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!