Extreme Prematurity - A Realistic View

As a NICU nurse and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner student (more on that next week), I feel that the public needs a wake-up call on extreme prematurity. My professional experiences have shaped my personal views in addition to being the mother of both our premature boys. Seeing Carson and Elias born at 30 and 25 weeks gestation was shocking to say the least. Watching the hardships and hurdles they have gone through in the past six and four years has been impossible at times. Our boys are fairly unscathed from their prematurity based on their gestational ages even though both will deal with long term impacts of early birth for their lifetimes. To hear about a campaign to change the law in the UK based on the birth and death of a 21 week fetus and the misconceptions surrounding extreme prematurity is disheartening.

Stop over to Reality Rounds for a realistic view of extreme prematurity and response to the Justice for Jayden movement entitled Is letting a 21 week premature baby die considered health care rationing?. She has it right and hopefully the public perception will shift towards the actual impact of extreme prematurity instead of becoming wrapped up in the hype of "miracle" stories that the press promotes.

Miracle Grow and Casting

My mother always told people she sprinkled Miracle Grow on my cereal in the morning because I grew like a weed as a child. Either Al is poisoning our children or they grow just like the two of us. Elias had a physical medicine appointment on Tuesday to check up on his cerebral palsy and make sure his braces were appropriate. I knew the little man had grown but the numbers were shocking. He is now 37lbs (with clothes on) and a whopping 45 inches tall. No wonder he needs size 5 jeans this fall! Those numbers place him at the 55th% for weight and way off the chart for height at the height of an average 6 year old! Too bad his BMI is only 5.6 and he's below the 3rd percentile in weight-for-length. We grow them tall and skinny though because Carson is built the exact same way.

This amazing growth spurt seems to have created a small problem with his AFO braces however. He needs new AFOs casted and made for a taller version of Eli. His phys med doctor said that he looks pretty good and the AFOs are definitely making a difference in his gait and heel tightness. He is hyper extending his knees a bit though so his new AFOs will be made to create less free movement in his knee joint. Today at the orthodic office Eli picked out blue snake skin patterned AFOs with navy blue straps. He patiently let his leg molds dry and walked up and down the hallway for them to assess his gait. A Scooby-Doo sticker and watermelon sucker were his rewards for the day and he was glowing as we left.



After his appointment we headed up to the dam to test out Gigi and Bobpop's new boat. It was a surprise for Eli and he was ecstatic. Elias threw on the life jacket and jumped into the boat. We had a little picnic out on the lake and Bobpop even let Eli steer the boat for a few minutes. When we picked up Carson from school Eli couldn't wait to brag about driving the big boat. Carson can't wait to have his turn at the wheel. Now we wait for our main insurance to deny coverage on Elias' AFOs so BCMH can cover them. Policies and procedure, blah, blah, blah. I just want to see him running in some super cool snake skin braces that actually fit!

Hot Rods

Labor day weekend brought a few classics up towards our house. It was a nice day for the beginning of September so we packed up the boys and drove over to the local car show. Carson and Elias love cars and trucks so what could be better to wear them out in the middle of the day?



There was a wide variety to look at (but NOT touch!) all the way from a 1915 car on wooden spoked tires to a brand new Lamborghini and everything in between. Carson is fascinated by Mustangs and couldn't get enough of the restoration pictures each car owner was displaying. I have a feeling we will be rebuilding a car or two in our future with him. Eli liked the cars but loved the flame painted monster truck.


My parents ended up joining us and when the boys asked for lime green snow cones, Gigi made a beeline to the vendor. Both kiddos enjoyed their green mustaches and cold tongues before participating in Goo Golf. The sponsors set up a golfing game for kids where they had to use a marshmallow as a tee and hit another marshmallow off of it. The object was to hit a Goo Ball into one of the hula hoops to win a gift card. The big hoops were 5 points and the little hoops were 10 points. The boys didn't get any points but had a blast swinging the clubs at sticky, half melted marshmallows.



Here's to end of summer car shows and the last snow cone of the season!

Buckeye Fever

Today was the big season opener for The Ohio State Buckeyes. OSU vs. Navy in the Shoe and was a gorgeous day it was for the start of college football. With everyone dressed in their scarlet and grey we cheered on the Bucks to victory. A few kinks certainly need ironed out prior to USC coming next Saturday but Tressel will whip them into shape. Here's to another great year of Ohio State football in our house!

The Wheels on the Bus....

