March for Babies

Warning: Picture Overload Ahead!

Saturday morning Cohen woke us up bright and early. I wasn't sure how he would do not in his own crib, but he did fine. Gramma fed him a bottle while Danny and I tried to wake up a little more.

 {Ready to party}

We got up and got dressed in our awesome Team Cohen & Carter shirts. After gathering the crew, we walked over to the Seattle Center to register for the walk. We got all registered, and got in line for our pancake breakfast. The kids played in the bouncy house while we gathered the rest of our team. When everyone was there we got a quick team picture.  

{Our team}

 {The cousins}

   It was our little NICU buddy's birthday so we brought him a balloon and party hat. We also had a Cinco de Mayo balloon for my mom as it was her birthday too! And, we had balloons for Carter. They also had a booth set up to make a memorial butterfly for babies that had passed away. 

 {Carter Garen - we love you!}

We also met up with a few of our UW friends and took some pictures. It's always so good to see them and they will always be a big part of our lives.We will probably still make Cohen go visit the NICU even when he is 18. I had sent my friend Ciera a picture of our team shirts which she told me were pretty much the same color as hers. We didn't discuss the boys' t-shirts but when we got to the march, we saw that the boys also had exactly the same color shirts. It was pretty funny, especially since they were a different color than the grown ups shirts.

{Our UW Family - Emily, Christy, Eli, Ciera, Cohen and I}

 

{Cohen and his NICU nurse Christy}

 {NICU Roomies, I hope these two are going to be buddies for a long, long time}

{Hey! Just cause it's your birthday, doesn't mean you can take my stuff!}

Then we were ready to go! They had a marching band to start out the walk. We tried to wait a little to let them get ahead of us for Cohen's sake (not sure a marching bad at an event full of preemies was the best idea :) Then we were off! It was hard to keep our group together so we split off into two groups for most of the walk.

The walk was 3 miles and all the kids did great. Cohen took a nap for most of it and woke up for probably the last mile. The weather on Friday was very rainy and we were hoping that it would clear up for the walk. It was still pretty cold in the morning, but as we ended the walk the sun came out. They had little water and Dum-Dum sucker stations along the way, which the kids (and adults) enjoyed. We got to spend some time catching up with some of our favorite people from UW. 

 {Michelle taking a turn pushing Cohen. He is in there...under the puppy}

After the walk we stayed for a hot dog lunch. The kids did a little more playing and we took some more pictures. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but there was lots for the kids and grownups to do.We let Carter's balloons go and did a little more visiting.  We had to check out of our hotel by noon so we headed back to pack up and feed Cohen some lunch.

{Testing out their pitching skills}

{Auntie Danielle}

 {Auntie Tamara}

{Carter's balloons}

Cohen was a very good boy the whole time. He slept wonderfully in his pack n play, didn't fuss one bit even though he was in his carseat or stroller for most of the day.

{Tired boy}

{Somebody get me out of here!}

{Family}

March for Babies Pre Party

First of all, thank you SO much to everyone who donated. Our team raised around $2200 which is amazing! All of the money goes to the March of Dimes who helps fund research to help prevent prematurity and also lifesaving treatments for babies born too early.

Second, thanks to everyone who came to walk with us. We had a really fun day and it was really cool to be a part of the March for Babies. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect so we were a little disorganized. But, now we know and next year will be even better.

We drove to Seattle on Friday in hopes of making our lives a little easier. Otherwise we would have had to get up around 5 am to be in Seattle by 8. In case you don't know, I am not a morning person. Instead, we lollygagged our way down after Danny got off work. We stopped by the UW, the hospital our boys were born at, to drop off a delivery of Teeny Tears diapers for their labor and delivery unit. Of course we had to swing by the NICU and see a few of our friends.

 {40 sets of diapers for UW Labor and Delivery}

 {I have no clue why this picture won't go the other way, I tried everything...diapers and angel wraps for UW}

 {Cohen's friends Claire and Christy}

From there, we went down to the hospital I worked at in Renton and introduced Cohen to some of my old nurse coworkers. These ladies were my "moms" for 2 years when I was a baby nurse. I was hired in the PACU right out of nursing school and they took me in and taught me so much. One of the nurses was off that day so we waited around for a little bit for her to get there so she could see Cohen. I was so glad we did, it was so wonderful to see her (hi Cathy!) A few of the anesthesiologists who had been keeping up with our story even came in to see him. I'm really sad I didn't take any pictures of Cohen and the nurses.

{Playing in the cafeteria while we waited}

{Looking at the fishies}

After that we were tired and hungry so we drove to check in at our hotel. We had to use one of those carts to get all our luggage up to our room, you would think we were moving in for a week. I can take credit for most of it. I packed Cohen way too much. We ordered pizza delivery and ate in our rooms. By then we were exhausted so we put Cohen to bed in his pack n play and he went right to sleep. My mom stayed in our room with us, just like the good ole days at the home (the hotel we lived in for 4+ months). At least this time we had queen beds instead of rock hard twin beds. My sister and her family also drove down Friday and stayed in the room next to us. We somehow managed to fit 9 people in 2 rooms. My mom and I turned in early and watched Jeopardy before going to bed. Danny went out with Karen and company for second dinner.

This is getting long, so I will split it up into two (or three?) parts...

Watch Out World (11 Months)

I decided I better get Cohen's 11 month post up today.

