January 6th, 2012 - Zachary is now 4 years old.

As anyone with a premie can tell you we worry about the future. When will our son/daughter catch up to their peers? Physically, emotionally, mentally... Well I can happily say that Zachary is now taller than some of his almost 5 year old friends. He's a bit too smart for his own good and doing very well overall. We don't have any sight problems, hearing issues or any other premie related issues at this time. He has a fairly decent attention span for a kid his age and in some cases better than I would expect.

Zachary loves Legos, robotics, trucks, trains and playdoh. He always wants to get up on a chair when we're in the kitchen so he can help us cook. He loves to clean (dunno why but he thinks it's fun lol). He reminds me a lot of my dad and you can tell he's very mechanically inclined. Sometimes we have to pry the electronics from his hands but I figure that's an issue most parents go through in this day and age. Trying to get kids focused on playing outside or with their other non electronic ton of toys is always a struggle.

As far as academics he's doing great. He can count to 30, write his numbers up to 12. He knows all the uppercase letters and most lowercase. He can write all the letters. We've been trying to work on phonics with him as of late but he's not getting the sound similarities as well. He could just need more time. It's not good to push kids into reading as they will have a harder time due to frustration and often won't read until past Kindergarten. So we go slow with that and I often will switch between reading and math. We're just starting adding and he's doing better with that each time we work on it. Bribery works well with Zach lol, I guess with anything the trick is to find what motivates them (kid or adult).

These days he wants to stay up all night and each evening it's often a fight to get him to go to sleep. I swear he thinks he's going to miss something if he stays up. All par for the course with a high energy kid who is so full of life. v We've had a few friends lately who'd had premie babies and I hope Zach can be an inspiration to them on their journey. I also hope this blog has helped other premie parents who may be looking for a little hope along the way where there often is little except statistics in medical reports.

Hope everyone has a great 2013 and as I have anything interesting to report with Zach I'll happily share.

2-6-2009 Zachary Update

It's been a pretty crazy and busy week. This is Zach's 40 week's gestational week. He was due on or between Feb 1st - 6th. He's 7 lbs .6 ounces. So far this week we've had a possible Vitamin D deficiency worry (one of his labs were elevated for bone break down - not high just elevated). They tested him again and found his calcium/potassium levels fine so he ended up not having a vitamin D deficiency. So that was one thing less to worry about.

Then, we had his MRI done Tuesday, results in Wednesday and what the Neonatologist was saying (just reading from the report) did not sound that great. Further research online didn't make it sound any better. They had found DEHSI (Diffuse excessive high signal intensities) on his MRI - Generally relates to White matter damage in the brain. Now in about 80% of VLBWP (Very Low Birth Weight Preemies) you'll see DEHSI. The thing is these scans they're using to find this are very new (within the last 5 years) so they don't really have a lot of data to show what DEHSI means long term. The do know that if they find a lot of DEHSI on a scan that generally the children at 5 yrs will have mild to severe learning or motor skills impariment.

So with that being said when the doctor told me they found it on his scan I was immediately alarmed and wanted to know more. The MRI report was vague at best. It also said that his Myelination is normal for age. He's had no hemmorage or masses. He's got some areas where his brain has not grown yet (very normal in preemies) that the radiologist said was atrophy. However, I'd asked for a Neruologist to consult due to the vague report he stated "You can't lose what you never had". He explained that the radiologist should not have used that term. Basically, the preemie's brains take a little longer to finish growing than a full-term normal baby. He's perfectly fine in that regard and may take up to 2 years for his brain to catch up with other full-term babies. So his cranium is full size but his brain doesn't completely fill it up in all areas which is normal for a preemie.

So the Neurologist was great he explained that although they found DEHSI on his scan it was so minimal that they almost didn't note it but they were erring on the side of caution. That's good because the less of that he has the less overall damage to his white matter he has. Meaning, long term his fine motor and mental abilities will be minimally impacted. The Neurolist said that we just need to watch him for the next 2 years and as long as he's reaching his milestones with adjusted age (give or take a few months) then we don't even need another Neuro follow-up. If he's not then we should get another MRI at age 2. So, that's one less thing to worry about.

