Defying expectations

Grammie went home this morning, after having done little with Woody but hold him for three days ("Mom, you tired of holding him yet?" "NO"). She mentioned to me on the way to the airport that Woody is, overall, in far better shape than she expected. I suppose it's only natural to think of him as a very fragile kid, and in some ways he is, but in terms of his day-to-day functionality he's pretty much a normal baby. He is beginning to react to things in a normal baby way, too, including following people with his eyes, recognizing his parents (ahem) and smiling when he likes things, which is just the best thing ever.

On the other hand, we have to be pretty careful to not take his growing strength for granted. Woody still has a strong tendency to puke, given his ongoing reflux issues, and when we don't give the proper respect to this fact then he will get us. On Saturday, for example, we had a small shower for family members (and a few friends) and I brought Woody by for a short unannounced cameo. Prior to bundling him in the car, I had this brilliant idea that if I gave him an ounce of milk prior to leaving that it would keep him full and sleepy for the whole trip. Ha.

Upon arrival, I was getting him out of the car and he promptly puked on me. Henceforth we* took him inside and he looked pretty addled considering that he just woke up and then had some vomiting. Overall a very good lesson that I will learn well-- don't feed the baby right before getting in the car (and this seems so obvious now that I feel really stupid even writing it. But it just isn't in the Baby Manual that we were issued!).

Anyway, we're happy with Woody in continuing to defy the expectations of his fragility, and we are really looking forward to his next oxygen assessment in a few weeks, when we hope he will be relieved of that stupid tube in his nose. He hates it, we hate it, and I don't think he needs it anyway, at least not as a matter of course. I'll keep you posted.

*We, in this case, was me and Nurse S, who was the only nurse to show up at the shower. I know that the other primaries wanted to come but had other conflicts, which is sad but understandable. Anyway, we weren't going to let anyone else touch Woody, because of germs and all, but we couldn't exactly not let Nurse S hold him, so we had her walk us in and out of the place where the shower was.

I love all of Woody's primaries, but have to say that there is a special warm place in my heart for Nurse S, who signed up the first night he was born, when everything looked so bleak. I will never forget that vote of confidence for Woody and for me and Maggie-- it's one of the most touching things that I've ever experienced.