Now and Then

Ever since Evan came home from the hospital, I have charted his progress. What once was meticulous details, written on homemade printed charts, about exact times and amounts of fluids/bottles Evan was taking, temperatures, sodium levels, weekly weights, and "notes", as I called it, has become charting daily fluid/bottle intake, solid food totals and bi-weekly (or so) weights, on the iPhone. I guess I have become a tad obsessed with charting these things but it has given my mind some ease to know the details and to know what fluids/solids may need to be taken the next day to "catch up". Charting his weight is obviously my most important entry. Weekly weights became stressful since I was not seeing major improvements, so now I only chart a few weights each month. Since I have all this juicy information, it has been encouraging to see the improvements he has made over the past two years. Here are a few of his gains based on information charted in the month(s) of August. (I chart metric so I converted it to US as well, metric is more precise :-))

Weight:

Now- August 2012
8.18 kg = 18lbs (finally)

Then- August 2010
2.57 kg = 5lbs 10oz

Last year- Aug 2011
6.06 kg = 13lbs 5oz

Clothing/diaper size:

Now 2012- Evan wears mostly 12 month clothing. Though 12 month onesies are a bit baggie on him, he needs the 12 month size for his leg and arm length but yet fits into size 2 shoes which fit the average 3-6 month old. He wears a size 3 diaper.

Then 2010- Evan was wearing Preemie sized clothing which was still big on him. He was wearing preemie sized diapers as well.

Last year- Evan was wearing 6 month clothing and occasionally 9 month pants. He transitioned from a size 1 to size 2 diaper last summer.

Diet:

Now 2012- Bottle fed 90% of nutrition: Pediasure peptide and whole milk mixture (34 calories per ounce) Consumes: from the bottle about 700-850 ml = 23-29oz total per day, 15ml-60ml = 1-4 tbsp of pureed food per day, and a handful of cheese puffs and/or yogurt chips, crackers or cookie. He drinks about 2-3 oz of water per day and we experiment with scrambled eggs, frozen purees, avocado, mushed up mac & cheese & super soft veggies or fruit. Ironically enough Evan does not like to touch things that are sticky.

Then 2010- Bottle fed 99% of nutrition: 70ml of breast milk mixed with 1 tsp of Neosure Similac formula (22 calories per ounce) Consumed: 375ml - 430ml = 12-14oz per day and 25-40 minutes of nursing per day.

Last year- Bottle fed 95% of nutirition: Similac Neosure formula (26 calories per ounce) Consumed: 700ml-750ml = 23-25oz total per day and 15ml-30ml = 1-2 tbsp of purees per day.



Milestones:

Now 2012- His communication skills have been blossoming like crazy. He is very aware of his surroundings and has been pointng and reaching a lot more to "get what he wants". His cognitive skills have been advancing rapidly. He has a studier trunk and holds his head, and shoulders at times, up nicely. He will bear some weight on his feet (20-30 seconds but I'll take it) and attempts to roll over if there is something he REALLY wants to get.

Then 2010- Graduated from the NICU. Started to move more on his own with a wider range of motion (turning head, moving arms up and down, wiggling fingers & straightening legs)

Last year- Finally stopped screaming when put on his belly. He started to lift up his head more when on his belly. We got a prone-stander to promote weight bearing which he enjoyed using. He started to babble more especially D's.

Likes:

Now 2012- Evan is a HUGE fan of cheese puffs and feeding himself. He has not mastered spoon feeding but would rather hold the spoon himself. He LOVES to cuddle with a stuffed animal and is a big fan of opening doors or lids of toys. He likes to turn the pages of a book, push buttons on a toy and pointing or reaching for what he wants. This little stinker is a typical boy and tries to touch himself at every opportunity he can. And he LOVES attention, his dog Bruli and kisses & hugs from his Mommy and Daddy.

Then 2010- Evan was still eating and sleeping on a pretty strict schedule like most newborns. He loved his naps, nursing and lounging in his bath without the scrubbing. He LOVED (and still loves) his pacifier and cuddling.

Last year- Evan loved to chew, bite or suck on any toy you gave him (especially if it was new). He was happy and content sitting in his rocker or bouncer. He started to babble and talk a lot more and enjoyed being in his newest piece of equipment at the time, his stander.



Dislikes:

Now 2012- This toddler is not a happy camper if I walk away from him for a second. He needs 100% attention (who can blame him?). He does not like it when I cut his nails or scrub his hands in the bath (screams bloody murder actually). He gets very whiney if he does not get what he wants (go outside, cheese puff, specific toy, etc.) And hates it when he is forced to do something he doesn't want to do, typical toddler behavior...

Then 2010- Evan hated tummy time, screamed when he was being scrubbed/exfoliated in the bath, screamed when getting a diaper change and during Aquaphor applications. He did not like to be put in a bouncer or chair and was not happy if his bottle cooled down.

Last year- Evan refused to bear weight on his feet, still fussed occasionally when on his belly and did not like to sleep in his crib (transition time from our room to his own).



Skin:

Now 2012- Evan's skin requires the same amount of work as it did when he came home two years ago. We have been vigorous with the "de-scaling" process and try to keep him as "scale free" as possible. As long as we work very hard and keep up with his skin maintenance, his skin is what I consider to be at his best, and obviously coated heavily with Aquaphor.

Then 2010- We were still trying to get a hang of scale removal and bath exfoliation. Evan's skin was very thick and we had to work very hard to remove the newer plauqes that developed due to no so great or "mastered" skin care techniques. We used a topical retinoid once a day until the thick plaques became manageable.

Last year- We had a pretty good routine, like now, for bathing and scale removal. After the installation of a new tub in our new home, MicroSilk, it has helped with scale removal and the up keep with his skin maintenance without as much vigorous and rough exfoliation.



The improvements Evan has made in the past 6 months have been tremendous. It gives my husband and I so much to look forward to in the upcoming year with the expectation of milestones he will achieve. He has come so far and has made huge gains from the age of 1 to 2 years old. I am only optimistic of the gains he will make by the time he turns 3. Though I have to say that in the past year he has received A LOT more therapy time (4 days/week rather than 1-2 days/week) which I believe has helped him make these great gains. Such an amazing little man we have.