Adventures

So that's what full time parenting is all about!

The clamoring for more news has been deafening as we have been getting requests via email, phone, text and more as to why we haven't updated the blog in a while.

He's home - that's why!

I can't believe the amount of laundry, time and patience one little 8 pound meatball requires. To deal with it all has required love and a sense of humor as well, something we have an abundance of for the man.

It's been great having him home, and I think he likes his room. We finally have his little bathroom put together, with his sailing/whale motif. All the more fun to have to bathe him twice, as his usual reaction to all that warm water is, well, "thar she blows!" and sometimes he waits until bathtime is over to let go.

His reaction to the world around him and his social circle has been sweet to see. So far he's been to several graduation parties, his own baby shower, a figure skating competition, the hospital to visit a new baby and, unfortunately still, the hospital for surgery and the doctor's offices for various things. He loves to travel, and sits quietly in the car for his road trips.

I'm learning his tolerance for errand running and as of now, he's good for 2 major errands plus one minor one. That means I can make a dash for the dry cleaners, diapers at Target and few groceries at Meijers, but if I need to stop and get gas, that is just one thing too much for the little man. He's good for a little over an hour at the ice rink, bundled to his eyelids. I can't wait for him to be more alert and ready for the musuem, zoo and ballgame.

Happily, he is growing and we have had to say goodbye to the last of his preemie clothes. He is now in newborn/0-3 sizes, some of which is just a tad too big but I am confident it's a matter of days before he fills them out. The "What Not to Wear" fashion diva in me perfers him in greens and blues, but c'mon, he pretty much looks good in anything.

Proabably the biggest challenge for us has been bedtime. Will loves to sleep on his stomach, but the risk for SIDS has the both of us in a white-hot panic. The temptation to let him have tummy time when he's screaming his bloody head off at 3:30 a.m. is so achingly great, but the nagging nanny in my head snarks "you're going to risk your son's life so you can get another hour of sleep? Sit down and rock him to sleep THEN you can go to bed, bad mom." Not sure if this ends up in that indulgent bad mom  category, but yes, I have slept on the floor just to ensure the boy would !*#% fall asleep without &!*# dying.

It's been quite a ride, and even though we have both celebrated our first Mother's and Father's Day, I don't think either one of us quite believe that fate has gifted us with mom and dad status. Sometimes I feel like we are playing house or babysitting and the real mom and dad are coming home and will be disappointed we ate all the chips and kept the baby up too late.

S-A-TUR-DAY NIGHT!

Will is coming home Saturday, May 30, my original due date and a new reason to celebrate.

Bargain Hunting for the Little Man; It's the Final Countdown (cue cheesy 80s metal syth solo!))

"There's a 'new baby' card section at Hallmark - don't you think that's a little redundant?" - comic Brian Regan

But stockpiling for a "new" baby can be redundant. As Will is starting to strain against the snaps of his preemie clothes (go Will!), there's a need to have for him all of the same stuff at all his growing stages for the next year.

Thankfully, our generous friends and family have done a lot of this shopping for us, so my job has been to sort all the clothes according to size and fill in the deficit. Upon doing this, he's ok from newborn to 6 months, but needs an upgrade from there. With that as my excuse, plus the new concern for his mental development through books and play, I have taken to the streets.

I have been garage sale-ing.

I'm trying to stem the urge to buy every cute thing displayed in strangers' driveways with old fashioned discipline, the whole "need" vs. "want" challenge. Surely Will needs the elephant pop up tent for the backyard in a few years - especially when mom got it for $4. Just the idea of him in the backyard with a little flashlight hanging out with soon-to-be-best-bud baby Plank or cool-cousin Dylan made me just as happy as I hope it will make him.

I've had more fun than just the tent. I picked up a tiny baseball mitt for 50 cents over at the old neighborhood in Wyoming. A HUGE bag of duplo blocks for $2. A walker/rider for $5. A swim vest for a buck.

