12 Months!

Veronica's adjusted birthday was on the 4th of August.  It's funny, I can't remember the due dates for most of my other children, but August 4th is a date I will always remember.  It's not as though she would have even been born on that day because I would have had a scheduled c-section prior to the 4th.  But I remember all of the time in the NICU, counting the days until August 4th arrived.  I think I also used that date in my mind to plan for Veronica's homecoming.  I remember telling myself, if not by August 4th, then surely she would be home soon after.  Being pregnant, one always plans their life around the baby's due date (or at least I did).  In a way, it felt no different with Veronica, even though she had been born 16 weeks earlier.

We were in Michigan on August 4th this year visiting Veronica's grandparents.  She finally got to meet some of her aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time.  As usual, we were terrible at taking photos.  But here she is cooling off on a very hot day.

And saying goodbye before making our way to Maryland.

Baby Steps!

Finally....

Finally, an update.  It's been more than two months since I last posted and so much has happened since then.  Veronica continues to thrive in the weight department.  At her 15-month appointment she weighed in at 21 lbs, 8 ounces which puts her in the 55 percentile for her chronological age.  But the big news is that her motor skills have taken off.  Veronica is crawling everywhere, pulling up on things, climbing stairs and even cruising.  Her physical therapist and pediatrician are quite impressed with her progress and we couldn't be more pleased.  My guess is that walking could be in the not so distant future - and what a momentous day that will be.  Even now, after all of this time, I still look at Veronica and am just amazed at how far she has come.  I don't think that will ever go away.  Every parent gets excited when their children reach milestones, but it's different when your child was a micro preemie and you spent days wondering if your child would live, let alone reach certain developmental milestones.  It is such a joy to see Veronica as active as she is.  We feel so very blessed. 

Veronica has had a busy summer - with day trips, time at the pool and tagging along to her siblings' weekly swim meets.  It's so nice to go places and not have to worry anymore about germs! 

National Zoo Trip - June 2012

At the Zoo with Sebastian and Josephine

First time to Baltimore!

Playing with Josephine at the Maryland Science Center

Quick trip to the NICU - June 18, 2012

Miniature Golf

15 months!

Look at those teeth! 

Normalcy

I can't believe that May is almost over and this is my very first post of the month.  I would love to keep this blog going indefinitely, but my sense is that my posts will continue to become more and more infrequent.  I am finding that although I still think of Veronica's early arrival and her NICU journey, it seems to be becoming more of a distant memory.  Getting to the one year mark felt significant in more ways than one.  It wasn't like we were starting a new chapter, it was as though we were starting a new book altogether.  I actually feel like we are "normal" now, if such a thing even exists.  We take Veronica everywhere, and for the most part, without worry.  We no longer have hand sanitizer in every room of the house.  We still wash our hands, but not as frequently as we did months ago (I can hear some of our micro preemie friends gasping!)  No more synagis shots and the fear of RSV is all but eliminated.  The only tangible reminder of Veronica's extreme prematurity is her bi-weekly visits from her physical therapist (who we absolutely love by the way.)  Life is good.  It really couldn't get much better than this.  

Since it's been so long since I last posted, here is a quick update on how Veronica is doing:

- she isn't crawling yet but somehow manages to get from one side of the room to the other, either by rolling or scooting; she is determined to crawl and we know she will get there soon; her physical therapist is impressed with her progress

- just this week she learned to get herself up into a sitting position from lying down

- her first tooth has broken through!

- we have slowly started her on table foods and all is going well so far

- she still wakes up 1-2 times per night (yawn)....oh well, someday she'll get there...

- at 13 months old, I'm guessing she weighs about 20 lbs

- I am proud to say that she is still breastfed and going strong

- she has the most amazing disposition; so happy and easy to engage; I know everyone thinks this about their own babies, but she truly is a joy to be around

And now some photos from the month:

It doesn't take much to get her to smile.

Playing with Theodore



This was a big month for Theodore as he made his First Holy Communion.  Here he is pictured with our pastor, Monsignor Hart.



Finally, a photo of the eight of us.

Proud parents.



First day at the pool - Veronica LOVED it!





Motoring

We're really starting to see some progress with Veronica's motor skills.  For a while I felt like the progress was slow; but not anymore.  She is rolling from back to tummy now and is reaching forward - almost as though she is trying to crawl.  A physical therapist came out a few weeks ago with our usual occupational therapist and both were impressed with what they saw.  The PT estimated that she may begin crawling in about two months or so.  Physical therapy will  be starting this week and she will have it twice a month.  The OT services have been discontinued for now but will be available if any issues come up in the future.  The wonderful thing about our county's early intervention program is that Veronica is automatically eligible for services until she is 3-years-old - whether she needs the services or not. 

We're so proud of her new skills! 



Happy Birthday, Veronica! (Part 2)



For a while I had wondered how I would feel on Veronica's birthday.  I wondered if I would really want to celebrate one of the most difficult days of my life.  I was fairly certain it would be a hard day, but when the day finally arrived, all I wanted to do was celebrate.  Did I think about the trauma of that day one year earlier?  Of course.  Did I shed a few tears?  Sure.  But those moments were overshadowed by the realization of how far Veronica has come.  We feel so blessed that she is doing as well as she is.  And it has been wonderful to celebrate her progress this year as she has reached new milestones.  

On her birthday, it was important for me to return to the place where it all started.  I took Veronica back to the NICU for a quick visit.  I was so proud to be able to show her off and to report how well she is doing.  And it was great seeing some of the nurses - they will always have a special place in our hearts.  I wish I had taken more photos but for part of our visit, my camera was buried under about 40 boxes of Girl Scout cookies which were donated by Liesl's Girl Scout troop.  



At Veronica's doctor's appointment earlier in the day she weighed in at exactly 19 lbs - 15 times more than she weighed on the day she was born!  Wow, what a year!  

Beverly, Vivan and Cynthia - three of our favorite NICU nurses.

Out to dinner.

Opening presents.

We surprised our older children with a Wii but
Veronica seemed pretty happy about it as well.

With big brother, Linus.

With Applejack. (We have quite the assortment
of My Little Ponies in our house.)

A little tired from all of the celebrating.

Getting ready for cake.

Happy Birthday!

Notice there are only 5.  Poor Josephine fell asleep in the car ride
home from dinner and missed presents and cake.

Looks interesting....

Hhmm....

Yum!

This feels awesome!

Playing with her new bath toys.

All clean.

Ready for bed.

If you took the time to look through all of the photos above, you may (or may not!) be interested in seeing a cute video that Liesl took while Veronica was eating her birthday cake  - she actually waved!



Happy Birthday, Veronica!

Veronica is off to the doctor today for her 1st year physical and then we're heading back to the NICU for a visit.  Here are some cute pictures to start your day.

Happy Birthday, Veronica! We can't believe it's been a year.  We have been so blessed to have you in our lives.

And one from April 18, 2011.....1 lb, 4 oz.