to like being home :-)

I'm at home with him today, so I'll just post some pics and I'll write more tomorrow...