This is so Funny

I wanted to share something funny that my daughter did. Well its no secret that I need to lose weight but ask me the biggest sign that I need to lose weight is? I took my daughter to this soccer field by my house and I was laying on my stomach and she sat on my back and slid down my butt saying weeeeee and did it several more times. Was very funny butt think its time to lose a few pounds. She sure had me laughing though.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

mommyspace badge

View my page on Mommy Space

I'm A Big Girl Now!!

Little Miss Madison decided she no longer wanted a crib so she climbed out. I of course had no choice but to put her in a big girl bed. She did really good at first but four about four or five days she comes out before its time to get up, like 2:00am. Patiently waiting for a good nights sleep.

The Big Two!!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today I went Potty Yippie!!! (July, 19,2008)



Glitter Graphics

Myspace Glitter Graphics

I found this on one of the many Preemie sites they have and thought I would share. I do not know the author but if I find out I will share.



Common Interest - Families
Description:
If this list looks familiar, you might be a parent of a preemie baby! We have to laugh about it to keep our sanity! :)

You know you're a preemie parent when...

*You measure everything in cc's

*Luxury = sleeping three hours in a row

*You can change your baby's diaper with one hand

*In the course of the same day, you have wanted to slap and bear hug the same NICU nurse

*You feel a secret pull of jealousy when one of your friends delivers full term

*You have gotten a rash on your hands from washing with hot water and the NICU soap... eight times in one day

*The statement "breastfeeding is simple and natural" makes you laugh -- or cry, depending on the day and the hour.

*Your baby has ever outgrown an outfit... while s/he was wearing it.

*You cry when you're happy, laugh when you're mad, and throw things across the room when you're sad.

*You could drive the route from your house to the hospital in your sleep... and maybe you have.

*You can't remember what you talked about before feeding schedules, diapers, and growth charts.

*You're more interested in your baby's diaper than the State of the Union

*Your idea of a vacation is walking outside to get the mail

*When someone offers you their hand to shake, you think twice, envisioning the germs that you might take home from them

*The sound of your baby crying is beautiful, not annoying.

*While everyone else coos, "He's so tiny!" your six-pound baby looks huge to you.

*Your heart almost bursts with love at least once a day

*You would climb to the top of Mt. Everest, barefoot, if it would help your baby to grow healthier, bigger, or stronger.

*You not only know what "bilirubin" is, you have had several extensive conversations about it.

*You never knew how grateful you could feel that your baby has gained an ounce.

*You know where all the vending machines are on your floor of the hospital... and which ones have the good snacks.

*You literally live your life one hour at a time.

*The security guard at the front door of the hospital just waves you in when he sees you.

*You are grateful for the smallest things now -- a shower, clean socks, a meal that you didn't have to cook, a friend who has a whole conversation with you without offering you any useless advice.

*You had to give up your shower today to make time to read this list.

WIGGLES!!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Glitter Graphics



Create cool Profile Comments

Please Help this Wonderful Cause

PREEMIE by Mindy Oum

P perfectly

R rare

E exceptional

E endurance

M Madison

I is the

E essence of a survivor

The last few days have been very trying. My daughter is teething and since she is only 19 months has no way to communicate her wants and needs. So my days have been filled with tantrums and head banging. She could be looking at a book and all of a sudden is so mad. It doesn't take much. I am sure some of the mothers out there can relate. Being a single mom makes it very hard to get a break. I don't know that I would want to unleash this temper on someone else. I guess I will just grin and bare it, teething is not forever.

Teething

A teething toddler what can you do

You make her mad she throws a shoe

She comes out screaming & bangs her head

What did you do what have you said?

Not a thing you did or said was wrong

Temper of a teething toddler is strong

So turn up the music & try not to see red

Night time will come & she will rest her head.

Madison Nevaeh Love Mommy

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Last night a was talking to another mom of a toddler and we were both saying how full of energy they are and want to climb on everything. Here is what I wrote:

Monkeys or Toddlers?
For Madison and Bella

Its 7am lets start the day
Its gonna be calm, for this I pray

Morning is great she’s sweet as can be
I turn on the Wiggles and go make some tea

I hear a strange noise, and guess what I found
Her splishing & splashing & playing around

The one time I forget to close that darn door
My daughter discovered the toilet & more

I take a deep breath & go to sit down
What now, she’s on the top shelf clowning around

I bring her to safety & go to watch cable
Where is she now, she’s on top of the table

For the rest of the day this is how it will be
Cause my cute little toddlers a monkey you see!

