New Friend for Aerin

The Marx Family would like to congratulate our friends Anne, Jeff, and big sister Emma on the birth of their baby girl Bridget Niamh. She couldn't ask for a kinder, more loving family to be born into and we couldn't be happier for all 4(!) family members.

WalkAmerica Tomorrow

Andrew, Aerin, and I will be participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica tomorrow. Thank you so much to the many people who sponsored us - a lot of money has been raised for the March of Dimes in Aerin's name since her birth. We hope that the money she has inspired people to donate is used to make sure that no other baby has to go through what she did.

Unfortunately, it looks like it might rain tomorrow. It's supposed to be in the 80's (hot and muggy - my least favorite kind of weather), so we have permission to take Aerin. We got a rain cover for her stroller, just in case. I'm very excited to meet the other family teams and their miracle babies.

7 Months Old

It's been a busy couple of weeks for us. Aerin turned 7 months old on the 12th (adjusted age 4 months as of the 18th). She also had her 6th-month baby checkup (she had it a month late because of her Synagis schedule) and her very last shot of Synagis! May is the end of RSV season and we can breathe a little easier. Aerin got a clean bill of health. She's 12 pounds, 12 ounces, which is the 50th percentile for 4-month-olds (her adjusted age). She's not even on the chart for 7-month-olds, which is to be expected. She's also in the 50th percentile for height. She's hitting every single 4-month developmental milestone and some 7-month ones, which is virtually unheardof for a 26-weeker. She can roll over, transfer objects from one hand to the other, babble, imitate sounds, bat at things, and has figured out that when she bats at her rattles, they make noise. She recognizes Andrew and me and responds to her name. I'm working on getting her to say, "Mama" in the next couple of months (she better not say "Daddy").

In other medical news, Aerin's hemangioma is going through a growth phase. They usually enter a growth phase between 6 to 8 months and then shrink until they disappear. However, some never disappear and require treatment. The standard treatments are steroids, laser surgery, and/or skin grafts. We wouldn't even think about treatment until she's at least 4 and only then if she asks for it. I would almost certainly rule out steroids, due to their side effects. The best option would be laser surgery - skin grafts are pretty rough. Of course, there may be a brand new, better treatment by the time she's ready. Her belly button is still herniated, but it seems to be resolving itself. Again, we wouldn't even consider treatment until she's at least 4 and asks about it herself. The only treatment for this is surgery.

We got some very good news - Aerin doesn't have to have an MRI for her tract (a tube of soft tissue in her back, near her tailbone). Our pediatricians reviewed the ultrasound again and consulted with a neurologist and they all agree that it is unnecessary. I'm very pleased that she won't have to be put under anesthesia. I had a feeling that she didn't need the MRI - I think you develop reliable instincts when you have a micropreemie.

Aerin has begun to display her Southern charm and smiles at everyone who smiles at her (which is everyone who sees her). People are just drawn to her - she has a very penetrating gaze and loves to look at people.

She's doing quite well in her crib. I think she likes it better than the bassinet. I got a clip-on soother that vibrates strongly and she loves it. She also loves her mobile. We got one that has soft, multi-colored ABC blocks that have slits for pictures on the bottoms and a mirror in the center block. Andrew made some geometric designs in black and white and I put those in. Aerin is fascinated by them and they are so good for her development. In a couple of months, we'll move from geometric shapes to black-and-white graphics of faces. They would be too stimulating now. We got mesh bumpers, which allow the baby to breathe clean air even if she presses her face against them. They're recommended for all infants under 1 year of age to help prevent SIDS.

We had an uneventful Passover. We can't take Aerin to a seder this year (although she can go to shul next month, finally), which is helpful in a way. For those of you who don't know, Aerin was a triplet pregnancy and we lost her siblings. We lost Baby C on the first night of Passover last year. I was in the beginning of my first trimester and C was always smaller than A and B, but it was frightening and sad and it was the beginning of all the terrible problems we had with the pregnancy. We're so very blessed to have Aerin here with us, but we do sometimes think of the other babies we never got to meet.

