Celebrating the Second...

It is hard to believe that we just celebrated Archer's second birthday last week! We had a joint birthday party with Archer's 2nd cousin, Max, and had a great time hanging out with family we don't see often enough. Archer had a second celebration and helping of cake the next day with some more family and close friends. He loved playing, eating, and learning new things (how to show how old he is by holding up a finger on each hand and the "Hulk smash" motion)!

Birthday Highlights: loving the balloons and partying with friends, devouring cake and ice cream, putting together his new table, playing with friends and new toys

It's been awhile since the last post, but life has been a little crazy. So here's an update on 2-year-old Archer! He is a very sweet little boy who is wonderful at cuddling, holding hands, and giving kisses and hugs.  He loves to help clean and will go to the drawer and grab a towel to clean up his mess when he spills something and will wipe off the table when he is done eating. He also loves to "help" sweep, rake, and do other chores. Despite all of the sweetness though, the lay-on-the-floor-screaming tantrums characteristic of many 2-year-olds have also increased in frequency. We were dealing with some struggles to get him buckled in the car seat for awhile too (he just wants to climb into the driver's seat and play), but he has gotten a little better on car rides recently.

Favorites:
Foods- green beans, salad, corn, pretty much any fruit or dessert, pretzels, crackers, French fries, pizza, spaghetti, or generally anything on Mom or Dad's plate.
Toys/Activities- climbing, throwing, basketball, exploring cupboards/drawers, playing in the car, playing on the computer or any other device, Play Doh, painting, coloring, trains/cars, musical instruments, Hide-and-Seek, chase, "scaring" people, swiping credit cards at the store, baking, building with tools or blocks/Legos, making phone calls, and bathtime.
Songs/Books- "If You're Happy and You Know It," "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." Llama, Llama Red Pajama, Little Owl's Night, Guess How Much I Love You, Clifford's Animal Sounds
Dislikes- doctors' appointments/nurse visits, going to bed

Developmental Update: Archer is doing pretty well with gross and fine motor skills, but he is still pretty behind in speech. He continues to see a speech therapist every two weeks, although we have seen (heard?) a lot of progress in the pre-verbal skills area in the past few months. He is much more comfortable at his early intervention class now too. He participates much more and loves smiling at the teachers, playing alongside the other toddlers, and turning in his work.

Medical Update: Archer had another visit to his pulmonologist in October. His doctor is pleased with his growth, which means that Archer's lungs have also been growing and getting stronger. The doctor was confident that even if Archer does catch a cold or other respiratory virus this cold/flu/RSV season, his lungs should be able to recover from any illness much better than last year. This means that we don't have to give up all of the freedom we gained this past summer, and Archer will still be able to attend his weekly class and enjoy more time out in public this holiday season and next Spring! We will still be cautious by making sure hands are washed frequently and trying to avoid anyone that is sick, but we feel more confident that Archer won't end up back in the hospital if he does catch a cold. We are also fortunate that Archer qualified for another round of RSV shots this year, which should help lessen the severity of his symptoms if he does happen to catch the virus.

Other than a mild cold and stomach virus this past summer, we are lucky that Archer has remained pretty healthy, and we have been able to avoid any extra doctors' office visits or hospital stays. Unless something changes, we are down to once-a-year appointments with the pulmonologist and pediatrician! Archer visited his pediatric opthalmologist for another check-up last Friday as well, and Archer's vision is doing great so far! The doctor did caution that with Archer's history of late-stage ROP and laser surgery the likelihood of needing very thick glasses at some point is high, so we will continue with appointments every six months to monitor his eyesight.

July Highlights: Mud Hens game, exploring local parks, 1st camping trip, 1st time at the beach and water park, discharged from physical and occupational therapy

August Highlights: loving playing in the car, climbing anything, playing and helping outside, jumping in and dumping the balls in the ball pit

September Highlights: 1st overnights at Grandma and Grandpa Long's without Mom or Dad, Grandma Kumfer visits, climbing over/under anywhere he can fit

October Highlights: going to the pumpkin patch, seeing the awesome Dupont nurses and staff at the NICU Reunion and hanging out with some fellow preemies, 1st time trick-or-treating, loving building, painting, and helping out

