The title says it all. Look who’s smiling now.
Happy Muppet
Category Archives: Milestones
A Stitch and a Prayer
Today marks four months with the muppets. And even though they’ve only been home for half that time, it’s already hard to imagine life without them.
The other day we received a box. Surprisingly, it wasn’t from diapers.com. Inside were two beautifully knitted baby blankets.
The card noted that the blankets began coming to life this past April – when I was first admitted to the hospital at 22 weeks. And with each stitch, came a prayer that the muppets would come home smart, strong, healthy boys.
As we unfolded the cozy completed blankets, they were a wonderful representation of all the thoughts and prayers directed toward the muppets during what can only be thought of as a very stressful entrance to the world.
One always has a general idea of what the completed craft will look like at the start. But there’s always the danger of a dropped stitch – sometimes what you find the finished project to be isn’t what you initially imagined, but you may just find yourself amazed at what you accomplished.
The blankets are beautiful. And much enjoyed by their little recipients. Thank you.
Thank you to everyone for helping us get the muppets home.
And with that, I must sign off. Muppets are screaming. They’re on a quest to keep getting bigger by the day.
One Month (Adjusted)
So as you may glean from the previous post, things have been slightly hectic – thus preventing me from posting as much as I’d like. Fear not! I have several posts lined up for your enjoyment. Coming soon to a screen near you.
Until then, I’d like to take a quick moment to share that the muppets are one-month-old (adjusted) age today. Had they followed directions, they’d have a lot less milestones for me to write about. Their adjusted age is where we can expect them to fall in terms of growth and development. And they are progressing just as a one-month-old baby should be. (Slightly advanced, of course.)
How time flies, doesn’t it? One month today, four months next week.
The pictures don’t line up to the dates exactly, but they’re a good reminder of how far we’ve come.
A Shot in the Dark
Today the muppets had their four-month check-up. I can’t believe it either. (Technically, they have another week before they’re actually four months, but it’s close enough to ooh and aww.)
I arrived shortly after Jon and the boys – just in time for the fun stuff. The muppets slope on the official pediatric growth chart is practically vertical. They’re even almost on the chart! Destroy is only a pound below the first percentile for weight.
So without further ado, <drum roll please> the official weigh-in comes in at:
Search
9 lbs, 2 oz
20.25 inches
15 inch head circumference
Destroy
10 lbs, 8 oz
20 inches
14.75 inch head circumference
Search’s got his brother beat on height/length and head circumference. But he still looks tiny next to Destroy. Destroy continues to live up to his nickname – Pudge.
In a much less exciting turn of events, following the statistical recording of vital signs, we rolled over to the pediatric injection clinic. The muppets were due for their next round of vaccinations. We waited in the small lobby area, watching four toddlers play – obviously unaware of what they were in for.
When it was the muppets turn, Search went first. He sat on Jon’s lap in the cramped exam room. The nurse didn’t waste any time – I guess it’s like ripping off the band-aid. Search got the first of three shots in his leg. It took him by surprise. His eyes widened in a brief moment of silence. Then he let out a heartbreaking wail. His little face turned cherry red as tears streamed down his pouting chipmunk cheeks. Even Jon and I had to turn away for the second two shots.
I got to hold Destroy. Now, to be fair, Destroy has a lot more padding on his tubby little thighs. Of course Destroy screamed as well. But his screams were far less panicked. Rather, he merely sounded hungry.
And the difference in those screams explains the reason for the large discrepancy in weight. At first, I thought it was just easier to identify the various needs expressed by Search’s distinct cries; perhaps Destroy was a bit more nuanced. Nope. I’m pretty sure they really are all hunger cries.
With his fondness for food and generally hungry demeanor, I’ve come to the conclusion that Destroy feels all that ails the world can be solved with a snack. Crisis in the Middle East? Sit them down for a glass of warm milk and a cuddle. Problem solved.
Little Sheriff
Little Sheriff
In July 2009, I traveled up to Portland, Ore., to celebrate the baby shower of my college roommate. After the shower we braved the wiles of Babies R Us to pick up some last minute staples. My roommate was very pregnant at the time, so I was sent scurrying around the multitude of baby “necessities” to retrieve the required items.
