I haven't been able to update the blog as frequently as I used to...the little man is keeping me on my toes. Jacob loves to be held and refuses to be put down. If he is successfully tucked into bed, he quickly notices when we leave his presence...therefore, it has been hard to get certain things done. Let's just say, things are put on hold for the moment. Our lives revolve around him and I've been told that it's going to be that way for a while...=) Nonetheless, this year has brought us much happiness, uncertainty, heartache, stress, success, you name it...but most of all, it brought Jacob into our lives...a precious child who has yet to teach us so much about life.

Jeremiah has been sick since Thursday night and hasn't recovered fully so I've been on mommy duty 24/7 the last few days and it has been very exhausting, overwhelming, and stressful. I realized how much I needed Jeremiah and how much he contributes. I truly and desperately need him. The last few days have taught me not to take things for granted...especially my husband! =)

Jacob is doing very well. In the next few days, he will transition to formula for all of his feedings. We have used up my breastmilk reserve to meet his feeding demands and my pumping has not been successful. With that, we will still try to give him whatever I can pump...when I get to pump...to give him antibodies especially during this flu season. Other than that, he appears to be healthy and growing! We don't really worry about his apneas and bradycardias anymore...those worries diminished a while ago...We're confident that he has outgrown those problems. We've been able to sleep more and not be on the crazy "24 hour" watch like when we brought him home the first few weeks! His reflux is still something we are helping him with. He's still on reglan and pepcid. His last projectile vommiting was a few days ago...he probably threw up 40-60 mLs...about 2 ounces. (He takes about 120-150 mLs; 4-5 oz. during feeding now...I know...he's a big boy!) With all that milk, he also has gas pains. We tried to ease his gas pains with Mylicon, but his pediatrician gave us other alternatives to help relieve those pains. He hasn't gotten sick yet and we are hoping and praying that he doesn't! His next RSV shot is next Tuesday for the month of January. Jacob also gets little therapy sessions with me in increments of 10-15 minutes a few times a day to help with his vision, hearing, and motor skills. He likes it most of the time...He also likes being read to and loves to look at the illustrations...which is awesome. This might sound crazy, but I'm fascinated with the idea of teaching him how to read right now...you know, decode words...associate words with actions and meaning...I'm going to give it a try...sign language is part of that too. We'll see how that works...

Well, I've been lucky to sit here, typing with one hand, updating everyone with what's going on...all the while with Jacob sleeping peacefully on my lap. =)

We hope you all have a great new year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Gosh, we are just so excited and happy to spend this special Christmas with Jacob! We started the day with a grand breakfast that Jeremiah made, while Jacob enjoyed his rich breastmilk! Jacob had his daily morning bath and then got dressed up to open Christmas gifts! Jacob received A LOT of clothes...cute and adorable clothes (grinning)...and tons of toys to stimulate his vision, hearing, etc. My favorite was the boppy tummy time below that his dad got for him. We've yet to open Aunt Stephanie's activity mat full of colors, toys, and music! We have lots to keep him busy! Jacob is growing so fast. As a matter of fact, I've had to put away a lot of his clothes in storage because he can't fit into them anymore...many of which he has never worn. =(

The spirit of Christmas was so strong today. We were reminded of the true meaning of Christmas when Jeremiah surprised us with a beautiful picture of Christ and a little boy painted by Greg Olsen...a book with his drawings...and a few primary song CD's. We are so grateful for this season to reflect on the blessing we are able to enjoy because of Christ...

We had a lot of fun with our little family, but the highlight of today was when we visited the NICU for the first time as a family. It felt so great seeing our NICU family once again after leaving the NICU when Jacob was discharged. Jacob delivered some angel pins for his nurses to let them know how much he appreciated the unconditional love they gave him during his stay there for 77 days! They are an amazing group of people and we can't thank them enough for what they have given to our family...a very special and healthy baby! (pictures will be posted tomorrow, so come back and check it out!)

Oh my gosh...aren't those shoes absolutely adorable?
Resting after using his neck muscles while on his tummy...
Before opening gifts...

Getting dressed to open gifts...(thanks Great Auntie Mary for my 1st Xmas outfit and blanket!)

Realizing Santa left some goodies...

OH look at those fun toys!!

The other hat was irritating him, so we changed it...

He didn't like the change...so we took it off...for a while...=)

The painting of Christ is soooo beautiful!

Some of Jacob's gifts...

