A YEAR!

Our little man is growing up so fast! Chance just turned 1, we cannot believe it's been a year since he entered our lives. He is so perfect, so amazing, such a blessing to us. He is doing so many cool things now, learning so fast and showing us how smart he is :)

His birthday party was a success, the whole family came to celebrate and Chance was very spoiled :) He was slightly fussy due to just getting vaccines the day before and having to deal with ALOT of people - but he took it all in and had fun :) He got a lot of really cute toys and clothes, thanks to my family for being so generous, he has had a lot of fun playing with his new things. He enjoyed his cake, wasn't exactly sure about the 20 people watching him but he eventually got into it. Heather made an amazing cake for his Monster themed party, it was perfect.

Chance just had Orchiopexy surgery for his undescended testicle and circumcision. While i was a nervous wreck he was cool as a cucumber and recovered quickly. He was very wheezy as he was still getting over a cold and had some issues with the breathing tube, but he was back to normal within a day. He will have some more scars as they had to make quite a few incisions, but they are already disappearing. What's a few more scars?

I am trying to get Chance evaluated for physical therapy as he is still not crawling or pulling up/walking and still needs help getting into a sitting position (although he is getting better with practice). I don't want to get ahead of myself but i think it's definitely time for him to be doing these things, therapy agrees he should be able to, he has no limitations for these things so practice, practice, practice is what we need to be doing, help from a professional would be nice too :)

He is so smart though!

He growls and screams when he wants something or is upset.
He does this funny grimace on command, it's so cute.
He claps when we say "yyaaaayy" or "good job".
He covers his ears and shakes his head no, although he doesn't understand no yet.
He points at things now!
Heather is convinced he says "Heather" although to me it sounds like "hudah!" but hey its similar.
He is learning more and more sounds and babbles.

It's sad to see him not a baby but it's so cool seeing him with such an awesome personality, he truly is my perfect little boy.

Love you Chance!

Wow. Slacker Mom Here

So yeah, it's been 4 months since i updated. Just call me "slacker mom".

I want to get back in the groove though, no reason i'm behind - i just get my lazy spells.

Chance is 9.5 months old. Really. Sometimes i can't even believe how big he's gotten. I go back and look at pictures from our time in the NICU, when we first brought him home - seems like a different world back then. When i pass St. Davids i get a weird feeling as i remember coming and going from that same parking garage for 13 days. I get the same feeling when i pass the Ronald McDonald House. It's intense, our lives have changed so much since then, since him. I honestly can't remember what i did or thought about before he was here, kinda like he was meant for me - he is my purpose.

It's been a busy few months. Doctor appointments for me (kidney stones, floating kidney, hyperthyroidism then hypothyroidism) and for him (blood in vomit? is he acting weird? trips to Dell for X-Rays and scans that amounted to just Mommy freaking out, and the occassional normal well-baby exam with a Spina Bifida clinic and ECI evaluation thrown in). Just a typical day in our lives ;-) I wouldnt' change it for the world.

Chance is progressing perfectly. He is beyond smart and he just LOVES to flirt and pretend to be bashful with the ladies. He's cute enough to be able to pull it off - we got ourselves a heartbreaker. He is not crawling although he is sitting up like he was born to do it. He can even stand when he is propped up, although he hasn't mastered getting off his heels and standing on his feet. It's cute though, it's so...Chance. He even just learned how to clap!

He is scheduled for surgery sometime in March for an Orchiopexy - gotta find that other testicle if it's there and pull it down. He'll get circumsized at the same time. I've gone back and forth with myself over getting it done, is it wrong that i make a decision about his body for him? Not every boy gets circumsized, maybe i should let him choose. But in the end, i am not a guy so i don't know all there is to know, and Brent is - he wants it done. I don't want Chance to feel more different, and when it comes to cathing - i feel like it will just be easier, i want things to be easier for him. But Chance, if you read this someday, know that i did struggle with the decision.

I've been trying to come up with themes for his 1st Birthday party...the only cartoon he really seems to like is Mickey Mouse, but it seems to cliche to me. I'll post when i've figured out the perfect theme that just screams...CHANCE!!!!

So here are the brand new pics of my grown-up baby. And the video of course. ENJOY!

Love you Chance!
Mommy.