November Highlights: loving visits to the toy store (especially orange convertibles), rolling on the cat, painting in the bath tub, taking showers, bowling, grocery shopping, and helping decorate the Christmas tree

Coming Soon: We will also be celebrating the second addition to our family soon, which has updated Archer to "Big Brother" status! He has little idea what that means at this point, except that when we ask where his baby brother is, he points to his belly. He will give Mom's belly a kiss goodnight as well. Archer was not very thrilled when seeing Mom and Dad hold his new 2nd cousin, Jack, recently, so we anticipate quite an adjustment period when the baby arrives. We are very thankful to have made it to 26 weeks so far without any problems. With the reassurance of some good medical care, the help of wonderful family and friends, and a few preventative measures, we are hopeful that Archer's little brother will be able to avoid any NICU time, although any prayers or positive thoughts for a few more months of uneventful pregnancy are much appreciated!

Hitting the charts, Summer fun, and Allergies

Loving his first boat ride!

Archer kicked off Summer by taking his first long road trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa Kumfer's house in Missouri! He was able to meet his cousin Lucinda, great-Grandpa Frank, and some other family members in person for the first time too. He had a great time bowling, shopping, and swimming, as well as going to a baseball game, the lake, the playground, and the zoo. Archer enjoyed having Lucinda read stories to him, and he especially loved visiting Grandpa's horses! Whenever we would go outside he would point to the barn wanting to see the animals.

driving to Missouri, Grandpa Frank, riding the tractor, bowling

visiting the horses, looking at fish at Bass Pro, running outside

 Archer fell in love with the goats on a recent zoo trip too (probably because he could pet them without them running away). He has had a lot of fun with water this summer as well; he loves riding on boats and splashing in water tables, pools, or splash pads. Other summer activities have included checking out new parks and festivals, going to story time at the library, and eating lots of ice cream and popsicles. Archer even had his first day of "school." He started a class once a week through our Early Intervention program where toddlers and a guardian enjoy free play, an art project, music, a snack, and story time.

When we returned home from Missouri, Archer had another follow-up with his pulmonologist where we returned to the discussion about allergies. Throughout April and May, Archer had trouble breathing occasionally and often sounded like he needed to clear his throat. He was constantly itching his eyes and developed an eczema-like rash around his eyes and mouth that would come and go. The pulmonologist recommended a blood allergy test rather than putting Archer through a more traumatic skin prick test. The doctor also suggested investing in a doctor's kit and playing pretend at home since Archer gets very anxious and defensive during doctor's visits. He started crying and thrashing when the nurse just tried grab his toe or finger for a pulse ox reading, and it's always a struggle to take his measurements, look in his ears, or listen to him. Needless to say, the blood draw a few days later was not easy, and of course the first vial was not enough, so it required a second poke. To our surprise, the results of the test showed that Archer didn't suffer from any of the seasonal allergies they tested for, but he is mildly allergic to peanuts, egg whites, and cats. We do have to carry an EPI pen and he can't have peanut butter, but Archer can still have foods with eggs unless he seems to be reacting strongly, then we just need to hold back for a while. We now need to make sure he washes his hands any time he touches the cat, and the cat is not supposed to be in the room that Archer sleeps in. Luckily, it's pretty manageable, but we still suspect he may have other allergies or sensitivities because the itchy rash keeps showing up seemingly randomly.

cut above his eye, unhappy after blood draw, tunnel fun, important phone call

Archer also had his 18-month well check at the end of June, and he has finally hit the chart for his actual age! At 31 inches, he was in the 10th percentile for height! He was 18 pounds, 8 ounces, which is still below the chart but creeping closer. His top canine teeth finally poked through as well. Archer also enjoyed going back to the to visit some of his favorite NICU nurses and staff next door!
This growing boy can now almost reach the door handles and higher shelves and is getting more and more ornery each day. He laughs when we tell him "no" or try to talk to him sternly and enjoys pulling the cat's tail, throwing things in the trash can, pulling everything out of the cupboards, playing in the toilet, and washing his hands in the cat dish. When we try to get him settled down for bedtime by turning off the light in his room, he'll walk over to the window to open the curtains and blinds so he can still see to play.

riding Daddy's tricycle, wanting to climb up himself

After running Archer to the potty a couple of weeks ago when we knew he had to go, he seemed to show an interest in using it. When coming home the next day, he pointed to the bathroom and then went in and peed! We started casually potty-training, with few hopes of actually being successful this early, and he did well for about a week. Archer's interest in sitting down for a few minutes to go seems to have waned a bit now, though now he often tries to pull his diaper down.
Current favorites:
snacks, grapes, water, phones, books, cars, ball pit, tunnel, Peek-a-boo or chase, pretend cooking/eating, swinging, slides, playing with tools and workbench, climbing, putting things together and taking them apart

First day of "school"

 

 

Ahh, freedom!

