Bassinet

Before we returned the bassinet...I had to take one last picture of Andrew in it to show how big he is now! He hasn't slept in it for a while now but it was funny to see him back inside!

I am way too big for this thing!

Almost July!

Well I haven’t posted as soon as I thought I would…but we’ve been busy since the last post. We went to the doctor at the beginning of June and Andrew has hit the mark on the growth charts! He was 13 pounds 6 ounces which is right in the 25th percentile. The doctor was happy with his weight and she said that we could start trying cereal! We have yet to do that…we just established the feedings. He was in the 10th percentile for his head circumference and the 15th percentile for length. He is almost 2 feet tall! We had another round of vaccinations which caused a fever and a long night. Thankfully that did not last too long. That is my least favorite part of doctor’s visits! We made the trip to New Buffalo…finally! Andrew did great in the car ride…even the 4 ½ hour trip back due to the storm. A lot has happened in the last month…we have visited the zoo, Aunt Erin came for a week and a new friend Matthew was born! We also celebrated Father's Day...although we woke up to find that Wrigley had jumped out of the window in the middle of the night. We had no idea and we were so lucky that someone had picked him up and taken him to the shelter. So Brian's first father's day started with a search for the dog. Today we finally got together with all of the babies that we met during our stay at the NICU. When we met in February we all said that we would get together in June with all of the babies…I can’t believe the time has gone by so quickly. I posted a picture of all of our friends…minus one of the boys who fell asleep from the party. Andrew has really changed a lot…babbling a lot, lifting his head up and a lot of hand chewing. We think that a tooth is trying to come in…he hasn’t been fussy but the signs are all there and I can kind of see the start of something on his gums! The most recent development (and probably one of the best) is the 7-10 hour nights of sleep that we have had! All of a sudden Andrew decided to sleep! The first night it happened I woke up in somewhat of a panic. I didn’t know what to think! I guess it all happens eventually. Well, it’s hard to believe that it is almost the 4th of July…we’re heading to New Buffalo for a nice vacation!

ZOO

First family trip to the zoo!

Hand/Foot Print Tiles

I was fast asleep....

until you squished my foot!

Now the hands...

4 1/2 month hand and foot print tiles

Jammie Day with Wrigley

Just a jammie day with Wrigley!

Bath in Grandma's Sink!

It was a sticky day...so we decided to give Andrew a little sponge bath in grandma's sink!

This is silly.

Not sure about this guys.

Firsts

It has been a long time since I have posted! We have had a lot of firsts since the last posts! Andrew goes to the doctor for his four month apt. on Thursday. I’ll post information after that but I wanted to jot down some of our latest adventures. May was a busy month. The best part is that the weather has been better and we have spent a lot of time outdoors! Andrew started “talking” and smiling around 13 weeks and now he is full of smiles and coos…especially right when he wakes up. He loves to laugh with Brian…and Brian seems to get him to smile a lot! He gradually made the move to his crib and he seems to like sleeping in a bigger bed! He really loves his mobile in the crib too! I had my first mother’s day…it was pretty gloomy outside but so nice to relax at home with Andrew and Brian. I posted a picture of the boys on Mother’s Day….they slept in! We’ve had a few eye doctor visits since the last post and I’m happy to say that we are finally done visiting the eye doctor every two weeks! We just have to go for a six month check up which will be at a pediatric ophthalmologist. So we are so happy that Andrew’s eyes have developed. Andrew went to his first bbq and had his first dinner at a restaurant with our good friends….we let them be the guinea pigs. He slept the entire time! We took Andrew to his first Tiger’s game over Memorial Day weekend. We made it until the 6th inning but it was too sunny for him. Last week I went to school so Andrew could meet the Juniors! We had a great time and Andrew seemed to really like school! I’ll post a picture as soon as I get that! And to finish the month of May…Andrew had his first overnight stay. We went to Grand Rapids to Colleen and Charlie’s wedding. He was perfect during the wedding…Brian was worried that the Catholic ceremony would be too long for him. I think he likes church! Grandma and Grandpa Mrozek stayed with us and babysat during the reception. They took a lot of walks and he was only a little fussy before bed. I can’t believe how busy May has been. Our days fly by…we spend our time moving from one activity to the next. He finally loves his swing, has a lot of tummy time and recently we’ve tried the exersaucer… it’s like a circus ring! I hope I remembered all of our new adventures. We know he just hit 13 pounds so I will post the rest of his stats this weekend!

Mother's Day

A Visit with the Juniors!

Today, Andrew and I went to visit the Juniors! I have definitely missed the children and have enjoyed looking at all of the pictures they've made us and reading all of their cards. They were so excited to finally meet baby Andrew! One of the little girls said that she wished Mr. Hull was there to take the baby so I could stay with them all day! They thought I was going to come back the next day and the next day, etc.

