WackyDan
New member
At Maggie Valley and Lamont's I didn't get around much without many of you asking about Leah. I wanted to bring her and my wife Terri, but logistically it just wasn't working this time around.
For those that are new to SpyderLovers... My daughter was born 13 weeks premature at 1 pound 4.2 ounces on October 6th 2010, due to complications in womb. She spent 79 days in the NICU.
Some History:
The beginning of it all:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23374&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23825&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24766&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24829&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26192&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26412&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28072&highlight=Leah
Leah is now over 12 pounds, eating solid foods + her formula. No teeth as of yet, but she is getting lots of hair, and she just started rolling over front to back and back to front.
She is visited by our early intervention specialist Sarah every three weeks. While Leah is closing quickly on 9 months old, her adjusted age is 13 weeks less, so at 9 months old, she is considered 5 3/4 months old. Her motor skills are right on track for her adjusted age. Sarah rates her cognitive abilities 2 months ahead of her adjusted age, so she is doing fantastic in that aspect and we can tell.
She studies everything she can or can't get her eyes on. Loves having books read to her and is starting to flip the pages on her own - even if she doesn't really know what a book is for yet. She must like the colors.
So...She is doing great. Quite the little miracle. She is so good natured and happy all the time. She only gets a little cranky after about 7pm when she fights being put down for the night. She sleeps through the night every night, and has been that way ever since we went to longer periods between feedings. She has only woke us up twice in the middle of the night for food.
She is still on her apnea monitor. I don't know why, but the doctors still want her on it. She hasn't triggered the alarm in months now... So hopefully another month or two and she'll be off it.
I could go on and on, but again... Thank you all for all the support you gave me, my wife, and Leah. From the day she was born, not knowing if she would survive the first week, to her release and big day out for the March of Dimes walk... You guys were then and are still the greatest. The hopes and prayers of you, your colleagues at work, and the prayer chains from your church congregations are what I know helped Leah thrive in that NICU and here at home. THANK YOU!
This one event in my life has changed me profoundly. It's not just becoming a father. It was the 79 days in the hospital NICU, the NICU nurses, my family, my friends, Spyderlovers, COMPLETE STRANGERS... I am a far better human today for having to experience the stress, the joy, and even the sadness for some of our little neighbors in the NICU that didn't make it. My fellow humans are what are most amazing, and it made realize how much better I could be and should be. Thank you again.
Here are some new videos and pictures.
First - This was taken soon after we got her home at 4 pounds 10 ounces. This is so you can compare her to the next photos I just took today.
Now compare to today:
Now... She is too big for the RC Spyder, but too small for the big one:
She is very active and happy:
Here is a video of her first giggles about four weeks ago:
She loves to pull her blankets around her head:
Talking to herself: ( I was on the phone at the time...)
Rolling over -Almost anyway.. She finally did the next day:
Anyway... That makes for a good update. Was due for one for quite some time, but we've been enjoying her far too much!
For those that are new to SpyderLovers... My daughter was born 13 weeks premature at 1 pound 4.2 ounces on October 6th 2010, due to complications in womb. She spent 79 days in the NICU.
Some History:
The beginning of it all:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23374&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23825&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24766&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24829&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26192&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26412&highlight=Leah
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28072&highlight=Leah
Leah is now over 12 pounds, eating solid foods + her formula. No teeth as of yet, but she is getting lots of hair, and she just started rolling over front to back and back to front.
She is visited by our early intervention specialist Sarah every three weeks. While Leah is closing quickly on 9 months old, her adjusted age is 13 weeks less, so at 9 months old, she is considered 5 3/4 months old. Her motor skills are right on track for her adjusted age. Sarah rates her cognitive abilities 2 months ahead of her adjusted age, so she is doing fantastic in that aspect and we can tell.
She studies everything she can or can't get her eyes on. Loves having books read to her and is starting to flip the pages on her own - even if she doesn't really know what a book is for yet. She must like the colors.
So...She is doing great. Quite the little miracle. She is so good natured and happy all the time. She only gets a little cranky after about 7pm when she fights being put down for the night. She sleeps through the night every night, and has been that way ever since we went to longer periods between feedings. She has only woke us up twice in the middle of the night for food.
She is still on her apnea monitor. I don't know why, but the doctors still want her on it. She hasn't triggered the alarm in months now... So hopefully another month or two and she'll be off it.
I could go on and on, but again... Thank you all for all the support you gave me, my wife, and Leah. From the day she was born, not knowing if she would survive the first week, to her release and big day out for the March of Dimes walk... You guys were then and are still the greatest. The hopes and prayers of you, your colleagues at work, and the prayer chains from your church congregations are what I know helped Leah thrive in that NICU and here at home. THANK YOU!
This one event in my life has changed me profoundly. It's not just becoming a father. It was the 79 days in the hospital NICU, the NICU nurses, my family, my friends, Spyderlovers, COMPLETE STRANGERS... I am a far better human today for having to experience the stress, the joy, and even the sadness for some of our little neighbors in the NICU that didn't make it. My fellow humans are what are most amazing, and it made realize how much better I could be and should be. Thank you again.
Here are some new videos and pictures.
First - This was taken soon after we got her home at 4 pounds 10 ounces. This is so you can compare her to the next photos I just took today.
Now compare to today:
Now... She is too big for the RC Spyder, but too small for the big one:
She is very active and happy:
Here is a video of her first giggles about four weeks ago:
She loves to pull her blankets around her head:
Talking to herself: ( I was on the phone at the time...)
Rolling over -Almost anyway.. She finally did the next day:
Anyway... That makes for a good update. Was due for one for quite some time, but we've been enjoying her far too much!
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