Elias strapped on his bright yellow backpack and climbed up the familiar steps of his bus this morning. He woke up early and even ate all of his breakfast this morning despite being so excited he could hardly sit still (he doesn't sit still much normally!). After a few pictures and brushing his teeth, we headed up to the bus stop. Looking back through these pictures is breathtaking for Al and me. We could only hope this day would come 4 years ago while we were still in the NICU. What a gift we have been given!


Don't mind my "morning" face....no makeup yet!


Eli seeing the bus pull up!


Heading off to school.

First Grade

Our baby is not a baby anymore. Carson set off for first grade this morning. He is now officially in school a full day! He enjoyed choosing his school supplies and carefully thought out the exact color he wanted his backpack to be. Last night Carson told me that he "doesn't take baths anymore, just showers". When I asked him why he wanted to switch he informed me that "baths are for little kids and all you do in the bath is play. I'm a big kid now and just need to get clean and play a little air guitar". I couldn't help but laugh because he was 100% serious.

I started up the shower for him and he washed off, scrubbed his hair, and proceeded to play air guitar for 5 minutes. It was took cute. He also wants to wear boxer briefs or boxers only now because briefs are for little kids too. When did my baby start referring to a group of children as little kids??? Wasn't he just in diapers?

I can't wait to see what first grade has in store for our big guy. He is ready to dive head first into everything at the moment and we are loving it. Six years old has turned out to be so much fun!



Elias heads back to preschool on Tuesday with the same teacher and schedule as last year. He can't wait to see his friends but today he was sad that Carson was going to be gone the entire day. They really do love each other even though some days they fight each other on every little detail.

Beautiful

Saturday my little sister was married to Keith. They had a gorgeous wedding and everyone danced the night away. I followed two funny, well put together speeches from Mark, Keith's best man and Brooke, my sister's Maid of Honor. Unfortunately I was a tad nervous and botched the ended to my speech. I meant to say, "Here's to Lori and Keith!" but ended up fumbling out an awkward, "We'll see how it goes....".

Nice. What a great sister/sister-in-law I am! ACCCKKKK!! Well, the night was perfect aside from my little mishap and Lori and Keith are happily married on a cruise in the Caribbean.






Congrats to Lori and Keith! Here's to a lifetime of happiness, health, and prosperity. Cheers!

Guitar Heros

The boys have been busy perfecting their Guitar Hero performance today. To Al's delight they both have attached themselves to Korn's "Freak on a Leash" and sing/play their little hearts out. Here is an a cappella rendition with Eli on the guitar and Carson on drums/vocals. They are having a blast and even though it's an "Al" song....I have to smile!

Wedding Shower

I threw my little sister a bridal shower today and it was so much fun! I cannot believe Lori is getting married in just three weeks. It seems like I was just bouncing like a lunatic on the trampoline all summer long. Who told her she could grow up and become so successful, beautiful, and confident? Geezz.....so much for the bossy big sister gig. I better switch into Matron of Honor mode and fast!!

The shower was a blast and so many of Lori's great friends and family were able to come. Thanks to everyone who made it memorable for her. She missed everyone who couldn't be there but the turnout was fantastic. I just can't wait to watch my little sister walked down the isle on the 22nd. I bet there will be a few tears coming from my eyes! Here are a few pics from the event taken on the fly. Mom has the better pics but unfortunately I don't have access to those yet.