In the chaos that is a children’s store, nothing is where logic dictates you’d likely find it. So in one of my many criss-crosses across the store, I passed a collection of sheriff and outlaw little boys clothes. My girlfriend was having a little girl, so I merely smiled in admiration to myself and returned to my quest for side-snap onesies. (Surprisingly, these are not found with the rest of the clothes.)
In August 2009, our friend’s little monkey had his first birthday. I’ve long felt that overalls are adorable on little boys. So I decided to chance my luck back in the baby warehouse. The sheriff and outlaw collection was still displayed. I was tickled blue (these were for a boy after all) to find a pair of 12-month overalls with an “outlaw” cowdog riding a horse on the back. Success! When I circled the rack, I saw the Little Sheriff onesie with the deputy cowdog smiling back at me.
I wasn’t pregnant. The muppets were nothing more than a dim glimmer – not even a twinkle – in our eyes. But I was in love with the outfit. I rationalized that if we had a girl, I could put cute a brown corduroy skirt with it. I bought the onesie – size 0-3 months. I brought it home, folded it up and put it away in the back of my closet.
The day we got the call saying our pregnancy test was positive I took the outfit out to stare at it. It was so tiny. Jon laughed, saying, “Our baby is never going to fit in that!”
I took the Little Sheriff out again the day we found out the muppets were boys. Since my arfing spells had drastically decreased by week 16, I used my newfound free time to daydream about what my little sheriffs would be like in the first outfit I’d ever bought for them.
Diaper
Three months later, we had very very tiny muppets. When they were born, they were too small for clothes; they only wore a diaper. Size 0-3 months was going to be a long time coming.
Preemie
We got excited when we dressed them in their first preemie outfit. We rejoiced when they were big enough for newborn clothes.
Newborn
One month ago today, on Aug. 6, 2010, little Destroy came home. During this past month, he has demonstrated his love for food. And today, at a hefty 10 pounds, Destroy debuted the Little Sheriff onesie.
The month has gone by quickly. We’re definitely more comfortable with the boys and they’re certainly becoming more like “typical” babies. Destroy has completely outgrown newborn size and is now only wearing the long awaited 0-3 months size. Search is not far behind – his rapidly growing tummy can no longer accommodate newborn size pants.
Watch out world – we’ve got a new sheriff in town.
Size 0-3 Months
An Evening Summer Stroll
It may be September, but it’s still officially summer. And after a record cool season, the days have gotten warm. Even Mother Nature is happy the muppets are finally home!
With two quickly growing babies at home, it’s easy to find yourself suffering from cabin fever. And with the recent heat wave, it’s not quite comfortable to take the babes out during the day. The intersection of these two events has led me to discover the most relaxing excursion: an evening summer stroll.
Search
Destroy
By around 6 p.m., the temperature has dropped to about 75 degrees. There is a light breeze – leading to a pleasant combination of sun and shade trade offs. Our city is blessed with oodles of parks (39, many of them within walking distance). And we are lucky enough to live on a tree-lined street. It is the perfect setting for a Leave It To Beaver episode.
Suburbia
Fall leaves are not yet littering the ground. Houses built in the fifties stare back at our empty, calm and quiet neighborhood streets. Green trees stand watch, forming a canopy over the neighborhood. Occasionally shadows over their secretly showing skeletons give the evening an eerie feel. I keep waiting to see Disney’s Haunted Mansion ghosts come leaping out of the trees; sadly, no grim grinning ghosts ever come out to socialize. It’s easy to imagine what the neighborhood must have been like in its 1950s heyday.
Each day our little family heads out in a different direction. Today, I asked Jon where we should go – wondering if there was a direction we had yet to follow or a park still unvisited. He just shrugged, “Does it really matter where we go? Let’s just wander.” Part of the reason these walks are so wonderful is precisely because there is no ultimate destination.
We take our super-sized sport utility stroller and load up the muppets. The excursion gives Jon and me some much-needed fresh air. Search and Destroy will be sleeping soundly within three minutes of setting out – no matter how fussy or cranky they were previously. And the exercise reinvigorates two very sleep deprived parents.
