One and a half!

We have reached the "and a half" stage of life! Our little boy is one and a half; can you believe it?Here is an update on our busy boy. At 18 months Noah:

• Weighs 21 pounds and is 30 inches long (that's in the 1st and 3rd percentiles, thank you very much!)


• Uses 35 signs and 10 words. He really is able to communicate quite a bit and rarely gets frustrated.


• The first word that he used consistently was "bible."


• Is obesessed with cars. Not toy cars, real cars. Grandpa started it all and is very happy about this.


• Loves keys and tries to put them in doors and ignitions. (nobody taught him this intentionally, mind you)


• Can find his feet/toes, belly button, hands, ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. His belly button is his favorite. He also likes to lift up other people's shirts to find theirs...wonder how long that will be cute?


• Walks very quickly like a pro and kind of runs


• Is getting pretty good at using a cup and spoon, although it is still a messy undertaking


• Can point to animals, balls, etc in books


• Does the actions to "If You're Happy And You Know It" and some to "Skidamarink" and "Wheels on the Bus"


• Sings "nananana" with songs that have it in them


• Has a fake laugh that he does whenever anyone else laughs


• Claps for himself whenever you say "good job" (or if he thinks you should)


• Loves running around and playing with the kids at church


• Loves playing outside and in the dirt


• Can throw and kick a ball


• Likes to turn things upside down and look for batteries, latches, etc.


• Eats just about everything. His very favorites are fruit, cheese, and noodles. He also likes raw vegtables and parmesan cheese (not the sawdust kind from a shaker, the real hard cheese kind that tastes super strong by itself)

This is turning into a very long list because he is learning things so quickly and has quite the personality! He is one smart cookie and is all boy. He keeps us busy, entertained, and thankful every day.

• I love my one and a half year old!!

The Library Dilemma

Today I took Noah to the library for the first time! It was a good adventure.
He thought the big rug was pretty cool. He pulled books off the shelves and looked at them for a few seconds.
He liked that they have chairs just the right size!

He thought rocking in this one was fun.

And in true Noah style he then had to attempt to pick it up and carry it around. (while grunting, of course)

I'd say it was a pretty successful first trip. So here's my dilemma: is it just the NICU mom in me, or are library books kind of gross? I don't know where those books have been. Maybe the last reader was a snotty nosed kid infected with RSV. And those board books that looked like they have been chewed on, who did the chewing?

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the whole concept of a library, and it is a fun place to bring a kid, but my unsanitary alarm is going off. Oh the things you think of when you become a mom.

So be honest, am I crazy?
:)

WIC+EIC+MOPS+poverty=Child Survival Programs (=AWESOME)

A lot of my favorite blogs have been participating in the Compassion International bloggers trip to the Philippines. If you have a few minutes (or more), it is very much worth your time to check it out. You might want to have some Kleenex handy too. This post is one of my favorites. And this one. Oh, and this one. They are just all amazing.
One thing that I learned from it is that Compassion has Child Survival Programs that focus on babies in utero up to age 3. They provide things like prenatal care, vaccinations, and nutritious food. And more than that, education on newborn care and child development, opportunites and materials for moms to play with their kids, and spiritual encouragement and teaching from a community of believers. How awesome is that?! It's like WIC and EIC and MOPS and more all wrapped into one amazingly needed package!
Check out this post about a program in the Philippines. She talks about how by far one of the most frequent prayer requests they heard while there was "I just want my child to be healthy." Of course we ask that same request here in the States when someone is expecting, but it is it really on the same level? We know that if we have a question or something goes wrong there are well trained doctors and nurses, an ambulance if needed, and even Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Not so in many places, where the prayer for a healthy baby is driven by an all consuming and very justified fear of losing that baby.
In some ways it is not comparable at all, but I know what it is like to cry out from the deepest part of myself for the life of my child. And that is with some of the most well-trained staff in the country attending to him 24 hours a day. I cannot even imagine what it is like for these mothers.
There are horrifying statistics like the fact 24,000 children under 5 die each day from preventable causes, most within the first few days of life. But do you know what gets me even more? That in some countries parents do not name their children until they are 5. Because it is easier that way if they die, which there is a good chance they will. And that it is common for babies to be given little face to face interaction and physical affection because: 1, their families are too busy trying just to survive; 2, they have never been told that babies need it; and 3, it makes it easier to say good-bye if they don't make it. That truly breaks my heart.
I am so excited to learn about these Child Survival Programs. And that you can sponser a Child Survival Center in the same way that you can sponser a child through Compassion International. Going to have to find room in the budget for this one.
(I know this post is more link filled than usual, but seriously at least check out this one: http://rescuebabiesnow.org/)

Why didn't anyone tell me?

Why didn't anyone tell me that there are two easy steps to follow that equal my son's happiness?

Step 1: Take him outside.

Step 2: Give him a stick or a rock.

So why do I ever buy toys anyway?

Needless to say, we've been spending a lot of time outside!

Hashi-what?