Typical Mom and Lori


Brooke and Ashley


Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Game


Grandma Helen and the Blushing Bride

Our 1st Family Race

Kellogg's (insert copyright symbol here) holds a 5K run and 1 mile walk each year near our home for a charity food bank called Christ's Table. My father works for Kellogg's as a consultant now and prior to "retirement" in their product development scientist role. This run is fun and I have pictures from last year's race too. On Saturday we all work up early and made the hour trek out to the race. Unfortunately the skies had another plan and decided to open up with a thunderstorm of fury approximately 15 minutes prior to the gun going off. Everyone took cover in their cars and watched the light show until the storm passed. The rain took the edge off the temperature but certainly added a stickiness to the air. The race started about 25 minutes after the posted time and Al and Dad took their turn at the head of the pack. Carson knew ahead of time that he was going to run the 1 mile with me and Eli was going to walk with Gigi. As most plans go with a 4 year old running around, things changed right before the race. Eli wanted to run "just like Carson and Daddy" but insisted on me going with him. Carson is big enough to head off on his own ahead of us on a closed race course so he ran hard as I cheered him on. Eli made it about 1/4 mile running on and off and then decided his legs just couldn't make it and wanted me to carry him. The hard part was that he wanted me to "run so Carson didn't beat him". Let me tell you, hauling a 35 pound 4 year old and running a race is not a picnic. We caught up to Carson at the halfway mark and he was standing with his hands on his hips waiting on me. He was a bit nervous and had stopped until I met up with him again. Gigi agreed to walk the rest of the way with Elias and Carson and I took off. He was smiling from ear to ear and couldn't wait to run through the time gates. By-standers were urging him to run faster and we raced through the finish line together. He ran the mile in less then 10 minutes with a rest period in the middle while he was waiting on me!! Eli picked up the pace and followed his brother across the finish line with Gigi about 6 minutes later complete with a big boy grin. I couldn't be more proud of my munchkins. Gigi, the boys, and I started to watch for the big guys and Al came running in at just over 21 minutes. My 57 year old father shocked all of his co-workers by crossing the line in 29 minutes!! It was a wonderful day with good exercise for us all.


After all of the racers were in Kellogg's provided veggie burgers galore with fruit, chips, and drinks. The air was cool and the food tasted delicious. Nothing like a spicy black bean burger straight off the grill! The boys both won a free Frosty from Wendy's and I won a free meal from McDonald's. The event was beneficial to the community as well because all proceeds from the race ($10 per person entry fee) went straight to the food kitchen. What an amazing opportunity.

Open wide!

The Tooth Fairy has arrived at our house to gather Mr. Carson's first tooth! Our wild man lost his bottom tooth the other night while pulling a straw through his teeth. He was quite shocked when his wiggly tooth was no longer attached but instead laying on his lap. After much anticipation and excitement, our big man finally lost that precious first tooth at 6 years old. Most of the kids in his kindergarten class last year had already been visited by the magical tooth fairy and Carson was becoming increasingly inpatient.

He wrote the tooth fairy a note and left his tooth under his pillow. Since he just happened to be having a sleep over at Gigi and Bobpop's house that night, the tooth fairy made a pit stop at their house as well as ours! Carson was overjoyed to find two letters (both in red ink which is her favorite color to write in) in addition to money. What is better to a 6 year old boy except a magical money giving fairy who also corresponds?! Overall the toothless wonder made out for his first lost tooth. The fairy left items at both sets of grandparents houses, our house, and several aunts. Much daydreaming ensued over the multitude of items he could purchase with his tooth loot. He decided to buy a digger for the sand and dirt. Quite fitting. But I had him read the price at the store, count out the correct money for the cashier, and buy it on his own. These lessons aren't free!


In honor of the missing tooth, the boys headed off to the dentist for another cleaning and check-up. Carson sat through it all like an old pro and was beaming when the hygienist asked him about the hole in his smile. Elias was a big more leery but once he was allowed to hold some of the equipment and flirt with the staff a bit, he opened right up. Both boys had no cavities and were given a gold star for great brushing. They picked out new toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, and of course a little toy.



We didn't realize how soon the Tooth Fairy would be visiting our house after the visit and quickly learned that brushing your teeth can cause you to loose them too! Carson came running downstairs from his room after brushing and held up his 2nd lost tooth. The matching bottom tooth came right on out into the sink and you could already see the ideas of tooth fairy visits running in his head. If anyone sees Carson, ask him to say a tongue twister with S sounds.....it's quite amusing.

Independence Day

My work schedule has been quite flexible for traveling this summer. I ended up with seven days off in a row so we packed up the car and headed south once more. Al's parents are certainly getting to see the boys much more this year than any year prior. The 4th was fun including a cookout, some thunderstorms, and big, booming fireworks. The boys couldn't wait for the fireworks to start and we were able to watch them from the back of Uncle Aaron's truck. Carson loved all of the colors and noises this year but Eli was terrified of the "boomers". He even wanted to get back in Al's car to make them stop. All and all it was a great day and another enjoyable vacation to Tennessee.

Pilot Fireball Classic 5K

Al decided to run a 5K race in TN the night before the 4th. He bribed his childhood friend Tommy into racing as well. The whole family and Granny/Papaw decided to pack up and make a night out of it since the race began at 9:00pm and was at the University of Tennessee. There was food, music, and most of all, almost 1,000 runners! Al and Tommy both did wonderful and my hubby placed 115 overall. YAY Al!! The boys love cheering Al on in races to it was fun for them too.