Sunday 26th February 2012

Has spring arrived...

I hope so, we can't wait till Freddie can sit with us on the garden and play and also when we haven't got to wrap him up every time we leave the house, so much so that sometimes you can't even see him!

Freddie has been a bit unsettled over the last few days. He's sleeping well but struggles when awake to be happy for more than a few minutes in one position before you have to pick him up. He's not unwell so we think that its teething that's bothering him. He's rubbing his face a lot and biting anything he can get hold of! He  was much happier outside in the sunshine though!

The little man has tasted a few different fruits and vegetables now. At the moment he is having some baby porridge in the morning and either veggies or fruit in the afternoon. He's not that bothered about solids at the moment and mostly just licks at the spoon a bit and puts his fingers in his mouth but he doesn't get upset and is interested in whats in the bowl and on the spoon.
We weaned Samuel at seventeen weeks and I don't remember ever having a problem with him eating, he used to have anything you put in front of him. I think we'll be very lucky if Freddie does as well with his weaning but watch this space!

Taking the colief drops out of Freddie's formula has so far been unsuccessful but we might try again soon. I've read that babies on them should really only need to have them until they are about four months old. Freddie is six months now but his corrected age is only four months and the doctors and health visitors are not concerned.

 We had a lovely walk to the park this morning, and Freddie had his first go on the park. I think the face says it all!!

                            Look at those blue eyes!

                                          Happy Freddie and happy mummy.

Tuesday 21st February 2012

Happy Six month birthday Freddie!!




Six months ago today the drama had begun. Difficult to imagine him spending his first night on the neonatal unit now he's doing so well. I'm reminded again of how wonderful all of the doctors and nurses were that looked after Freddie and saved his life. Thanks doesn't really do it! 




















Smiley boy in his PJ's this evening

Sunday 19th February 2012

Freddie had his appointment at Glenfield hospital on Thursday. He was a really good boy for his scan despite being full of cold bless him. He smiled his way through his ECHO attempting to eat the cables attached to the scanning device!

He weighed in at fifteen pounds so is still putting weight on brilliantly.

The doctor could feel Freddie's leg pulses which was a positive. He told us the scan showed that Freddie's heart is functioning well. The scan did show that Freddie still has another narrowing but his heart is coping well with it. We were told when he was discharged from Glenfield that there was another narrowing that they would continue to monitor.

The doctor told us there are three things that could happen: 1. Nothing. The coarctation grows out as Freddie continues to grow. 2. That in the future he needs a balloon dilation procedure which would widen the artery, this is a less evasive procedure that surgery. 3. That he has to have another operation.
I'm sure it is obvious which option we would prefer. .

It was great to hear that Freddie is doing well and realistically his heart is functioning better than at his last scan but it was disappointing to hear that he still has a problem. I think in the three months that passed between Glenfield visits we naively started hoping that we would turn up to the appointment and they would just say that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. Fortunately we seemed to find it easy to forget all the medical stuff after his last scan in November and just enjoy him because he is so obviously doing well. Unfortunately this meant that the appointment on Thursday was a bit of a slap in the face reality check.
A few days on and things are back to normal, enjoying the boys, worrying about normal things like coughs and colds and night time feeds.

  Samuel has just told his brother that he accidentally on purpose used the last of the milky on his frosties!!

                                           Freddie looking ridiculously cute in his dressing gown.

xxx

Sunday 12th February 2012

Freddie has had a busy week!

On Thursday Freddie had his second appointment at the development centre at the City hospital. The doctor was pleased with his progress. He weighed in at fourteen pounds eleven which is great. He had a quick listen to his heart and felt the pulses in his legs very easily (for the first time ever). This appointment is not about Freddie's cardiac problems but he did say that he thinks Freddie's heart is working normally now which is great news and makes us a bit less apprehensive about the Glenfield appointment next week.

The doctor wants to monitor Freddie's development because of his prematurity and because of the trauma he went through when he was born. He has confirmed that Freddie is behind in 'normal' baby development terms but this is completely what we expected and actually he said that Freddie is about four weeks behind and yet he was eight weeks early so we were quite pleased.

We need to encourage him to be in different positions as much as possible...

                                          Hence his new bumbo seat!

The doctor also said that it was fine for us to start weaning Freddie when we felt he was ready so...

                     He's had a his first taste of solids (if you can call baby rice and baby porridge solids!)
He did OK, enjoyed sticking his tongue in the spoon and lapping it up! We will keep going with just a bit of rice or porridge every day and if he takes to it will start giving him some purees.

Freddie also had his first go on a train - the conkerchoo train at Conkers! He was a really good boy.

xx

Tuesday 7th February 2012

Fun in the snow!!

Freddie slept through the sledging fun we had at Holme Pierrepont at the weekend but I did manage to get a few good pictures of him outside on the garden all wrapped up surrounded by the snow...

                       Wait till Daddy has to pull them both around on the sledge! Hello bad back!

                                         Cheeky smiles!

Snowy the snowman.

To the scandalous criminal who knocked off Snowy's head....we've had the SOCO's round, we have your footprints and fingerprints so its only a matter of time!! Ha

xx