David Christopher was born on August 3rd, 2005, at only 26 weeks and 6 days gestation.

He weighed in at 1 lb, 4oz, and was 12.5 inches long.

Here's his story.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Looking forward to Halloween!!!

It's coming soon!

I bet I even have TRICK OR TREATERS!!! I've NEVER had my very own trick or treaters!! PLUS I actually have a YARD I can decorate!! 23_30_125%5B1%5D.gif
So I'm open to suggestions for costumes for David. Some ideas I currently have:

bumblebee

OK so that's pretty much it. But when I find the PERFECT costume, I'll just know it.

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So the NICU reunion was on the 8th. We had a good time - saw some of the nurses that we used to know. Here's David and Stacy, one of our favorite NICU nurses.
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Trying to get his face painted - he wouldn't stay still long enough so he ended up with a couple of streaks and that was it. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif
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This is David and Katie. Katie was the receptionist in the NICU and PICU. She kept me company on many long nights.
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Getting tired.
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Can you imagine if I had TWO Davids?
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Here's a picture of David eating his new favorite snack - Toast dipped in Ranch dressing.
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(hey - if he'll eat it, I don't even care. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif )

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Speaking of eating, I find it strange that David pukes when I try to feed him brisket. But then five minutes later he has a piece of paper torn off of a flyer and swallows it before I can dig it out of his mouth.


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So I just want to brag on David for a minute - I am so proud of him! He's learning more every day and it's so much fun to watch him and what he picks up on.

Lately he's really learning to follow directions. It's so cute! He'll wave bye bye, blow kisses, smile, point to his hair, nose, and ear, give himself CPT (which is when we pound on his chest to break up mucous in his lungs haha ), play itsy bitsy spider, clap, play patty cake... and I'm sure there's more. It's so much fun.

Anyways, I just wanted to brag on him for a minute. Watch this video to see him do a few of the things I mentioned (some of them he doesn't do... but he IS a two year old... what do you expect? LOL) OH... and ignore my singing please. haha...

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OH and btw... I'm trying to teach him to "sing" by going "ahhhhhhhhhh"... he copies me by going "ah" real short. 36_11_6%5B1%5D.gif

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David's been having night terrors lately. They're getting really really bad. Any suggestions on this?

At first it wasn't that big of a deal - I would talk to him outloud, as if he was awake, in attempts to wake him up. Then, when that didn't work, I'd sing to him. That always worked.

Well last week was our worst yet - lasted at least thirty minutes... I couldn't get him to stop screaming. I was starting to wonder if he had hurt himself or had gotten bit by something.

I don't know what to do.... ugh. Hopefully they won't continue. I've noticed that the more rest he gets the fewer of the episodes we have.

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ECI (the company who provides our therapists) had a float in the Tri State Fair Parade on Saturday, and our family was asked to be on it!! I was so proud of David!!

We had SO much fun! I'm so glad they invited us to go! David did great for the most part... we were waiting in line to go for almost forty five minutes, and he started to get a little bit impatient... but he IS two, afterall. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif Anyways, here's the pictures!
This is Julie, she's our ECI coordinator.
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I love this pictures - this is Annette, our occupational therapist.
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Here's David and Joni, our nurse.
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It was really pretty chilly outside this morning. I figured it'd warm up! Crap.gif But, we brought a blanket just in case - good thing!
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And here's David, tired of it all, after the parade was over:
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Here's the few parade exhibits I actually got to see:
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I love this little donkey/horse/whatever it was!
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This girl was making me SOOOO nervous!
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Just some random, cute pictures of David
JoAnn was playing with David yesterday when he just fell asleep in her lap. It was SO sweet.
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Check out David's wild hair. 36_11_6%5B1%5D.gif
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I left him to his own devices for a few minutes today while I was cleaning. Soon he got real quiet, so I went to check on him. This is what he was doing. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif What a smart boy!
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Think he has too many toys?
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This is when he got mad at me for not letting him grab the bubble thing out of my hand while we were playing with bubbles. He already had one in his hand, and I had the other one. Well, he wanted both. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif
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And, I think maybe David wants a pillow. 36_1_20%5B1%5D.gif
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heya! He is so so cute. I have no halloween suggestions tho! Onto the medical stuff, when Samuel had a seizure like thing happen one night, we decided to call the Ambulance, his EEG's came back abnormal, but the doctor thought it might have been something related to his prematurity and not a real seizure. Anyhow..he gave my husband and I this pamplet that had info on night terrors. I thought this could help you out alot! Sorry for any typos, I typed it from the handout, and I'm sorry it's so long, but like I said, I really think it could help you with David's night terros!