AM Juniors

PM Juniors

First Tiger's Game

We took Andrew to his first Tiger's game today....although it was really warm and sunny in our seats. We saw Dan and Mary there so we moved to sit near them for a few innings. I don't think we really watched much of the game because we were trying to keep the sun away from Andrew most of the time. But it was good to get outside on such a beautiful day! As you can tell from the pictures, Andrew needed a big nap when we got home!

In front of Tiger Stadium....and Go Red Wings!

I was exhausted when we got home!

Exersaucer

Since Andrew can hold his head up really well, we thought we would try the exersaucer. We put a few blankets or burp cloths to support him a little bit...he probably thought it was crazy.

This is crazy!

Almost touching!

Bumbo Seat

Outside in my Bumbo seat!

Game Day!

Since the last post, Andrew has hit the 10 pound mark! He was 9 pounds 12 ounces at his visit to the pediatrician last Thursday. While we were there, the doctor did a little check up. She checked Andrew’s reflexes because I noticed that he twitches quite a bit while sleeping and stretching. The eye doctor said that as he is starting to look around more, he will still have some jerky movements. She said that I should consult the pediatrician if I was concerned. So while we were there for his last RSV shot, she did a little check. It is normal for babies to have little movements. One of the trickiest things about being born early is that it is hard to know which “birth date” to go by when looking at Andrew’s development. On Friday, Andrew turned 12 weeks old! He had his first play date with his friends David and Anthony from the NICU. We took a long walk and then visited for a little while. It was so good to see our friends; we haven’t seen them since we left the NICU. As you can tell from the picture, Andrew was exhausted after the long walk. Fresh air does wonders…and now the cold weather has kept us inside again!

David, Andrew and Anthony

I'm exhausted!

Great Gram's Birthday!

can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since the last post! Time flies…and Andrew is growing so fast! He will be 12 weeks on Friday! We made the trip to visit my grandma (see picture) for her 80th birthday and Andrew did really well on the car ride. He slept the entire 2 ½ hour ride. We are working our way up to the 3-3 ½ ride to New Buffalo. That drive might require a stop to eat! We had a really nice visit with my grandma and my aunt who was here from Seattle. Andrew is the first boy on my mom’s side of the family…my mom has two sisters and they all had girls (five granddaughters for my grandma), so my grandma was excited to meet her new great grandson! He is the fourth boy to have Martin as a middle name on my dad’s side of the family! Andrew, my dad, grandpa and great grandpa all have Martin as their middle name. Last weekend we had grandma and grandpa Hull here to visit. They haven’t been here since the weekend before his discharge, so they were surprised to see how he has grown. Andrew is 9 ½ pounds! He has more than doubled his birth weight! I went out to dinner with the DG’s and Brian and his parents stayed home with Andrew…who was a little fussy. We have taken every opportunity to go for walks when it is warm out and Wrigley loves having long walks with the family! He wasn’t so sure about the stroller following him at first, but he quickly forgot about it. It has been so warm that we finally met our neighbor friend, who was born in October (6 weeks early). It was nice to visit and share experiences from the NICU. We went to the eye doctor yesterday. His eyes are still developing. The doctor said that she usually likes to see babies for 8-10 weeks, so we will be going back in another 2 weeks. She said that he will start looking around and focusing on objects more, which he already has been. He has a new mobile in his crib and he seems to really enjoy that (when he lets us put him down). While we were at the doctor, we saw his old “pod mates.” During the last week of his stay, Andrew shared a corner with triplets (2/3 babies). So it was good to see all of the babies! Things have been getting better in the eating and sleeping department. Hopefully he is starting to grow out of the reflux, but we still have our moments. It’s getting better. We are back to swaddling to help him sleep a little better. We gave it up because he would get out of it every time. So we have to swaddle him when he is really sleepy, otherwise he gets out of it and startles himself awake. Tomorrow we are going to the doctor for his last RSV shot. Thank goodness RSV season is coming to an end and hopefully all of the flu bugs will disappear! We are so grateful that Andrew has stayed healthy since he has been home from the NICU.

Happy Birthday Great Gram!
This is the life!

So sleepy!

Happy dreams!

Family

We have had another great week…Andrew will be 10 weeks old tomorrow. We have been on a bottle strike since Sunday…with the hope that he will regulate his eating patterns a little better. The good news is that he doesn’t seem to be over eating, which helps with the reflux. The bad news…not a lot of sleep for me. But hopefully that will get better. He still loves to be held but we’re working on that one! We did go for a walk on Monday, since it was so warm. It was nice to get out and I think we all enjoyed getting some fresh air. He slept the entire time! We went to the eye doctor on Tuesday…everything is still developing normally. We’ll go back again in two weeks. We’ve noticed that he is starting to show an interest in the books that we read and the toys that we hold in front of him. He seems to track them with his eyes as we move them. He is getting so big! We are starting to put newborn clothes on…well now they actually fit. I think I’ll have to put the preemie outfits away. We’re taking another trip this weekend to visit my grandma. She has recovered from her fall, so we’re excited to introduce Andrew this time. Today is her 80th birthday.