Madison Nevaeh Mommy Loves You!
Bella your Mommy Loves You!

This is a poem a mom wrote for me and my daughter:


Friends across the miles, bring such laughter and smiles
I start my day off bad and I'm feeling kinda sad


Then an email from a friend, makes it better again
She has a little one to and sometimes we just don't know what to do


Our little ones are special, full of energy and joys
But sometimes they get wild and chew and throw their toys


It's nice to have a friend even though we've never met
That understand the ups and downs of raising a preemie, hard it can sometimes get


But all the happiness and all the joy that these little ones do bring
Is worth a few tantrums and worth an occasional screeching scream


So my friend enjoys these years while they are little only once, how do we measure
And one day they will be grown and memories are what we'll treasure


To Madison and Mindy
Love, Bella and Kim

The picture to the left was when we were transferred to 3w at UMC in pediatrics. I was finally able to stay with my baby. She was dressed for my baby shower that I had in the cafeteria in the hospital (they reserved me a room). A chosen few could come up to the room to see her. The picture to the right we are still in the NICU and the monkey is a beenie baby. The picture below we are also still in the NICU with a tiny bear we named Murphy. He watched over her for me. So many wires, it is amazing what BIG fighters these tiny babies are.

Here is a poem I wrote one night about my daughter. I write them in my journal to get things off my chest at the end of the day. Warning they are not Shakespeare and I am pretty stuck into rhyming but they are from the heart.

THE TINIEST THING I EVER PUT MY WHOLE LIFE INTO

I need to write down just how I feel

A warm night in July it all became real

My precious little girl she just couldn’t wait

At 2 minutes of life they had to intubate

I knew at that moment I had to be strong

Cause the rough road ahead was gonna be long

Two full days had barely gone passed

My poor baby girl her right lung collapsed

So many machines, tubes, and wires held tight

Could my little 1 pound baby be able to fight?

You were so strong and feisty from the minute you came out

I should have known then to never have doubt

My little girl was so fragile and small

It broke mommy's heart to barely touch you at all

2 days shy of your 1 month birthday

My dream had come true I can hold you today

We did what they call Kangaroo care

I did not once, move out of that chair

One day I came in and the HiFi was gone

And much to my pleasure the CPAP was on

You were doing so well the doctors did see

In your very own isolate is where you should be

Nurse Kathy helped me give you your very first bath

Mommy also got news nasal cannula was your new path

You still needed time to eat and to grow

But then the news came we finally could go

The monitors and tubes we had to take home

Was a small price to pay to have you alone

We are finally home where we should be

So mommy can take care of her little sweet pea

Every movement, and step, and tantrums you make

Is something this mommy for granted won’t take

You are still one little strong minded thing

I welcome everything life has to bring

Nothing and no one can take this Happiness I had from the start

Because my Madison Nevaeh has the key to my Heart

My love for you is so strong my dear

My promise to you is I’ll always be here

So to my micro-preemie as perfect as can be

Your one little miracle no one could foresee

One thing I know, I’m sure that is true

MIRACLES DO HAPPEN BECAUSE I HAVE YOU!!!!!

I Love You Madison Nevaeh, Mommy’s gift from Heaven

and

(WHEN I COUNT MY BLESSINGS I COUNT YOU TWICE)

Here is a poem I wrote last night because of a article I recently read. I had alot of frustration about it as did alot of other Preemie parents. I brought it to their attention on the Preemie Community. The journalist was to broad and had no facts to back it up. To sum it up she feels the state should not help to save these tiny babies and that they have nothing to contribute to society. She did refer to a crack mom in the article and the state took custody. It is very unfortunate, however I believe we should fix the problems we have in the country not take an innocent life. She has since responded to many of us in emails. Some were beyond rude she told one mom that she disgusts her, why I dont know I guess cause she chose life for her baby. To others like me she was polite. She tries to explain her logic but only makes it worse, since most of her responses are also posted for all to read. Bottom line money is not an issue nor should it be when it comes to newborns regardless of their weight. She implies that they will have horrible disabilities and this just is not true. Yes it can happen but you have no way of knowing that when they are born. As you can see my daughter is doing very well and they did not expect her to make it. She said they can't contribute to society. Well even the most disabled person can contribute even if it was to just raise awareness about their disability or touch one heart. To me that is a contribution. Every action has a reaction therefore she would have no way of knowing who would or would not be able to contribute. There is alot of good that comes out of bad. Just look at the hard start my daughter had and the horrible stay we had in the NICU. The end result to that bad situation was a healthy happy 19 month old little girl who can do anything she wants to in this world.