And he's going to look stylish doing all this. As a clotheshorse myself, the idea of getting something cute and perfect for 25 cents was temporarily overwhelming but I got over quickly enough to score cute stuff for the boy until he's 3 years old. And if he gets them dirty or torn, hey - they were a quarter! I just love visualizing the boy tottering around in his toddler seriousness in his little polo and Osh Kosh overalls. Looking just like dad in his orange pinstriped button-downs. Living up to "wild man" moniker in his chili pepper jam shorts.

That's not to say we aren't picking up some new things for him. My friend Jenna gave us this awesome gift, a gift card with a catalog in which you can choose your gift. Half the fun was browsing the catalog and figuring out what to get. A baby sling? A travel bed? A baby gate? Big teddy bear? I opted for the Evenflo convenience stroller. It rules - high performance wheels, hidden pockets, spacious cargo room, this thing is sleek yet tricked out like a sports car. It came in the mail on Saturday and I spent an hour playing with it in the living room.

And visualizing Will on the move is becoming more and more of a reality! The nurses and doctors are talking about more concrete discharge plans for bringing him on home. As for the final countdown (cue Europe!), it's frustrating because one has told us one week, someone said two, and someone else said "I'm not making you any promises..." But we anticipate bringin' him on home (cue Zeppelin!) within the month.

YAY!

Who's a big boy!?

 

Busy, busy few weeks since we hosted adult nationals. To all those competitors who are reading and offered their compliments us co-chairs, thank YOU - we did it for you and for the love of our sport. We are so glad you had a great time, it was the hardest job that I have ever loved.

Since then, I have gone back to work which has helped get life more scheduled. And by schedule, I mean organized chaos. It's home-boy hospital-errand-work hospital-home, or some combination of the four. Throw in one too many errands or too much time at home or overtime at work or a fussy baby, and the poo hits the fan. That may mean wearing something rather unfashionable because laundry didn't get done, jello for breakfast because I didn't go grocery shopping or my hair not getting straightened because I needed the time to get to see the boy.

Speaking of boy - wow! Today may be the day he tips the scale to the 5 pound mark, last night he measured in at a *mere* 4 pounds, 15 ounces. He may burn a little off since his social calendar included a visit from grandma and grandpa Garland yesterday and a visit from grandma and grandpa Planeta today. He's lookin' sharp in his preemie onesies and bibs but seems to be rejecting his jaunty little caps.

Other good news:

Last week, Dave and I helped transfer Will from the isolette to a bassinet. Not quite a big boy bed, but now that he is regulating his own temp, he no longer needs the speciality bed.

He's off CPAP, and they are reducing his dependency on oxygen via the nasal candula.

He has had his number of medicines decreased day by day, most recently the elimination of caffiene.

He is drinking pure breastmilk, no more supplements.

The best news is the nursing staff and his doctors are discussing a discharge plan, with hopes that he will be coming home within a month, so I'm shooting for June 15!

In response to this, or perhaps because I'm supposed to be 38 weeks along, or because I have now had 4 of 5 scheduled baby showers, the nesting instinct has kicked into high gear. Saturday I tore apart the boy's closet only to put it back together. I'm not satisfied with the job I've done, so I am destined to redo it later today or tomorrow. But after 4 showers, and so many lovely presents, that's a lot of onesies and blankets and socks and diapers to organize! But it's fun to plan and organize and see everything he has and attempt to figure out out what more we need and use all those lovely gift cards to get it!

Saying that, I think I am in cake 'n' frosting withdrawl.  

Now what?

Where did April go? I can't believe it's the end of the month and we are looking to May in 3 more days. I'm actually glad the snow is gone and am looking forward to a beautiful summer. So, what's new with us?

I can't begin to say how proud I am of Melissa and the other 3 co-chairs of the United States Figure Skating Association Adult Nationals held here in Grand Rapids. 

These 4 ladies put on one heck of a competition for over 400 adult skaters from across the country (including Hawaii). The bid was won a few years ago long before William was a thought and when the girls had a little bit of free time. Needless to say, for the last few months every spare minute was put into making this huge event a success. The raves and reviews from the event have been overwhelming and there is talk of them hosting it again in the future or even a larger event with the kids in the sport. I think we will take a break for a while and get our lives back to our normal crazy.