On several occasions, we’ve wandered through the grounds of local schools. Jon shared where his classrooms were when he was a kid and it’s easy to realize how quickly the muppets are growing up. (Destroy is a ginourmous 10 pounds now – five times his birth weight!)
The summer of 2010 was not an easy one for us. But these summer evening strolls are my storybook moments. We’re a happy, healthy and finally together family.
And then we get home and life resumes. And life filled with cuddly muppets after a fresh air nap is good.
Hi Ho, It’s Back to Work We Go
At 6 p.m. on April 20, I headed out of the office. I stopped by my boss’ desk to say goodnight and reminded her that I had a doctor’s appointment the following morning. I’d be in by 10 a.m. I assured her. And without a second thought, I moved on to a much more pertinent topic – asking her if we could quickly chat about the newspaper exclusive I’d secured that day. Business as usual.
Four months and 12 days later, I’m returning to the office for the first time after that fateful checkup with the doctor. It went a little longer than planned… Twenty pounds lighter and two kids heavier, tomorrow is my last day of maternity leave.
Hard at work...
It’s been quite the adventure. Most typical new mommys take just about the same length of leave as me. But I’d venture to guess that those mommys also spend approximately four months and 12 days bonding with their newborn. I will have spent 24 days home together with the muppets. (And I used to be shocked that my mom went back to work only two months after I greeted the world.)
My maternity leave breakdown is as follows:
- 37 days on bedrest hoping to stay pregnant
- 26 days hospitalized
- 7 days panicking as we endured the preemie “honeymoon”
- 30 days adjusting to life with babies in intensive care
- 73 days spending 4-6 hours a day in the NICU
- 24 days home with my muppets
82 percent of the aforementioned leave spent worried and without them. (Well, 100 percent of the time worried about the boys, but 82 percent so worried about how to get them home healthy.)
Originally, I wanted to work from home while I was bedridden. But my team of doctors said, “No.” They claimed work was too stressful. Right – because a job I liked was the part of this ordeal that was going to stress me out…
...and play.
Am I looking forward to going back to work? That’s a tough question. After so much time away, yes – I am very ready to go back. But I do wish I had more time with the boys. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t need more time, because I’d have spent all of my time bonding with my term newborn sons. C’est la vie.
For those of you calculating – yes, I am starting back up on a Friday. I plan to spend some time reminding my team who I am and the vast majority of the day sorting through the thousands of emails awaiting my return. (This is not an exaggeration.)
I’ll miss them during the day. But I doubt they’ll miss me. 1) They’re newborns. 2) The lucky little muppets will be living the high life with Daddy Day Care.
Forever in Paradise
Uncle Paul and Aunt Stephanie are currently vacationing in paradise – also known as Hawaii. For those of you wondering about my word selection, yes, I did indeed say Aunt Stephanie.
You see, Paul and Stephanie are now engaged. [We momentarily interrupt this blog post to do a happy dance around the living room.] Continue reading
Third Generation
Today is the muppets three-month birthday. To celebrate, I picked up my dad from the airport this morning so he could meet the muppets (really just a coincidence).
GrampaTavo’s moniker is a play on the name his nephew used many years ago. When he couldn’t pronounce the mouthful “Gustavo,” he instinctually shortened it to Uncle Stavo. This seemed like a good grandfather name as well – especially for one married to a former speech pathologist who understood the difficulty youngsters have pronouncing longer names with hard sounds.
GrampaTavo
GrampaTavo walked in the door and immediately began laughing. “Oleee sheet…” [insert Italian accent to fully comprehend his comments] he kept repeating. Even though he’s been regaled with tales of the boys – from their adventures in the NICU to Gramma J’s stories about her “cutie pies” – his grandsons still weren’t completely real to him because he’d never met them.
Jon was holding Destroy; he offered to let GrampaTavo hold him. “Oh no no no,” he waved us away. Instead he gently kissed the top of his head. Then, after a brief hunger meltdown, we once again encouraged GrampaTavo hold one of the little guys. He tentatively reached out and cradled Destroy in his arms. That’s when he began to cry. It was officially real.
With today’s visit, all of the grandparents have met the next generation of precious cargo. And with all four grandparents, the only thing to say is: Lucky muppets.
