One year check up!

B had his one year wellness check up today at his pediatrician. He is 75th for height and 60th for weight. Great for a little preemie who is now quite the chunky monkey (which he's being for Halloween).

He got shots and blood work today, to test his medication levels. No cries and not even a real fuss. He's a pro!

Today we also met his new speech therapist. She is going to help B be more efficiant with eating, help him eat quicker (hoping to reduce his 30 min bottles), and help him transition to sippys (eventually). he did great. She wants to get a swallow study done at the hospital to make sure everything is working properly inside. He chokes, gags more than he should. The worry is he is aspirating so the test will let us know for sure. He had one in the NICU and it didn't show anything to worry about.

B also met with his new PT. We are now going through Early Intervention, a program run by the state. Our insurance only allows us a certain amount of private insurance so we can now do both. The plus, they come to the house! Our new PT comes highly recommended by my old one. They even called each other to chat about B. So far so good. She will come once a week. Speech will come twice a month. His vision specialist will come once a week. All to the house. How did he get so lucky to get all this attention!!

So needless to say after the Dr and all B's therapies today he was out like a light. He usually stirs when I place him in his crib (after lulling him to sleep with his pacifier and a lap). Today he was dead weight and took an extra long nap! He's due for some relaxing tomorrow!!

B's Party!

Saturday we had B's birthday party and what a great day it was. The weather could not have been better.

I started my day off with a girls pedicure with my mom and grandma. Moms need some papering too!

We had tons of food, I am still full. Of course I made some of the items G-free so I could also eat them. The cupcakes, from my fave bakery, were not GF but we picked up some yummy chocolate ones so my mom and I could have dessert.

B got lots of nice things. I made a wish list at Babies to help people out since B didn't need toys as he's not quite there yet to playing with big boy toys. We got some great clothes, some much needed essentials (lotion and wipes are excellent gifts), and some music toys which B loves.

There was not the typical one year cake smashing since B isn't there feeding wise but we did sing him happy birthday and I sure did tear up. It hit me when I started singing to him as he was sitting in my lap.

I can't believe he is one!! I can now print my 'Bs first year' book. SO excited, more on that to come.

Here's some pics from the party. The theme was blue and orange. We had it at my parents house since they have an awesome backyard!

Here's to continued health and development....go B go!!

Happy Birthday B

One Year ago this little man entered the world at 2 lbs 14 oz. 12 weeks early but full of fight!

Now a big healthy (22lb 7oz  30.5in) boy who's had one hell of a year. He's survived the impossible and has shown just how much he wants to be here. Our special little man has touched many lives, most of all ours.

Happy 1st Birthday my sweet miracle!

Tomorrow

I have been thinking about, dreaming about tomorrow for a while. It's a scary and happy day all at the same time. I have every emotion and then some. Tomorrow my son turns ONE!

Ask a preemie mom about their child's birth day and it's usually the same terrifying story ending with you alone in a room while your tiny baby is in the NICU with wires and tubes and you haven't even gotten to hold them yet. The day my son was born is no different. It was a heartbreaking day and I had never been so scared in my life. I saw my son for a few seconds before they took him and my husband to another hospital to stay in the NICU. The joy of having a baby was over shadowed by uncertainty and worry. No happy visitors and a sleeping baby waiting to nurse. Just an empty room and no promise your child would live.

For a long time I wasn't certain I would ever see my son turn one, we never had a guarantee. I never even let myself dream of his first birthday party until recently when he was officially healthy.

Tomorrow I know I'll feel a lot of the same feelings I did the day he was born, they are burned in me forever. But tomorrow is different, tomorrow we get to celebrate the little life that was born that day. He gets a day filled with joy and happiness, all the things he didn't get one year ago from an ICU incubator.

He's had a tough year and has fought hard to be here and be healthy. Tomorrow we celebrate him! He is one and that is a miracle!

Read his full birth story here

One Year Ago....28 weeks

This time last year I was 7 months pregnant, just entering my third trimester, and putting all the finishing touches to prepare for our little man. My pregnancy had been perfect. Healthy weight gain, good glucose test, and baby looked great. This week I thought was like any other, I had no clue I would soon meet my son, way too early.

I replay this week in my head often. Was there a clue I missed? Were what I thought was braxton hicks happening more than they should? Why didn't I know I was in labor? As a first time mom I thought my pains were braxton hicks, my high pain tolerance did not allow for them to hurt as actual contractions and I didn't notice they were getting more frequent. I blamed my sleepless night and sore back on the third trimester, not labor.

This week is also very fond for me. It was the last week I carried my son, safe inside. His birth was sudden and quick and then he was here. I get asked a lot why I had a preemie and the answer is I don't know. I will never know which is frustrating and scary if we decide to give B a sibling, it could happen again.

Even for 7 months I had a nicely round belly. I loved it!

These were taken the day before B was born.

Canvas Giveaway WINNER

And the winner is.......

