Holding Liam....& a very first poop !!!

What a title !!! I know one day, I will be in big trouble for all the naked pictures, and descriptive blogging, but for now..what he doesn't know won't hurt him...lol !!!
The first week or so, was really spent trying to figure out what kind of course Liam was going to take. No one would sit down and tell us if the outcome would be good or bad...only time would tell. Just as every extra day that I was able to carry him was important..so were the "uneventful days" of the NICU. On days where they thought they could push a baby a little further, they would try..and Liam was no exception. As they felt he was doing better, they would see if he could handle a lower rate of ventilation..but that wasn't always the case, so they would monitor him very closely.
We hadn't been able to hold Liam at this point, he was now 6 days old. I'll admit I was dying to hold him...but utterly terrified at the idea as well. Up until then I was nervous if someone handed me a 7lb newborn baby...realistically how do you hold a 1 lb 8 oz baby !?!
Liam, was in a Giraffe Omni Bed...a incubator that costs more than most cars....it helped maintain a constant temperature...weigh him...do almost everything, so as to a ) avoid as little interruption as possible, and b) really try to recreate a sense of the womb for a baby born too soon. When we arrived at the hospital that day...Liam's nurse gave us a rundown of his day andfor the first time allowed us to touch him with the bed open. I was excited, but terrified thinking about all the cooties flying through the air ( ya, I'm a dork ). We were able to really see him....what an amazing feeling !!! As it turned out, Liam had his very first poop while we were there....yes, proud mom moment !!!! His nurse thought it would be a great time to get our little man all cleaned up, and give him nice fresh bedding..so she asked if I would hold him. I remember looking at her in sheer horror, and actually telling her "NO WAY" . She just smiled at me and said "you can do it".....so she changed him, and carefully lifted all the wires and tubes, and asked me to hold my two hands out. As gently as she picked him, she placed his head in the palm of my hand, and his lower half in the other....I think I forgot to breathe for a moment....I wish I could explain the feeling !!! No, it wasn't a snuggle or anything like that, but it was still AMAZING !!!! It only lasted a minute or so, as you have to move very fast, as to keep them warm..so before I knew it he was back in his bed, but I will never forget it for as long as I live .....

It's been a while ....

I realized tonight just how long it's been since I've blogged !!! Life with a toddler is a BIT hectic.....that may be an  understatement, and I'm probably a bit whiny...compared to my girlfriends who get through their days with 2 or 3 monkeys....some with 5 !!! ( you know who you are SUPERMOM !!! ) There are days, I want to hide in the closet with a bottle of wine...I just don't know how you all do it !!! These days, I spend most of my time refilling the toilet paper , as Liam's new favourite past time is unrolling the roll of toilet paper..and REALLY...do I want to spend my free time rolling it back up !?!? And, when he isn't doing that, were now throwing ourselves to the ground and kicking our feet as soon as the word "NO" is uttered, or dinner can't consist of cookies and pudding !!! Why, oh why is everyone that's been there before us ALWAYS right !?!? Why do they grow up so fast !?!
Other than that though, Liam is doing so so well !!! He is now 23 lbs 15 oz...has a few more strands of hair...and five gleaming white teeth ( yes, he has used them on me ) He isn't walking quite yet...but he is almost there !! He will walk around pushing a toy, sometimes walk holding my hand..but hasn't quite taken those steps on his own yet. Were anxious for the spring weather to get out and explore, and do all the fun stuff he wasn't quite big enough for last year .
We have lots of fun stuff to share, but in the meantime, I will try to continue our journey from where I left off.......