Yesterday was 1 year since I found out I was pregnant. What a year it's been. Who would have thought it would have been such an interesting year. I just keep thinking about what a blessing Dylan has been & how much we have gone through in the past year just to have him here. He is such a miracle.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was thrilled. Derrick & I had been praying for a baby for so long & were shocked to find out we were expecting! The first part of my pregnancy went very well, relatively no morning sickness or problems. Around 5 ½ months I began to have some issues with not feeling so well, swelling really bad & all around not doing well at all. I was admitted to the hospital here in Davenport on October 1, 2008. After spending the night here in the hospital, I was transferred to Iowa City where I would spend the rest of my pregnancy. Unfortunately, that wasn't very long. Dylan was born at 26 weeks, 6 days at the Children's hospital in Iowa City. He was 2 lbs. 3 oz. & 14.5 inches long.
I can honestly say that I was not too thrilled with Dylan at first. I didn't think he was that cute & I was terrified the first time I had to hold him. I really struggled to bond with him & I think I suffered from a little bit of postpartum depression. As time went on things got better, although I was still often fearful that something would happen to him.
In all, Dylan spent 2 ½ months in the Iowa City NICU. I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House the whole time Dylan was there. He then spent 2 weeks in the Davenport NICU. 3 months in all. He came home on his due date. It has been quite a ride since then.
Dylan is now almost 7 months old. He is getting so big. He gets weighed tomorrow & I am guessing he is close to 15 lbs. (if not more!). He is smiley & giggly & so much fun. We started feeding him cereal a few weeks ago & he loves it. He is a joy to us everyday.
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time we were wondering what the future would hold for us & I can say that we never would have predicted things would be like this. I don't think that I would change it though. I made a great friend in the NICU. I grew in my relationship with God. I bonded with my son in a way that may have not happened had I not had so much alone time with him. Overall, I think the NICU experience was a great thing for us. I wouldn't wish it on anyone else, but I definitely see it as a positive experience in my life. I treasure Dylan more than I think I would have had he not been born so early & so sick.
I just felt I needed to write this update because I have seen how much God has done for us over the year. What a mighty God we serve! He has blessed me more than I could ever asked for & I can only hope that He continues to bless us all the rest of our lives & that we will be able to use Dylan's story to reach out to others who are going through the same things we went through. I know that God does not take us through trials for no reason & I expect that big things will come from little Dylan's life!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Dylan - 6 Month Update
Hi all! Time for an update. Let's start with the stats – Dylan is now 12 lbs, 8 oz. (or at least he was on Tuesday!) Such a big guy now! He has gained 10 lbs., 5 oz. since he was born. He is getting big & strong. He is smiling all the time now & once in a while we can even get a giggle out of him. He is starting to be a lot of fun – loves to sit up in his Bumbo & likes to talk to us & the turtle on his wall. I think his favorite time of the day is outfit change time – the boy loves to be stripped down to a diaper. He gets so excited...I guess he did spend the first 2 months of his life in just a diaper, so maybe he just feels free again. He also loves bath time. I get the joy of giving him baths & now that I have mastered the art of keeping him covered so I don't get a shower, too, bath time has been great. He doesn't play much in there yet, but he just loves being in the water. He is a blessing & a miracle & I remind myself every day just how lucky we are to have him.
Derrick is doing well. He enjoys his job & is glad that he does not have to stay home every day...that said, he loves being a daddy. He is a great dad, but I knew he would be. He does bedtime with Dylan almost every night & Dylan loves his bonding time with Daddy.
I love being a stay at home mom. There are times when I would give anything to go back to work, but then I get a big smile or cuddle that makes all the fussiness worth it. I really don't mind the diapers, laundry & bottles, especially since Dylan started sleeping through the night. My main issue right now is that Dylan is awake more, but gets overstimulated easily, so it is hard to do things with him. We read, play with toys, sing, play patty-cake, stretch, but sometimes Dylan just chills out in his swing. I feel bad about it, but he seems so content, why would I mess with him? I guess I shouldn't complain though – he used to hate his swing & I couldn't even use the bathroom without him screaming. That is a wonderful change.
Derrick & I are both adjusting well to having Dylan home. He will be 6 months old on Monday (can you believe it?) & he will have been home longer than he was in the hospital. I have a hard time remembering what it was like without him. When I was pregnant I used to worry because I liked it being just “us.” That was what I was used to & I had a hard time wrapping my mind around something different. God is funny that way. I worried, but I thought I would have a lot of time to sort it all out before the baby came. Surprise! Joke was on me. Something about sitting at your child's bedside makes all the little worries about “us” go away. I'm glad God knows how to deal with me better than I know how to deal with myself!
We are doing Dylan's baby dedication on Easter Sunday. I am so excited about it. We get to share our intentions of raising Dylan up to love God & follow Jesus with the church & our family & friends. We have already made that commitment to God, but by sharing it with the church they will be able to hold us responsible if we are not doing what we should be. Ultimately it will be Dylan's decision to do what he will with the knowledge that will be given to him & we will do all we can to raise him to understand God's love. I am so honored that God gave us this sweet little boy to care for & raise up for him. Our goal is for Dylan to grow into a man who loves God.
So that is our update for today. We still appreciate your love & prayers as we raise up our little boy! Thank you & love & hugs to you all!
Derrick is doing well. He enjoys his job & is glad that he does not have to stay home every day...that said, he loves being a daddy. He is a great dad, but I knew he would be. He does bedtime with Dylan almost every night & Dylan loves his bonding time with Daddy.
I love being a stay at home mom. There are times when I would give anything to go back to work, but then I get a big smile or cuddle that makes all the fussiness worth it. I really don't mind the diapers, laundry & bottles, especially since Dylan started sleeping through the night. My main issue right now is that Dylan is awake more, but gets overstimulated easily, so it is hard to do things with him. We read, play with toys, sing, play patty-cake, stretch, but sometimes Dylan just chills out in his swing. I feel bad about it, but he seems so content, why would I mess with him? I guess I shouldn't complain though – he used to hate his swing & I couldn't even use the bathroom without him screaming. That is a wonderful change.
Derrick & I are both adjusting well to having Dylan home. He will be 6 months old on Monday (can you believe it?) & he will have been home longer than he was in the hospital. I have a hard time remembering what it was like without him. When I was pregnant I used to worry because I liked it being just “us.” That was what I was used to & I had a hard time wrapping my mind around something different. God is funny that way. I worried, but I thought I would have a lot of time to sort it all out before the baby came. Surprise! Joke was on me. Something about sitting at your child's bedside makes all the little worries about “us” go away. I'm glad God knows how to deal with me better than I know how to deal with myself!
We are doing Dylan's baby dedication on Easter Sunday. I am so excited about it. We get to share our intentions of raising Dylan up to love God & follow Jesus with the church & our family & friends. We have already made that commitment to God, but by sharing it with the church they will be able to hold us responsible if we are not doing what we should be. Ultimately it will be Dylan's decision to do what he will with the knowledge that will be given to him & we will do all we can to raise him to understand God's love. I am so honored that God gave us this sweet little boy to care for & raise up for him. Our goal is for Dylan to grow into a man who loves God.
So that is our update for today. We still appreciate your love & prayers as we raise up our little boy! Thank you & love & hugs to you all!
Dylan "talking" to his turtle friend (4-1-09)
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