I just spent the evening playing with Maddie. She’s still army-crawling up a storm (one of these days she’ll figure out that her legs are helpful), discovering her toys, and interacting with Mike and me. It’s so much fun to watch her world expand by leaps and bounds every second of the day. We are loving every moment of this.
Now that Maddie is sleeping (an amazing achievement in and of itself), I’ve been thinking about how little she used to be. I’ve been going through her clothes, trying to make room for winter wear and packing away a few articles of clothing that don’t fit her anymore. I came across her preemie clothes and paused. There on top of the pile was the first shirt I ever bought Madeline, the first shirt she ever wore. She didn’t wear clothes until she was three weeks old. I found a pink and green camouflage shirt that I thought would show off her fighting spirit. At the time, she was still hooked up to a bunch of IVs, and was on the ventilator.
The shirt is for a preemie up to five pounds. In this picture she’s just past three pounds. It’s swimming on her, just like her diaper. I didn’t even know clothes were allowed for NICU babies until her nurse told me to bring her shirts and socks. I went out and spent $100 on socks alone. I didn’t want her feet to be cold.
I went to my You Tube site and I found a video of her, wearing the same shirt, on the same day. She’s agitated and crying, although you can’t hear the sounds of her displeasure because of the ventilator.
I’m so grateful that our NICU encouraged video and pictures. When I’m feeling down about Maddie’s slow weight gain, it’s so helpful to look back and see how far she’s come. I have footage of her first cries after her ventilator was removed. Her voice was so hoarse from the vent tube. Her first sneezes were so small.
I stare at her every day, and I still see that tiny three pound baby she once was. Sometimes you just need a visual to illustrate the days gone by.
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you guys have climbed mountains together. what a family. you know that i know what that’s like heather. i’m right beside you kiddo.
That camo shirt ain’t done yet! Fashion that thing into some type of bandana-style-thingy and put it on her head!
Joes last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
We called ours a commando baby while she did the army crawl!
Middle-Aged-Womans last blog post..How a Sixteen-Year-Old French Girl Landed Me in Jail, Pt. 1
Tears and more tears… I’m at work and I look like a doofus.. but I don’t care…
Summers last blog post..It’s back ya’ll
What a difference! I can’t believe she’s army crawling, gaining a bunch of ounces, screeching away, OH! and that she’s about to be ONE!
You’ve come a looooooong way, baby!
Andrea’s Sweet Lifes last blog post..A Glimpse
What a beautiful thought behind that camo. And a fighter she definitely is.
patoiss last blog post..The Substitute
What a fighter she was!
I bet she’s sleeping better because of all that crawling she’s doing. That army crawl is a real workout!
You and your daughter are absolutely gorgeous.
Marias last blog post..punch and pie to be served
The thought of her little foot without socks makes me utterly sad too. The best $100 ever spent.
Em
Ems last blog post..Turn it up to 11.
Look at her!
Dear Maddie-
Grow so I can buy you crap from H&M, their stuff runs big. If that doesn’t convince you than you’re not your mother’s daughter.
moosh in indy.s last blog post..Nobody likes me everybody hates me. HA!
She looks equally happy and cute in both of those last pictures– none of that stuff had a chance of keeping her down! The other pictures and the video really take me back to my son’s time in the NICU 4 and a half years ago… time really does just fly by!
LiteralDans last blog post..Parenthood is…
Wow – I am sitting here watching my kids play and I know how lucky I am. Your little girl is amazing. You are amazing. You are all so blessed to have each other. Thanks for sharing!
Jamies last blog post..Swamp Ass
The perspective picture of her clothes is pretty amazing. Cate was full-term but very small and also had to wear preemie size clothes for the first month. Looking at them now just absolutely blows my mind.
I LOVE the crawling video. She is such an awesome little girl, y’all are doing a fantastic job with her.
cindy ws last blog post..random toddler anecdotes
i can completely relate to this post…from both sides of the nicu bed! i am a nicu nurse and i do always encourage families and help them dress their wee ones. it’s good for mama and it is equally good for baby and his/her development.
on the other side of the nicu bed, i still pull out the t shirts my #5 child, my son wore in the early nicu days. he tipped the scales at just over 1 pound at birth and wore his first t shirt when he weighed 2 pounds. the first t shirt was specifically designed for babies who weigh 100 grams (2.2 pounds) or less) it was half the size of a preemie sized t shirt. today he is 6 years old and making big plans the tooth fairy treasures he will get for the two front teeth he just lost.
lauras last blog post..hello cereal!
Wow. Just. Wow.
Beckys last blog post..A Gigantic Pile of Cheese
Oh. Just oh. She is beyond perfect and that video of her crying just made me want to reach into the screen and comfort her…heart-wrenching. Mah heart, she has it.
Anissa@Hope4Peytons last blog post..Field trip Friday
What a peanut. You guys are very lucky to have such a strong baby. (You guys must be pretty tough yourselves.) It’s great that you have those videos. Strangely, we didn’t take much video in the first months of our kids, which I have no real excuse for.
Raging Dads last blog post..It takes a nation of millions to hold us back
it’s amazing to look back. and to think that she was swimming in that teeny tiny shirt!
alis last blog post..dumped. dunked. and decluttered.
wow. she looks like a freaking teenager in that last pic!
Hooray for Maddie! It’s so awesome to see how far she’s come!
LOVE the army crawl. Buy outlet protectors!!!!!
Kristins last blog post..I’m giggling like a little girl
She’s a beautiful fighter!!!
Magss last blog post..W*I*C*K*E*D Swap
I’m amazed by all you guys survived. A baby that little is a mystery to me. I know only nine pound newborns that fit in 3 month clothes. It’s a beautiful thing to see her gorgeous pictures today.
anymommys last blog post..Driving in D.C., Take Two
we just had a boy 6 weeks early. he narrowly avoided the NICU and was able to come home after a few days (2 weeks ago). so far, so good. hope all goes well with y’all, too!
muskrats last blog post..pat lost 65 cents on fruit snacks. mac lost $500 at the dog track.
She has grown so much and I think one of these days you’re going to look at your daughter and wonder where that little preemie went and who is this huge thing standing in front of you. Teen was 13 and still wearing 10 slims. Now? He’s over 6′ tall and amazes me at his size. I think Maddie will do that as well.
preTzels last blog post..MTM: Mitchellville, Iowa
Aw, she’s so big! Adorable as usual.
I so understand about the weight gain thing!!! My 7 1/2 month old is just now fitting into most 0-3 month clothes. But when I look at her preemie clothes, they are just so tiny. I mean….she still is tiny…but they are TINY.
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