Grandma Nancy
Grandma Nancy was the first to meet the muppets. The afternoon Destroy came home Jon called his mom. She initially worried that she would be intruding on our new little family life. After being reassured that we truly wanted her to come over (Jon and I were exceedingly excited to introduce our little dudes to our family after 73 days in the hospital. We were (and still are) very proud parents), she acquiesced and arrived at our house nanoseconds after hanging up.
She squealed. Then she snuggled. We’re lucky enough that she lives close enough to get her fill of daily snuggles. As the boys get older and become more of a handful, I think it will be a wonderful idea to encourage grandmotherly assistance by bribing her with promises of loving snuggles.
Gramma J
Gramma J was the next to arrive. When I came downstairs to greet her, I found her on the couch rocking Destroy. She looked up and grinned, “Look what I have!” For the next week Gramma J could be found pacing back and forth in our living room with one of two very content muppets happily sleeping in her arms. When it came time for her to depart and return to her SoCal existence there was a great deal of pouting – and not on the part of the adjusted-age newborns. Sadly, Skype just isn’t the same.
Grandpa Gary
Just like GrampaTavo, Grandpa Gary teared up when he met the muppets. After holding both boys for a bit, he walked over and hugged me. I asked him if he was doing all right. His only response was a squeak. I could only laugh when he later thanked us for giving him grandchildren. Believe me – the pleasure is ours.
We’ve been told that even though a parent’s love for their child cannot be described, a grandparent’s emotions are doubled when they meet the next generation. These little ones are their babies’ babies. And as a parent, you constantly worry (from three-minutes to thirty-years old and more). As a grandparent, they can simply sit back and enjoy the awesomeness of the tiny new lives.
Search and Destroy are now fully prepared to be spoiled silly by their grandparents. And all of us are looking forward to having the muppets meet the fourth generation. G.G. – we can’t wait to have you hug the boys!
Due Date
It’s been 12 weeks coming; today the muppets are officially newborns. Their corrected age is zero. Since the day the muppets were born we’ve been counting down their gestational age and today is 40 weeks.
Today is their due date. If all had gone as initially medically planned, I would be sitting in this recliner waiting. I would likely be staring at the clock – okay…let’s get this show on the road. I probably wouldn’t be blogging. If I was still pregnant, I would have close to 16 pounds of baby in me right now and I probably wouldn’t be able to get close enough to the computer keyboard to type any posts.
If the boys arrived today, I would just now be starting my maternity leave instead of preparing to return to work next week. Jon and I might be staring at them wondering what we should do next. I’d be exhausted – and not just from being awake every three hours. We wouldn’t be well versed on saturation levels, nasal cannulas and NICU hospital corridors.
When we first found out we were going to be parents last December, Aug. 23, 2010, seemed an eternity away. I knew I’d be paranoid for the entirety of the pregnancy, but I was excited. In February, I nervously told my relatively new boss that I was having babies. She smiled and wrote “Tricia – maternity leave, August” in her notebook.
When I was admitted to the hospital in April, Aug. 23 became a pipe dream. When the boys were born in May, Aug. 23 became a goal. Our NICU nurses repeatedly told us to expect them home by their due date. They’ve both been home for two weeks now. My sons are obviously brilliant.
The other day our little family went for a lovely evening stroll. A random lady on our street asked how old they were as we were returning home. Jon paused. “Two weeks,” he said. That just seemed easier than explaining their life story. Developmentally the boys really are newborns. We can expect them to follow the growth chart of their corrected age until they are approximately three years old. But I like to think of them as “advanced newborns” due to their past three months of life experience.
We were privileged to meet them three months early and get to know them as they finished fine-tuning in the NICU under the care of our awesome nurses. We then got to bring them home and have spent the past two weeks settling into a routine.
By the power of karma, this has been the most stressful year of my life. Gramma J used to wish a child just like me upon my future self. Search and Destroy are determined and stubborn little fighters.
The muppets due date is finally here. In medical terms I believe this means they’re no longer tiny – just typically small babies growing up. Maybe they’ll give their parents a reprieve on some of the stresses yet to come in the lifetime ahead of them.