Melissa is back to work at Pine Rest after a shortened maternity leave (she saved some time for when he comes home from the NICU) and I am FINALLY back to work starting May 4th. I will be the new branch manager for the Citizens Bank branch in Grand Haven.

I'm looking forward to working in an office again (not working from home!) and am really excited about being in Grand Haven.

We have a lot of work to do to grow the branch, but I'm sure I'll put a team together that will be successful. It has been a long winter without work, and I am VERY grateful to be able to get a job in Michigan. Thanks to everyone for their support and prayers during my layoff.

Mom and Dad Garland are expected back in Michigan later today from their 6 months in Texas. I can't wait for them to meet William and it will be nice to have them back in Bitely for the summer. Hopefully dad will help me find a car in the next few weeks (I hate car shopping. I bought my Hummer for MSRP and didn't care. I would rather have him find me a good deal on something I can commute the 30 miles each way to Grand Haven, than put the miles on my H2.) I'm sure they will be in Grand Rapids quite a bit for some Grandma and Grampa time too.

I guess I'll update everyone on the real reason folks come to this blog. William is doing great. We should be hitting 4 lbs today! He is growing very nicely and starting to look like a baby. He doesn't have the "little old man" look to him anymore. I loved Melissa's comment yesterday, "he smells like a baby now." Our little guy is doing well and making progress every day. Feedings are still up, he his on the nasal cannula 3 times a day, and the early eye tests are coming back with positive results. Keep your fingers crossed we keep progressing like we have been and our come home date of May 30th is within reach. I'll have some $2 bill pictures to post soon.

Happy end of April everyone!

First shower, first Easter, first jump back onto the ice

Last weekend was a big one for us, the boy's first holiday and our first shower!

The shower came first, hosted by Nancy and Becky, dear friends who are also part of our little group, the West Michigan Adult Skaters - WMAS! Nancy cooked while Bex opened her home to all our skating friends. The spread was amazing, Nancy served a delicious lasagna, pasta salad, mixed veggie salad, and mini sandwiches of chicken and pork tenderloin. Sensitive to the nursing mama and mama-to-be, the bar was strictly alcohol-free and baby-themed: apple-teenies, tequila 5 a.m. feedings, Rob Thomases (a joke on my mis-spoken drink order at a restaurant in Lake Placid), and sangria with LOTS of fruit.

Always conscious of being a fashionista, I sported a new strapless sundress in blue with califorina poppies and my gold mules. Not the look I was looking for, it was a little too cold to wear just yet and it needs to be shortened. And... there was a whole lotta cleavage goin' on. The theme for the party was "Pimp My Crib" which explains all the bling.

But let's get to the presents! So many wonderful things from our awsome friends. I don't want to name them all for fear that I will forget something from someone, but rest assured, all the amazing things we got have already found a home in Will's room or bedroom. I know most of you have gotten your thank you cards by now (the rest are in my skate bag) but we loved it all, especially the opening presents part. Matt, Bex's husband, has his pix copyright-protected, so here are the links below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/potthole/3440520914/in/set-72157616734566232/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/potthole/3439688755/in/set-72157616734566232/

Will's first Easter was more fun for me than him, but isn't that the case for holidays those first few years anyway? I don't care how little he is and the fact he can't have chocolate, my boy was getting a chocolate bunny! I went to a local chocolate specialty store, Sweetland. They are old school, and have their own bunny molds and makes their own panoramic sugar eggs, which I used to call peek-a-boo eggs. The only bunnies they made his size were similar to the Palmer ones you could get at KMart, but I was assured the chocolate was choice, so I picked him up one of those and a tiny peek-a-boo egg. You have to love a boy and his bunny... 

I'm so encouraged by the tiny bit of baby pudge on those sweet cheeks! Grandma and grandpa, who came to visit bearing lots of goodies for brunch, marveled at how big he was at 5 weeks. Uncle Doug and Aunt Candi couldn't visit Will unfortunately as Dylan was sick. We had a very nice and relaxing holiday visiting and napping and watching the Masters.  

