One year ago...

...I was a bit of a wreck, feeling as if we would be in perpetual limbo waiting for our second child. Little did I know then that we would see his precious face less than two weeks later, on March 31. One year ago, our Guy was 10 months old and weighed about 12 lbs., weak, malnourished, and working hard for each breath. Now he is a robust 26 lbs. and constantly on the move. More reflections on the past year will come in a later post. But for now here are some photos.

Merry Christmas, Pardner!

Just a quick post since I never have time for more than that. There has been a lot going on in the past two months. Gemma turned five and had a very fun secret agent birthday party. Guy took his first steps on Nov. 21st, but is taking his time mastering this new skill. His record number of unassisted steps is 15, but that was set about a week ago. He's most comfortable taking only a few at a time.
Guy had his 18 month check-up yesterday, and he is right on target with no concerns. That's quite an accomplishment considering how much catching up he had to do. AND he is almost 24 lbs. (20th percentile!) and 31" (15th percentile!). If his pace of growth doesn't slow down soon, he is going to be a giant.
In two weeks we are headed home to Virginia to spend Christmas with the Slupek family. This will be our first Christmas there in 6 years, the first since we had kids and the first without my mom. I haven't had much of a desire to be in Virginia at Christmas without my mom--she was the absolute center of all family celebrations--but this year I am ready. I know it will be special for the kids.
Here are a couple of pictures from our visit to Bass Pro Shops' Christmas wonderland a few days ago. The kids love that place almost as much as their dad.

June-July 2009

Milestones

Since I am not keeping up with Gemma's baby book (and don't even have one yet for Guy!) it is time that I record some of what has been going on with our babies. So it will go on the blog in hopes that someday I will get it down on paper, too.
Guy has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past three months. Since his surgery, he has really taken off. He is so curious about everything and determined to go after whatever interests him at the moment. Just before surgery, Guy had started scooting around in a belly crawl. He resumed this mode of getting around just 2 days after his surgery in spite of his healing incision down the center of his chest! It was obvious that he was in some pain/discomfort over the next few weeks but it only slowed him down a little bit. After the first few weeks, Guy would push up onto his hands and knees more and more, as he healed more on the inside, we think. Last week, he must have felt much better in that position, because he has perfected his crawl and only occasionally resorts to his belly crawl. Also, he pulls up on anything available to him and wants to walk so badly! He is very quick and determined, at the peril of his big sister's many careful arrangements of cars, blocks, etc. Gemma got so frustrated with Guy's path of destruction last week, she marched into the kitchen and demanded, "How do you spell 'baby'?" I told her, and she marched away in a huff. Five minutes later, I discovered Guy downstairs, sitting up, staring at the closed door to the toy room/office. On said door, affixed with Scotch tape, was a sign that read, "NO BABYS".
Last night, though, we watched this big sister and baby brother play on our bed. The game involved a ball, some throwing, some gentle tackling. Guy was in heaven, spinning himself in circles on the bed, trying to keep his eye on Gemma as she sprinted from one side of the bed to the other. Their laughter was long and loud, their squeals growing more excited despite the late hour, thirty minutes past Guy's bedtime. But this moment was magical for all of us. And just when I thought my happiness had peaked as I watched my children delight in each other, Gemma reached out to embrace her brother. To my astonishment, Guy leaned in, pressing his face to hers, murmuring, "Mmmmmmm....mmmmmm." That is how he gives "hugs" and "kisses". I get these expressions of love and affection from Guy occasionally and they are divine. But to see Guy and Gemma have this exchange made my heart burst. As Humphrey Bogart once said, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
Gemma has also had a lot going on in the past week or two. The same week she started Junior Kindergarten (last week of August), she rode her bike without training wheels, completed her "shark" level swimming class by jumping off the diving board and swimming unassisted to the side of the pool, AND tied her own shoes! She is reading more and more, and at times she behaves in such a mature way that it takes my breath away. I am certainly missing my baby girl but I love the child she has become, and it is a treat to watch her grow and change each day.

First post-op smile!

Guy continues to improve, and we expect to take him tomorrow! He has mostly been content and calm in the past day or so, but 48 hours after surgery he gave us his first smile. An hour later he is starting to giggle a little. He loves to ride in his red wagon all over the hospital and seems to be a big hit with whomever he encounters. Our unbiased opinion is that he's the cutest Guy here!!

"The best post-op baby ever."

This comment about our son, overheard by Jon, was made by Guy's CICU nurse to the nurse who was relieving her at 7:00 a.m. Less than 24 hours after open heart surgery, Guy is not needing morphine, has eaten well, and slept through most of the night. The rest of his lines and tubes will be removed today except for one "just in case" IV. He probably won't even need to be on oxygen much longer.
And we'll be able to HOLD him!!
More later...
They are about to re-open the ICU to parents and visitors, and I want to get my hands on the best baby ever.