Quick update

Joey had his first evaluation with First Steps today. She assessed all areas of his development and was here for about an hour. She had 6 different charts, one for each area if development with skills listed in a chart by which month they expect them to achieve them by. For almost everything he’s somewhere between 2 and 3 months which is great! He certainly doesn’t act like the 5 week old he “should” be, but he’s not quite a normal 3 month old yet either. She will put together a plan for what therapies she suggests for him and we will set goals and make a plan from here.

This afternoon we got to go out for frozen yogurt with my labor & delivery nurse from the night he was born. It was so good to see her! (He was very excited as you can see above!) Yesterday we also had lunch with two of his NICU nurses. So good to see them too! Many, many times making that long drive to the hospital I thought why? Why this hospital? We drove past like 4 others on the way. Every day. It was so inconvenient. But then I think about the amazing women Joey and I have in our lives now because of it, and the drive was so worth it. 🙂

3 Months

This big boy is three whole months today! I can’t believe it. He has changed and grown so much over the last month. We had his two month well baby check and he was 9lb 2oz, 21.5 inches long. His head was 15 1/8 inches. He’s under the second percentile for height and weight on the regular chart, but adjusted for the fact he was two months early he’s almost right on 50th percentile. His head is in the 10th percentile on the regular chart! ha! We saw a new pediatrician (who was awesome!!) and she was very impressed with his development. She said he was doing almost everything she’d expect a 2 month old to do!

He’s learning to pick his head up during tummy time. Making progress! That thing is heavy, though! 🙂Love those little toes! (I got my big camera out for the first time since he was born today. And had way too much fun. I know how we’ll be spending lots of days!)

I did finally take his 2 month picture with his tie, at 2 1/2 months. 🙂

He is just in love with his Wubbanub. It’s never far away!

Loves hanging out with his daddy! My current favorite picture. 🙂

His expressions crack me up!

He is SO full of smiles now! Definitely his most fun new development. Well, cooing and little giggles too, but I can’t capture those in a photo! I’ll need to get a video.

The bath is still his favorite thing!

The Gift of Now

Last night as I was rocking Joey in his nursery I looked up at his NICU pictures hanging on the wall. I can hardly remember those days, that baby. It feels like an eternity ago.

I decided to figure out how long we’ve even been home… 39 days. The same amount of days we were in the NICU. Just as he changed so dramatically from day 1 to day 39 in the NICU, he’s changed drastically from day 1 to day 39 at home. He hit 9lb tonight which puts him 3lb 2oz up from when he left the NICU, and 5lb 3oz up from birth. Look how he’s grown!

I’m truly enjoying each day for what it is. Not every day is easy (I sat in the rocking chair all… day… long… today with a stiff neck), but its today. I don’t find myself missing the past, or wishing for the future, I’m just soaking up the gift of today. Each day is a new adventure, and it will always be. My heart is just so full of love for this boy, I hope he never doubts that for a second. Our connection fills my soul, a hole that’s been waiting for this connection for a long, long time. His precious life is such a gift and I’m thankful every day.

In the last couple days he has really started actual social smiles. If you get his attention, he will lock eyes with you and just light up. He smiles with his whole face and it just makes my heart melt. His favorite place for this is his changing table! I haven’t gotten a good picture yet, I grabbed my phone and snapped this one as quick as I could. It’s a terrible picture, but you get the idea.

He got a Wubbanub tonight (a stuffed animal attached to a pacifier). He has always loved holding his paci, so I thought he might like something bigger to hold on to, and I was right! He loves his little dino buddy. 🙂