Rachel @ Our Life in West Virginia

She wants a print done of her one year old. Congrats and enjoy. Just send me your email address and I will pass along your info.

livelovelaughblog (at) yahoo.com

Canvas GIVEAWAY

I recently worked with Easy Canvas Prints to get one of B's pictures made. I love it. It turned out so good. We added it to our canvas collage wall.

I am hosting a GIVEAWAY with them for my readers. The winner will receive one 8x10 custom canvas. This is a great prize!!!

To enter leave me a comment letting me know why you want to win the canvas.

For an extra entry 'like' them on Facebook here.

Winner will be announced Wednesday!!

A day at the park and some randoms

Today I am embracing summer and the cool breeze we are finally getting. I met my friend Amy at the park and B enjoyed himself. He loves the fresh air and shade.

This park, my first time there, was crazy huge! I wanted to play on the play sets, yes there was like 6. The park is handicap accessible with ramps and handicap swing sets. Perfect for when B is older he can use the swings with more support and should he ever need a chair he can still play on the jungle gyms.

*****

*This weekend I have all my last minute party stuff to do. Can't believe little man will be one next week.

*I have a really good giveaway I am hosting on Monday....stay tuned and make sure to enter!

*I have some posts next week about B, our year, my pregnancy. All in time for him turning one!

*Congrats to Megan and her hubby who welcomed there twins today. I have been following and bloggie friends with her since before she was pregnant with her sweet Cohen who is now in heaven. So happy for them. Head over and send some love.

*B's crib napping couldn't be going any better. He loves it!

*This morning we headed to our local Macy's to speak to the sales team about the Shop For a Cause event. It was cool to go as a representative for the MoD. The sales team liked putting a face to the event. Since the event date is B's birthday they deemed it Brayden day!

Happy Weekend everyone!!!

SHOP FOR A CAUSE

This year Macy's has teamed up with The March of Dimes for a SHOP FOR A CAUSE event. I was asked to go speak to our local Macy's corporate team about MoD. (I think I'm going Friday).

Here's how it works. You go to Macy's and buy a coupon for $5, all money goes to MoD. This coupon will get you 25% off all day. The day they chose is August 27th...B's birthday. How cool is that!

You can also learn more and buy coupons here.

So if you shop at Macy's please head and pick up this coupon and help out a good cause. Think of B when your saving all that money on the 27th!!!

I purchased mine and although I wont make it to the mall that day (B's party) the coupon is also good online!!! I will be making my order via computer!

Crib Confession

As far as sleeping in our house B is still in our room. First in a co-sleeper and now in his pack n play. He naps on his play mat, where he typically plays himself to sleep. Also on a lap, I like my B cuddle time once a day. And he will also nap in his pack n play. B's crib has been used for storage, gasp, I know such a waste of a great bed. His clothes bins, extra toys, blankets, they all lived there.

Until yesterday that is. I decided it was FINALLY time to wash the sheets, mount the monitor, and let B get some comfy cozy napping in his own room.

I rocked him to sleep with his paci and then laid him down and not a peep for 30 minutes. Today was met with the same success, although he would have napped longer if the noisy mail guy wasn't banging on the mail boxes outside.

So it only took a year to use the crib...but now we are up and running...next step is full nights in there....baby steps LOL.

More questions and a lake day

Thank you for the sweet comments on my last post. Here are a few more questions you had:

Ashley asked:
Did you have to give Bella to your parents after B? I noticed you said you watched her while your parent's were away. That couldn't of been easy for you to have her live somewhere else. :(

Yes we did. We were living at the hospital, one hour away, after B was born and we needed someone to take care of Bella full time and my parents, who love her, stepped up.  It was hard, so many changes all at once. It was nice to know she was being well cared for though.

Ms. Attitude asked:
when will Bella get to move back home?

Not sure. D and I go back and forth on this.  We miss her and she is a handful with all the barking.

Anonymous asked:
I was wondering if you still work? if not,what did you do? What was your major in college? 

Currently I am a stay at home mom. I plan to start working again next summer if I can find a good child care option for a special needs kiddo. My major is college was Marketing with a minor in Management.

Meg asked:
What is Brayden's middle name? Does it have any significance to your family? 

James. This is my grandfathers name. He goes by Bill (James William is his full name) but wee wanted to use his first name.

*****

Yesterday we headed to my in laws lake house for a family BBQ. Great day, great weather....summer is coming to an end.

Questions answered

Thanks for all the questions. I loved hearing what you wanted to know.

Anonymous asked:
how did you get past the trauma of preterm labor and the nicu? my labor was similar to yours at 32 weeks and i still struggle everyday.

Preterm labor is tough. I struggled a lot in the beginning. I really had to mourn the loss of the birth and baby I had expected. Through mourning I was able to see more clearly my situation and except my sons birth. The NICU is a crazy roller coaster no one should have to ride. I dove in head first to help my son. I researched and became fluent in 'NICU speak' and how it all worked. I was proactive with my sons care. I became friends with the nurses, they helped me a ton, especially his primary nurse Sarah whom I still talk to. I have been going to a therapist/life coach for years and he helped us learn to cope with the trauma better than we could on our own. I had good days and bad days, it truly is a roller coaster of up and downs. The bad days are less now but I still have flash backs to our time in the NICU and those feelings still come back, especially more now that my sons birthday is approaching. I have been reflecting on his year more and the weeks before I had him. So like with any trauma I would say, learn, get support, talk about what's going on, and allow yourself to grieve.

