Entry for September 14 , 2006

Entry for September 14, 2006
Caitlin got her hospital eveluation yesterday!!!
We went to go see how well Caitlin was progressing developmentally and so far pretty good!!
Here Congnitive age equivalence ( I think overall) she measured at 7 mos
Her Fine motor skills she measured as 4 1/2 mos old Her gross motor skills she measured as a 6 mos old Her Language skills she measured as a 6 mos old. Also with normal muscle tone and movement patterns.
She measured a month ahead from her corrected age which is super!!! Ok so for some who don't quite get the corrected age here is how it works
Caitlin is officially 9 mos old as of today!!! ( Born December 14th,05) Her Corrected age she would be 5 mos and 10 days old (Due date was April 03,06) So her development should be that of a 5 mos old.
Caitlin did really well. She was grabbing for things , transferring things from one hand to the next and just doing good. She weighs in at 12 lbs 9oz and I think they said 24 inches long which is 2 x from when she was born!!! So 2 rulers !! When she was born she was just 1 lb4oz and 12 inch(1 ruler) The only thing we are having troubles with right now is we are having a little bit of constipation issues. I know To Much Info for some lol but for those who also have preemies its good to put things like this so incase your little ones are going through this it helps to get suggestions or give. Right now I am trying to do 1 jar of fruit and mixing it with some juice to make her drink it so it has some thickness to it. If I just give her plain juice or water she ends up choking on it easly because she is used to thicker feeds because we have to add rice cereal to her formula.
Tomorrow we go for our 9 mos check up and shots :0( I will actually be asking alot of things and we should also be getting set up for our monthly dosages of synagis shots(For RSV) I am going to make sure to see what else I can do about constipation issues and have a whole lot of other questions. I always write them down because if not I will forget.
When we were at the hospital I ran into one of the girls in the NICU and she told me that she was going to give out my blog to those of the moms who had preemies and I think some already have it. Anyway this message is to all of those who do have preemies-
I am so glad that you are able to read our story and get updates on miss Caitlin. No one really knows the pain and what you really go through unless you have been there yourself and who have seen first hand of everything that happens and what these little miracles go through. I would love to give out my support to anyone who needs it. We have been very blessed Very blessed because as early as Caitlin was ( almost as early as you can get) She has come through as such a fighter and is such a miracle herself. She is a perfect little girl. You wouldn't even know she was a preemie except when people ask how old she is and then you hear " Oh Wow she's so little" Anyway what I am getting at is that through God all things are possible!!! Just keep praying and asking God that his Will be done. Dont think of why you, or why your babie(s)came early or if there was anything you could have done different because the anwser is No!!!! You do the best you can and thats all you can do. I had to get the attitude of everything has a reason and sometimes you just can't question it and just have to know that everything will work out the way it is suppose to. I remember after I had the girls I kept playing it over and over in my head could I have done something differently, what if I would have drank more water , what if I would have been more relaxed , all these what if's and yet it never got me anywhere except more angry of the situation. Especially in the begining when Caitlin was first born I could not stop crying. I hated the fact that she could not grow in my tummy peacfully without getting poked and pronged and she had to be out getting blood trasnfussions and constant blood draws and IV's just to keep her alive. I would get bummed everytime something would go wrong and get so nervous and scarred, but then you have to just take it for what it is try and be super strong for your little one and start focusing on all the great progression that they are doing. I started getting so excited every time she would graduate from something and she would gain weight, get off her meds slowly but surely and if she ever went that step backwards, that was ok because she just wasn't quite ready yet and she would get there in her own time.
Well anyway for those who do need some support or just have questions or just someone to talk to please feel free to E-mail me. I am really sorry that those who just had preemies or have what you are dealing with. It really is so hard and stressful but you do get through it and eventually things just start getting to be a blur. Its funny because when Caitlin was first born I just didn't see the end and then next thing you knew Caitlin came home 3 weeks early weighing only 3 lbs 15 oz and on nothing but her vitamins. Now some things I can not even remember because it is such a blur. Thank goodness I started this blog.
Ok so more updates tomorrow from her ped's appt and will try and get some more pictures up. We have upgraded her walker lol even though she still doesn't quite touch the floor. Soon enough!!!
Here is my E-mail
mwahlstrom@socal.rr.com