Random updates....

Ok Ok I know it has been a little while since I blogged! I am sorry! It is so weird how I think I can say "it's been crazy around here" and then try to explain why it has been crazy and find no way to explain it! So I will just try to put everyone up to speed as to what has been going on.

So after Ethan rolled over .... he hasn't done it again. He has been trying really hard though. He gets to rocking back and forth on his belly and he really wants to do it but just hasn't got it yet.

He weighs 8 pounds 12 oz. His newborn clothes are getting too small so he is starting to wear 0-3 months.

I took Ethan to his eye appointment in Billings by myself since Mark couldn't get off work. I was really nervous about it but it went well. Ethan did great! The eye doctor said that his eyes look better than last month but they are not 100% mature but he doesn't worry about it. He said that he will just check him in March and then yearly after that. (He originally said February but I asked if we could do it in March for 2 reasons.... there is a slight chance the roads will be ok but then I realized winter here lasts til May! and because the RSV season may be over but then again I realized that we live in MT and it probably lasts longer!) I also found out that the eye doctor is doing a report with the other pediatrician opthomologist in Missoula about babies like Ethan. Ethan is a special case though. He is the only baby that they had transferred to them to do the surgery but once we got there his eyes looked better and didn't need surgery. When we were transferred to Billings the doctor had the laser all set to go with all intentions of doing surgery! Ha little did they know Ethan has been one of those "rare" cases for many things.

At Ethan's last check-up the doctor looked at his umbilical hernia and said that he didn't see any issues with it and that it is quite small and will go away. Mark and I have noticed that it has gotten smaller since leaving the NICU. The doctor said that his belly button is the first one that he saw go out at an angle though. Yep, just another "rarity" with Ethan.

On our trip to Billings I learned that I need to brush up on my lullabies... maybe a little singing lessons wouldn't hurt either! I was belting out songs for Ethan when he would start to get fussy and surprisingly it calmed him down. There was a little Twinkle Twinkle, You are my Sunshine and If you're happy and you know it entertaining little E.

I hate the shopping around here. That is the only reason why I don't like living in the middle of nowhere BUT I have learned that I LOVE internet shopping! I love finding great deals in the stores.... I am a shopper that heads straight to the clearance rack and then browses the other racks after. So shopping on-line you are almost gauranteed to find the best deal. And the best part... when they show up at your door! Love it! It's like Christmas! I ordered a baby yoga book and I was thrilled to see it at my doorstep today. Another NICU mom had looked at it and said that it was worth reading so that is what I am doing. Later this afternoon Ethan and I will be doing a little R&R baby yoga style! The bad part of on-line shopping is when you track the package, find it is to be at your house today and it isn't here yet. So now, I am impatiently waiting for my espresso machine to show up ;) It is our anniversary next week and Mark bought me the espresso machine as a gift. I am soooo excited to use it! Not to mention being able to have a latte EVERY morning! AHHHH! The simple joys in life!

I also have to say a huge thank you for all the gifts that have been sent our way. It has been truely amazing. I did one round of thank you cards before our first trip to Seattle and now I am starting to finish them. See, I mentioned that I love on-line shopping and getting packages but it is like Christmas when you see a package and you didn't order anything! We have gotten so many cute clothes, books, stuffed animals, toys and homemade quilts. We have enjoyed it all. It means so much to us. I was a little bummed that I would not be able to have the baby shower in WI that was planned at the end of April but you all showed so much support and love through mail the only thing I missed was the cake.... and well Ethan took care of that since I ate A LOT of desserts in Seattle ;) Thank you all so much!

Speaking of desserts... so I was watching the food network and saw this awesome lemon cake dessert. SO I decided to make it. You know, it was completely from scratch and I got to use my fancy tools from pampered chef that I have been wanting to use for the last 2 years. It turned out awesome. Looked great. I altered the recipe so that it didn't have mint in it because Mark doesn't like mint. So we each had a piece. Loved it. The next day Mark went to eat lunch and for dessert he grabbed..... not a piece of the lemon cake but a cup cake! Yep that's right. A man who shows appreciation for some home cooking. And even better.... he did it again the next day! I ended up eating the whole freaking thing (except the one piece he ate after baking it). Yeah so I think I am either not going to bake anymore or wait until I know we have company coming.

Speaking of company.... I know we have told many of you that we are not going to have visitors until next spring. This isn't because we don't want to see you. Because we really would love to see all of you! Ethan's immune system is very weak. We need to protect him. We have been able to take him out to a few public places but we are very crazy about what we touch and cleaning our hands. Preemies are at high risk for getting RSV. Many people don't know what this is so I decided I should post a link to inform anyone who is interested. If you click here you can read about it. It is even worse for preemies. Many preemies get it and end up back in the hospital for weeks and sometimes months. We really want to avoid this. Ethan does qualify for a shot called synergis. From what I understand it will make the RSV less severe if he were to get it.

And then there is the company that we have to have. The medical staff. Oh how it has been interesting. There have been public nurses and quality of life staff here. I have had to ASK each one to sanitize their hands. I put the sanitizer on the coffee table and dinner table so no matter where we decide to hold the appointment it is right there. The last one that came into the house went straight to Ethan who was doing tummy time on his gym and was awwing over him as I was watching her every move I saw her little paws reach for his hand and I yelled "don't touch!" and then grabbed the sanitizer and handed it to her. Um yep.... that's me. So maybe nobody really wants to visit us right now anyway ;) It's crazy to me because each medical person I have asked to sanitize right before they touch him respond with "oh I did wash my hands before I left the office but sure." Well lets see. What did you touch from washing your hands in the office to coming to our house. A door handle to leave, the handle to your car, your car keys, your purse, probably fixed your hair or put on lipstick, more door handles, pens, briefcase.... yeah so if you don't mind sanitizing your hands I would greatly appreciate it! See, I may sound crazy but I am ok with that. After spending many many days in the hospital watching my baby fight for his life.... yeah I am ok with being crazy.

One of those people came over to evaluate Ethan and see how he is reaching his "milestones." She will be back next week to tell me how he did (you know, after she puts it in the computer and the computer spits out how he is doing.) She has a wealth of information though... so she says. She does teach baby sign language so of course he will be taught that. She is also looking at getting me a book on baby massage. Both Mark and I really like her so hopefully the meetings go well with her.

Ok one last thing. So somewhere on the blog I mentioned starting him on food. Well I got a couple responses with that. At first I was like well I am going to do it if he thinks he is ready because I don't want to hold him back. Well that was stupid thinking. It is just food. Getting him started on food before he is a year old is basically just for fun. There are many studies going on about this topic. A friend of mine pointed out the study about the leaky gut... basically leading to autism. Anyway, what I realized was that I really like this blog. I liked hearing what other people had to say about it. For some reason I felt "well I have preemie, the one that knows best for Ethan is the doctor." Um, no I don't think that. I think it is a team thing. Me (and Mark of course) and the doctor. The more information I have on these things the better I can make decisions. So I am encouraging anyone that has 2 cents to share on any topic I put on here... please do so. You can comment or email me.

Here are a few pictures from Ethan's spa day... aka bath time :)