First Swim

I love, love this picture! Thomas's first lake swim was Memorial weekend, 5/29/11. The water was still really cold but as you can see, Thomas did not care. He has had so much fun this summer swimming in the lake and at the pool. We haven't gone in a while since the July heat wave. What you don't see in this picture, is that lurking in behind Tom is a snake! About 30 seconds after this shot was taken a snake popped up and ruined the fun. Both boys flew out of the lake.

Like a unicorn, a picture of me pregnant is elusive and rare. Here is one at 37 weeks. We are heading to a couples baby shower. At the shower I enjoyed refreshing lemonade only to find out it was spiked with vodka. No wonder it tasted sooo good! Luckily I found out sooner rather than later or the pregnant DD would have been drunk.

Thomas is giving his sister a hug! If you ask him to kiss or hug his sister he will go to my belly and oblige the request. I am not sure what he understands about his sister but he associates her with my growing tummy. Too cute!

May 24, 2011

One of the moments I do not want to forget. This is a picture of Thomas telling me in the best way he knows how that he no longer wants any more baby food. His developmental therapist, April, suggested we let him touch and play with his food to get him over his aversion to things touching his hands. So I let Thomas play with his food as I tried to feed him. Normally, Thomas would just put his pointer finger in to explore but today he took fists full of baby food and smeared it all over his face. He never did anything like this before. He painted his face and most of his head with squash. I just laughed the whole time. He was such a mess that he needed an immediate bath afterwards. But I got the point, he was a big boy that no longer wanted baby food and if I gave him that stuff again this is what he was going to do with it.

Where does the time go. . .?

I can't believe it is August already and we are preparing for the arrival of baby girl at any moment. I am sitting at the kitchen table working on Thomas's baby book. The book tracks his first year and first moments. All I keep thinking is that I can't believe he is 16 months. As I reflect back on his first year I am glad I blogged some because it is hard to remember all the details. I am also thankful for his therapy notes that kept track of milestones. I feel like it is going by too fast and I missing and forgetting moments already. Which is a good motivator to blog again and write down these moments.

To the Park!

A few weeks ago both my brothers and Charlie's girlfriend Monica came to town for a visit. Weather was great so we had some BBQ and a lot of deck sunning. It was also the first time we took Thomas to the park. He had so much fun on the slide, swing and other apparatuses. Lucky for us Charlie is a big kid at heart and no problem crawling, climbing, sliding and swing with Thomas.

Tommy's First Crawl

He crawls! March 31st Thomas became mobile! For a while he was stuck in reverse, pushing himself backwards. He figured out first gear and now moves forward. The great motivator to achieving this feat, Mommy, Daddy, food you might think. No, the beloved, coveted and highly forbidden cell phone. I guess the want for what we cannot have starts very early.

12 Month Check Up

Thomas has learned to fear the doctor's office. It was a battle royale for his 12 month check up. Damn he is strong and feisty. The worst is that you are the one who has to pin him down as he get his shots and they check his body. He just looks up at you with such betrayal in his eyes. Well maybe I am exaggerating but you feel so guilty! Thomas was born 3lbs and 15.5 inches. He is now 22lbs 10oz and 30 inches long! He ranks in the 45 percentile for weight and the 55 percentile for height, not adjusted!!! Developmentally he is around a 10 month old. The doctor is amazed at how well Thomas is doing. She thought with all his problems in the NICU we would see many more chronic issues. But his heart is in good shape, he hasn't had respiratory problems and his only illness since we left the hospital was a single ear infection last week! We are on the look out for hydroceles. Which means that there is an opening in his testicular area which allows for swelling of his testicles. We have been watching it for a year and they have not closed. The doctor is giving it until his next visit. If the hydrocele is not closed by then, we will have to take him to a urologist and have then surgically closed. Yikes!

Thomas is qualified for the Missouri First Steps program which means we get a physical therapist and a cognitive specialist to come to the house once a month to evaluate Thomas and suggest various techniques and therapies to help him grow. Socially and cognitively Thomas is right where a 12 month should be. Physically he is delayed but no more than his adjusted 9 month age. Thomas is not crawling yet but he gets around in his own way. He knows what he wants (anything he is not supposed to have, paper, cell phones, pens, wires, laptops etc.) but just not how to get there. We are in big trouble when he finds first gear.