All is done...he's ready to eat again...

Not quite...a few more snapshots

Couldn't leave until we played with Gracie for a few seconds...thanks Grandma for Gracie's presents! She doesn't spoil Jacob alone with gifts galore, but she does with Gracie too! =)

A picture from his tummy time mat

More family pictures and a narrative will be added to the post below tomorrow...

Fun pictures of Jacob

Jacob has kept us really busy lately! He likes to stay up for long periods of time during the day now. Other than that, we are enjoying the holidays and can't wait for Santa to visit Jacob!

We know everyone loves looking at pictures, so we posted quite a few below. Enjoy!

He is so much like his dad...both do NOT like taking pictures!

Dressed up for the nurse...gotta love the sweater!

Fixated on the mobile on top...I had to distract him because he was mad about me putting on that outfit on him...hehee

The nurse testing his neck muscles to see if he can lift it up...sure enough he lifted and moved it side to side following a mirror she held up...he is incredible!

A nurse from Mountain Valley Regional came to do an assessment on Jacob today. She was stunned at how much strength he had and how chunky he was for a 26 weeker! I was so proud of Jacob.

From the assessment...we learned that he is now 10.2 lbs. and 20 inches long. He passed his vision and hearing assessment and fell into the 1-2 month for his developmental range such as gross motor, cognitive, self-help, health, language & comunication, fine motor, social & emotional, vision, and hearing. He's right where he should be since he is about 1 month adjusted age (almost 4 months chronological age). Jacob will also be seen for 5 hours a month through the early start program. In 6 months, they'll do another assessment and determine how much therapy he'll need. I really like this program...I learned quite a bit about positioning him when he's upset and how to stimulate his brain and motor skills. I'm really excited to learn more from them!

This morning, I worked with Jacob on some massaging techniques and motor skills. He liked it a lot...so did I. I love the bonding time and watching his expressions as so many things were so strange to him. I just absolutely love being a mom. To me, it's a sacred duty. When I look at Jacob everyday, I have so much love to give...it's immeasureable. He's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have him as part of my eternal family. I definitely have a different outlook on "trials" in life...it's an opportunity for me to learn and grow...to witness the hands of the Lord in time of need through sincere prayer and obedience. Through trials, in particular, this time in my life, I have grown closer to my husband, my son, my family, and my Father in Heaven. It's truly a blessing.

Grandma is here!!

Jacob had an appointment to see the opthamologist today so grandma, grandpa, and E-Ca came to help. It was so nice to see them! Grandma caved and let us open the christmas gifts! See below...
Not knowing what we're doing yet...
Still doesn't know...

Now he knows...

...and doesn't like it! =p

Jacob's eye appt. went very well. His eyes are developing well and we don't have to see Dr. Zanoni for another year! She said the next appt. would be able to tell us if he will need glasses if he is nearsighted, but not to worry!

Thank you everyone for your advice on the breastmilk...I'm trying and I won't give up. I've been drinking more liquid and resting more often...if Jacob allows it. (I only had 2o minutes of sleep two days ago...that was brutal.) I was also able to buy the soothies. Again, thanks for everything!!! Love you all! *muah*

Before the bath...(I woke him up because he slept for 5 hours...he needed to be fed)
After the 15 minute ordeal...
It wasn't long enough before he fell asleep...

Sprawled out for another nap...(he got mad when I moved him to eat...*sigh*)

Earlier today, Jacob was grunting quite a bit and I thought maybe I should pick him up and hopefully that would ease the gas pains. Well, before I could pick him up all the way, he vomitted. Since I was moving him up towards me, the spit up splashed all over his face and up toward his forehead. I quickly picked up a blanket and tried to wipe it off before it got into his eyes and nose...he got startled and screamed the loudest scream I've ever heard...poor guy. I felt bad so I thought maybe a bath would do some good. So, I got his tub all ready and the water was just right...soap on hand and bath towel readily available. Everything was perfect...so I thought. A second after putting him down in the tub, he peed in the water. I thought to myself...would it be bad if I bathed him in his pee water or would it be okay...I was seriously debating this...I mean it took me a while to get everything ready and if I put him down to do it all over again, he would be angry! Quickly, I decided to put him in the sink...hoping he'd fit perfectly. Well, he has strong legs and he pushed hard enough for me to almost lose my grip so that didn't work...so I thought, hmm...maybe our big bath tub would work. It took forever to calm him down and give him a good clean bath. My clothes was soaken wet by the time I finished and my hair was all over my face...it...was...not...fun...at least for me...I had a really hard time and wished I had two extra set of hands! Anyway, after 15 minutes, Jacob got a good clean bath. I took a deep breath and thought maybe he'll relax while I put on his clothes and feed him. That was not the case...I tried squeezing his arm into one of his cute newborn outfits and let's just say that it was a big mistake. He was not a happy camper! After I finished, he fell asleep on the changing table. I added more stress when I moved him so he could eat. I think he thought he was being handled by a stranger because this person would not leave him alone! Anway, he didn't finish his bottle and gave up half way. Today was a rough day...can't wait til Jeremiah comes home!