Bumbo Babysitter

Bye-Bye Bassinet

Tonight will be Aerin's last night in her bassinet. I thought she'd be in it for at least another 6 weeks, but she's past ready for a crib. She is very active in her sleep and moves herself to the top of the bassinet every night. And since she has learned to turn over, she's wiggled out of her sleep positioner every night, too. If she didn't have her monitor, I'd be out of my mind.

I have a love/hate relationship with the monitor. It gives me peace of mind, but it also goes off in the middle of the night and wakes us all up. When Aerin is in a very deep sleep, her heartrate drops below the set limit occasionally (this is very normal - all babies do this, we just can't tell because they're not hooked up to monitors). It comes right back up, but the alarm is so loud that even the 3 beeps wake us up.

Aerin's reflux is challenging for all of us. It's uncomfortable for her until she starts spitting up. She doesn't mind that at all. That's when it becomes frustrating for me. I have no clean clothes left and I've washed every cushion in our house more times than I can count (thank goodness for slipcovers), not to mention the blankets, baby clothes, mountain of bibs, and towels. I am starting to get serious back pain because Aerin will scream when I put her down. She's also starting to eschew binkies for her fingers, which bothers me. I can take binkies away at the appropriate time, but I can't take away her fingers and that's a hard habit to break. We have a doctor's appointment this week, so we'll see what they have to say.

April

WalkAmerica

On April 23rd, Andrew, Aerin, and I will be participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica, with the goal of raising $2,500.00. The March of Dimes is a wonderful organization dedicated to preventing premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality. We truly believe that our daughter wouldn't be here today without the good work that they do. Please check out our Marx Family WalkAmerica page.

Recharged

I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I got the chance to recharge, thanks to Aerin's Grandma Rita. She watched Aerin while I did some necessary shopping and even got to have a pedicure. Of course I fell asleep in the middle of it, but it was awesome nonetheless. I also got to take pressure-free showers and take a little break from the intensive day-to-day work that I usually do. And it was so nice to see Aerin getting to know her grandmother. We cannot wait until her next visit.

Aerin is up to 12.5 pounds and my back and shoulders are really starting to feel it. She can have a string of very fussy days and then a string of fuss-free days. She has figured out how she rolled over and now tries to do it in her bassinet. She can't because I have her in a sleep positioner, but I'm worried that she'll knock the bassinet over trying to get onto her back. It looks like we're going to have to get a crib 2.5 months ahead of schedule. I'm surprisingly emotional about it - my tiny baby is big enough for a crib.

Aerin is beginning to imitate sounds. She and I have long "conversations" and she just loves it. She is also very smiley, although I haven't been able to capture any on camera. She loves to stare at people and has a very intent gaze.

What a Difference 3 Months Makes

So Aerin is about 6.5 months old now, chronologically, and 3.25 months old, adjusted. Obviously, her appearance reflects her adjusted age. It's not often that you can tell a lady she looks half her age and really mean it!

Another unsettling thought: Aerin's now been living (in the outside world) longer than she had been gestating.

Very Long Night

Aerin got off her schedule yesterday and we had a very long night. She went to sleep in the early evening and woke up around 2:00 a.m. This is my fault, as I have a very hard time waking her up to eat. This is a legacy from the NICU, where they drill it into you that sleep = growth = health. Also, Aerin hates being woken up. She won't just eat and then go back to sleep - if I wake her up, it's pretty much a guarantee that she'll be up for the next 4 hours. Unfortunately, she woke up during the time when I do the work that I can't do when she's awake and I was right in the middle of an involved project that I couldn't just leave. So after about 3.5 hours of fussing and pacing and rocking and singing and eating, Aerin went back to sleep and I finished my project.

