Mountain Musings

NICU Reunion Fall Festival 2017

Hi blog world! It's your Georgia correspondent here! :) I wanted to share some pics from our fun weekend...this was the first year we have attended the CHOA NICU reunion. We didn't go last year, as Andrew was still on oxygen and a little fragile having just been discharged about 5 weeks beforehand. I've visited some of our nurse friends over the past year while at the hospital for different procedures, but this was a lot of fun to see more of them and all in one place.  

We checked in at the welcome table and picked up a t-shirt for Andrew. There was a big bounce house set up for the kids to play in, but Andrew was not interested at all. Ha! He preferred to go play with a big ball in the grassy area all by himself. There was a photographer there taking pictures of each family, so we went over to that area next....I liked the way ours turned out, although I wish the boys were smiling. There was just so much going on for them to take in, they didn't know what to think.  

There was a catered meal from a BBQ company, cake, and other goodies. We sat and talked with another NICU family that had been at Scottish Rite this year and compared our experiences. It was good to get to know some new people with similar issues. Inside, there were long lines to get face painting and caricatures. We didn't wait for those, but met up with our friends to talk - their little girl is just a couple weeks older than Andrew, and we were side by side neighbors for most of our NICU stay, with our babies going through a lot of the same things. The mom and I are good friends now, and it's always nice to catch up.

And of course...seeing our nurses and respiratory therapist was wonderful! I got pictures of Andrew with two of his four primary nurses and his RT....really wish we could have seen and gotten a pic with his main doctor, but he had already left for the day. We are so grateful for all the hours of loving care these ladies put into taking care of our little preemie last year - God sure used them to bring Andrew through some tough times!

We had a great time seeing everyone again! Maybe next time Andrew will actually want to participate in all the fun activities instead of being shy. ;) And since he wasn't even really smiling in any of the photos from the reunion, I'll close with this picture of my two boys...playing together on the day Andrew turned 18 months. (Aaaaahhh, can you believe he's already that old?!)

~Sarah

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Welcome, Little One!

Last month, Eric and I were so happy to welcome our new little baby boy into the world! Baby Matthew was born at full term, such a relief and answer to prayer after our preemie journey last time. It was a much longer labor than Andrew's, over 30 hours from the time I felt the first mild contractions start, including 3 hours of pushing, but thankfully I didn't have to have a c-section.

Andrew has been quite curious about this new addition, trying to play with him by attempting to slap his head. Haha! "Gentle!" has been uttered quite a few times. :) Andrew has also become quite cuddly and clingy these days, as he adjusts to a new baby taking away some of Momma's time and attention.

We were so blessed to have Mom come and stay with us for the month of May, both before and after the birth, to help around the house and with Andrew. He loved having his Granny around, and she became quite the expert at all his medications and running the feeding pump. It was a big help to know he was in good hands while I was at the hospital and recovering at home afterwards. Here's Mom with her grandsons!

Mom was here on Mother's Day, and we got a picture together, too:

Now Mom has gone back home, and we're settling in as a family of FOUR! Yay! Babies are a gift from God, and we are very thankful for our 2 sweet boys! :D

~Sarah

Celebrating a Milestone

We recently celebrated the momentous occasion of Andrew's very first birthday! How far he has come in the past 12 months! I really cannot believe a whole year has passed already...while some days have been long, the months sure go by fast. :)

We weren't expecting or prepared for Andrew's early arrival, and it's been a learning experience as we were plunged into a world of medical terms and procedures that we had never heard of before. Now, after a year, it's all familiar and routine much of the time, and we're slowly but surely moving toward normality. Getting off his feeding tube and learning to eat by mouth are the main challenges left.

Andrew is doing so well for what he's been through - he's crawling now, getting faster and faster, gaining weight, and getting into everything as he explores with growing curiosity. He's a sweetie...but also a little mischievous stinker. :D

We had a little family party to celebrate his birthday, and I decorated with a jungle theme since he has so many little jungle animal toys. We gave him his own cupcake to destroy, and he was not sure what to think about that! As he's not used to putting food in his mouth, we had to put just a teensy bit of frosting on his lips to try to get him to actually taste it. Buuuut...he preferred just grabbing handfuls of cake and trying to throw them. Haha!

 Here's a collage I made of each monthly picture to show his progress:

I'll close with this poem that Andrew's Uncle Alex wrote for a Christmas gift:

The Early Child

By our time he came too soon;
Much, but not long, awaited.
Like an early phase of the waxing moon,
He appeared only half-created.

It was a startling voice that first declared
The news, "The baby is here!"
A gift that caught us unprepared
Awakened blind wonder and fear.

Away from his mother's longing arms
He was rushed in mechanical haste;
His first day on earth seemed to lack the charms
On which waiting parents' hopes are placed.