And to make matters worse, I am not getting as much breastmilk as I used to (Used to get 3-5 oz, now I only get 1 oz. if I'm lucky). I'm totally stressed out about it because I know how important it is for Jacob's growth, especially during this winter time and flu season. I'm pumping every 2-3 hours, putting Jacob to the nipple, taking fenugreek, and continuing my multivitamins...what else can I do? I need some help!!!!

Jacob gets frustrated with his wubba because when he moves his head, the dog doesn't and the paci falls out of his mouth. So...we tried getting him one of these and he liked it for like...hmm...2 seconds and wouldn't take it anymore. He cried and cried and cried. We decided to give him his wubba back and it soothed him for a very long time. I guess there's nothing like a soothie pacifier. Now, we've got to find some without the plush attached to it...let me know if you know where to find them...

Content after a diaper change...

Things have changed a lot since Jacob has been home. We are so happy he is home and jump up at any opportunity to pick him up when he makes a noise or squirms. However, sleep is not a common vocabulary or verb around here anymore...he likes to be awake in the early morning when we're both totally wiped out...he likes to be cradled and held ALL of the time! It's a habit we started and we are paying for it right now. We don't mind it so much during the day when we're super energetic and wide awake, but at night...it's different story! We don't know how to transition him to stay awake during the day and sleep at night...is it too early to do that? I'm worried about the stress that would put on him...well...I think we're allowed to spoil him for quite some time right?? even though that would mean sacrifices (sleep deprivation) on our part...I mean...we did wait for a VERY long time for him to arrive...hehee

I've also realized that a hot meal was a luxury before he came home. That's no longer the case. It seems as if when we're ready to eat, he'll need our attention. I've learned how to make 10-20 minute meals so I don't spend a lot of time away from him. Showers and baths are shortened...shopping excursions are limited and baby lullabies have become our choice of music.

Car ride home after getting his RSV shot...
He;s getting bigger huh?

Diaper change...

"Stop in the name of love..."

Good news...

1. Jacob is no longer anemic! His hemoglobin went up.

2. Jacob is 9 lbs. 5 oz.

3. He got his 2nd synagis (RSV) shot yesterday and scheduled appointments for the rest of the flu season.

4. His eyebrows are coming in!

5. He's pacing himself 99.9% during feeding time.

6. He has an appt. next Tuesday to see the opthamologist for a follow up.

7. Valley Mountain Regional Group (nurses, physical therapists, speech therapist, etc.) will be here next Wednesday for his first assessment.

8. I talked my mom into telling me what she got Jacob for Xmas!=)

9. I get to go shopping tomorrow...finally.

10. I'm almost ready to send out our greeting cards!

11. And...I did all that typing above with one hand while holding Jacob with the other!

Merry Kissmas?

Okay, so I tried to take some "photo studio" like pictures...you know...where the baby is buck naked and sleeping on his tummy peacefully...well, Mr. Jacob didn't like it, so he squirmed, kicked, yelled, cried....you name it. He finally fell asleep knowing I wouldn't give up and I was able to take some shots. I was having so much fun, I thought maybe I'll take off his diaper and do the butt in the air thing...but by the time I took the picture, he peed all over his blanket! I decided to give up and gave him a bath. I don't think I'll try this alone next time...=)

Last night, Jacob stayed up for quite a bit. I kinda woke him up b/c he was spitting up and I didn't want him to choke so I suctioned his mouth and he got really angry! Now, he's awake because he choked on his reglan and I picked him up and stimulated him. I didn't want to wake him so I squirted the thing in his mouth...well he did the storing in the cheek thing and when he swallowed a few seconds later, he choked. He's crying and throwing his arms in the air so I better go. I'll be back.