J's 2nd Birthday

I'm a month late, but better late than never, right? We pulled out the bouncer we bought him last year for his b-day and bought a ball pit and tent/tunnel for the kids to play with. But there was probably too much going on and too many kids for J to handle so he didn't have as much fun as I thought he would. But I'm glad it's over; I tried to keep it as simple as possible but it still ended up being a lot of work. And of course I say this now, but no more big parties until he turns 5.

Photo album made with Smilebox

Happy 2nd B-Day Justin

Our little miracle is finally 2. Here's Justin with his Remember Me Preemie doll. He sure has come a long way.

Happy B-Day Nathan Michael

Stats
Thursday, February 11, 2010
7:04 pm
5 lbs, 10 ozs
19 inches long

Birth Story
After they realized I was 1 cm dilated, 40% effaced and -6 station there was a whirlwind of activity. Residents, nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists and nurses were in and out of my room asking questions and prepping me for a c-section. I was pretty calm until I realized that Carl might miss Nathan's birth and it was like I was reliving May 29th all over again.

I'm no stranger to surgery, but it's always been under general anesthesia. This time around I was getting a spinal, which would allow me to be awake during the delivery, and emotionally I wasn't prepared for it. Fortunately the spinal wasn't bad at all (pain wise) but I was still upset that Carl had not yet arrived by the time the anesthesiologist finished and my Dr was ready to make the first incision. The whole process went relatively quickly, and no sooner than they started it seemed like they were pulling Nathan out and I heard him crying. At that point Carl walked in, was able to hold Nathan and show him to me. Although Nathan was breathing on his own and looked really good, he was having some retractions so they sent him to the NICU for monitoring. He spent a few hours in the NICU while I was in recovery and I was able to meet and hold him once I was settled into my room.

Justin's Lil Prince Party

Who would've thought that planning a child's birthday party would be so much work. But all our hard work paid off and the party turned out really nice. Luckily the rain held off so we were able to have the party outside like I'd hoped and the kids were able to enjoy the bounce house we bought for Justin. A special thanks to Carl's aunt for hosting Justin's party and taking care of the food and cake. We'd also like to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts. Justin will be the smartest, richest and best dressed kid (land & sea) this summer thanks to our friends and family.






To see more pictures from Justin's party click here.

My 1st B-day!

Mommy & Daddy had my 1 year photos taken where I tried hard not to flash my pearly whites. Sure I have no teeth but humor me a little, you all know what I mean. But I finally gave in and gave the silly photographer lady a couple smiles which made mommy happy.

Then we went to the NICU where I spent the first 102 days of my life. It was really nice seeing the nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for them so I brought cupcakes to show my appreciation. I even got a birthday present, a cuddly teddy bear, from Dr. E. Sadly mommy forgot to bring the camera so I didn't get any pictures.

Anyway, here's what I'm up to these days:

I'm sitting unassisted.

I'm pushing up on my hands and knees into the crawl position but have no desire to do anything else and fall down after a few seconds.

I've been rolling from tummy to back for a while. Now I'm trying to figure out how to roll from back to tummy, although I'm perfectly content on my back so I don't know why they keep trying to get me to roll onto my tummy.

I love eating my feet, and anything else for that matter that doesn't really have any nutritional value. Feet, computers, cell phones, you name it, I don't discriminate.

I think I have this babbling/talking thing under control. I'm saying da da, ma ma, and bob and slowly starting to imitate sounds.

I'm still working on my fine motor skills but I'm getting better at grabbing things, especially something that I want to put in my mouth and chew on.

I'm sleeping through the night in my own crib. Mommy says I'm a night owl and need to start going to bed sooner than 10 or 11 though.

Enjoy the pictures
Love, Justin

Justin's First Year

My first b-day present

came from my Grammy (mommy's grandma). I just hope the parents don't ask me for another loan, lol. 1 more day until my 1st b-day!

Justin

The big 3-0

I took the day off from work so my 30th birthday was pretty nice and relaxing. I woke up to a sunshine award on Channel 4 news and it was kind of cool to hear my name on TV acknowledging my birthday. Justin & I had a play date with Kelicia and little Donne and Sunshine stopped by to drop off my gift which she made and did a really good job, a necklace with the initial J and Justin's birthstone. Then Carl met Justin & I for Justin's 2nd physical therapy session and afterwards we went to dinner, where several people commented on how cute Justin was and his pretty eyes. One couple actually got up from their table to come look at Justin. I've always known I have a cute kid, but I must admit it was nice to hear it from strangers, lol. When we got home Carl gave me a cake and my gift, Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses. I also got a card from Justin, which he even signed, lol. So all in all it was a pretty good day. I'm looking forward to this weekend when we celebrate with friends.