I have to say that the fussiness can be frustrating. Aerin has a very loud voice (she's definitely going to be a singer) and no relieable preference for soothing techniques. We had a week-long period where all I had to do was sit in the rocker with her and she'd stop fussing and drift off to sleep. Now she'll only do that if she's in the right mood. I'm starting to get a little desperate here - we have 3 baby carriers (a Maya Wrap from my friend Jenna and a hip hugger and Baby Bjorn from my friend Amy), two swings, and a massaging bouncy chair. We can really only count on them for 20 minute periods when her mood is right. I don't want to give the impression that I mind holding her - I don't, I love it. I'm just a little tired from staying up all night cleaning (I'm a bit of a neat freak) and from carrying a 12-pound wiggling baby around all day and from the huge volume of laundry that comes with a refluxing baby.

Aerin has recently started imitating sounds and we have "conversations" where she'll imitate my tone of voice. It is the most amazing and precious thing in the world and Aerin just loves it - she smiles and laughs the entire time. Until she suddenly starts to scream. She holds onto her bottle during feedings and will hold her WubbaNub in her mouth. We're going to have to move her to a crib very soon - she's trying to turn over in her bassinet and there just isn't the room. She really is an athletic baby, if there is such a thing.

We're very excited to see Grandma Rita tomorrow.

Aerin Rolled Over!

I put her down for a nap in the Pack N Play. I put her on her stomach and she went right to sleep (we have special permission from our pediatrician and respiratory therapist because Aerin has an apnea monitor). I heard her crying and went in to her and she was on her back! It took me a few seconds to register what had happened and I started screaming and shouting, "Oh my gosh!" Poor Andrew heard me and raced downstairs - I scared the heck out of him. We put her back on her tummy to see if she would do it again, but she wasn't in the mood to perform for us.

I am shocked - this is a five-month developmental milestone!

Pictures to come.

Fuss, Fuss, Fuss

It has been a tiring week in the Marx household. Aerin now refuses to be put down almost the entire time she is awake. She will go in her swing, but no more than about 30 minutes per day. She only goes in her Maya Wrap for 20 minute clips. She screams like a banshee when you put her down, which I do for a total of 5 minutes each day (non-consecutive). Her napping has grown more erratic as well. I could usually count on a 3-hour nap during the day, but it as become a sleep-10-minutes, cry-30-seconds, be-patted-and-rocked-by-Momma-for-5-minutes, go-back-to-sleep-for-another-10-minutes cycle. This can go on and on. During the 10 sleep minutes, I try to get things done as fast as I can.

Aerin also spits up more than I thought humanly possible. I have no clean clothes left and I wash an astounding number of bibs every week. She doesn't mind spitting up at all - you don't hear a peep out of her when she does it. In fact, she does stealth spit-ups, where I'll be holding her and doing something and suddenly be covered in spit up. She's eating well and gaining weight, so Dr. Al-Mateen isn't worried and, surprisingly, neither am I. Babies who spit up virtually never get failure to thrive and Aerin is well within the normal weight for her adjusted age.

Aerin has reached the stage in her development where she is realizing that she and I are separate people. This is usually when stranger anxiety and separation anxiety start. I don't think Aerin will have any stranger anxiety - she loves to look at people and will let anyone hold her. I'm not so sure about the separation anxiety. She watches me closely if I'm in the room with her and will start to fuss if she can't see me for more than 5 minutes. Aerin's Grandma Rita is coming to visit this weekend and I plan to do some errands, so we'll see how she does.

3 Months Old (Adjusted)

It's been a very exciting week for us. As of Saturday, the 18th, Aerin is 3 months old adjusted (from her due date). She's hitting or surpassing all the developmental milestones, which is wonderful. We went to the pediatrician for Aerin's monthly Synagis shot and she also got her polio vaccine. We love everyone at our pediatrician's office so much that visits are something we really look forward to. Every single question we have is answered in-depth, no matter how minor it may be.

