Fight for Preemies! Prematurity Awareness Day

November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day.
My baby is a preemie. I have learned over the years that while my story brings tears to MY eyes, we were so lucky & blessed from the very beginning.

My pregnancy was slightly abnormal - abnormal AFP test results, ultrasounds to check and monitor progress of baby, non-stress tests twice per week (or more) but nothing too out of the ordinary. No one knows why my little guy decided to come early.

At 6 pounds 4 ounces, many wondered if my dates were wrong. I was almost sent home because there was "no way" I could be in labor. Haha.

Nicholas had trouble breathing on his own (hence the vent.) and had not yet developed the sucking reflex. We knew pretty early on that he was a "healthy" preemie, but that we would be going home with supplemental oxygen and a heart/apnea monitor. (after we could get the little one to just EAT!)

For me, the hardest part was mourning the birth/first year that I never got. I wasn't able to nurse my baby (pumped for 6 months instead), I wasn't able to "show him off", we couldn't leave our house for 5 months (even to visit family!), "newborn" pictures were millions of NICU shots, I "got in trouble" for holding my newborn too much, our "normal" was so different. The heart/apnea monitor beeping all the time, filling up too quickly so the man had to come & download our information SO FREQUENTLY (sometimes daily), the deliveries of oxygen - those big, nasty tanks, delivering precious oxygen to my little guy.

My friend, Kara, says it so much better than I. (click here for her amazing story)

Like Kara, I think the hardest part was getting adjusted to our new "normal".

Enjoy the pics today - Nicholas as a newborn, Nicholas with Daddy in the hospital (1 1/2 to 2 weeks old at that point), Nicholas on his due date (see the sign), and Nicholas today.

We are so blessed to have such an awesome kiddo and thankful for all the medical advances that allowed us to be in this place.

Addition...

Jason didn't think the 17 month comparison pics were valid. Here are some other Nicholas pics to compare to Matthew...

Boy Comparison!!

Here are my boys both at 17 months... (actually Nicholas was 17 months + 1 day, Matthew exactly 17 months). Just wanted to post a comparison to show that they may have SOME similar features, but my boys (to me) are as different as night & day!!!
We just can't believe Matthew is almost 18 months old and Nicholas nearly 5! Where did the time go????

My Little Builder

On Wednesday, our MOMS Club went to Home Depot for a tour and craft. The tour didn't hold Nicholas' interest so much, but he loved building! With pre-cut wood, a hammer, screwdriver, and instructions, he went to town! He was a natural at hammering, needing almost no help! Go Nicholas!

Fall in Texas

The weather is beautiful, our weekends consist of soccer, parties, watching football, and just relaxing. We are really enjoying fall in Texas. I look outside and it happens to be raining today (first time in SO many days), but we previously had a week or so of 75+ degree sunny weather. Beautiful. We play outside, go to the park, eat outside, and love it!
Matthew loves being outside, and really enjoys our nightly (or almost so) walks. He tends to walk more than ride in the stroller, at least around the neighborhood. Little guy has been battling a cold for the past week or so, but luckily it doesn't seem to be much worse than that. His imitative play is really adorable. Last night, a friend was banging on Matthew's bongo drum with her chin. When it was his turn, he was dancing around, banging the drum with his chin, laughing up a storm! Too cute.
Nicholas is the same - loves life and everything about it. His preschool class took their first field trip last week to Crowes Nest Farms. Matthew and I were fortunate enough to join the class and see all the animals. So great! He's also spent a lot of time with friends lately: playdates, parties, etc. Too much fun! Today he is at the circus with Jason... just another fun day for that kiddo! He loves soccer, loves being outside, loves Texas. He's just a really happy guy these days.

We are thankful to have such beautiful children who bring us joy every day.

School Pictures

I am a sucker for pictures, but hate the price tag! Nicholas' preschool had the option of purchasing a disc of pictures with the rights to print. It's just one picture, 5 different ways... so here are the results. He's so old... can't believe his 5th birthday is just around the corner. Enjoy the pics of my "baby"!

Halloween Fun

Well, the drought is finally over. I have a computer again! For now I will just post a slide show of pictures from Halloween. This site can't HANDLE the 177 pictures I've taken since not having a computer!
For Halloween, my boys were many things...
Matthew was a bear (or lion, depending on who you ask), a fireman, a Dalmation, and a Sheriff. My personal favorite was the Sheriff.
Nicholas was Spiderman (most of the time) and a pirate (again)
Our main events: Behren's Ranch Halloween Party, Church Fall Festival + Trunk or Treat, MOMS Club Halloween Party, and Trick-or-Treating on Halloween.
Halloween night was a bit different here than it was for us in KC. First of all, there were MILLIONS of children out crowding the streets. Many neighborhoods or cul-de-sacs within our large neighborhood had parties (some smoking meat starting at 4am!). The "game" (for some it was UT, others World Series) was projected onto the outside of houses (many people did this). It was a HUGE street party on every street. Picture bounce houses, TONS of food everywhere (hot dogs, pizza, cotton candy). It was a blast!

My Bears Boys

As you know, I am a Bears fan... I have recruited my children to join me this year, as the Chiefs are simply pathetic! I own plenty of Chiefs apparel, as do my kids. We've decided to be a Bears team this year! Enjoy our pic!

Julie's Visit

One week ago today, Julie came to visit the Savage Family (although I tell myself she came just for me!!). Last Thursday, we stayed pretty close to home dropping Nicholas & a friend off a preschool, driving around Georgetown searching for something "scenic" and finally driving past the actual "Round Rock". Exciting. Then we went to a store that quickly became Julie's favorite: Ikea. I love Ikea. I love how they "trap" you in their store and force you to look at EVERYTHING. They have such great stuff too! After Ikea, we met Jason for lunch. Yum, pizza! That evening, Julie & I headed to The Domain, an upscale shopping area that proved to be a bit much for us! Friday was our day "out". We dropped the kids off at a friend's house (Jason picked them up at lunchtime) and went to Mt. Bonnell. I love the pics from up there... it was beautiful as always. From there, we walked around Lady Bird Lake for a while. It was a little tricky to navigate Austin as Austin City Limits was in full swing. After our little stroll, we headed to South Congress - neat place, but many places didn't open until 11am - and we were there at 10am. Lunch was at Hula Hut - an odd restaurant on Lake Travis. Very yummy. After lunch we headed to the San Marcos Outlets. LOVE shopping there... but needed several days to do it! About halfway through ONE of the two centers, we were both pretty exhausted! We toughed it out and managed to go to most of the stores we were interested in (after a while, we just wanted to GO!). We stayed in again Friday night (we were TIRED!). Saturday morning was the obligatory breakfast tacos (yum) and Nicholas' soccer game. Then came the WORST part of the weekend... saying goodbye. Miss her already, but had a great time! Enjoy some pics!

Odds and Ends

Here are some pics of Matthew wearing LONG SLEEVES, PANTS, AND EVEN A JACKET!!! Yes, indeed! It CAN get "cold" in Texas. What you can't see in the picture is Matthew sweating profusely because his mommy overdressed him (I can't HELP it! I LOVE bringing out fall/winter clothes!!).
Also... Matthew is trying on several different looks for Halloween. We have "sheriff" jammies for him to wear as a costume (still trying to find a small cowboy hat), but tried on a bear costume (Jason thinks it's a lion) and a Fireman costume (it would match brother...).
Enjoy!