12 month check-up

Lucy had her 12 month check-up today and again, we got a great report.  We opted to postpone shots in case she had an adverse reaction prior to her esophagus dilatation tomorrow, so we'll go back in the next few weeks for those.

Here are her stats:

Height:  27.6 inches (10th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs, 5 oz (between 10th and 25th percentile)

What a big girl!!  We had a birthday party for her on Sunday - we had a blast...so much so that we hardly took any pictures!!  Thanks to all who came out to support us and celebrate with us.  We wouldn't be where we are today without each and everyone of you!

Here's a pictures of Lucy in her new birthday wagon with Grandpa Grover - she loves the freedom of sitting up like a big girl and seeing so much more than her stroller allows (and we love the seat belts that are built in!)

As always, prayers are appreciated as she prepares for Esophagus Dilatation #5 tomorrow.  We will let you all know how it goes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY!!

Lucy London Bryant, born June 21, 2012 at 5:13 am, is one year old today!  I cannot believe how quickly the past 12 months have gone by - even though some of those first days in the hospital felt never-ending. 

The verse I claimed to get me through this journey - Romans 12:12 - says we should be "...joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer."  I can say for certain that this past year has been filled with joy, heartache, tears, laughter, hope and anxiety.  I can also say for certain that this past years has been filled with MORE joy than heartache, MORE laughter than tears and MORE hope than anxiety.  And for that, I am eternally grateful to God.

We had a super fun day celebrating Lucy's first birthday with her...here's a little picture journey of a typical day in Lucy's life, with some special pictures from today:

Lucy can't wait to start the day and bangs on her crib rails until one of us comes to get her - her hair is usually messy.

Lucy loves an audience when she plays and really likes to bite the noses of all her stuffed animals - I guess she's testing if they are edible?!?

We went to Como Zoo today - it was H-O-T but we saw lots of animals and Lucy stayed awake the whole time we were there!

However, she crashed pretty hard when we got home!

She was cautious with her birthday cupcake...at first!

With a little encouragement, she decided it was OK to get a little messy

She wasn't too sure about such messy hands, though!

But then she really got into it!

I don't think she ate very much, but she sure liked playing it!

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful dad and also for Lucy to have a wonderful Daddy!

It is a joy to watch Jason learn how to be a daddy and to play with Lucy and tease her and cuddle with her before bed.  I love that he balances me out as a parent - brings down the stress level at times and brings up the noise level at others!

Just think, last year at this time, we were in the hospital eagerly awaiting Lucy's birth and we can't wait to celebrate her 1st birthday on Friday!!

First picture together!

Bedtime snuggles on Father's Day!

A few things on fatherhood and moving

I hate moving.
It seems so simple to say, but when you've moved over 30 times like I have, it's pretty easy to understand why.
Cross country moves are less irritating to me than the short move, since I had so many short moves in my life. Back and forth to various residences in college and then there's the fact my mom moved four different times in the same city during my college years.
Granted, I did spend a shade under a decade in college, so that might help expand the timeframe just a little.

I love our new place.
The house here in New Brighton didn't have everything we wanted to be a perfect house, but it has so much potential to add the things we want to make it exactly what we want. For now, it's a great place and a place I'm sure the Bryant family will enjoy for many, many years to come.

It's nice that Abby and I are close to friends. Being somewhat isolated from my side of the family can get difficult at times, even though I don't openly say it. But having friends that are close to me like my family makes a big difference.

I've always said Minnesota is the best place I've ever lived and it's nice to be back.

The stress level has also quelled. We're not cooped up, although I'm forever thankful that Abby's parents took us in for that long winter stretch.

Watching Lucy grow up is something quite amazing. To think this little girl spent the first four months of her life basically lying down with tubes and things all stuck to her makes me thankful every day. She's got her mother's resiliency for sure. She's got a lot of my mannerisms, many that become apparent each and every day. The kid sleeps exactly like I do. On her right side, arms crossed or tucked and her feet sticking out from underneath a blanket. Weird.

Working from home has its challenges, but also its benefits. I can go up and spend time with my daughter anytime I want. That's something my previous jobs couldn't provide.

Abby working close to home also has extreme benefits, although we're still getting into the nanny thing. I think once Abby's fully comfortable with everything, we'll be having a lot more lunches at home.

Hard to believe we're coming up on a year -- there's so much I want to jot down, but for now, I'll just keep it short. Most of you know how long-winded I can be.

Thanks for all the support, it's really been great to have so many people out there who have been friends and confidants all throughout this journey.

JB

Neurology Visit - Doing Great!

Swinging!

Lucy had a visit with Neurology today and got a great report.  There were no scans involved - just a check of her shunt setting (no change, which is good) and a general check-in with the neurologist - reflexes, eye movement, developmental milestones, etc.

We will start to see Neurology 2x per year from now until she is school age, unless we have concerns with her shunt or other development.  She's such a rock star!!

We have been busy trying to enjoy the nice weather when it's here!  There is a lovely little park about 3 blocks away that we walk to whenever we get a chance.  Lucy likes the swing, but does tend to have a death grip on the swing so she doesn't fall out!  We've also taken many trips to Bachman's, Home Depot and Target to outfit the new house.  Lucy does great out and about, watching all the people and looking at all the sites - we just have to make sure we have all socks and shoes when we leave a store (she's very good at getting them off!)

Munching on my shoe while mom and dad shop for plants

My FAVORITE activity!  I love reading books, looking at the pictures and turning the pages.

Esophagus Dilatation #4

Looking like a little lady in her dress from grandma

Today, Lucy had her 4th esophagus dilatation.  Poor baby! :(  Jason and I were counting back on the number of surgeries/procedures that she has had and think that this was her 10th! (1st attempt at TEF repair, G-Tube insertion, 2nd attempt at TEF repair, vascular ring repair, shunt placement, upper endoscopy/bronch, and esophagus dilatations 1, 2 3 and 4)  Let's hope that she has less in her future than she has had in her past.

Today's dilatation went very well.  Her site had grown together quite a bit again, but the doctor was able to get her to the third level of the balloon and go even a little further with a larger one as well - he thought he got her to about 8 mm.  If you remember, she started at about 2, so that is great progress!  The theory is that once the opening is wide enough, she will be able to eat more foods that keep it open and it will not have the opportunity to close as easily.  Also, she woke up so much better this time!  The anesthesiologist really listed to our previous experiences and looked back at previous notes to determine the best doses and mix of stuff to give her.  When I sent back to the recovery to see her, she was awake and not on oxygen!  We are very thankful for how things went today.

We are so proud of our little girl - she remains to happy and fun despite this not fun stuff we have to put her through every few weeks.  The hospital staff always tell us how cute she is and are amazed at how happy and smiley she is when she comes in!

Other than that, we are staying busy getting settled, getting used to the new nanny and planning her first birthday party!

Next week, we have a follow-up appointment with neurology to check on the status of her hydrocephalus.

Her favorite thing to do - pull herself up and play standing up (so much more fun than sitting, right?)