A Stroll Down Memory Lane...

We had a wonderful first birthday party for Landon and celebrated his first Easter out of the NICU last weekend. Although we wanted to have a giant circus of a party to celebrate how far we all have come, we were too worried about exposing him to too many germs after keeping him in quarantine for so long. We finally decided to have a smaller party with family and close friends and have a blow out 'Thank You for Our Miracle' type party closer to when his actual birthday was supposed to be in July.

Landon really enjoyed his smaller party. Our house looked like a Toys R Us ad and Landon didn't know what to do with himself with all of his wonderful presents. He would open one and try to hold on tight to it while I tried to get him to let go and open a new present. Who knows what that poor baby was thinking during that experience! He has such an amazingly supportive family and friends, it was a great experience to get people together and celebrate. To top it off, he went to Easter Mass the next day and got to sit in front of his Physical Therapist Rocky and see one of his NICU doctors, Dr. Courtney and her parents, (I went to grade school with her) amongst many others who prayed for his continued healing. It was amazing seeing everyone, some seeing Landon for the very first time. I know everyone enjoyed seeing the result of their prayers and in the case of Dr. Courtney and Rocky, their hard work.

Landon gave Ryan and I a little Easter gift by devouring some Mickey Mouse pancakes we  made for him. I gave him a pancake on a lark as it has been impossible to get him to eat any solids, but the kid acted like a starving man. He had two fists full of pancake and literally jammed handfuls of pancake down his mouth. He couldn't eat fast enough. I think that feeding tube is a thing of the past!

Just playing

Easter Mickey Mouse pancakes yum!

Farmer John overalls

He had two appointments this week, one with a physical medicine doctor and another with his surgeon. The physical medicine doctor was extremely impressed with Landon and how well he sat up and waved 'hello.'  He told us although we still have to wait and see to fully know that Landon won't have any long-term complications like Cerebral Palsy, he would have expected to see worrisome signs by now if there was going to be a debilitating problem.  More importantly, he said Landon looks so good he really doesn't need to see us again. One doctor down about 50 million to go. It is not that we don't like seeing them, but it is always a good sign when they don't want to see us anymore!

Practicing with no oxygen

After the physical medicine appointment, Landon had to get some blood drawn to check his liver function before his surgeon check up appointment. The ladies at the lab were amazing! I think Landon thought he was at play group because one lady blew bubbles and gave him a glitter wand to play with while the other took his blood. He didn't cry at all at the poke and just played away while she took his blood. The screaming didn't come until he realized they were going to take away his glitter wand. It got even sadder when we saw a little girl in the waiting area, who looked terrified at the thought of going into the lab where Landon exited screaming from!

The next day we went to see his surgeon for a routine check up. In the car on the way to the appointment, I realized that Landon had had his first major surgery one year ago today. He had been barely 2 lbs and desperately trying to fight the deadly NEC infection that caused a hole in his intestines.  I started this blog shortly after that surgery to keep our friends and family informed because it was just too heart-breaking to tell people updates multiple times. That day his surgeons brought us into a room and told us that he was very sick and he may not be able to recover from the infection and the surgery. Like everything else in his life, the statistics were far from in his favor. The NICU staff found a room for Ryan and I to stay in that night because they weren't sure he would make it through the night and they knew we would want to be there. Some of his doctors later told us that it took everything they had to leave that day thinking that he would not be there in the morning. In typical Landon fashion, he kept fighting and got a little better each day. Above is a picture we took of him right before we took him to the appointment with the very surgeon who saved his life that day!

Holding my favorite balloon!

Oh! What's in there?

I love Auntie Em

My hot Grandmas and my dapper birthday outfit!

Dr. G. couldn't believe the sight of him when he saw him at the appointment. He jokingly said that the kid looks like an entirely different baby but he still recognizes that stomach. He was so happy with his progress and how well he is doing developmentally. He did notice that Landon had ab separation from all of his surgeries. This is something that should resolve as his abs get stronger, though he may never have a strong '6 pack.' He said in rare cases they may have to rebuild his abdominal wall surgically, but given how well Landon was doing, it should get better with physical therapy. The nurse asked if we would ever want to do a cosmetic surgery to make him a new belly button. Landon promptly started sassing her right after that and Dr. G. commented that with his personality he didn't need a belly button, he could just make up a story! Dr. G. let us know that he was so happy with his progress, we didn't need to see him again. Another doctor down, we are on a roll!

Oh maybe I like this puppy dog...

Birthday boy drum set, thanks Aunt Sally and Uncle Ken!

I am definitely ready for a year that is free from drama and life-threatening decisions. We are ready to just sit back and enjoy our little guy. I do have to thank everyone who has been so generously supportive of our fund raising for our March of Dimes walk in a few weeks. It literally makes me tear up how amazingly supportive people have been. I don't know why I am surprised given how wonderful everyone has been this past year, that you would continue to support us in our latest venture.  Now I just hope I can make it through the whole 6 miles!

I don't like birthday cake but birthday cards aren't bad