HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL

It is official, today, Wed. May 20th, Daniel turned ONE!!

What a milestone, and what a year it has been.

It is nearly impossible to believe that one full year has passed since Daniel was born. Oddly enough, it was a year that seemed to moved quickly and slowly at the same time. We can’t explain how that can be, but it accurately described the time between last May and this May.

Daniel is THRIVING. Everyday we are just amazed by him. He has battled all the odds, overcome many obstacles, and has been blessed with such a wonderful personality. He is so full of life and always content. He goes to bed happy, wakes up happy, and is happy and inquisitive all day long. He fills our day with complete love and wonder.

In the past 365 days, Daniel has taught Anthony & me so much. We have learned that strength has nothing to do with size, courage is born from facing your worst fears, and that hope is only as strong as the faith you have in it.

All in all we have been reminded that the only thing certain in life is uncertainty. However, we have learned that through life’s uncertainty and complications, are the blessings of family and friends to stand not only by you, but with you.

So, as we celebrate Daniel’s 1st birthday, we celebrate the love of our family and friends that have been on the rollercoaster ride .with us We will never be able to repay all of you for the support and unconditional love you have given us.

Now, as parents, we watch as Daniel’s story unfolds. If the beginning of his life is any reflection on the rest of his life, we know certainly know it will be filled with the unexpected!

Quick Stats on Daniel. Close to 23 pounds, 29.5 inches long, blue/gray eyes, a full head of hair, an adorable dimple, two bottom teeth, and two pairs of glasses that Mom and Dad struggle to keep on him each day. But his left eye is making progress, as well as his physical evelopment through the great work of his physical therapist, and the love of Mom & Dad.

This past Sunday, at Daniel’s Baptism, the Deacon said to all of us in the church, that “Life is Noisy.” And it certainly is noisy, complicated, hard at times, but ALWAYS Wonderful!! We are thankful that Daniel will be able to enjoy the noisy life that lies ahead of him.

With love always,
Christine, Anthony, and Daniel.

Stay tuned, Youtime.com will now move from being a blog to a family photo gallery site so you can easily check in and see pics of Daniel! We love you all.

Daniel and Mommy at the beach.

In his Easter Outfit

After our 5 mile walk for The March of Dimes with our great friends from RWJUH

Daniel’s first Haircut

Having fun at home.

Hanging with my cousins Joseph and Zak.

Chillin out with Dad

Daniel’s Baptism

Daniel and his Birthday Cake.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to Everyone! And what a beautiful day it seems to be!

It is actually one month to the day since we last posted.   Sorry for the long lapse in time, life always gets busy, and the days and weeks fly by.

Well, Daniel is over 20lbs. We will have a new weight to report after this coming Friday’s trip to the pediatrician. Daniel will be getting his next shot to protect him against the RSV virus. The season for the virus should be officially over May 1st  if not sooner.

With a great deal of work, we push to keep Daniel’s glasses on as much as we can. But now that he is bigger and way more coordinated, it is a challenge. It is very easy for Daniel to pull his glasses right off, and he does.

Daniel is such a joy! He is always smiling, laughing, rolling, turning over,  etc.  Daniel’s real age, as you know, will be 10 months this coming Friday (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT) . He is right on track for his recalculated age of almost 6 months.  Remember, we have to knock off 4 months for his prematurity.

We will try to post more frequently. This coming Monday, Daniel will have a big appointment with the development clinic at the Robert Wood Johnson. The full assessment be 3 hours, and we hope for more good news.

Enjoy the St. Patrick day pictures . No, the beer is not Guiness, but Daniel seems to enjoy Mexican beer like his Mommy. Don’t worry the beer is just a prop!

With much love & appreciation,

Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL

Hey Four EYES!

No big updates to share with you, so we thought we would post a bunch of recent photos of Daniel.

Daniel is over 18 lbs. Who would ever think that a 1 lb. 9 ounce baby would ever get to 18 lbs so quickly?!

Daniel is doing well with keeping his patch on his right eye to strengthen his left eye; however keeping his glasses on is a challenge. He thinks that his glasses are there to eat and lick

Anyway, Feb. 20th will  be Daniel’s 9 month check up. Where did that time go? Than early March we go back to the eye specialists in NYC again, and Early development at the hospital in Mid March, and the pulmonologist on the 31st of March…  Always a doctor appointment of some sort to go to!

We are getting closer and closer to Daniel being able to actually come out of the house and meet all the rest of his friends, family, and neighbors, and just be outside, around others, etc.

The RSV season normally ends around May 1st, but we are hoping the season will end sooner, so Daniel can enjoy all the simple joys of life, like being around ALL the people that love him and have been praying for him since his birth last May.

We are almost there..  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So much love wished to all of you.

Enjoy the pictures.

Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL

Don’t I look so SMART??!!

A few big updates to report.
Daniel was recently fitted for his glasses. The frame he is wearing in the photos will be the frame Daniel is getting. The order for his prescription is in, and we have started the patching of the right eye so that the left eye will get stronger. The prescription will also help strengthen his left eye and force it to focus more as well as help with his near sightedness in that eye.

