Micro Preemie Miracle

Today at Kelly's Korner, she is hosting a "Show Us Your Life - Ministry". These posts can be on a wide variety of topics to help encourage others through something you have experienced. I chose to participate and introduce you to my micro-preemie miracle.

My micro-preemie miracle son, Kyle, was born on October 5, 2005 at 25 weeks gestation. Kyle was 1 lb. 10 oz., was 12 inches long and spent 86 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He has shown us that he can make it through anything...from his respiratory/breathing issues, infection, laser eye surgery due to ROP, many hours of therapy, wearing a helmet due to plagiocephaly, and his many doctors appointments. I am so thankful that Kyle is such a healthy and happy (most of the time...LOL) preschooler. Kyle's main challenge from being born a micro-preemie is his developmental delays. He has received therapy services since he was eight months old and continues to receive services through our local school district at preschool. I have come to realize that Kyle is on his own little time line to meet milestones and age appropriate skills. I will probably always worry a little more about things since he had such a rough start in life, but with his zest and love for life, I know he will be just fine as he grows up...just may be a little more challenging at times.

My main purpose to share this blog post today, was to encourage other parents who may experience prematurity...preemies are strong, little fighters who will never give up! With the wonderful assistance of a top notch NICU staff, therapists, teachers, and a very determined little guy we have come such a long way on our micro-preemie journey. It isn't something I wish upon anyone, but the outcome can be very rewarding if you are ever faced with this challenge in life.

Kyle in the NICU

Kyle - Age 4

Pound Party

We had a huge celebration this week in the Spence house. I'm sure you are wondering what the occasion might be...birthday, anniversary, graduation, promotion, etc. Well, this isn't just an ordinary party, but what we like to call a "Pound Party". Have you ever been to one of these fun and exciting celebrations? The Spence Family has been to Twenty Nine pound parties!

Since Kyle was born a micro-preemie at just one pound ten ounces, we have a "pound party" at each new pound mark. We clearly remember when Kyle was in the NICU having a "two pound party". At the time it was such a huge milestone and each pound from them on turned into a little party and it's own little milestone. I have always been concerned about Kyle's weight, especially his first year, that I purchased an infant/baby scale and would weigh him on a daily basis. I'm still obsessed with his weight, but only slighty and yes, we still weigh him every single night after his bath. For many months he has been teetering in the twenty nine pound range, but this week he finally hit the BIG 30! It was such an awesome feeling to see the number 30 on the scale. The three of us were very excitied...we even did a little dance, sang, and clapped.

I'm certain, many parents hit this "milestone", months, if not years before Kyle did, but since he was a micro-preemie we can't take anything for granted with Kyle and need to feel blessed for each and every one of his accomplishments, even if he may be behind the curve with many of them. I certainly am very proud of My Little Munchkin and look forward to many more "pound parties" in the future as well as many other milestone celebrations.

Hanging With The Girls

This morning, Kyle and I went to my friend Angie's house for a little playdate. Just thought I would share a few pictures of Kyle with Riley (age 4) and Hayden (age 3). Angie and I met each other while Kyle and Hayden were in the NICU together. They were both preemies and each spent 86 days in the hospital. By looking at them today it's hard to believe...they have both come such a long way and certainly have grown up!

Riley, Kyle, and Hayden

This picture makes me laugh because Kyle thinks he is so cool sitting

between the two girls. At the age of three, Kyle is already such a stud...LOL!

Kyle and Riley hugging each other goodbye....so sweet and adorable!

Angie, thanks for having us over this morning and getting me hooked on Wii Tennis!

Great American Preemie

Kyle enjoys sporting his GAP jacket. Did you know that GAP = Great American Preemie?

Here's Looking At You!

Kyle has a new look!

Since Kyle was born prematurely his eyes didn't have time to develop fully and he had to undergo laser eye surgery due to ROP. The surgery was a great success and we are forever thankful to the pediatric opthamologist for "saving" Kyle's sight. At that time, we were told that at some point in the future Kyle may need to wear glasses. A couple of weeks ago at his yearly follow up appointment Kyle received a prescription for his first pair of glasses. This morning we went to pick them up and have the glasses fitted. He really does look cute with them...at least I think so! He seems to be adjusting to them just fine, so hopefully this will continue.