Aerin and I also went back to the NICU! I had a doctor's appointment and Andrew had class, so I took Aerin. There are medical offices in Henrico Doctors' Hospital and that is where most of our doctors are. I got permission from Dr. Al-Mateen and Nurse Tammy to take Aerin both to my appointment and to visit the NICU. We all agreed that it was best that we not visit the PCN or the Perinatal Special Care Unit. I do plan to visit those places when RSV season is over. Being in the NICU with Aerin was extremely surreal and very emotional for me. We couldn't go into the unit because they don't allow children under 3. We waited in the entry room while Aerin 's nurses came out. They had to come out one at a time - they have babies to look after. We got to see Chris, Natalie, and Michelle, all of whom took care of Aerin a lot. They were so thrilled to see her and they could not get over how big and gorgeous she is. Just as we were fixing to leave, Dr. Sequira came in with a 36-weeker. He just had to stop when he saw Aerin, though. Delighted doesn't begin to describe his reaction to her. Then she smiled at him and he was tickled to death. Dr. Sequira was at Aerin's birth, so it was especially special to see him.

NICU parents and personnel have such a different perspective on pregnancy and babies. Aerin's nurse, Michelle, is 21 weeks pregnant. As she was telling me, she added, "Only 3 more weeks to go." Twenty-four weeks is the "official" date for viability (the earliest point where a baby can live outside his mother's womb). It didn't strike me as odd until much later, but 24 weeks is a magic number for us and doesn't mean the same thing to non-NICU folk.

I also brought over some of Aerin's preemie clothes to donate. There just isn't money in the NICU budget for clothes (preemie clothing is much more expensive than regular baby clothing) and it is a huge micropreemie milestone to see your baby in clothes for the first time. I want other parents to be able to experience that.

Andrew tells me that Aerin has now been home for longer than she was in the hospital. She is gaining more control over her hands every day and will rub her eyes when she's sleepy. It's so adorable that you just want to pick her up and kiss her, but she really dislikes being disturbed as she's drifting off to sleep (just like her mother).

Best Buds

Happy Purim!

Today was Aerin's first Purim. She isn't ready to go to shul, but we did dress her up a little (pictures forthcoming).

Aerin is doing this new thing where she stuffs her fist in her mouth when she's hungry. She also makes hungry noises that are not unlike the Cookie Monster. It's very funny, but it's hard to pry her fist away so that I can give her the bottle. She is a confirmed music lover and always settles down when I put a CD on. Right now she's listening to the debut album of the Peasall Sisters, Home to You. Andrew and I love it, too. Some of Aerin's other favorites are the Beethoven Lives Upstairs series from Classic Kids. It is by far the best children's classical series - much better than another aggressively marketed series that shall remain nameless. Aerin seems to prefer Beethoven to Mozart and she really loves Bach. It's funny - those were her preferences when I was pregnant, too. We also got OyBaby2, which is every bit as good as the first one.

We had a mini-crisis here last night and today. It was an equipment failure - I stepped on one of Aerin's leads as I was standing up with her and it broke off. Of course it was after business hours and of course it was on the day we received a letter that our equipment contract had been switched from one company to another, so I didn't have the number of our new respiratory therapist. I stayed awake all night, watching Aerin to make sure she was breathing. I also kept her on her back, just in case I did end up nodding off. She hates sleeping on her back and we both had a miserable night. I got hold of our new company in the morning and they couldn't have been nicer. Andrew went down to their office and they gave us a new kit and 2 back-ups. I love the apnea monitor and I don't see myself parting with it until Aerin is at least 1.

Six Months Old!

Aerin is six months old today (chronological - from her birth date) . Even as I type this, I find it hard to comprehend. I went through her photo album and those first weeks seem almost like a dream. Almost, but not quite - I remember the sheer agony of not knowing if she would survive and not knowing if she would have major disabilites. I also remember the overwhelming love and joy I felt at her birth.

Aerin is doing better than anyone could have predicted. She's 12 pounds! As of her last doctor's visit, she's in the 58th percentile for weight. She's only in the 25 percentile for length, which is surprising because she has tall genes. Of course, her length now does not predict what her adult height will be. Looking at her, you would never guess that she was anything other than a normal, exceptionally adorable and smart, healthy baby. The lasting effects of her prematurity are her hemangioma, her reflux, and the tract of soft tissue in her back. She'll be having an MRI sometime between June and August. It cannot be done until she is between 6 and 9 month adjusted (chronological - from her due date) because she'll have to be sedated. It is very unlikely that there will be any need for surgery - it isn't affecting her neurological development at all.

