4P Inc: Perpetual Preemie Parent Paranoia: YGG

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Yo Gabba Gabba Live 2011: The Realization of Dream Come True

Hee hee, I don't know if I mean my dream come true or Noah's! Today we had the pleasure of going to see the Yo Gabba Gabba gang at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Thanks to the YGG Street Team, we were able to get VIP passes to meet them in person after the show too! In exchange for posting a few flyers around town and talking about the show to friends and family, the great folks at Yo Gabba Gabba set up this sweet deal. Noah had fun, albeit in a more calm manner than I had predicted, I owe it to him not getting his normal nap beforehand. He was mesmerized and they had his attention the whole time. He danced a couple times while he sat in our lap and when it was over, the fun began. He had a blast getting to meet the characters in person afterward and the Food Network show "Cupcake Wars" was even filming at the meet and greet. I think Mike and I had just as much, if not more, fun than Noah and I'm hoping next year will be even better! Here we go, "Yooooooo Gabbbbaaa Gabbbbbaaaa!!"

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Take Some Baby Steps, Baby Steps, Little Tiny Baby Steps...

In the spirit of one of Noah's favorite episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba (see video below of a baby with the same hankering for these obnoxious monsters who enter my dreams every night), Noah is in the beginning stages of leaving infancy and entering toddlerdom. *sniff sniff*
This morning at 11:22am Noah took 3 unaided steps in the Family Room leaving Mike's arms and walking towards the couch where Diego and Sara sat. I was in the kitchen making bacon and eggs and I thankfully turned around to see him in the nick of time!
It's just like this kid, to make me look like a butt head, since I just posted yesterday that there hadn't been any major events with regard to his milestones. Guess, this is just the first of many times I will eat my words with this little guy! Go Noah Matthew, mommy is so proud of you!

Meet Our Miracle

Noah Matthew was born on a rainy Winter day, Pearl Harbor Day to be exact, in 2009. We like to think it was Noah's way of warning us, a day that would live in "infamy", LOL! My pregnancy and Noah's birth was not like many other of his preemie friends. I had contracted H1N1 (Swine Flu) at 24 weeks and had to be put into an induced coma my first night after the ER because I was essentially already dying. Over the next 5 weeks I was on a ventilator, got a DVT (massive blood clot) from a line in groin, went into renal failure and eventually had to get a trach. As I began to wake up from being weaned from the paralytics, Noah started experiencing heart decelerations and the decision was made to deliver him via emergency c-section at 30 weeks. Noah spent 90 total days in the NICU mostly dealing with severe GERD, slow weight gain, ROP, anemia (2 transfusions), hernia repair surgery, and weaning off of oxygen. It was, for the most part, an uneventful stay but the post-traumatic stress I experienced in dealing with my own mortality and subsequent paralysis in my right leg/foot, made things that much more stressful. No longer was I the strong, independent and fully capable person I had been before. The first few days and weeks I held Noah, I was in a wheel chair or seated with a walker in front of me. How would I ever take care of this fragile human being who depended on me for his life, when I couldn't even take care of myself? Noah is doing wonderfully and is only slightly delayed in gross motor and is about to start the process for Speech Therapy. Other than his many gastrointestinal issues (reflux, horrible gag reflex, vomiting, constipation, inability to transition to purees/solids, and slow weight gain) he is doing remarkable.

If there is any doubt that God exists and is merciful, all you have to do is look at Noah and bear witness to his miracle work. With only 10% survival for the both of us in that first couple of weeks, we defied the odds, and it was only by the grace of God, many prayers, the wonderful care of doctors/specialists/nurses, and our determination to live. My hope is that this blog is a testament to how very grateful I am that I am able to kiss my husband at night and tuck my son in for bed. Amen!