Speaking of Will, at the time of this typing, he is now 3 pounds, 5 ounces. He has started spending two hours at a time relying on nasal canula to assist in his breathing (struggling to remember how to say it, I came up with the not so brilliant "nasal grand canyon"). Skin on skin therapy is going well, and we took our mandatory child/infant CPR class so when the time comes, we can bring him home and if a crisis should present itself, perform CPR with dramatic flair "YOU - call 911!"

I had a doctor's appointment today and it is official: I am now allowed to do all my tricks on the ice. Question is: will my BODY allow it? To answer that question, I went to the rink! Upright and backspins were no problem. I managed a sit spin with about 4-5 revs, but I think I was in more of a squat position. I did manage a camel! And it had about 2.5 revolutions! This is waaaaaaaaaaay off what I was doing in October. Layback spin was a disaster, did I really used to do these things? I skated off muttering "you won't get it all back in a day..."

I did a graduated warmup of jumps, starting with the waltz and ending with the lutz. I did them all, although admittedly one lutz was good and the others were a mess. Combo jumps that were effortless 7 months ago - gone. Discouraged, yes; giving up - never! Michelle called me over for a quick 10 minute lesson and it was decided to celebrate my green light from the doc, my first official freestyle lesson off "materinity leave" would be the axel! Oh, I am NOWHERE NEAR getting it, it was just awesome to say I'm working on it again.

Next up: co-chairing 2009 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships this coming week in Grand Rapids. As if I didn't have enough excitement in my life. To skaters reading this: if you have some spare time, please consider volunteering and join in on the fun!

3 Pounds, The Nursery, and Happy Easter

How's that for a headline?

Yes, WDG has broken the three pound barrier as well as chosen for himself to be off the ventilator. Early Friday morning, he decided it was time for him to be back on CPAP and pulled his ventilator tube out himself. The nurses were not surprised and the order had been given to let him move off the ventilator once he did it. So we are now back to holding him and providing kangaroo care as much as he can tolerate. It's amazing what a big difference it is for us to be able to hold him rather than just touch him through the box. I think he likes it too!

As you can see from the pictures, he is growing. As you can also see, he doesn't like the recession either. ;>  I told him he can use this as an example when he turns 18 so he knows who to vote for. :> Seriously though, he is growing nicely and the staff at St. Marys have been very pleased with his progress. We are getting less and less de-sats everyday and he is handling his feedings of baby rocket fuel very well. Our everyday worries are infection, respiratory issues and setbacks, feeding issues, and all the "unknowns" preemies are prone to have. So far so good, but we are still on a day to day journey. It is still WAY to early to be talking about a coming home date, but when he does his room is finished.

 

I'll get some better pictures, but the colors are based on the Nautica William pattern.

 

So two walls are the dark blue and two are the lighter sky blue. It turned out very nice and we will continue decorating it in a nautical theme. Something tells me this kid is going to like the water like his mommy and daddy do, so we think it's appropriate for a theme. We still have a few more things to hang and get ready, but for the most part he can move in when he wants too.

 Baseball season has started in West Michigan. We are not hosting a player this year from the Whitecaps (at least at the beginning of the season. Maybe after the All Star Break) but are still active in the program. It was nice to see 8,000 people for opening day and I was amazed at how many people are ordering the now "world famous" 5/3 burger. I think it would be fun to order one and split with a group of people, but I can't think of anyone who could actually eat the whole thing. It's great attention for the ballpark and the Whitecaps. 5/3 Burger at West Michigan Whitecaps. 

I have to bring up a quick Woodbridge story. For those who don't know who Woodbridge was, look back at some of the older journal entries about our English Bulldog. As everyone who knew Woodbridge, he loved to cost us money. Well, Woodbrige strikes again from the grave. For the last year, I have not had the electric outlets on the front porch, back deck, and garage work. I've looked at every outlet with a tester in the entire house twice. I've gone through the breaker box checking fuses and connections. I've asked everyone I know who knows anything about electric to help solve my problem. Well, I finally bit the bullet and called an electrician. (The Electric Professor in Grand Rapids - Highly recommend them. GREAT JOB!) He knew it was a ground fault, but he couldn't find where the circut had blown either. After spending an hour looking at every outlet in the house, he finally went into the attic and started looking at where the wires were running. He asked me about one that was run into our laundry room/dog room. We look and see a full wall plate and assume there is nothing behind it. Come to find out, I put the full wall plate over the Ground Fault outlet because it was at the same level Woodbridge was and I didn't want him to lick it and short it out. So we had a good laugh and Woodbridge made me get my checkbook out one more time. Bad Dog! :>

  

Well that's the news from Lake Woge......wait, wrong program. That's the story from what's new with us. We hope everyone has a great Easter. More pictures and news soon!