Of course we wish that Daniel’s vision was perfect and that he did not have to wear glasses. However, we have to admit, he looks ADORABLE in his glasses. Don’t you think?

Also, GREAT news to report. Daniel had his sleep study done (He looks like Bionic Baby in the photo). Through the sleep study, the pulmonologist determines how well Daniel does without oxygen as well as analyzing other sleeping/breathing patterns. The test was done at the sleep clinic at Robert Wood Johnson. Daniel stayed on Tuesday night (Jan. 13th) from 7:30 p.m. until about 6 am the next day. Don’t worry, DADDY was there the whole time. A sleep over for my two favorite guys! Mommy had to travel to Ohio for work the next morning, so I could only be at the sleep over for part of the night.

Daniel did very well. He still has minor de-saturations while he sleeps, but they are very small AND Daniel always brings his oxygen levels back up on his own. Because of the minor dips, and because Daniel’s weight is very good, the pulmonologists decided that Daniel is now ready to sleep at night without oxygen. YEAH!!!!!!!

Way to go Daniel!! He has worked so hard to make it this far. Daniel still has to keep the apnea monitor on for a bit, which is fine with us. Also, we spot check his saturation levels with his other monitor, first thing in the morning and again right before he goes to sleep, just to make sure that his oxygen saturation levels stay above 95%.

Every day this child continues to amaze us. Daniel is a pure joy with the heart of a champion, and the sweetness of an angel. We are so blessed!

We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we do.

Thank you as always for all your love!

Until next time.

Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL

Santa, is that really you?

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Our first Christmas with Daniel, was in a word amazing!! We know he will not remember any of it, but to have him home with us and hold him, was by far the best Christmas gift imaginable. To have Christmas dinner with family, and know that he was right next to us throughout the day, was a miracle.

It all hit me Christmas morning, when I ran out to church before the busy day started up, that this Christmas could have been a lot different. But with all the love, prayers, support, and medical care, Daniel is well on his way to continued health and progress.

Anthony and I wrapped many toys for Daniel, and WE definitely got the biggest kick out of all the gifts, more so than Daniel. But we made a big fuss over all his toys.Our family and friends help to SPOIL Daniel this year. We already need to purchase a toy chest, as everyone was so generous.

You will see that “SANTA” (AKA,  Uncle Ryan ) dropped by for a special visit to our Christmas angel.

Unfortunately we have to share a bit of bad news as well. We were at the pediatric ophthalmologist this Monday, and Daniel is very near sighted in his left eye. It is not focusing well, and he will have to start wearing glasses before he turns one. As for the next few months, we will have to patch his Right eye every day for aprx. 5 hours to make his Left eye do “more work” and focus more. Near sightedness cannot be cured, but at least we can hopefully strengthen the eye.

It was difficult news for Anthony and I, as we were becoming so accustomed to sharing good news. But in the scope of Daniel’s roller coaster beginning, we need to put in into perspective. So, after a few hours of feeling a bit sorry for ourselves and for Daniel, accompanied by some tears, we gave ourselves a “reality check.”

Daniel has plowed through all obstacles before, and he will take this one on as well. We know that ALL children in the eyes of their parents are the most wonderful gift,  and they are. But Anthony and I firmly believe that Daniel is destined for something great. We don’t know what it is, when it will happen, or the reason for it. We just believe it in our hearts, and it is this belief we keep reminding ourselves of when the bumps in the road occur. If Daniel is always brave, he should expect nothing less from his parents.

Please enjoy the holiday photos , and know that we said prayers of thanks to all of you, for the collective love you have all sent our way this holiday season and always.

Here is to a great 2009!

With much love,Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL

PS Other updates. Daniel is 16 lbs, 6 ounces, 26 inches long. Daniel will have his next visit to the pulmonologist in early Jan. Also, Daniel had his first visit with Early Development Dept. at Robert Wood Johnson. Daniel is doing well, a little weak in his shoulders, but will get stronger with increased tummy time exercises.

Daniel and Mommy on Christmas morning getting ready to open presents.

FYI, we wanted to let you know that the beard is fake. Hard to believe, it looks so real

Daniel in his Christmas outfit.

Just doing some tummy time!

Dan the Pirate!

Daddy and Daniel just hanging out!

I am so HAPPY, can you tell?

What a smile?? Daniel is now 15 1/2 pounds. Unbelievable, but I guess that is not too hard to tell from the chubby cheeks.

Some fantastic news to report. Daniel had his pulmonology visit this past Monday, and he now only has to be on Oxygen overnight while he sleeps. He can be OFF oxygen all through the day, even when he is taking a nap. We just have to monitor his oxygen saturation levels with the pulsesox monitor. This is a huge improvement, means he is on his way to being off the oxygen for good.

Also, Daniel had a follow up ear test, and his hearing is perfect! Another miracle.