While reading some of the reports about preemies and MRI scans I was reading about extreme low or high muscle tone in preemies and that both can be a sign of neuron damage. Zach has always had high muscle tone and could pick up his head/body, push off with his legs and attempt to crawl for the longest time. He was able to do this nearly since he was 1 month out of womb which is exceptional. Most newborns can't pick up their heads, crawl etc. So when I read that can be a bad thing I asked for a PT consult just to see what they think. Too much muscle tone can cause the tendons to stiffen etc and cause problems for walking etc later. The PT did her workup today but I've not spoken to her the OT she called in said that she didn't find anything of concern so that's good I'll know more of what she thinks on Monday.

So the OT is for some feeding issues. I'd been reluctant to have them use the blue nipple on bottling him becuase it's a faster flow. Some of the nurses want to use it because it's easier for him to suck and get milk ie less work /time for him. The less time he feeds the more energy he has to grow. However, faster flow nipples is the main reason babies get nipple confusion and won't take to breast anymore. Problem is when they use the green slower nipple with him he works so hard to get the milk by the time he's down to 10-15 cc's left he's too tired to finish or thinks he's full and gives up. Well the OT being called in means they're using that as a last effort so he can go home. We can't take him home until he's on all feeds no tube, and takes all from the bottle/breast and doesn't need supplementation.

Updates :) May 31, 2011

Well it's been a while since I've updated the blog nothing huge has been going on other than a lot of growing and a bottomless pit stomach :).

He's been working with a speech therapist now for 4 months or so and it's made a HUGE difference. He's constantly asking about new objects for the words, trying new words and able to say the items on many of his flash cards. He loves playing the memory game on the ipad. Course he also thinks the ipad is his mini computer... lol. Future MIT student in the works (we can hope). He's very mechanically inclined and if there is something that moves or does some action he must study it and see how it works.

Saturday, May 5-28-2011 Zach asked his dad if he could go in the bathroom and use the potty. He actually used it.. #1 .. but it's a start. Sadly, he didn't ask the rest of the weekend but I'll take it. I tried to get him to use it several times after but nada. Now if we could just get him doing it consistently that'd be wonderful. I'll take little by little, step by step.. it's better than nothing. He's 2 1/2 and that's not bad at all especially born as early as he was.

The terrible two's are hitting full force lately. We're hearing a lot of "Noooah" .. "NOOOOOO!" ... etc.. Time outs are a daily occurrence.
Overall he's a loving, sweet boy but definitely has his moments. He just moved up to the 2-3s room the next step before pre-school woot. Once he's potty trained fully they'll probably move him up from there, that may take a while.

Zach loves the pool and water.. no matter how much he shivers he refuses to get out. Generally, I just have to tell him he needs to get out and get warm. Bathtime is his next favorite activity.. or just running around naked LOL.

So that's what's new :) ... hope you all out there in cyber land are doing well!

S

Zachary Updates woo :)

Well it's been pretty quiet as he eats 6-7 meals a day and is growing like a weed .. upwards :) but tonight he was doing some pretty amazing things!

Well tonight he started counting to .. 2 first time ever. Then he stacked blocks 6 high (tried to go higher but they tumbled) I think he was trying to impress me so I wouldn’t put him back in bed. He’s in his new room now and his crib has been converted to the day bed (middle transition it has) … which we’re having a problem keeping him in it. Some times he’s fine other nights like tonight he just wants to get up and play. So he started climbing HIGH on his furniture.. no fear I swear.. so he could change the CD in the CD player.. no joke. Apparently, he got sick of listening to the Daycare music cds.. He started doing the “yes” head movement tonight as well and then motioning that he was hungry and just using more hand signals and words than he ever has. Guess he had a brain explosion today or something. He’s never been so communicative where we could actually understand him. He’s also found that taking apart appliances, toys with screw drivers is fun… unscrewing lenses off things taking the 5 pieces apart, trying to put them back together.. We did get him a construction kit /bench etc for Christmas but he’d much prefer the real thing o.O. Anyone know of an Engineering based pre-school? :P hehe

He fights sleep so badly now that he can just get out of his bed. He's also started where he wants us in his room or to be in our room to fall asleep o.O. We always read him a book at night but now he's asking for more books etc.

