Proud Mama

What can I say about my Andrew? That I love him SO much & I am SO proud of him! I can't believe how big he's getting (17lbs at the doctors on Friday) & how well he is doing. Over the weekend he sat up unassisted! He isn't doing it all the time yet, but he's getting the hang of it, so look out. He rolls to his belly, but is upset when he gets there so I have to help him back, funny kid. He is starting to babble more like words - like made up words using common English sounds rather than just making noises. I know this was probably just a coincidence, but this morning in bed (yes I put him in bed with us in the morning... and for naps, pretty much all the time except for bed at night. I don't care, the day will come when he won't want to snuggle me so I'm living it up now.) he was fussy & Daddy tried to get him to roll over to him & play & Andrew said mama & rolled back to me (apparently it was too early to play). I don't care if it wasn't on purpose, if I wasn't hooked before I am for sure now! That was pretty much my favorite moment ever. So as you have probably noticed, Steve & I absolutely LOVE having our boy home with us. Andrew truly is a living miracle! I have overwhelming thanksgiving to God for him! I also thank all of you for your prayers & support along the way. What an awesome journey this is!

Seven Months Old!

So here is my big boy on his 7 month birthday. He continues to do great! Really working on those teeth. Poor little guy, his gums are very swollen. He is now a master at rolling back to either side & just emerging going all the way to his belly. What else?... He is all over the place in his jumperoo now & enjoys watching Muppet's Show or Baby Einstein while he goes to town. As you can see he likes to laugh. Actually, when he feels like giggling you don't have to do much to get him going, but if he's not in the mood you could give him your best material & he'll just sit there with his poker face. For my SLP friends, he did his first bedside swallow eval on Steve the other night. Steve was making a gulping sound trying to make Andrew laugh & Andrew just reached out & grabbed his Adam's apple. He told me later that he just wanted to check Daddy's laryngeal elevation : ). He really thinks it's a funny game when I say 'mamamamama to him & make his mouth go and he is really good at the turn taking game. While I'm at it... for my PT friends, he just did bridging for me on he changing table. I was very proud of him, though it made it a little more challenging to change his pants. Let's see, for my OT friends... we are working on trunk control with the goal of sitting up unassisted. As you can probably tell, I've been at work a little more this week : ) There is lots more, but I have to go play with him now.

Heart Walk

You may notice a new link at the top left of our blog. I (Betsy) am participating in the American Heart Association's Heart Walk this September with a group of parents of kids with congenital heart defects. The group is called Precious Little Hearts of Central Florida, which I think is quite fitting. It's just a group of parents who try to get together once a month (a bit challenging for many of us as you can imagine) & communicate online to support one another in our parenting journey with each of our precious little hearts. Any one who would like is welcome to join our team in the walk (I think on my page there is a link back to the team page) or just make a contribution, both you can do right online. Also, they have a corporate matching program if anyone knows a company who would like to participate by matching an individual's funds or even the group's. I am excited to support the cause because since I've had Andrew I was surprised to learn that heart defects are the most common birth defects (about 1:125 babies are born with a congenital heart defect). I feel we really need to build community awareness and support research since it affects so many (more than all childhood cancers combined). And that's my pitch : )

THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to our friends at Yellow Shoes! (that's a lot of diapers! :)

Thanks Arlene! Don't worry, the outfit still fits (& is adorable). We names the dog Ralph. Dizzy likes to swing with him.

This is my new sea turtle, Theo, from Aunt Stacie & Aunt Melissa. Thanks! (The eyes are almost as big as Andrew's : )

There are so many of you that love & support our growing boy. We just can't say thank you enough. GOD BLESS!

Lookin good

Andrew's cardiology appointment went well today. He only cried a little : ) Actually, I noticed last time we went to the pediatrician that in the car on the way there he gave me a nervous look. So he's on to us. But really he did well today & I think the cardiologist was happy with how well he's been doing. Andrew is truly a living miracle. He is scheduled to go back on August 4th for an echocardiogram & to have his iv line removed (HURRAY!!! Bath tub here we come!). He is still growing like a weed & catching up pretty well. Today he was 16lbs 3oz, 27" long & 16.5" head circumference. That puts him at about 50% for height & about 15% for weight. Still a little small for a baby in general, but an excellent come back for a medically complex kid with as much action as his first 5 months had. Steve & I are just so proud of him! He continues to get stronger & discover new things ever day. He is truly a joy & we can't thank you all enough for your continued prayers & support. I'll try to get more pictures / videos up soon. Our computer is still spotty since the o j incident. I'll try to be more careful with the beverages.

fun pictures

Thanks Savannah for the great art. Andrew enjoys looking at them when he is getting his diaper changed.

Well, Andrew can't go in the water (bath or anything) until he gets rid of the broviac (iv) line in his leg, but I didn't think this was a reason to miss out on his cute board shorts. See how chunky he's getting!

Andrew finding Uncle Vince hilarious. We are so blessed to Uncle Vince & Aunt Sue right next door!

Playing with his Grammy T. Andrew loved having her down for a visit.

Jamming

Of course it helps that he puts everything in his mouth at this point, but still cute, right?

Crunches

Well, I don't know how I'm going to keep up if Dizzy keeps going at this rate. Here's another new trick he did for the frist time today.

tummy time

This is one of Andrew's newer tricks. Actually, he's been able to lift his head & go side to side for a little while, the real trick is doing it without crying. I guess now that he is getting stronger it's not so frustrating. He just started passing things from one hand to the other this morning, but he wouldn't do it for the camera. And last night for the first time he joined in to sing with Mommy & Daddy. This boy loves music! He will break out into a huge grin whenever we start singing or when he hears the harmonica & so on. We got a big kick out of him singing along! His Grammy T is down for a couple days & he is enjoying having another playmate around. He is having a little more difficulty weening his narcotic & sedation medicines (because he is getting pretty low on them), but it amazes me what a sweet boy he is even in the mist of the discomfort. We are going a little slower this week on it so he can catch up on some missed sleep. It's really exciting to think about him getting all the way off them, so we don't want to push it too much and end up taking 2 steps back. Otherwise, he is still doing well. God has been faithful everyday in keeping him; it's just amazing.

two man band

So sometimes when Dizzy is fussy he & his daddy jam out on the mouth harp. I think you will agree they are quite the pair. He has also started smacking & clicking with his mouth - very cute. Of course his music education had a good start in the hospital because we kept music on in his room practically 24/7, but we figured it was time for him to start making his own music. Steve has got about 15 instruments in the guest room (doesn't leave much room for guests) so Andrew had to get an early start if he's going to master them all. In general, Andrew is doing very well. He's starting to talk a lot more & even started crying for our benefit - like fussing for a couple seconds, then looking to see if we're paying attention, then fussing more. It's great to see each little milestone. I am continually amazed at how Andrew just keeps trucking along, growing & developing, in spite of all the big & even little obstacles (like weening certain meds). It is nothing short of a miracle, every day, how the Lord not only sustains him, but gives him the means to thrive. I have to give all the glory to God because I know it's him - there is no other way. Thank you all so much for everything you've done for our sweet boy & for us. It is truely a joy to be Andrew's parents.