8 months old

(Remember, you can clickity-click on any pic to make it larger.)

Can you believe that Connor is already
8 months old?!?

Yeah, neither can we!!

He's now been home the same length of time he spent in the NICU... c.r.a.z.y.

First things first... his latest stats.
He was measured at the NICU Follow-Up Clinic nearly 2 weeks ago, so I'm guessing these numbers have actually increased...

Weight: 14 lbs, 14 oz
Height: 24.5 in
Head Circ: 42.5 cm

He sees his pediatrician next week, so I'll update stats for the grandparents then.

August 12, 2009

At 8 months old, Connor...

• is wearing size 2-3 diapers, sizes 3-6, 6-9, and 6-12 month clothing (depending on the brand)
• eats 5 bottles a day, at 5 ounces each
• sleeps a glorious 12 hours a night (in bed around 8pm each night), more often than not, with 3 1-hr and under naps throughout the day

Conducting a video conference with Grandma & Grandpa Rogers - August 14, 2009

• is starting to recognize the baby in the mirror - big smiles
• loves to play peek a boo
  

July 31, 2009

• tries to put everything in his mouth, so he can drown it in saliva
• loves to be tickled, and seem to require at least 2 good laughing/tickling sessions per day (mommy & daddy are always more than happy to oblige)

Don't let all the smiles fool ya... - August 14, 2009

• is a Drama King... full-on crocodile tears when he's upset about something

Can you hear me now? - August 14, 2009

• loves to hear his own voice - he shrieks and sings all day long
• Can whine... heaven help us!

Laughing with Daddy - July 28, 2009

• has the sweetest giggle
• loves to get dressed - which is good, because he's been going through a lot of outfits lately, with his reflux acting up

Mom, do you mind???
Elmo and I are having a MOMENT. - August 11, 2009

• loves to watch TV, and can practically swivel his head 360 degrees to take a peek... so, he's been introduced to Sesame Street in teeny tiny doses much earlier than planned (it's better than cable news)... and he LOVES it!
• is not a fan of getting his nails clipped (if you'd just hold still, mommy would stop maiming you!)

Don't worry... no pizza was harmed in the taking of this photo.

Celebrating Daddy's 37th Birthday at Aurelio's - August 8, 2009

Mine, Daddy, MINE! - August 14, 2009

• has decided that snuggling's his favorite, along with taking naps on mom (who doesn't really mind being held hostage while he sleeps... considering the fact she couldn't hold him his first 4 months as much as he needed it or she wanted to)
• loves to watch daddy's fish

Got stuck again! :( - August 13, 2009

• hardly ever cries or flinches anymore when he gets stuck with needles (we're proud that he's so brave, but sad that it happens to him so much)
• gets very excited about taking his medicine (for now, we call them "treats")... it makes everything so much easier when he likes it

So, so BIG! - August 14, 2009

• loves to stand on 2 feet, and he's getting surprisingly steady, showing a lot of strength and balance

• can almost hold his bottle by himself
• is this.close to rolling over

Loves to be propped up on the sofa - July 29, 2009

• might actually sit upright by himself before he rolls over

Getting so, so close! - August 14, 2009

• is not a huge fan of storytime (he's more interested in the actual book, not the story within)
• loves to take baths and have his ears cleaned

August 14, 2009

• is becoming a big flirt out in public

Who, ME?!? - August 11, 2009

We've kept things fairly quiet around here the past month. We got together with some NICU friends, traveled to Michigan, attended the NICU Follow-Up Clinic, had some physical therapy, and then we got sick. So, especially the last few weeks, we've stuck very close to home.

LOVES his Bumbo - August 14, 2009

In the last month, he's graduated from having to regularly see his endocrinologist (his OOP cleared up) and we're considering him graduated from his gastro-enterologist as well (he's off his cholestasis meds, too). Slowly, but surely his specialists are falling off our radar.

The jumperoo works best when he has a little something to stand on... - July 27, 2009

His favorite place to be these days - July 27, 2009

At the NICU Follow-Up Clinic...
We were told several times how pleased they all were with how well he's doing, and the neonatalogist was pleasantly surprised to hear that Connor's had no hospitalizations since his NICU stay (considering his past history). Thank you for validating our hibernation efforts! He was seen by a speech therapist who had no concerns for him... in fact, his "ckckckeee" sound actually puts him ahead of where she expected him to be. The physical therapists decided that he's starting to fall behind his adjusted age... all because he hasn't rolled over yet. With everything else, he's right on track. So far, it seems like Connor might be sitting before he rolls over. We're not too concerned, yet, because we can tell he's close, and he's being seen fairly regularly by a private physical therapist.

Happy boy! - August 13, 2009

Connor had routine labwork and other tests done last week. Later that afternoon, his pediatrician called and led with, "Does Connor have a cold?" Up to that point, he had only suffered from a snotty nose, but since he hadn't been running a fever or acting altered in any way, I kinda thought it was just sinuses. Sure enough, his lab results pointed to a cold, and the very next day, we had a sick little boy on our hands. :( Not.fun. So, we've hunkered down to hibernate some more until his immune system isn't quite so challenged.

As for the labs... everything looks pretty good. His CBC is "beautiful" (looking forward to probably graduating from the hematologist this month), and his OOP and cholestasis are all cleared up. A few anomalies appeared, but nothing to be too concerned about yet, and they're being closely followed by his doctors.

August 14, 2009

All should be pretty quiet for Connor this upcoming month... he'll see his pediatrician, his surgeon, and his hematologist for follow-ups. He will also have another Early Intervention assessment - I hope to get some in-home therapy set up for him before flu season starts.

We're also hoping to get more involved with the NICU parent support group at the hospital Connor was in. Unfortunately, it wasn't up and running during our time in the NICU... and oh how we needed something like it! We hope that by getting involved, we can, in some way, help give another family some hope during one of the most difficult struggles of their lives - we couldn't have done it without the support we received from family, friends, nurses, church, work, and online imaginary friends... it's the only way we got through our experience!

Now, if we could just kick this darn cold...

Serious sayonara - August 14, 2009