Micro-Preemies Are Human Too

Some might say to let you go

How could these people sink that low?

They say the cost is just too high

People like this just make me cry

I think if they just meet you dear

Their human side would shed a tear

This is when they just might see

How precious my baby is to me

My dear you did go through so much

It was worth it all to feel your touch

Yes my dear you were born small

You were just like a tiny doll

They need to watch just what they say

My Micro-Preemie could be president one day!

Love Madison Nevaeh’s Mommy

Love Madison Nevaeh’s Mommy

A Little of Madison's Story

My daughter was born at 26 weeks weighing in at 1 lb 13 ozs and 13 inchs long. There was no particular reason I went into preterm labor I just did. She tried to come at 25 weeks and I was in the hospital where the doctors held her off for a week. The labor was never stopped just slowed down so yes I felt contractions every day. The day my daughter came into this world I heard one small small cry. They quickly wheeled her over to me and wheeled her off just as fast. No, I did not get to hold her nor did I know what her condition was. When I was finally taken to the NICU my tiny tiny baby girl was laying under some saran wrap (to help keep in the moisture) with more wires and tubes running out of her than a grown adult should have, let alone such a tiny frail creature. Her skin was basically transparent. Her skin was very dark in color but this was due to the jaundice it just looked different on her. She was able to open her eyes but wouldn’t. She had not even developed nipples or any signs of where they should be. I thought that maybe she would never have any until a nurse explained that they would still grow. That just amazed me cause grow from what? These are some of the small things that should happen in the womb where the baby is safe. One of the bigger things would be their lungs and hers had needed more time. She was given a drug called surfactant (which the March of Dimes helped to develop) which played a huge roll in saving her life. Within 48 hours her right lung collapsed. Which in itself is bad enough but she was draining fluid which was really bad? They were not sure if she would make it because every time they took a chest tube out the pnemoniathorax would come back and another tube would have to go in. She also had what they call a PDA which is a hole in the heart. No, it does not stop there she also had a grade 2 IVH which is a hemorrhage on the brain. She would also become very swollen from water retention. So what I have told you so far is some of the medical side and not all of it. Here is some of my side. My baby girl was fighting for her life with more tubes and medicine running through her little fragile body than you could even imagine. So what would a mother want to do in this situation? She would want to cuddle and hold her baby and reassure her, but no that is not how it works. Holding her at this point could jeopardize her life. I couldn’t even softly stroke her because it over stimulates these tiny babies and also compromises their health. So all I could do for the first month of her life is come in every morning and sit by her bed and sing to her and talk to her. I did a whole lot of crying. Some days I would get very mad because I just wanted to be home with my baby. I would have to leave her every night because the hospital was not equipped for parents to sleep there. That was the worst feeling in the world. As a matter of fact her lung collapsed in the middle of the night and I was not there for her. This whole time I continued to pump as much milk as I could because a mother’s milk is one of the best things for your baby especially a sick one. Plus it made me feel like I was helping her. She had many ups and downs and the time in the NICU was exactly as they told me it would be, a rollercoaster of emotion. I got to hold her 2 days before her 1 month birthday. That was the best feeling in the hold world. We stayed at the hospital for 3 months and she was released on oxygen and an apnea monitor. I was very happy and very scared. We had many doctors appts. We had weekly appts to the eye doctor because in the NICU she developed a condition in her eyes called ROP. This is common for children on oxygen for a prolonged amount of time. It can be severe enough to cause blindness or require surgery. As a matter of fact Stevie Wonder was a preemie and it was ROP that caused his blindness. Madison still has many appts at 19 months of age but all things considered my daughter is doing great. She is one little fighter. The only real issue she has is chronic lung disease which can improve since lungs still develop for the first seven years. She is an active thriving normal toddler. We don’t know what the future has in store for us as far as her development but I think my little fighter can handle whatever life throws at her. She truly is on of life’s big, little Miracles.

A Little About Me

Hi my name is Mindy. I am a single mother of a beautiful 19 month old baby girl. She was born at only 26weeks and weighed in at 1 lb 13 ozs and was 13 inches long. She had a very rough start in life and the doctors were not sure she would make it. Well she truly is a miracle, not only did she make it but she is doing great.