photo taken by Angela Speiker

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Happy 1/2 bday little Z man


His smiles light up the room

I found Z asleep on his blanket like this the other day. He looks like he is a thumb sucker, right?

Can you remember when Rocky was as long as Zach? Look at him grow. The first picture was taken on Feb. 7, the day we brought him home (6 weeks). I couldn't resist this adorable lobster outfit for out little Lobster!

Working on big boy things, like sitting up!

Our little Z man is 6 months old today. How fast the last 6 months seems to have flown. Of course, if I look back to where were were 5 months ago, I don't think I would have agreed with that statement! Zachary is such an amazing joy to our family. He is still such an easy-going baby. He is sleeping through the night from about 8 until 8! Our Z man has recently found his toes, and his ears. It is cute to watch him play with his feet and tug on that ear of his. Zach continues to remain healthy, and we thank God for that! He is giggling out loud often at his siblings--he thinks that they are both the best thing on the planet. He has also really been interested in watching Laney lately, too. We've taken 2 big trips to visit both sets of grandparents this month. He did pretty well on the drive, for the most part. Zach loves playing with his toys, and we just have to watch to make sure Emerald and Calvin don't overwhelm him with too many toys. Zach's hair is growing a little bit longer. We haven't had a weight check for a few weeks, the last time he was at 11 lb 3 oz. I am confident he is a little bigger now, as he is feeling heavier to both of us. He is up to about 6 oz at each feeding and has stretched out his feeds to about every 4 hours. We have an eye appt on Monday for our little Z man. It is a follow-up 6 month appt from when they checked him in the NICU. Preemies can have some eye issues, so we just want to make sure he is doing ok. For now we have no other appts in the near future. We will have a 6 month check, but that is up in the air, as it needs to be near his MRI date (which is not scheduled until Aug. 31). Zachary is a blessing (as are all of our children) and we continue to pray thanksgiving prayers for his health and happiness!

We did have our Parents as Teachers person here yesterday. She gave us a referral to a program called Infant/Toddler. They are going to send out a PT/OT person to evaluate Zach's neck muscles. We just want to make sure that he is on target for his actual/adjusted age and where he should be. He does still have a floppy neck and doesn't hold it up consistently. We are not overly concerned, but just want to stay on top of things to make sure there isn't anything we should be doing for him and aren't. On the plus side of this, it does make him such a cuddler and we are both loving that time very much.

On a personal note, I just have to say that I have met my personal goal! I pumped for Zachary for 6 months. I am now done. I originally wasn't sure I'd be able to survive his NICU stay. Then I set a goal of 2 months. I passed that and re-set my goal to make it thru cold/flu season to try my hardest to keep our little Z man healthy. After 6 months I am packing away the pump and moving him on to full formula feeds. It has been a long 6 months as far as pumping goes. I can't say I wouldn't do it again, as it was the best thing for our little boy. However, I can say it wasn't always fun! Goodbye pump, hello free time to play with my kiddos!

Happy 1/2 birthday little Z man. We all love you so much!
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4 comments:

Panky's Place said...

Happy 1/2 bday little Z man! You are a special blessing to our family (as are all our grandchildren - each in their own unique way). We love you all. Nana & Pop-pop

Mommy P said...

happy 6th months zachy! you are such a sweet little guy, I'm so glad you and greyson are friends.

And congratulations on reaching your goal Stephanie! I know it wasn't easy, but 6 months of pumping is a SUPER achievement. Especially with 3 kids needing your attention!

Dana said...

Time sure does fly by so fast. So glad little Zach is doing so well. I know he will continue to be healthy and have great check ups. Infant Toddler is a great program. You will enjoy that. Great job on reaching your goal, proud of you! See you guys in church.

Jamie Gabriel said...

So glad to meet your sweet boy in person, although he was asleep most of the time! Infant toddler programs are awesome! (that's what I do - only in Douglas county!) Happy Summer!!