At 11 months (almost 8 adjusted):

* Cohen is sitting up
* Crawling!!
* Cohen can go from sitting to crawling, but is still working on crawling to sitting
* Pulling up to his knees and trying to stand
* Says "mama" and "dada" in his babble, but not actually to us
* Sleeps through the night without his swaddler
* Wearing 9-12 month clothes
* Weighs 16 lbs 14 oz for those of you who guessed
* Eats any fruits or veggies, avacado, yogurt, scrambled eggs
* Likes to chew on crackers but doesn't actually consume most of it
* Working on cheerios
* Loves his daddy. Every time he sees him he gets this huge smile on his face and reaches for him

Here is a video of Cohen crawling and pulling up on the stool. Sorry it's kinda shaky, he was moving so fast! At 11 months old, Cohen has been called "motivated" and "determined" by different people. I usually just smile and say something about how he had to be. Preemies fight for every.single.thing. Things that come naturally to other babies, preemies fight for. They have learned to be determined because they had to to live. So, watch out world, I think this little boy is going to do big things in his life. As always, we are so proud of him.

It's also not too late to donate to the March for Babies to help babies like Cohen and Carter!

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Cohen was cracking me up this morning before I left for work. Every time I would hold the camera up he would give this big smile...he must be used to getting his picture taken or something.

{He loves me...}

 {He loves me not?}

We have lots to do to get ready for this weekend! Diaper preparing, paper printing, bag packing, t-shirt washing, and birthday present wrapping. We are very excited about the March of Dimes on Saturday! We got our shirts in yesterday and I will try and post a picture of them tomorrow. Saturday is also my mom's birthday and our special NICU buddy Eli's birthday and we are very excited to get to spend their birthday's with them.

Esther

Tonight, my heart is breaking for another family who has lost their child. Will you please keep the Holtrop family in your thoughts and prayers? Little Esther was such a fighter and overcame so much, more than they ever thought she would. The doctors told her family that she would not survive birth, but God allowed her 20 days on this earth to spend with her family. Her little body has been healed and made whole and she too is resting in the arms of Jesus. Their faith throughout Esther's journey has been truly amazing. I am so thankful for their hope in the Lord and in seeing Esther again someday, I hope it can be a comfort for them. Esther touched a lot of people in her short life here on earth.

If you have a moment, please visit their blog and let them know you are praying for them in this incredibly difficult time.

http://rhondaandjasonholtrop.blogspot.com/

Give your kids an extra hug tonight and remember what a blessing they are.

Rejoicing

I spent some time crying last night, which really isn't anything new, but this time it was different. This time it was for Cohen. I was looking through pictures of him throughout his NICU stay and I was just overwhelmed with how much he has been through.

Those of you who have been reading for awhile know most of what he has been through, and for how hard his life has been. I remember him spending 2 months on the ventilator, bleeding in his lungs and brain, a horrible skin rash that they thought was throughout his body, a PDA, crappy lungs, ROP, having his little feet poked over and over for blood, kidney failure, and the day his breathing tube came out and he turned grey in my arms. At 11 months old, he has had more than his fair share of "life" but I truly believe it will shape the person he is going to become and will just be a part of his story.

I'm not sure why it's hitting me now, if it's because we are getting closer to the time the boys were born. He has been through so much and he truly is amazing. My heart hurts for everything he had to go through and that I couldn't protect him from it. There was a period of time where I feared letting myself love this little boy because I didn't know if I was going to get to keep him. And now he occupies such a huge part of my heart. Those pudgy little fingers that wrap around mine when he drinks his bottle. That one little dimple on his cheek. The long, long toes that we noticed on both boys when they were born.

After last night's tears, today I am rejoicing. Rejoicing in what a strong, driven little boy we have been given. I am so incredibly thankful that we still have him here with us and for every moment we get to spend with him. He brings me more joy than I ever thought possible and I just can't even imagine my life without him. 

{This is Cohen wearing his Gramma's wedding ring on his arm}

The Elephant in the Room

Well, may is here. I know it should be happy with my Mom's birthday, Mother's Day, and my birthday...but I know it's going to be hard. If you don't mind sending a few extra prayers up for us we would greatly appreciate it.

I would just like to say that something kinda cool happened the other night. I was out with a group of people that I don't know well, but am getting to know. She mentioned she had read some of the blog and asked how I was doing with everything. And I have to say I just appreciated it so much.

There are times when I see people that I may not want to talk about it, but it's always kind of that elephant in the room. Part of it is the "living in a fishbowl" as I've heard another mom call it. For some reason, you feel like everyone is watching you, or that everyone knows, even if they don't have a clue. For me it's an awkward guessing game of do they know? Did they hear about it and they just aren't saying anything? Or do they really not know? Or there are times when someone will  tell me that so and so asked about me, so then I know that they know. But, do they know that I know that they know? See what I mean?

And to me, that is more awkward than someone just acknowledging it. It doesn't mean we will get into a lengthy conversation about it, it doesn't mean I will start crying (although either of those things may happen), but to have someone just put it out there so we can move past it is so great. I know it's hard for people to bring up, especially if we haven't seen each other in awhile or something. The truth is, both of my boys are never far from my thoughts, so if you don't want to bring it up for fear of "reminding me", chances are I'm thinking about it anyway. Especially these days. We know people do the best they can and we appreciate that. Thank you for caring about our family.

Don't forget to see how far Cohen has come and guess how much he is weighing these days.