Hashimoto's Disease--such an explanatory name isn't it? As of yesterday that is what I have been diagnosed with.
I'll explain what I understand (and you want an official website, I thought this one was good). Hashimoto's is actually an autoimmune disease, meaning the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells and tissues. (So my body is attacking my own thyroid. Um, body, what's up with that?) This interferes with the thyroid making the hormone in is supposed to. Which leads to hypothyroidism, meaning it is not making enough hormone for the body. It also can cause the thyroid to enlarge, which did happen in my case and is how my doctor was able to catch it. (It is called a goiter, which I think is one of the ugliest words ever...)
I actually don't have any symptoms that made me suspect anything. I just had a routine physical and my doctor noticed that my thyroid was enlarged so she ordered some bloodwork. Then I got one of those "your somethingorother levels are extremely elevated; you need to come in for further testing as soon as possible" calls. Just enough information to kind of freak me out... Now I actually understand it. Your thyroid hormone production is actually regulated by your pituitary gland which tells your thyroid how much it needs to make. This is called TSH, and your level is supposed to be under 5. Mine is 9.62. They also checked for thyroid antibodies, which you really aren't supposed to have any of because your body is supposed to get along with itself, but under 9 is just fine. Mine is over 900. Why does my body have to be such a drama queen?
Then I had an ultrasound of my thyroid. (which is as weird as it sounds and an ultrasound for anything other than a baby just isn't cool) It did show some "nodules" have formed, but they should go away over a couple months. (And I REALLY hope they do, otherwise the next step would be to stick a needle in them, which sounds like one of the least fun things ever.)
The good thing is that this is easily treatable. It means taking a pill every day to replace the hormone that my thyroid isn't making enough of, probably for the rest of my life. But hey, that is a pretty easy fix in my book. When my doctor came in at this appointment she said, "We are very excited about your thyroid!" I said, "We are?" She said that yes, because we found it now and it is so easily treatable we are excited. I'll go with that. And I haven't actually felt sick or anything from it. One of the main symptoms is fatigue. Am I tired? Um, have you ever met my kid? Yes, I am tired. So maybe I will get all kinds of energy from this; that would be cool.
Hashimoto's is actually the most common form of hypothyroidism in the US. It is way more common in women and usually starts between 40 and 60. Way to go me for being an overachiever and get started early... Since I have started mentioning it, it is amazing how many people I have learned have some sort of thyroid issue.
So bottom line, I am really not freaked out at all and I really trust my doctor to handle the treatment.
From the research I did in the waiting/freaking out period, I learned that Hashimoto's can cause preeclampsia. Which actually made me a little bit excited and thought maybe this would solve the mystery of my severe preeclampsia and be the golden ticket to a future healthy pregnancy. Unfortunately not quite. There is nothing on record of what my TSH was before or during my pregnancy with Noah, so there is no way to know if that is actually what caused it. Rats. It is managable during pregancy though. My doctor, who absolutely rocks, is going to do research and see exactly what we would be looking at. She said it would be foolish for her to assume that this would rule out preeclampsia again though. Double rats. It does make me feel better though.
At the physical where all this thyroid stuff started is also the first time I really asked about what another pregnancy could involve. I would for sure be considered "high risk" and in fact they would treat it as expecting for severe preeclampsia to happen again and then be happy if it didn't. She said if she had to give a percentage for the likelihood of it reoccuring it would be over 50%. Not great odds. So that was pretty hard to hear. The truth is, I would like to have another baby and actually do things like experience the third trimester and get to bring my baby home with me from the hospital... But it is also true that if it ends up being just the 3 of us, I am really okay with that too.
Now I am thinking about how blessed I am to have people in my life who care about me so much and want to know all these kinds of things and will read a long and rambling blog post about a disease they never even knew existed. Thank you everyone for your love and prayers!!
Love,
Ellie

March for Babies 2011

It's a little delayed, but I wanted to be sure to post about the March for Babies. It was great! Team Noah! had lots of fun and went above and beyond our fundraising goal. Thank you, thank you! The weather was yucky and rainy, but we had fun inside anyway. It was a low-stress, high-fun kind of event so we marched some laps, took some pictures, ate some food and called it a success! I think it is safe to say everyone has a good time. Noah got to ride in his decorated stroller and of course showed off his walking skills too. Great-Grandpa walked the fastest and had to wait for everyone else to catch up. :) Here is our awesome team posing for our official picture:There's our little inspiration, Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa, Great-Aunt Tammy and Great-Uncle Erik and their kids Jack and Ruth, and "Auntie" Laurie! We are so blessed to have all of these wonderful people in our lives! Thank you all for marching with us!I sometimes talk about myself as a "NICU mom" and how it is something I will always be. But how self-centered of me to think that I am the only one to have that "title." We are a NICU family. Becoming a grandma, grandpa, aunt, etc. didn't go how anyone expected. But we couldn't have asked for a more loving and supportive family through all of it (and still). I love you guys!
I just got a letter saying the March in our area raised $40,000! It felt good to have a little part in that. (For a little perspecitve, that would leave a little over $300,000 to cover Noah's NICU stay... ) And I got lots of good ideas for next year. Oh, and if you thought you missed your chance this year you would be wrong--donations are accepted until May 31!

We March!

Photo Book

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