Whew! It's been a while since Archer's last update, but he's been keeping Mom and Dad busy! For those who have been awaiting a post, hopefully this will bring you up to date!

An eye update:
Archer visited his pediatric opthalmologist (eye doctor) today and surprisingly allowed the nurse to dilate his eyes without much trouble. The opthalmologist was extremely impressed with Archer's vision and said that unless you study his retinas (where thousands of laser cuts from the surgery can be seen), you would never be able to tell that he had any complications with advanced ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). Although the doctor cannot determine Archer's exact vision until he is more verbal and able to describe things to us, Archer responded perfectly to all of the tests today! Typically the doctor would want to see a patient yearly from this point, but, due to Archer's history, we will go for another check-up in 6 months as vision issues can appear quite suddenly. We are extremely thankful that the progression of Archer's ROP was caught and treated quickly while in the NICU and that he has had such a good outcome so far!

Ft. Wayne March for Babies

April recap: It's hard to believe that we celebrated the Archer's 1st year at home on April 11th! We are so grateful for all of the family and friends who helped us meet our fundraising goal for the March of Dimes and those who joined us in the March for Babies in Archer's honor! We are continually amazed by the support of our loved ones, as well as the gracious staff and students at Ottoville Local School. With all of your contributions we were able to donate $1,000 to the Toledo March for Babies and another $200 to the Fort Wayne March! We really enjoyed participating in the walks and being able to reconnect with some of the awesome nurses, therapists, and staff from the Dupont NICU too!

Archer's Armor March for Babies team

Archer was also able to celebrate his first Easter at Grandma's house! He loved the food, although he didn't care much for searching for Easter eggs. Luckily the weather was beautiful and he enjoyed a trip to the park.

May recap:

feeding parakeets

The month of May meant the end of an extended RSV season, and some much-needed freedom for Archer (and Mom and Dad). Although we still try to avoid anyone who is ill and are cautious when going out in public, Archer has been loving the trips to the store, mall, restaurants, and friends' houses that he had missed out on since last November. He also attended his first wedding, a birthday party, and the zoo twice.
We had the opportunity to celebrate Parents of Preemies Day on May 4th by attending an event hosted by Graham's Foundation, which is an incredible resource for families with children in (or out) of the NICU! It was humbling to be surrounded by so many other parents who had been impacted by premature birth and had experiences similar to our own.
Archer was also able to visit his birthday buddy, Max, and the boys enjoyed playing hide-and-seek and competing for toys. They both attended their first Cincinnati Reds game together too! Archer loved being around all of the people, clapping, and engaging the fans in the rows around us.

Archer apparently was impressed with all of Max's chatter, and started repeating syllables once we returned home. He began speech therapy twice a month in April, but we see the most improvement after he has been around other talking children. Archer has "mama" down, and his "dada" is getting better. He loves babbling as he runs around the house and enjoys taking pretend phone calls.
We have reduced his physical/occupational therapy sessions to once a month just to monitor progress, and the next goal is standing on one foot, so hopefully Archer didn't inherit his mom's clumsiness!