A pound and a half was all his weight
When first he came before our eyes;
Four months before his expected date,
A corncob's length described his size.

From the moment of his fragile birth
Each hour was a fearsome trial;
As prayers of alarm ascended from earth,
Tears of God's children were placed in His vial.

His nascent lungs could utter no cry
As he lived enclosed in a heated bed;
Yet in his life we could hear the compassionate sigh
Of the voice that raised Lazarus from the dead.

And this sigh was echoed by God's earthly flock
In a tender love that never faints.
With heart-throbs of pity his cradle to rock,
He was warmly enwrapped in the prayers of the saints.

And so he grew, and so he thrived;
By arduous steps he gained his breath.
Through the darkest of paths he safely arrived
At the end of the valley of the shadow of death.

So we know that his coming was not too soon,
By God it was long awaited;
His every feature by the wise Sculptor hewn
And his birth from eternity dated.

For each baby that's born in traditional time
Lives, for nine months, a miracle concealed;
But in this one who came before infant prime
Was the miracle of life plainly revealed.

Strange and wondrous are the ways of God,
Who calls the day out of night;
Through the weakest among us on this sin-burdened sod
He chose to show us His might.

For we know in the form of this tiny child
Lies the entirety of the human race,
For we, though with thoughts of our own strength beguiled,
Lie helpless like babes in the divine arms of grace.

Happy Birthday, Andrew! We love you so much and are grateful to God for sparing your life and helping you to thrive!

 ~Sarah

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 10

Edited:

We have our 2 winners! Congrats to Cathy and Victoria on crossing off all their words. Your prizes will be sent out shortly! :) Thanks to everyone for playing along again this year!

Day 10, words coming up!

Today I have a cute snowman picture for you!! :) Andrew and I were over at my in-laws' house yesterday, and he was interested in their big snowman decorating the door. We had to get a picture of them together. :) The snowman is a head taller than the baby! Awww.

Maybe someday he'll get to make a REAL snowman!

~Sarah

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 9

Wow, we're halfway through the second week already! I hope everyone has had fun so far and that you're all getting lots of words crossed off. Here's 15 more:

What's your favorite kind of hot chocolate? Do you have a recipe for homemade that you whip up? Or do you get a mix from the grocery store? One of my favorite flavors of hot chocolate is French vanilla....and I was given some for my birthday to enjoy! Yay! Are you a marshmallows in your hot chocolate person or not? Sometimes I put them in, sometimes I don't. :) What's even better than hot chocolate by itself is sipping some along with CINNAMON ROLLS. Now that's good stuff...perfect for a trim the tree party or for Christmas breakfast. :)

~Sarah

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 8

Here we are again....15 more words for crossing off your lists! Anyone getting close?

Today I'm showing you my collection of Christmas linens - I have 3 tablecloths, and then one set of snowflake napkins. Aren't they pretty and festive?! Right now I have the holly tablecloth on the table, but I need to change it out. Hmmm, which one of the others should I pick next...

Do you have seasonal linens that you use?

~Sarah

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 7

Good Monday morning, everybody!! I hope you had a good weekend...are you ready to start the second week of bingo? Here we go!

I have two manger scenes in our house - one is on our coffee table and was my grandpa's. It's very much like the one I grew up with, so it's like a little bit of home. :) The second manger scene is a new one given as a wedding gift from friends, and we display it on the dining room table.

What manger scenes do you have?

~Sarah

 

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 6

The weekend is here, and I have some bonus words for you! I won't be posting tomorrow, so see you back here bright and early on Monday morning. :)

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

 

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 1:31-33,  2:6-7

 

Christmas is the season of celebrating Christ's Birth, our Savior coming down to earth as a man to save His people from their sins. What wonderful news! How do you keep the focus of Christmas on the real reason for the season?

Have a good Lord's day tomorrow...see you next week.

~Sarah

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 5

Wow, it's Friday already! Fifteen more words, coming up...

Well, since it's almost the end of the first week, I suppose I should let you know what you're playing for, right? :) The prizes this year are as follows:

Prize #1

$25 Amazon gift card

Prize #2

$25 Etsy gift card

First person to bingo gets first choice between the two! Yay!

~Sarah

Holly Jolly Bingo ~ Day 4

Forward to Day 4!

I wrote about our new ornaments last year, but here are some of the traditional ones that Eric brought along with him. These are clear plastic icicles, and we have both thin ones and thick ones all over the tree. He said that in Georgia, these are about the only icicles that we will get! :)
Eric and I both brought along quite a few ornaments with us...both of our moms have been giving them to us for many years, so we amassed a lot! There was enough to just about fill our tree last year, and now we've added the new ones!

Do you have any traditional ornaments that Christmas just wouldn't be the same without?

~Sarah