This Friday, Early Intervention of NJ is coming in to start Physical Therapy sessions with Daniel, and on Monday Daniel goes back to Robert Wood Johnson for an assessment at the Early Development Center ran by the hospital. Busy schedule for Daniel.

We hope to report more good news of his progress.

Thank you for all your continued love.

Hope you enjoy the picture of our angel as much as we do. What a cutie!

Best,

Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, Daniel was at the pediatrician’s office on Friday.

He is 14lbs 9oz’s and is 24 3/4 inches long, the size of some Thanksgiving Turkeys! Our doctor said that Daniel is basically equal in size to any other 6 month old baby. Of course, developmentally he will be playing catch up as preemies do.

We have been so pleased with Daniel’s progress. He is getting better with trying to hold his head up, he is aware of his hands, how to bring his hands together and to his mouth, he swats and reaches out for things in front of him, and follows objects with his eyes, etc..

As for social smiling, he now has that mastered. He smiles so much, and of course that just melts our hearts every time, no matter how often he does it.

And for eating, well, that has NOT been any issue for Daniel since the day he made his early debut in this world. He is up to 6.5 ounces every 4 hours (although hungry every 3) , and our doctor said we can try out a few teaspoons of cereal with him. We shall see how that goes.

Enjoy the pictures.

Thank you as always for your continued prayers and support.

Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL.

Another Week!

Hello everyone!

Not too much of an update this week.

Everything has been going smoothly. Thank goodness!

Daniel has been growing, eating, SMILING, cooing, did I mention Eating…. We are blessed too in that Daniel is a good sleeper. As long as he has a bottle around 11 p.m. at night, he will sleep until after 6:30 a.m.

This Thursday Daniel will have his monthly check up with the pediatrician.

Other than that, Daniel will have many, many doctors appointments in December: eye, ear, pulmonology, developmental appointments, apnea clinic, early intervention etc. All these appointments keep many watchful eyes on Daniel’s progress.

Please enjoy the photos!!

Love to all,

Christine, Anthony and DANIEL

Good reports

Let’s start off the blog with a weight update. Daniel is now 12 lbs 9 ounces. Can you believe it?!

Other news to report. We had early intervention of NJ come in to evaluate Daniel b/c he was born so prematurely. Our early intervention sessions will begin in early December. An occupational therapist will come to our home 2-3 times a month to work on therapy exercises to make sure that Daniel keeps up with developmental milestones for his re-adjusted age. We are excited for these sessions to start so that Anthony and I can directly learn what exercises we can do with Daniel on a daily basis to ensure his healthy development.

Big news as well, Daniel started “social” smiling this past Wednesday. To see him smile at us when we talk, sing, tickle or play with him is so wonderful. The first time he smiled, you would have thought that we won lotto. It was a moment that we will forever treasure.

Daniel also had his first appointment at the apnea clinic on Friday, and the reports from the apnea monitor were fantastic according to our doctor at the hosptial. Now, when Daniel is awake we can shut off not only his oxygen but the monitor. Again, this is ONLY when he is awake. When Daniel is sleeping we must keep both his oxygen and monitor on.

Finally, we stopped by the NICU again, and saw our day nurses again, Daniel’s physical therapist while he was in the hospital, some of his respitory therapists, as well as one of our favorite doctors in the NICU. And this time (unlike Halloween), Daniel was awake and looking at all his “friends.”

Another good week, THANK GOD! Hope you enjoy the pictures. Talk to you next week.

With love always,

Christine, Anthony, and DANIEL.

Halloween Treats

Good news on Halloween for our favorite baby.

First, Daniel received his next RSV shot on Halloween. Well, not good news for Daniel, b/c it hurts, but good that these shots protect him from RSV. As always, he handled the needle like a champ. Although some tears and crying happened, it did not last long.

We also had our first meeting with our pulmonologist and Daniel is doing well, lungs are clear, and his breathing is not labored.

We are now allowed to keep Daniel off oxygen while he is awake, but must still keep oxygen on while he eats and sleeps. This is another big step in the right direction. Our next appt. with the pulmonologist is Dec. 8th.

Daniel also had a treat on Halloween, ALL 3 of our primary day nurses were working on Halloween so Daniel was able to see his “girlfriends,” Michelle, Mylene, and Regina. As always, it was so wonderful to visit with these amazing women that have helped Daniel become a strong baby.

Finally, Daniel wore 2 costumes, a Lion and Pea in the Pod.. Daniel wore both, and slept through most of the trick or treaters that came to the house. Obviously, we didn’t let any kids in the house (have to keep the germs away during RSV season) but many neighborhood kids looked through the screen door to take a peak at Daniel.

More appointments this week. First, we have Early Intervention of NJ coming to assess how Daniel is doing developmentally. They will come to our house Tuesday to assess him. Also, Friday Daniel gets another vaccination AND will go for his first visit to the Apnea clinic.

Daniel is a busy baby, no wonder he loves his sleep!

So much love to all of you and all your continued support and prayers

Enjoy the pictures!

Christine , Anthony, and DANIEL