He's getting sneakier, more cunning and really coming into his own ohh and saying NOaaaaa.. NOaaaaa... just like his older sister.. but with a more whiny pitiful voice lol. Love some of the new things.. could do without some of the others.

Live keeps on movin' :)

Sarah

Zachary's First Day at Daycare 5-7-2010

Well Zach did surprisingly well. We'd taken him by Thursday so we all could check out the place. This is the same Daycare that Alexis used to go to back when it was Children's World. Thankfully, it's been completely remodeled. Brand new playground and equipment/toys. The Toddler room is 2x as large and huge. The prices are reasonable and the staff is great some of them I knew from before.

When I dropped him off he was good, no tears, no crying he just wanted to play :P When I came to pick him up they said he had a great day and needed minimal help no more than the other children which it's a room for 18mo - almost 3 yr olds. Mind you he just is 18 months this May 4th so he's one of the smallest in there but he's keeping right up with them. There's another little girl in there that just moved over from the infant room so he's not the only one.

Zach was sitting feeding himself some applesauce (spoon on the floor lol) and he smiled when he saw us then... as soon as he realized we'd come to pick him up he started balling! He did not want to go home LOL. He wanted to stay and play with all the new toys and friends he'd made. So I think we can say pretty surely he likes Daycare and would much rather be there than home.. (can't blame him).

Today they made Mother's Day Posters it was really cute :) Not sure how much he had to do with it other than pasting lol and that's pushing it.. but it was really cute and I loved it even if he had minimal participation. I'd forgotten how much I missed those cute signs and little crafts they make from the heart :)

I did really miss his fussy little head though. He's so much fun to snuggle, love on throughout the day and really keeps me cheered up and always makes me laugh no matter how stupid things are during the day or work getting me down. So it's hard not having him around but at least I'm 100% x more productive and that's important.

I may have to find him some new shoes though the ones I bought were the lightest I could find and they're still pretty heavy and clunky. So that may be a weekend task :)

So overall a positive experience all around being that I've had him home or with friends for the past 18 months I'd say we did well this far along :) I tried to hold out longer but he was just getting to be too much with work intensifying. The kind of work I do doesn't do well with broken concentration :P He also needed a lot more attention than I could give him and even when my friends watched him he really wanted to be with kids his own age and lots of them. We've known for a while he loves other kids at restaurants he'd rather look at, communicate with, play with other kids than eat :P Sucks for trying to save money though which we are doing but at least this place won't break the bank :P Also, if it gets to cost prohibitive I can switch him to half days only problem is since I'll be going in the office more I could only do that on certain days.

So new things with Zach:

- He's 29inches tall and 20.5 lbs 18 months actual (15 months adjusted).
- one side of his molars are in the other side are still cutting and he's still teething time to time. He's not putting as much stuff in his mouth but still does more often than we'd like.
- first thing he learned at Daycare was ... how to pick his nose and eat it o.O. On the bright side this will help with his congestion problem.. on the other hand EWWWWW lol.
- He did also learn to wash his hands and now anytime there's soap or lotion he promptly rubs his hands together.. too cute and he's so proud when he does it :)
- He was running barefoot from shelf to shelf when we took him the first day and we'd never seen him do that before.
- He's been starting to use more two work (baby speak) sentences he said something today I still have no idea what it was but he clearly was speaking words. So he's picking stuff up from the other kids (just hope no swear words LOL).
- He can walk inside/outside and from room to room. He can do circles standing and crouch to pick up items and carry items long distances. When the PT came 2 days ago she said he'd progressed about 4 months in 2 weeks time and she said we may not need her much longer.. that's always a good sign. Same thing the OT said that he was progressing so fast that soon he'd be all caught up and not need her anymore. That would just leave the Dev Specialist and then maybe the speech therapist in 6 months if he's still not talking normal words yet.

