How Preemie Moms Are Chosen

Another friend of ours who also had a preemie posted this on her blog. I just had to share.........

Courtesy of Erma Bombeck...

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
(Adapted from Erma Bombeck)
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger. "Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity." Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.  God smiles.

"A mirror will suffice."

6 Months and Counting!

Our Miss KelliAnne is six months (well, officially she will be on Friday 11/16) already! It seems that every day she is doing something new that makes us smile and truly amazes us.

A couple updates since our last post :)

-KelliAnne had her final weekly eye appointment with the Retinopathly specialists with Children's Mercy. The abnormal vessel growth, which was discovered shortly after birth has cleared up on its own. This is great news, considering I (the momma) could no longer take her to the appointments without crying. Watching someone hold your baby down while they pryed and held their eye open with a speculum was no bueno. She screamed...a lot. Plus this means no eye surgery and her eyes should develop as normal. Great news all around!

-Double digits! That's right, KA is tipping the scale in the double digits these days. She is about 12 1/2 pounds and is getting pretty chubby. We enjoy finding new fat rolls and actually having a bum to clean when she has a dirty diaper

-RSV Season is in full swing. It is respiratory virus that nearly every baby will get before the age of two. In most cases, it presents itself as a bad cold. With preemies, it often lands them back in the hospital and they are very susceptible to getting it. Due to KelliAnne's birth weight and gestational age at birth, she qualifies for a monthly RSV vaccination. She will get one every month through March. The best defense to keep her healthy through this season is to keep her away from crowded places and little kids. Unfortunately, this means operation lock down is in full swing. We are getting quite used to the lovely four walls of our house. We welcome any visitors that come in perfect health, and unfortunately, no small children. It is going to be a long winter, but so worth it to keep her healthy and OUT of the hospital. We made a deal that she is not going back there :)

-We had our 6 month development check at The Children's Spot this afternoon. We met with a physical and speech therapist. She met all of the developmental goals they had for her, which are those of a three month old. Remember, we have to use her adjusted age which is how old she is based on her August 3rd due date. She passed with flying colors and they were thrilled with how she is doing. They did not see any red flags or items that need to be followed up on. Big sigh of relief! We have a follow up again in three months to make sure she continues down the right path

Here are a few pictures from the last month or so. Enjoy! And as always, thank you everyone for all of the nice thoughts and prayers. They go such a long way and are appreciated more than you will ever know.