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!
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