We got him a toddler soccer set and are trying to teach him how to kick. We work with him on balancing on one leg and he seems to be getting the concept down of how to kick. He prefers to pick it up and throw it in the goal though lol it's cute.

He still has very little hair about 1 cm in length if that.. and it's very light so he still looks bald.

That's about all I've got for now I'm sleepy :P Hope you all have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Zachary's Big Day!

Well after coming home from a long day at work Zachary smiled and greeted me then decided to walk 4 steps from me toward the other side of the kitchen. All of us stood watching in amazement this boy who can barely walk with you holding his hand he's just starting that. Nope he decided he was going to trek out on his own!

If that wasn't enough in one day to try he started clapping .. well half clapping his left hand against his steady right hand. He definitely has some right side issues.. That may be because the left side of his brain still hasn't caught up we knew from the MRIs large sections of his brain hadn't grown yet when we took him home. The Right side of his brain (left body) is much more developed and the differences you can see are huge now!

So 4 Steps woot! and Clapping..

Later after dinner I was singing just randomly (yeah I do that a lot) Baby You Got What I Neeeeeeeed. He sang back.. Oh Baby you ... LOL was really cute.

So we're wondering what other amazing things he'll do in one day! His OT, PT, Dev Spec /Speech therapist will be very happily surprised!

Now to keep nurturing the steps to becoming walking he's still scared of falling. Then pray we can keep up with him!

Molar updates.. Left side top /bottom are about half way in. The right side are poking through but not fully in yet.

So that's my update for today :)

Sarah

Zachary update 3-4-2010

Hi all here's an update on how Zachary's doing now 13 months (gest) 16 months actual.
He's finally cut a molar (it's just peaking through) but the sleepless nights from it are over for the moment. Only a bunch to go o.O.

We're working with the OT, PT, Developmental Specialist and bringing in a Speech therapist. His OT needs are lessening as his fine motor hand skills come along. He's still not walking so the PT gave hims some inserts and shoes to wear an hour a day to get him used to standing properly without being on his tippy toes. Just in two days of wearing them he looks much better when he's standing. He's been standing really well up to 30+ seconds w/out holding onto anything he just can't seem to get the steps down. His left leg he'll try but his right leg he's not shifting his weight off of it to actually move.

He's been more verbal lately but we've no idea what he's saying :P He'll often say Mom, Momma when he wants something but that's about the only thing he regularly says. That and "no" shaking of the head lol he loves to do that. Zach is exerting his will more and getting some "terrible twos" behavior. No full-blown tantrums yet but definitely some fits of anger, screams, crys, scratching, biting you name it :P

He's still sticking everything in his mouth to our dismay. He's chewed the furniture, books, pens and everything else he can possibly get his hands on. Sometimes I wonder if a puppy would be not as bad o.O.

He's still a great eater and starting to learn how to feed himself with a spoon. He's not doing too badly with the spoon other than the occasional miss and getting food all over his forehead.

It's been a month now since I've been going back into the office 1-2 days a week. So far he's enjoying the time with Amanda and Cohen so that's a great relief while I'm at the office for long hours. I miss him but he's having a great time and she does a great job with him. Zach definitely is interested in other babies he is constantly trying to have contact with them in restaurants etc. The only thing keeping him out of daycare is the walking issue. Sadly the day cares will put him with the infants instead of toddlers if he's not walking yet it's just one of their policies. He meets every other requirement except the walking. The PT thinks probably in about 2 months he'll be walking which that's not too bad :) As long as he's walking by the time Amanda has to go back to work we're good which should be August.

If you haven't checked out the flickr photos in a while check them out. We got photos taken early February and they turned out really cute. Family is good we're just really busy! Until next time,

Sarah