Flashback Friday| Then & Now

Happy Friday!

Sharing photos from Easter past and present of my little lady. 

PROGRESS IS EVERYTHING!!

2016 to 2017

Little-miss-ma'am is a busy body and will probably be walking alongside us in the March for Babies walk next Saturday.

Want to know more about her story and how you can help families and premature little ones?

♡CLICK HERE♡

#WalkForButton 

Humble Beginnings...

I can look back and smile at the progress that Button has made.

I shared last year the story of our little lady coming into this world at 24 weeks and 6 days and how it was a trying time for my husband and I.

Those days seem so long ago as Button is almost 2! I sometimes look back at trinkets and pictures from her younger months and sit in disbelief because she is doing so well physically and mentally (Praise him!).

With help from the man upstairs as well as the hospital staff at Duke ICN, TCN and March of Dimes we can look back on her humble beginning and smile.



Want to know more about premature birth and how you can help support babies and families?

♡♡♡♡CLICK HERE♡♡♡♡

Farewell 2016| Memorable Moments

We are a little over 1 week into the new year and while 2016 held held a lot of broadcasted highs and lows, I would like to share some memorable moments from my life.

MOVING!
After 10 years in our previous location, we finally moved. It was stressfull purging and sorting but it helped us prioritize what to keep as well as bringing up the conversation to minimize as much as possible moving forward. Still getting adjusted to the new place but I knkw it has great benefits for the little one.

Button Turns 1!
I'm happy to say that we have made through 1 year of parenting (with the helpful advice from friends and assistance from our parents). Looking back on her rushed beginnings I am still in amazement at how far she has come.

Becoming an auntie!
What could be more exciting than having a little one of your own? Having your little one have a cousin close in age. I am so excited to see how these two interact and just watch them grow.

What were your memorable moments of 2016?

Flashback Friday| No more leads #NICUGRAD

After 91 days of hospitalization, I was more than excited to find out that Button would finally be coming home. We cleaned and prepped her room (for the most part) in preparation however, my excitement immediately turn into anxiety on the day of her discharge as the nurse removed the last cardiac monitoring lead from our little girls body...

...No more beeps... Or monitor watching her heart rate... No more hospital alarms...

I was so use to these noises that it became the norm. So those 1st few moments of just silence in our little corner of TCN were joyous yet scarey. "How do I know if she's OK without the monitors to watch?".

This was a reoccurring feeling when we were home as well: skin to skin time was usually quiet with TVs off So I could hear her breathing.

I am happy to say the Button is thriving thankfully without medications or machines and brings us so much joy and laugter (literally, she laughs now and it's contagious). 

Easy DIY| Sensory Gel Mat

Hey hey!

Being a new mommy and being a mommy to a child that is still small, I have been listening very carefully to Button's pediatrician and physical therapist on what we can do to help with her development. 

One thing that I really want to take on is DIY projects that she can use because most of them are cost effective and... I LOVE TO CREATE!

Now that Button is improving in her motor skills, I wanted to go ahead and make her a sensory gel mat to help her out and to give her something to be interested in during tummy time.

What You Will Need: 

• Large or Jumbo freezer bags
• Hair Gel
• Pom Poms (or anything soft )
• Duct Tape
• Clean place to work

Luckily, I found all the items that needed/wanted at Dollar Tree (>>>click here<<< for my Dollar Tree Mini Haul)

Step 1| Pour

Take your freezer bag and fill it with hair gel. I was able to find Jumbo bags and clear hair gel but feel free to use whatever you are able to find. With the bag being larger, I purchased 2 bottles of gel.

Step 2| Add

Now that the gel has been poured, you can add your "entertainment". I chose to use soft pom poms however, you can use round buttons, foam figures...Again, whatever your able to find that is soft, flat and will NOT puncture the bag.

Step 3| Close

Now that all of your items are in the bag, ensure you have taken out as much air as possible and close it up. Something that assisted me in closing the bag was rolling the opening of the bag down one time after closing it and then applying my duct tape along the top to keep the bag folded down

Step 4| Complete

Now that the bag is closed, you can use more duct tape to create border around the bag. I doubled the layer of tape to enforce the bags edges. 

And now your little one has a new toy to play with. It was fun to make and keeps Button's attention while we trick her into a little tummy time. 

Have you ever made a sensory gel mat? If so, what items did you use and where did you find them?

Flashback Friday| Life In NICU

Being the mommy of a child in the NICU brings on a lot of anxiety that in my opinion, cannot be avoided. Things that helped to set my mind at ease and made me feel like I was helping:

Checking in| Reminding myself that if I EVER wanted to know how she was doing... even in the wee horse of the night/morning, I could call her nurse and get information.

Keep Pumping| in the earlier weeks we weren't able to nurse so keeping my pumping schedule was a must to ensure her supply was plenty at the hospital. 

Kangaroo Care| Once the green light was given, I held her every chance I got. Skin to skin not only benefited her but made me feel more like a mom.

Being hands on| it took me a while but eventually assisted in every way possibly when visiting with Button: diaper changes, hand hugs to keep her calm for her assessments, feedings, etc. I was always asking to help once I got past the "I don't want to hurt her" phase.

Journaling| I not only had a journal, but a calendar that helped me document Button's progress and count the days; from assessments to small messages to her, I wrote whenever I felt moved to do so.

CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR STORY

Mommy of a Super Hero| Strength of a Preemie

Around this time last year there were so many thoughts running through my mind about #NewMomLife: hoping that I'd do a good job recognizing different cries and being able to take care of my little one was just some of what went through my head as I felt Button kick around in the early morning hours.

Needles to say when Button made her debut at 24 weeks and 6 days, I was floored and had no clue of what was in store:

• Respitory assistance

• Constant observation

• PICC lines

• Blood transfusions

• Therapy

• Eye surgery

...Just to name a few.

Not to mention the fact that my little one could not come home.

The 1st few weeks of Button being in the NICU were by far the toughest days of my life. I honestly felt like I had let her down and there was nothing I could do to help during such a crucial time.

However, this little lady of ours was a tough cookie and even though there were ups and downs for those 91 days, she's fought like a champ and her fighting made me want to be stronger for her because she was not worrying, so why was I?

Want to know more about infant prematurity and how you can help?

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Flashback Friday| "I'm going to be a mom!"

Happy April to all! As usual lately, I'm up early feeding Button... Oh, who is Button? She is my pint-size super hero.

Around this time last year hubby and I discovered that we were going to be parents. What a discovering right?! So excited and intrigued with the unknown:

• Girl or Boy?
• Hubby's smile?
• My personality?
• Will we be good parents?

Minds were racing wondering what was in store for our to-be party of 3. We kept Button a secret from many for as long as she would allow us (24 weeks and 4 days to be exact)...

With our due not being until November 30th, we were thrown for a loop when Button made her entrance on August 13th. 

Want to know more about our story? 

●●●CLICK HER●●●