Larry Gets Ready for Halloween at Hoovers

Batter Up

The weather has been so beautiful this week. We're all about playing outside. Grandpa Philip and Grandma Margaret arrive tomorrow for Halloween fun.

Infection Protection

Oliver and I had a brief visit with the pulmonologist today so he could receive his second dose of Synagis. This medication is given monthly to high-risk babies (such as preemies) during cold season to help them fight RSV, which is a respiratory illness that isn't a big deal for older kids and adults but can have a bad impact on babies, especially little ones.

Respiratory illness this winter is our #1 fear for putting Oliver back in the hospital. Poor little guy really hollered when they gave him the shot. The nurse had warned me that it's a "thick" shot, which makes it hurt more. I tried to make it up to him the rest of the day with a lot of extra cuddles.

Pumpkin Carving

Grammy Helen and Grandad Larry picked up a huge pumpkin for carving during their visit this week. After a struggle to remove the top...


They cleaned out the goop and the seeds...



And then got to carving. Stay tuned to see the finished product in our Halloween post later this week.

Marathon Mom

There are many, many things "nobody" tells you about pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. There are more things people do not admit/concede/acknowledge than things they do.

One of these many, many things is that feeding your baby 8-10 times a day for 45 mintues to an hour each feeding can be...boring. I really want to be the person who gazes lovingly at my baby for 8 hours a day, needing nothing more than the sight of his sweet visage to satisfy me during the long hours. This is the behavior I imagine in some of my earthy-mom friends. And I do love the sight of Sweet Oliver's face. But the mind wanders.

So here is a list of the embarrassing things I've resorted to watching on TV during the past few weeks.

American's Next Top Model. I stumbled upon a marathon, but somehow managed to watch them out of order on the DVR. And yet it was not hard to follow. Sometimes I have to pause to let the awkwardness of Tyra's end-of-show proclamations wash away, but I always hit play again.

The Rachel Zoe Project. Utterly addictive, also watched via marathon. Perhaps the most transparent quest for catch-phrase stardom ever broadcast. And yet...I die.

A Boatload of CNN. I'm beginning to find Lou Dobbs tolerable, which probably means I need to switch to MSNBC. Election coverage makes me miss being a reporter (a little).

While feeding Logan in the exact same chair two years ago, I watched two straight seasons of Project Runway via Netflix. And so far, Logan seems fine. Although he does really, really like shoes.

Come On, Baby!

We came very close to our family breaking point last night, one of those "bad nights" that you get with newborns. I had a horrible sore throat and cough, on top of just being generally tired. Oliver was extremely fussy, and Larry was up almost all night trying to keep him calm. All of the activity woke Logan several times during the night.

Early this morning we were all in the living room in various states of exhaustion, except for Logan who was chipper and demanding waffles. I went to change Oliver's diaper and when I came back, Logan was climbing into the chair we use to feed Oliver. He settled the Boppy pillow on his lap, and said, "Come on, baby!" It's moments like those that keep you going through the hellish early newborn months.

ABCs

Logan has been singing ABCs to us. We've tried to capture it on video but when he sees any camera, he stops singing and tries to grab the camera. Obviously, we find it precious. Here's how it goes:

A B C D E F G....H I J...mmmmmmmmm....T U V Double-X Y Z YAY!

We're trying to get him to fill in those blanks so he's ready for a full performance when Grammy Helen and Grandad Larry get here for a visit on Monday.

Visiting Hours

Today Oliver and I went back to the NICU as visitors, not patients, to view the beautiful Heaston twins (see Keeping Up with the Heastons blog, link at right). My heart just aches for my friend Miranda and her husband, not because I'm not certain this all ends with them bringing their gorgeous boys home, but because I know how overwhelmed they must feel about all they have to get through before that day. But the boys are looking good and my fingers are crossed that they are home in 2008, which seems likely*. Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.

On the way in we saw my OB/GYN, who delivered Oliver and Avery. It was fun to introduce them, since he had not seen Oliver in many weeks. However, I think Dr. M thinks I have some kind of Stockholm Syndrome where I can't stop visiting the NICU again and again even though we've been released.

*Universe please note that this proclamation is not in any way endorsed by the Heastons, so don't try anything funny.

So That's What Easter Seals Does

Ever wondered exactly what "Easter Seals" is all about? For years I've been getting those stickers in the mail but never knew what they were. Well now, I know.

Among other services, Easter Seals runs the early childhood intervention ("eci") program for our part of Travis County. Because of his low birthweight and his need for extra oxygen at home, Oliver qualified automatically for assessment. So, a few weeks ago, two Easter Seals representatives came out to our house to meet us. Essentially, they provide assessment and assistance in areas where Oliver is at risk for problems, from motor skills to language. Getting ready for their visit, I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that we were in some kind of trouble. Larry was kind of laughing at me because I was straightening up the house and worrying about whether Oliver's outfit was clean. Like they're going to take him away if he has a stain on the collar from his stinky vitamins.

The first meeting was just talking and a lot of paperwork. The Easter Seals representatives could not have been nicer. This week, they came out again, bringing a nutritionist for an assessment of Oliver's weight and feeding. They also put him through a drill of arm and leg exercises to check his reactions and muscle tone. He loved that, as you can imagine. And they asked me a list of questions about his interactions and reactions. Again, I had this nagging feeling that I was taking a test. It's the pleaser in me!

Anyway...if it was a test, Oliver was head of the class. Across the board they were pleased with his muscle tone, his weight gain (8 lbs. 10 oz.) and his general well-being. It was a huge relief to hear a seal of approval from people who are programmed to see issues.

We can still opt in for Oliver to be assessed regularly, but instead we chose a "lite" follow-on program that's a little less demanding. Every two months we'll fill out a questionnaire based on Oliver's corrected age, and Easter Seals will review it to identify any red flags. If an issues arises (let's say, language, or something else we can't really assess right now) we still have the option of getting help. I don't have to be sold on the idea that early identification is critical.