Since we were in the hospital where Kyle was born, we went to visit the NICU where Kyle spent the first eighty six days of his life. We were very excited that one of Kyle's primary nurses that took care of him was working. She was able to give us a quick tour of the new NICU wing in the hospital. Wow, it is really nice and certainly would have made our three month stay more comfortable. Well, as comfortable as one can be in that situation. We are so thankful for the hospital, doctors, and nurses for everything they do on a daily basis to help these tiny little babies.

Past Holiday Cards

I thought it would be fun to show our previous holiday cards since Kyle came along in 2005. I always enjoy looking at past cards to see how much Kyle has grown and changed from year to year.

2005 - Photo of Kyle in the NICU

Typically we don't include an update letter, but in 2005 we did to update our family and friends on Kyle's progress so I wanted to include that with the post.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

First and foremost we would like to thank everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers for Kyle.

Kyle has been making wonderful progress. He is rapidly approaching five pounds and has started taking two bottles per day. We have had the opportunity to hold, feed, and bath Kyle on a daily basis. We are even becoming pros at diaper changing! It has been great to witness the day-to-day journey he has taken since birth. We are hoping to welcome Kyle home sometime in the beginning of the New Year! (actual day was 12-30-05)

We hope your Holiday Season will be as special as ours!

2006 2007

Christmas...Past and Present

Christmas morning of 2005, John and I walked into the NICU and found our favorite present, Kyle, snuggled in a Christmas stocking. At the time, Kyle was so small that the stocking looked so large. We took a picture of Kyle holding the same stocking this week to show how much he has grown in three years...the difference is AMAZING!

Prematurity Awareness Day

November 12th was Prematurity Awareness Day

This is a subject very near and dear to our hearts. As many of you know, Kyle was a micro-preemie. He was born at just 25 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 10 ozs., and a mere 12 inches long at birth. He was such a little fighter and he never gave up. Looking back at it now it was all quite scary. Kyle has come such a long way in his three plus years and he is doing great! Everyday we read stories of other preemies having long term heath issues and serious daily struggles. We are so thankful knowing things could have been much much worse for us.

We ask that you please take a minute to visit the March of Dimes site to see the Premature Birth Report Card and to sign the Petition for Preemies . Help spread the word about this tragic epidemic. You can also read the MSN article on this subject.

Thank you for your time; we thank you, Kyle thanks you, and the families of preemies around the country thank you.

The Spences

Very Thankful

I try to keep this blog very upbeat and cheery, but today's post will be a little different. I will be back this weekend to share with you our fun family adventures.

The past few days I've been reading a few really sad, heart-breaking stories on the internet. Reading these stories certainly makes me very thankful for what I have. Life hasn't always been easy and I sometimes throw a "pity-party" for myself, but I really want to express how blessed I really feel. Often times, I take the "good" things for granted and spend my time focusing on the hard times...this is just human nature.

I have an awesome husband, who works very hard to provide his family with a wonderful life. Kyle and I couldn't ask for anyone better!! Kyle is such a little miracle. Granted, he had a very rough start, but he has overcome so many obstacles since his birth. Being born a micro-preemie at just 1 lb. 10 oz. and 12 inches long and spending the first 86 days of his life in the hospital, he has proven to be a strong, determined, little fighter. He has shown us that he can make it through anything...from his respiratory/breathing issues, infection, laser eye surgery due to ROP, to his therapy service, wearing a helmet due to plagiocephaly, and his many many doctors appointments . I am so thankful that Kyle is such a healthy and happy little toddler. I read stories often about micro-preemies who are faced with such challenging medical issues. Kyle's main challenge from being born a preemie is his developmental delays. We have and continue to work with many wonderful therapists at home and at preschool who assist Kyle with his developmental goals. I'm thankful that we have the programs in the state of MO., as well as St. Louis to assist children and parents with these needs. I have no doubt that Kyle will continue to progress and will have no remaining signs of his prematurity in the years to come. I love my Little Munchkin so very much!! I'm so very proud of all his prior accomplishments and look forward to celebrating his future accomplishments!! I think when I get "down in the dumps" for any reason I will need to come back and re-read this post to set my mind straight.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and please take a moment to reflect on the things in your life that you are thankful for, which make you happy!

H Is For...

HALLOWEEN

It has been quite a while since I have written a post from my ABC's of Blogging Project.