New favorites: playing with cars, sweeping, dancing (pretty much just wiggling his arms around), kicking a ball, swinging, slides, and climbing anything. Dad loves that he has more interest in his Legos now, although he enjoys taking things apart more than building at this point. He is getting sillier and more ornery, and it's so fun to watch him get excited when he accomplishes something! Archer loves to help out around the house and will run and grab his hat when he wants to go outside and explore. He is frequently on the move, and his face always seems to be sporting a new bruise. He somehow managed to end up with a straw up his nose when he tripped carrying his cup, and he has experienced his first playground injury as well.
With all of that activity, you would think he would be exhausted by the end of the day, but he often tries avoiding bedtime because he has so much on his agenda. Luckily Archer will usually submit to an hour or two of nap time a day. He has teased Mom and Dad by sleeping through the night occasionally, but inevitably a new tooth starts emerging and wreaks havoc on nighttime sleep. Archer is up to 12 teeth, and judging by a recent sleepless night for all of us, we think his fangs (canine teeth) may make their appearance soon!
And, the picture barrage! : )

Adjusting and Stepping Forward



    Although the date was ingrained in Mom and Dad’s minds for months before Archer was born, it probably won’t ever mean much to Archer. Yesterday was Archer’s 1st “adjusted” birthday, or the age he would be had he been born on his due date. He will actually be 16 months old in just a few days, but adjusted ages are sometimes used to reflect the fact that a baby was born prematurely and may therefore take more time to meet growth and/or developmental milestones.

    Archer has been doing really well at “catching up” to his actual age peers as far as gross and fine motor skills go, but his language skills seem to have been on the back burner. He does use a few signs, frequently jabbers, and says what sounds like Mom and a couple other words occasionally, but he doesn’t use any consistent words yet. We may make a visit to his old speech therapist after RSV season to see if she thinks more visits are necessary at this point.

    Archer may have more time to devote to practicing talking now that he has accomplished one of his main goals: walking! In the past week or two he has been gaining confidence and attempting steps on his own, and in the last few days he has been getting faster and more steady on his feet. It’s so cute to watch that grinning face toddling toward you from across the room! The video is from last weekend.





    Archer’s pediatrician was very pleased at his well-check the other day and just recommended that we be proactive in regards to speech. Archer, however, was not thrilled with the measuring, weighing, inspecting, or shots and was determined to avoid them as he voiced his opinions with the nurse and doctor. His pediatrician exclaimed how strong he is, which is something we've heard from many others as well. We have no doubt that his strong-willed personality has helped get him to where he is today, although lately he also likes to use it to try to avoid naps and bedtime.

 

    Although still not “on the chart” for a 16-month old, Archer continues to inch closer to that elusive line! He is 17 pounds and 29 inches, which has earned him a new convertible car seat.  It seems much more comfy than his old one and will hopefully make for a better road trip to visit some family members for the first time this summer!

 

Pantry raid! Daddy's cereal is so much better!

Loving his ride-on car, until Dad stops pushing! He also loves hide-and-seek and being chased.



Meeting his look-alike, Great-Grandpa, for the 1st time.

New obsession: books! Especially this pop-up one!

Archer loves to pull this book out
and bring it over to read over and over!

Pulling things out of the cabinets is no longer good enough.

Figuring out how to take his diaper off  : /

Feeding himself with a spoon

Cruising Along

As we've mentioned previously, Archer has been on “lockdown” due to cold/flu/RSV season since November. This means his trips out of the house have mostly been limited to a few doctors’ appointments, Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and a few visits with healthy friends. Gratefully, we have been able to avoid any serious illnesses in our household due to the diligence of others! Archer did have a slight stuffy/runny nose for a week or two since our last update, but his daily nebulizer treatment and RSV shots likely helped to keep it from causing any breathing problems.

Archer's 1st night at home 4/11/13

Although it has been nice not to have to venture outside much during this frigid winter, we cannot wait for warmer weather and the end of RSV season (usually around April 15^th in Ohio)!  We had to limit Archer’s 1^st birthday guest list due to “lockdown,” so we thought we would celebrate the 1^st anniversary of his NICU Graduation (April 11^th), as well as our freedom, by inviting all of our friends and family to join us for a walk! What better way to celebrate Archer’s 1^st year at home than by giving back to one of the organizations that helped make his homecoming possible? The mission of the March of Dimes is to “help moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies.” Because Archer was born at 23 weeks gestation his lungs had just begun to develop in the womb. Had it not been for a life-saving dose of surfactant (a treatment developed with March of Dimes research funds) to help keep his airways open, Archer would not be with us today. The March of Dimes also donated a gift bag with a blanket, hat, sleep sack, T-shirt, educational info, and other items to us when Archer was in the NICU. Their annual fundraiser, the March for Babies, takes place on Sunday, April 13^th in Toledo, and we will be walking under the team name Archer’s Armor to bring awareness and funds to help prevent and treat the complications of premature birth. If you would like to donate to our team or join us in fundraising and walking, you may register or pay online by clicking the links on the right of this page. We are in the process of designing team T-shirts (Thanks, Cory!). if you would like to order one as well. Thank you all for your continued support!