9 Weeks Old Tomorrow!

Andrew turned 2 months old last Friday; he will be 9 weeks old tomorrow! Monday was his original due date…we have been blessed to have him so early and so healthy! My mom and sister came to visit this week…it was nice to have a few extra sets of hands! I was able to take a nice uninterrupted shower! Last Thursday we went to the pediatrician for Andrew’s RSV shot. RSV season is over at the end of April (I believe) so thankfully we won’t have to go through that again. That was his first shot (that I witnessed) and it broke my heart to hear his little cry. When we went for the shot, he weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. We then went on Saturday because Andrew was having a lot of tummy issues. He started to have all of the symptoms of reflux (common in preemies) and sure enough the pediatrician recommended Zantac. He weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces…a nice 6 ounce gain in only a few days. So that leads to his most recent visit to the pediatrician. Aunt Erin came went with us to his 2 month check up on Tuesday. I needed someone to be there when he had four shots! He also had to have an oral vaccine. It was quite the outing for the little peanut…he slept and slept and slept after that appointment. I was worried when he didn’t wake up every 2-3 hours at night to eat. I do have to say that it was one of the best nights of sleep that I have gotten in a while. He weighed a whopping 7 pounds 14 ounces at this visit…so another 6 ounce gain since Saturday. I can’t believe he is almost 8 pounds…and he probably is as I type this message. He also measures 20 ½ inches long and his head circumference is now 36 ½ cm. The doctor thinks that he is gaining weight “beautifully” and that he will have no problem on the growth curve. We can’t wait for it to warm up, so we can venture outdoors a little bit! We only leave to visit the doctor. We will go back to the eye doctor this Tuesday for another check up and then we’ll have a break for a few weeks before his next visit.

Sweet Baby

On Friday, Andrew turned seven weeks and his gestational age as of yesterday is 39 weeks! I can’t believe that he will almost be 2 months old! Over the weekend, we celebrated the first day of spring (with another snow fall), Andrew’s first Easter and yesterday we had cake for my birthday! We took Andrew on his first long car trip to my grandma’s, but unfortunately she had suffered an awful fall and is now recovering in the hospital. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping that we will make the trip again in a few weeks for her 80th birthday and then he will be able to meet her and spend the day with her. We went to the eye doctor today and his eyes are still immature and developing the way they should be. The doctor told me it’s like growing grass…it takes a long time. So we have another appointment in two weeks. Andrew is growing like crazy…he is just over 7 pounds! We’re still enjoying being at home and we can’t wait until it warms up so we can head outdoors. We’ve tried out his bouncy seat and bought a new swing because someone really loves to be held. The chair and swing are still too much for him, there isn’t enough support for his little head and body. So then we decided to try a little papasan chair and…it works! Of course it’s really hard to not hold him; he loves to be held and sleeps so peacefully.

Home

Andrew turned six weeks on Friday and his gestational age is 38 weeks today! I have been trying to post an update, but it seems that there just hasn’t been enough time. We really have spent the last week enjoying being at home with Andrew. We visited the pediatrician and eye doctor last week. Everything went well at both appointments. Andrew’s eyes are still developing appropriately and we will go back again in two weeks. The doctor said that because he was born around 32 weeks, he should be just fine. We went to the doctor again today, because we were worried that Andrew has been a little congested. He sometimes seems a little stuffy, but everything is fine. We need to be very careful as it is still RSV season. He was 5 pounds 11 ounces when we left the hospital and he weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces today. He is gaining a little more than an ounce a day, which is great! We are still trying to establish a routine…Andrew usually just decides what to do. I’ve posted a few pictures…he seems to enjoy his bath and just being at home.

My own bed.

Oh it's like I'm on a hammock on the beach!

Snug as a bug in a rug...in my pack n' play.

Time to go home!

Andrew is five weeks old today! We thought last night was our last meal at Beaumont’s cafeteria, but we had lunch there today. We were all set to go home and we had to wait until 2:00 for the cardiologist to come for the echocardiogram. It seemed like forever…but it was worth waiting for because everything was fine with the echo. They still say that he has PPS…something he will grow out of. So we cleaned his crib out, signed all of the discharge papers and headed home. It is great to be home! We are visiting the pediatrician tomorrow morning and the ophthalmologist next week. We still pray that everything will continue to develop appropriately with his eyes. I posted some pictures…Wrigley didn’t even seem to notice him when we first brought him home. He figured it out once he made a few sounds. Wrigley jumps whenever Andrew makes a peep. So far, he has been good, just really curious.

I'm ready to go!

Time to go home!

It's good to be home!

Wrigley's first introduction.