Can you believe my Preemie has just turned 2? Neither can I! I never thought we'd make it to day 2 let, alone 2 whole years. And although the second year of life has come with its own trials and tribulations, I am so thankful that we have been lucky enough to reach this great milestone.
This journey has been the most remarkable of my life. Yes it has been hard. Yes it has been uncertain and yes its been a roller-coaster. But it's also been filled with so many magical moments. Moments I took for granted the first time I became a mom.
You see we are so busy just trying to get through each day that we really do take for granted the simple things.
A cry: I remember my first born suffered from colic (as a new mother back then, I didn't know it.) And it drove me insane!! But now I appreciate that sound. You see my Preemie was intubated for a while so I could not hear him cry in the beginning. And the first time I did, it was truly music to my ears.
Holding up his neck on his own: This mile stone, took what seemed like forever to do, but the first time he did, was magic. Something so simple, filled me with awe.
Solids: This has been 1 of the tougher parts of prematurity for us. Soft foods were easy peasy but we struggled with lumpier foods, struggled to learn how to chew. And so we had to see a speech therapist. And we have basically mastered it now. Some days are still harder than others but every time we are able to eat a whole "big boy" meal, it's still a win.
Sitting on our own: He conquered that like a champ and I thought everything else would be just as quick and simple. But as prematurity has it, some things take a little more time and patience.
Talking: He was always been ahead in this regard. He started babbling after a few weeks of being home. He said his first word at 5 months old and ever since then he has just been making strides. He's now forming sentences.
Crawling: This 1 hit us for a 6. My little one didn't crawl for the longest time. In fact we had to go for physical therapy for this. He army crawled for months and the therapist told me he would never crawl on all 4s. Well he sure showed us! At 15 months he started crawling on all 4s.
Walking: This 1 has been the hardest of the milestones to reach. And believe it or not we are still trying to reach that goal, at 2 years old. On the positive side he loves walking while we hold his hands. He can walk and walk and walk like this for hours. And just very recently (in the past week actually) he took his first 2 independent steps. For some this is just the norm but to a preemie parent this is 1 of the greatest achievements ever.
Yes, this second year has been filled with even more appointments. From speech therapy, to occupational therapy, to physical therapy and of course our neonatal follow ups. But I just look at it as our Preemie family extending. Afterall, it takes a village.
I look at my baby boy (although technically he isn't a baby any more) and I am in awe. I am so, so grateful. More grateful than I have ever been for anything in my life. God chose little old me to bare witness to a miracle. And I get to witness it every, single day.
God has made me appreciate all the small things. A cry, a laugh, a word all the things we normally take for granted, I appreciate. Because I know that things could've been so much different, this post could've been so much different, I could've been so much different.
So to you son, on your second birthday, I would just like to say thank you. You have brought hope, peace, understanding, appreciation and so much more love into our lives.
XOXO, T