I have always enjoyed Halloween, but since having a child it brings a different level of fun. As amazing as it is, to me at least, Kyle has celebrated three Halloween's. I can't believe Halloween is just three months away. The past couple of weeks, while shopping in a few stores, Halloween displays are already set up. It seems to get earlier and earlier each year. Well, for now, we will still be enjoying the summertime.

Kyle's 1st Halloween was celebrated in the NICU as The Tin Man, from the Wizard of Oz. A little girl in the NICU next to him was Dorothy. They were such a cute little couple. We actually purchased his costume from Build A Bear and as you can see it was still way too big for him.

Halloween '06. Mommy and Daddy had different ideas about what Kyle should be for Halloween, so he actually had two different costumes. Mommy wanted her Little Munchkin to be a pumpkin and Daddy wanted a little dinosaur.

Rombach's Pumpkin Patch - Oct. '06 Rombach's Pumpkin Patch - Oct. '07

Halloween '07. Kyle was a lion...ROAR!!! Mommy with her Little Lion - '07

A Is For...

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Heavy On My Mind

This is a topic I honestly think about many times a day…having a Second Child. I have one son, “My Little Munchkin”, who is 2 ½. I was experiencing a wonderful pregnancy with Kyle and at 24 weeks my water unexpectedly broke and I gave birth to my son six days later at 25 weeks gestation. He weighed 1 lb. 10 oz. was 12 inches long and spent 86 days in the NICU. He had a few ups and downs during his journey, but is now happy and healthy with only developmental delays. I say “only” because I know things could have turned out to be much worse and he is definitely making huge and exciting strides in his progress. My husband and I both come from very small families. My husband is an only child and both his parents have passed away. My parents live out of state and my one older sister has passed away. I worry about my son growing up with little to no family down the road. The thought of this just breaks my heart!

Since we got married, we always planned on having two children and I know Kyle would love having a younger sibling. I am 38 years old and my husband is soon to be 43, so we are definitely in the higher age bracket for conceiving and we’re not getting any younger. There are lots of “risks” to consider. After our unexpected turn of events with our last pregnancy I am so afraid to have another baby. Going into a high risk pregancy from the beginning is very scary! I have known and read many stories of other women who had preemies who went on to experience a full term pregnancy. There are so many components to think about…such as having a healthy pregnancy and having a happy and healthy full term baby. We are in the midst of thinking about this and will need to decide within this next year. Of course, I will need to have a heart to heart talk with doctors to determine the best plan of action. If you are reading and happen to have any advice, suggestions, or words of encouragement please feel free to share. Ultimately, I realize the decison is up to my husband and me, but felt I needed to get the subject out in the “open”. I will certainly keep my blog readers posted with what hubby and I decide is best for all three of us.

I have also posted this thread on BabyCenter.

Fear of the Unknown

Due to Kyle’s pre-maturity he has NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) follow up appointments every six months. Today was his two and half year appointment. I have always dreaded and stressed over these appointments and unfortunately today wasn’t any different. During the appointment Kyle’s over all health, growth, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and cognitive development are evaluated. These appointments are always in the afternoon, which is when Kyle’s nap time generally is so it's always iffy what his attitude will be. Of course, I want him to “perform” to the best of his ability, but not having his usual nap always throws us a curve ball. It is definitely clear with his skills and abilities that the preschool he attends is helping him a great deal although he is still developmentally delayed. Yes, we are doing everything we can for him, but my biggest fear as a mommy is the unknown. No one is able to predict the future for my son….it is so very scary. I just want my son to grow up and lead a normal life. Is this too much to ask for?? No one is saying he won’t grow up to be a perfectly developing child since there are no red flags, but the fear of the future is very daunting. I just really look forward to the day where this is all behind us and I hear the words…”He is caught up!!” Those words will be music to my ears. I have faith I will hear these words eventually because Kyle is such a strong, smart toddler and he has proven he can make it through whatever comes his way. If anything his rough start has taught him to be tough and he can overcome obstacles. Despite any delays or issues he is still my son and nothing can change that. He is such an adorable, easy going little guy and is making big leaps forward…even if they may take him a little more time.

I do want to keep this blog "cheery and happy", but from time to time there are various subjects I just want to get off my chest. Thanks for "listening"!