Cole asked:
How are Brayden and Bella getting along?

Bella loves Brayden. She likes to like him and lay next to him. Brayden could care less about Bella but he does smile when she licks him. Bella currently still lives with my parents. We have her over all the time. It's hard to have a barkey dog and a sleeping baby.


Ashley asked:
What advice would you give first time parents to help them go from being just a couple to being parents? (I find a lot of people struggle with this).

LOL, this is a huge learning experience. I learn something new everyday. It's hard. I would say stay in communication and like I've blogged about before I'm a huge fan of life coaching to help mentally refresh yourself and keep working and growing and improving yourself. Allow yourself to make mistakes and do what works for you as a couple, it's different for everyone. Also, make time to spend alone and don't talk about the baby!!

Mara asked:
Do you have a favorite color you like to dress B in?
He wears a of blue. For the obvious, he's a boy and the majority of boy clothes are blue. He looks good in orange, a color I own none of, but I like to put on B. I like to buy mix and match clothes so basic color pallets that can mix pants and tops.

Do you have a favorite brand of clothing for him? 
I love Baby Gap. They are have such cute trendy clothes that fit him well. Since they are on the more pricey side, for something he only wears for 3-5 months, I also like Old Navy and Carters. Carters oneises are long which is perfect since B has a really long torso and short legs....just like dad LOL!

Anonymous asked:
Do you plan on having more children?
Maybe? We have not decided either way. We have just started talking about what we want to do. With B being special needs I am not sure what kind of care/attention he will need as he gets older and it might be selfish to add another person to the mix who gets less attention. Also I would like to have a different birth experience so having another is very appealing to me. If it does happen I want another boy for sure....I love having a son. As I am open with pretty much everything I will also let everyone in on if/when #2 would be coming. Either way there wouldn't be a baby on board for at least a year.

Email question:
How is Brayden doing developmentally?
He is very behind but with all his therapies he is making good progress. It's hard somethings to think he will be one and can't sit or move around a lot. But then again from where he's been and how far he's come he is doing wonderfully. We knew his development would be effected because of the brain damage and it is. He is on his own path and everyone he works with is confident he will hit all the milestones he needs to, just on his own time. I must say most kids his age are into everything, all over the house. B loves play mat and I don't worry if he's eating my shoe and he loves to cuddle, something most moms would have lost months ago!! He has such a big personality and even though he's different everyone he meets he's able to melt there hearts.

Happy Friday everyone. We watched Bella this week while my P's were on vacay and she just loved B!

If you have more questions please feel free to ask.

You run the show!

I wanted to follow suit of some of my fave bloggers and open my comments up to questions. I have some FAQ's I get in emails I will answer too. Please ask away. I am open to talking about anything.

My little big potato sack was sleepy the other day when we took him out of the car. Sweetness!

I look forward to reading what you come up with!!

I spy Fall!

Thank you Carters for being obnoxiously early with your Halloween stuff....Fall is right around the corner. And of course I snatched this up! Gap also has some cute pre-order onesies!

They also had Thanksgiving stuff, maybe a little too early for that. To be honest if I knew what size B would be wearing then...I would have bought that too. I love Fall and the holidays!

I think the recent rain mixed with humidity...aka mosquito's everywhere is making me hate summer even more.  I'm over it! I am ready to step out in jeans, a scarf, a cuddly sweater, and head to get a chai latte....are those gluten free?? I hope so! In the mean time I'll scratch my bug bites and deal with the rest of summer.

Friday Randoms

First of all this week flew by...is it really Friday? Though I am a stay at home mom babysitter I love the weekend because the hubby is home to hang out with us watch B.

*Props to the hubby this week for discovering UNOs has gluten free pizza!! It wasn't too bad.

*The heat hasn't been too bad this week so nightly walks with B were more pleasant. I love our walks.

*My parents left for Australia yesterday for work and they conveniently have a few days for fun/touring. I'm so jealous but I have requested they return with some UGG's for B...since they are from Aussie!

*I am officially boycotting summer and am dreaming of my Fall sweaters and scarves!

*Brayden is getting an evaluation today from four developmental specialists (PT/Developmental/Speach/Vision) to determine how often he needs therapy and what to focus on.

*My husband box of chocolate donuts, which I bought him, are taunting me. I have serious had to talk myself out of a massive headache if I eat them....I hid them in the back of the pantry so I don't have to look at them.

*My little man is doing so good at sitting practice. He's making such good progress.

*I bought a $7 box of g-free muffin mix only to mix up the milk and oil amount completely ruining the mixture. Damn you ingredients.

*I am 98% done with B's 'My First Year' book I made him on Mix Book. I can't wait to see it printed and bound in a book.

Happy Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

My toy!!