Now, an overdue update:

Archer has become more interested in his toys and is much better at playing independently. He loves handing over different objects and thinks it’s hilarious to hand something to you but not let go. He knows where his favorite snacks are and will walk over and show you what he wants or continue signing “more” until he gets what he wants. He has also started bringing the remote to us when he wants to watch Signing Time. Archer signs “more” and “all done” and seems to be catching on to a couple more, although his movements aren’t very refined. He has become pretty attached to Mom and Dad and is quite leery when his therapists or nurse come over, but he usually warms up after a little bit. His therapists were able to lure Archer away from Mom with some Goldfish crackers the other day. His nurse, however, received some icy stares after she gave him his Valentine’s Day gift last week: a RSV shot in each leg!

Valentine's Day 2013 (3#4oz.) & 2014

"all done"

Archer managed to get Dad's animal
crackers out of the pantry.

"more avocado!"

Unless he is around unfamiliar people, Archer is usually pretty talkative. He isn’t saying any words consistently yet, at least none that we understand. He says something similar to “Mom” occasionally, and we think we’ve heard “okay,” “milk,” “Daddy,” “kitty,” and “hi” a time or two, but we don’t know if they were intentional sounds or not yet.

Archer now has 7 teeth, and we believe number 8 is soon to appear. Teething means little sleep for any of us, although we seem to get a small reprieve for a night or two until another tooth starts pushing its way through. Anything within Archer’s grasp is subjected to the bite/chew test, although ironically he isn’t very fond of teething rings.

We’ve missed out on a few sessions due to bad weather, but Archer’s early intervention specialist and therapists (PT and OT) continue to be impressed with his developmental progress. His EI specialist was thrilled with how much he had accomplished in the 2 months since she’d last seen him and said he is caught up to the 12 month checklist she was using. She mentioned trying to write with crayons at her next visit, which I don’t believe will go very well as Archer still loves to chew on his crayons at home! His balance has greatly improved, and he is able to catch himself from falling more often, or at least fall on his bottom instead of going down head-first! He is still primarily getting around the house by a combination of cruising and crawling, but he will stand on his own for a while, as long as he doesn’t realize that he’s not holding onto anything, and can take a few steps on his own once Mom or Dad lets go. Maybe Archer will be doing some of his own walking in the March for Babies by April!

Some of Archer's favorite activities:

chasing the cat

climbing anything 

emptying drawers and cabinets

sweeping

flushing over and over

flipping trash can lids

playing peek-a-boo

pushing toys, baskets, trash cans, etc

Other favorite activities: throwing and chasing balls, turning lights on/off, riding the rocking horse, Ring-around-the-rosie, singing/clapping, bath time, spinning anything, chewing anything, and helping with laundry.

Archer visited his pulmonologist Friday and is now over 17 pounds! The nurse also said he was 29 inches long, although Archer wasn’t very cooperative in laying down to be measured, so that number may be a little off. He is creeping closer and closer to actually being “on the chart” for growth for his actual age though, and his doctor was very pleased with his progress! We will be on the lookout for any signs of eczema and allergies this Spring as we are not sure if some of Archer’s issues last Spring/Summer may have been due to allergies, colds, or reflux, but the doctor can order a blood test to give us some answers if we notice any problems. Mom also questioned the pulmonologist about Archer’s Chronic Lung Disease, a diagnosis he received in the NICU due to being ventilated for such a long period of time.  The doctor explained that most of Archer’s lung growth is happening now (which is why it’s important to protect him from respiratory illnesses like RSV) and should be fully mature around age 5 or 6. At that point they are able to perform a simple pulmonary function test to identify things like asthma or other issues that may have long-term implications. We are hopeful that taking continued precautions to protect Archer’s lungs for the next few years will help him avoid long-term breathing issues.

riding in his truck

Sledding was NOT as fun this time!

"Really, Dad?"

Chillin'

Finally discovered the cat door!