Dave, Melissa, and William.

never done with to-do lists

I used to tackle to-do lists with an extreme amount of smugness because I was always able to get them done with brisk efficiency. Methinks those days are over, as most of my free time is eagerly spent staring at the boy in the box. It's always hard to muster the enthusiasm for vaccumming and dusting in the first place, but now that I'm spending all that time at the hospital, it's a small victory to at least throw together a pan of cheeseburger macaroni Hamburger Helper - one pan, one happy family!

I think the boy did have this in his plan from the beginning, I had a long list of tasks to accomplish on March 6, things I was planning on doing after I went to my 28-week check up. We all know how that turned out...

Even though I consider the time spent gazing in wonderment at Will's beautiful head of curling hair quality, the reality is I have to dig for tricks to get all my chores done and still find time for skating or reading, my favorite personal times.

I still make lists and have been working on multiple tricks to get as much accomplished as possible. I'm trying to not sweat the half done list, but sometimes the anxiety grows as dust gathers. How can I get it all done?

One of the best tricks I have takes a line from a Groove Spoon song, "lies that get you by." I do my best to convince myself that these dreary chores are EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO DO AT THAT MOMENT.

Another trick is one of those old reliables from childhood - pick the easiest task to give yourself a false sense of accomplishment and then choose another so that you slowly but surely gets the list done.

The Catholic favorite is the delayed gratification negotiation - I can't watch TV until I get the dishes done. One hour of housework earns me one hour of computer time. Pick up the main floor and I can go skating.

Then there's the go-with-the-consciousness-flow. This is when one anal-retentive task leads to another and instead of following my list, I follow the progression of tasks and see where it takes me. Yesterday, I was supposed to clean the bathroom and work on the baby's room. Well, sorting a pile of carelessly thrown clothes lead to sorting clothes and cleaning out the closet and sorting things in the baby's room. No, the bathroom hasn't been cleaned but I did get 3 tasks done. And this helped me "nest" for the baby.

Who's got a diagnosis for this? Touch of mental illness or a flustered new mom trying to find her footing?

Speaking of new mom, here's the update on the boy: he's up to 2 lbs., 13 oz. and is on all breast milk. He's a little longer, I think around 14 inches - I get that scrambled a little as this stuff is all meters and I was a failed American grade-school experiment in the metric-crazy 70s. As I mentioned earlier, Will's hair is getting curly like mine, but is that crazy strawberry-blonde-brunette like Dave's. I spent considerable time with him today and he appears to be growing as a person. His little expressions, the way he follows figures and movements, those saucer eyes drinking it all in. He is still on the vent after a bout with pneumonia, and I've only held him once in the last two weeks, so I think all three of us are frustrated with a lack of physical bonding. I miss him, I want to take care of him instead of stare at him in a box and change a diaper from time to time.

I guess the last thing to put on my to-do list is find some patience...

4 weeks old!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93921927@N00/sets/72157614997988686/

Here are some updated pictures from 4 weeks on 4.3.09. He's growing!    

1155 g = 2.54633 lb OR 2 lb and 8.74 oz

He's growing! Our official weight tonight was 1,155 grams. Our little guy is starting to grow. Pneumonia has been knocked out, but he is still on the ventilator to allow him to grow a bit. We're disappointed because he we are unable to hold him while on the vent, but pleased he is growing.

Here is another "money shot" to see how we are progressing.

Updated pictures here ---  http://www.flickr.com/photos/93921927@N00/sets/72157614997988686/

Happy March everyone!