Leap Day!!

Today was little man’s First Leap Day!!

Ryan compounded on this First by conducting his First meaningful play with his rattle!!

He was very pleased with himself!!

He couldn’t wait to show off his new found skill to his Gammy!!

Mommy was equally as proud!

Ryan has now started meaningfully turning his head to the left.

 (He was primarily turned to the right during his last month in the NICU and it has been a bit of a struggle getting him to turn his head the other way)

Major Meltdowns. . .

We are still being extremely lazy today! Neither Mommy nor Baby are feeling to hot.

We’ve spent most of the day sleeping . . . well in between Ryan’s meltdowns.

After a VERRY Exhausting weekend we are partaking in our most FAVORITE Monday Morning Ritual!

Lazy time with my baby boys!!!

Now if only I can convince my body/mind to get motivated!!

Sailor Lil Man

Our little sailor made his appearance this week!

We are still LOVEING our little man in Blue!

I’m still (not so) secretly praying that they stay blue!!

Armed Women!

Our little man had a VERY Lazy Sunday afternoon hanging out with G
ammy while daddy did some teaching!

His Auntie Peggy came over and learned how to shoot!!

Dean is still amazed and pleased with himself at his teaching abilities.

I still think he has his work cut out for him when it comes to Auntie!!!

We were extremely proud of Aunt Peggy!

She was even able to pop water balloons with Mommy!!!

Six Months!!

Baby Boy It is nearly impossible that you are 6 months old!!

Over the last month you have grown and grown. You are now around 8lbs and depending on how far you stretch your measurements have you between 20.5-21 inches!!

You are entertaining the idea of sleeping through the night! Mommy has sure enjoyed the few 8-12 hour stretches of sleep you’ve given her this month!!

You’ve grown out of Pampers newborn diapers but are still fitting nicely in Huggies newborn. You’ve decided this month that that slight difference in shape/size between the diapers makes Pampers rub your little skin raw. Needless to say there will be no more Pampers.

You are primarily wearing newborn cloths. You have one or two outfits that say they are premie but are actually the size of your newborn outfits that we are attempting to get the most out of!

You’ve had a rough month tummy wise. You are on a new formula and tummy medicine. Because of these troubles you’ve spent most nights sleeping in your swing. We are hoping to transition you back to your cradle within the next week.

Tummy troubles aside you are still a pretty good baby! You are smiling and talking more and more. You are even recognizing more of your family members. You now know your Great Grandma and Great Papaw!!

It makes my heart gleam to watch your Great Grandma’s face light up when you talk to each other!! It is even better now that you are smiling back at her!! I don’t know if you will ever understand how much your interaction with her mean to our family! I LOVE hearing her call you by name!! She has a light in her eyes that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen.

Your Papaw thinks pretty highly of you also!! He calls Gammy DAILY to check on both you and I!! I just pray that you’ll be able to grow and love them as much as your Mommy!!

It hasn’t been the easiest the last 6 months but we wouldn’t trade you for the world! I can’t believe that I’m going to start thinking of a BIRTHDAY celebration over the next few months!!

I am soo thankful that the Lord was watching over us 6 months ago! The variables of your birth could have been much different. God has a special plan for your little man.

You’ve touched more lives in your short 6 months than I believe any of us will ever know. I am beyond proud to be your mother and thank the Lord daily for our Miracle!

(Ryan had his first taste of Raspberry on his Half Birthday! Daddy attempted to make our little man’s day but failed miserably with the execution! Ryan prefers the consistency to baby food but for right now his gag reflex gets the better of him when a spoon touches his lips! Needless to say he had a minor wardrobe malfunction at the restaurant! Mommy saved the day however! A dab on the finger and then on to the tongue works EVERY time!!)

Eye Apt Stand Still

Ryan had his repeat eye exam this afternoon. He is starting to do much better with his eye drops.Thankfully his eyes are blue and easy to dilate. Lately it is only taking two rounds of eye drops!!

Gammy went with us and thought it would be a good time to introduce little man to his teething toy.

Ryan’s eyes are still doing well. The doctor had thought that his retina would be completely mature this round but found that they were still just shy of being fully mature.

He said there isn’t anything to worry about right now. He will recheck his
eyes in a month. Hopefully his eyes will be grown at this check.

We were told that sometimes the retina may take a few years to fully mature and if that is the case that it shouldn’t pose a huge problem. It would just be a bump that we would have to recheck periodically.

Trial Run

Right had his first ‘official’ trial period off of his oxygen!

I think he thought he might have ‘gotten away’ with something.

At one point he looked as though he was wondering if mommy had gone and lost her mind!

He was a little fussy but overall did well on his first trial!

Great Report!!

Ryan had a series of check-up’s today which yielded some VERY exciting news!!!

First thing. . . . .He only had to get ONE shot!! He had his RSV injection this am and the Neonatologist felt that he was doing well and didn’t need any further lab at this time!!

Ryan also received a second round of good news. His oxygen levels are doing well enough that the doctor felt that his oxygen can be weaned to ¼ of a liter at 100%!!

Thirdly. . .Dr. L felt that Ryan can now have 2-3 One hour trials off of his oxygen a day!!!
Our little boy is growing well!! He is right at 8lbs and 21inches long! With his steady growth he is slowly weaning himself off of all of his medications!

We will be seeing a pulmonologist next month in addition to the neonatologist. Dr. L wants to have him evaluated and established with the pulmonary doctor so that once his lungs mature he will have the proper set of eyes watching over him.

Ryan celebrated Mardi Gras with his Auntie Lesha at lunch today. He was fascinated at her beads!! He even tried to sneak a few away while she wasn’t looking!!

Pain and Torture. . . .

That’s what Papa used to call it!Ryan had his Evaluations for PT, OT, and Speech today.

He LOVED all the bright colors!!He is scoring anywhere from a 0month-2month. We’re being told that according to his adjusted age this is probably were he would be had he been born on his due date.

He qualified for all of his therapies. Now we wait for the doctors to finalize his prescriptions for therapy and await our start dates!With any luck the extra work will catch him up to his ‘Actual’ age by his second birthday!!

Poor Loose Nut!!

We promise one day your Gammy will be back to looking after her four-leggaged grandchildren!!

Lazy Sunday!!

Ryan had a slightly better night. We changed his formula to Alimentum. He is keeping his feedings down thanks to much less gas!

Last night Ryan had his first bath in the BIG tub!!

He wasn’t so sure about it but he decided that he would comply.

Gammy has been very helpful this weekend and has kept Ryan overnight!

Gammy, Ryan, and Daddy had a special day after church.

They toured the local sporting goods stores!

Mommy and Auntie Lesha spent the day with Redbox!!!