Definition:
Your child is frightened but cannot be awakened or comforted.

Your child is agitated and may sit up or run helplessly about, possibly screaming or talking wildly.

Your child doesn't appear to realize that you are there. Although the eyes are wide open and staring, your child looks right through you.

Your child may mistake objects or persons in the room for dangers.

The episode lasts from 10 to 30 minutes.

Your child cannot remember the episode in the morning.

The child is usually 1 to 8 years old.

Cause:
Night terrors are an inherited disorder in which a child tends to have dreams during sleep from which it is difficult to awaken. They occur in 2% of children and usually are not caused by psychologic stress. Being overtired can trigger night terrors, so be sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable time. For younger children, consider having them return to a daily nap.

Expected Course:
Night terrors usually occur within 2 hours of bedtime. Night terrors are harmless and each episode will end of its own accord in deep sleep. The problem usually disappears by age 12 or sooner.

Dealing with Night Terrors:
Try to help your child return to normal sleep. Your goal is to help your child go from agitated sleep to a calm sleep. Your won't be able to awaken your child, so don't even try to. turn on the lights so that your child is less confused by shadows. Make soothing comments such as "You are all right. You are home, in your own bed. You can rest now". Speak slowly and repetitively. Such comments are usually better than silence. Some children like to have their hand held during this time, but most will pull away. Hold your child only if it seems to help your child feel better. There is no way to abruptly shorten the episode. Shaking your child or shouting at him will just cause the child to become more agitated and will prolong the attack.
Protect your child against injury. During a night terror a child can fall down a stairway, run into a wall, or break a window. Try to gently direct your child back to bed.
Prepare babysitters or overnight leaders for these episodes. Explain to people who care for your child what a night terror is and what to do if one happens. Understanding this will prevent them from overreacting if your child has a night terror.
Try to prevent night terrors with prompted awakenings. If your child has frequent night terrors, Dr. B. Lask of London, has found a new way to eliminate this distressing sleep pattern in 90% of children. For several nights, note how many minutes elapse from falling asleep to the onset of the night terror. Then awaken your child 15 minutes before the expected time. Keep your child fully awake and out of bed for 5 minutes. Carry out these prompted awakenings for seven consecutive nights. If the night terrors return, repeat this seven night program.

This info was given to us by a Neuro doc at Columbus (Ohio) Children's Hospital:)
Hope that helps..have a great week!!

Anonymous said...

He'll look cute whatever you decide for him to dress up as. All these pictures were great. I have that orange shirt "little boys rule" on it for my boys lol Actually I didn't even notice my 6 year year old is sitting her by me and told me lol. He (my 6yo, Tyler) also thinks the last pic of him sleeping is cute. in his words " aww that's cute"
Have fun decorating for Fall =] Show us pics.

Anonymous said...

okay scratch one of those "year" and add an "e" to "her" to make it here. lol What can I say? I need my coffee.

Blessings,
Theresa

Anonymous said...

I'm back. I forgot to watch the video earlier lol. That's awesome!!! I love how he sings =]
He's a smartie!

Unknown said...

When we had trouble with night terrors the doctor recommended a wet wash cloth on the back of the neck. The first time it freaked him out, but it has worked since then. I think it wakes them up just enough to get over the terror. We never tried the waking thing, the thought of waking up the baby I just spent 30 minutes putting to sleep was too much for me!

On a happier note, he is a doll, and a bumble bee would be awesomely cute!
~Christina

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