I am very happy to report that Aerin sleeps through the night every night. My quality of life has vastly improved. She still won't go in her swing for very long, but we've started putting the toy tray on and she loves to look at it. She smiles all the time now and even laughs. She has 2 laughs - a chortle and a diabolical cackle. Both are hilarious and make me laugh every time.

Baby's Best Friend

Catching Up

So much has happened in the last week that I hardly know where to begin. Aerin turned 5 months old on February 12th (chronological - from her birth date) and 2 months old on February 18th (adjusted - from her due date). She is almost 11 pounds!

We went to see Dr. Al-Mateen for her 2-month-old check-up last Wednesday. He was thrilled with her progress and gave her a clean bill of health. Even more remarkable is that she is developing much closer to her chronological age than her adjusted age. It would be great if she was developing like a normal 2-month-old, but she's much closer to a normal 5-month-old! She tracks objects with her eyes, recognizes her caregiver (me), can hold her head up steadily, can bear weight on her legs, turns toward loud or new sounds, and can push her chest up with her arms when she's on her tummy. I think she's going to be an early crawler - she gets into crawling position and moves her arms and legs, but she just can't put the movements together yet. She'll push off if you put your hand on the soles of her feet. She makes new noises every day and it's so fun to hear. I swear that she said "Ma" last week when she looked at me. She definitely said "bah," which means, "I am going to spit up all over you and the sofa."

We've taken Aerin out on a few more outings and they've all gone well. We took her to the mall for the first time last week. Andrew had to get a haircut and a new shirt and it was a gorgeous day out. Aerin hates being put in her car seat/baby carrier, but she calms down once we get going. I only had to pick her up twice and she settled right down. It really is like being with a movie star. People stop to stare at her, even people with their own babies. Everyone gushed about how beautiful she is, from the salespeople at Hecht's to everyone at the salon to everyone at the Nordstrom MAC counter. Every single stylist at the salon came over to fuss over Aerin. She really liked it there and looked right at everyone who had come to gawk at her. It was really fun to go there with her - I've been going there for years and went there when I was pregnant. The MAC counter was packed - there were about a dozen people shopping and having their makeup done. They all practically swarmed me. I was carrying Aerin because we didn't want to bring the stroller downstairs and I just planned to take a minute. No one could stop gushing over Aerin. I've been going there for years and the MAC artists all know me and they know all about Aerin. They were so happy to see her that they actually stopped what they were doing to get a closer look at her, which no one seemed to mind. I finally had to get us out of there because I was afraid people would start trying to touch Aerin or asking to hold her. Aerin took it all in stride and seemed to enjoy looking at all the people.

Aerin had bloodwork done and it all came back normal. In fact, she no longer needs extra iron! That's one less syringe we have to worry about. She's still on Zantac, Reglan, and multivitamins. We're hoping she'll outgrow the need for Zantac and Reglan, but she's going to need the multivitamins until she's at least one year adjusted.

Aerin is still sleeping through the night and I have to say that I feel a lot better. Aerin can go from zero to sixty in about 10 seconds. It's truly astounding. One second, she'll be asleep or just hanging out, the next second she's screaming. Sometimes she's content to hang out in her swing, sometimes she insists on being held. She's ambivalent about her sling, too. Sometimes she screams the second I put it on, sometimes she'll stay in it for a couple of hours. She's also had a couple of "Momma Moments," where she wouldn't let Andrew hold her and didn't stop crying until I took her. I'm really hoping they were isolated incidences.

Aerin's birth announcements arrived and I am working on getting them out. It'll take a while because Aerin is in one of her "how dare you put me down" kind of moods. In fact, she's calling me right now.

Patience

A huge post is forthcoming, I promise. Things have been busy, but Aerin is doing great.

Valentine's Day