Updates Galore

Logan has been quite a busy boy these days! He has officially found his toes and is constantly grabbing them! I have been so impressed with the progress he has made in the 3 visits he's had to his physical therapist. He is also able to sit unassisted for a couple minutes before tipping! He is able to reach for his toys while he is sitting. We are still working on tummy time! Although, he is tolerating it more and more and beginning to reach for things while in that position. He got his first tooth a couple of weeks ago and loves biting things (not so good for mama!). He is eating a lot of new foods; kiwi, watermelon, pasta, graham crackers, yogurt, and peaches. He is ADDICTED to Gerber puffs and vegi "cheesy poofs". He also has started drinking water out of a cup...he couldn't quite figure out the sippy part so we are moving straight to a cup!

Logan made his first visit to mom's Alma Mater in Champaign two weekends ago to celebrate his Uncle Paul's graduation! He did really well until we all started shouting for Paul and then he let out a big yell (I think he just wanted to add to the hoots and hollars!). Logan had his first visit to the zoo on May 21st. We went with Lori, Emmy, and Charlie Pelling and met his Aunt Jenny, Uncle Marc, Tyler, Madison, Jake, and G.G. Carole! We had a really great time even though we only were able to see a couple of animals before it was time to head back for a nap! We took Logan for his first swim last Sunday. He was not so sure about the oversized bathtub! He tolerated it but didn't love it like I thought he might!

We were so lucky to have Grandma B. in for a visit this past weekend. She was such a BIG help watching Logan while we were busy at Auntie Lauren's wedding!!! Logan was the ring bearer (Kasey was the bearer of the ring bearer!). He did a great job despite having a cold. He looked quite handsome in his baby tux! Logan is very excited to have a brand new uncle (ggguuuhhh..)!

Kasey is finishing up the school year on June 12th. He is going to be teaching summer school but he will have fewer hours and probably only be working 4 days a week. We are looking forward to some summer fun on his free days! We are going to be heading to Kansas the first week in July to visit with Uncle Jamie and Uncle John and to meet Aunt Traci and cousin Grace! Logan will have his 9 month well-visit on June 15th. I can't wait to see how much he has grown, I can wait, however, for the shots...yuck! We have scheduled his circumsision revision surgery for July 29th. I am already stressed about it! That's all of our updates for now! Hope you are all well! xo.

Happy Mother's Day!

First, I have to say happy 8 month birtdhday LJ!! Today I realize how truly blessed I am! I have a super-tough, funny, loveable, HEALTHY baby! I also have an amazing and loving husband (who is a GREAT daddy!). Today Kasey took care of Logan so that I could sleep in until 9:00!!! Wow! It was incredible how alert I felt! I awoke to find that Kasey had dressed Logan in his "I love Mommy" shirt-isn't that sweet of him! My boys got me a spa gift certificate to get pampered for a day! After Logan's nap (when Daddy read him "The Mommy Book") we went to brunch at my favorite place. Kasey even went to the grocery store for me! I am such a lucky mama to have such incredible boys in my life! I had such a wonderful Mother's Day...I sure hope all of you did too!!

Logan "kissing" Daddy

Last week we started going to Logan's physical therapy. His therapist, Beth, showed me a lot of different exercises to help catch him up to his actual age. We are supposed to work on him reaching for his toys, sitting and reaching for the floor/toys, and rolling from his back to his tummy and then spending time on his tummy reaching for toys. The picture below was taken on Friday...he sat long enough for me to snap a pic!!

On Friday we went to lunch with Maureen and Jackson. Jackson was born in October at nearly 30 weeks and spent some time in the NICU at the same time as Logan! Jackson and Logan are now about the same weight and drooling like madmen! It was so great to see our amazing healthy boys together outside of Illinois Masonic!
Logan seems to be growing so much lately! He is blowing through his 3-6 month clothes and is wearing some 9 month shirts! Of course his legs have some catching up to do!! He also is developing quite a personality. He yells when he is mad or frustrated and he has a variety of different laughs and giggles! He is still struggling with naps but I couldn't ask for a greater kiddo! xo.

Physical Therapy Evaluation

Today Logan had his physical therapy evaluation. He was tired, hungry, and crabby but he got through it! As Kasey and I posted earlier this week we thought he was performing somewhere in between his adjusted and actual ages. Well, it turns out on his gross motor skills he is actually more like a 3-4 month old. His adjusted age is almost five months so he is delayed and now qualifies for weekly physical therapy sessions. The concerns are that he does not like tummy time and is not able to put enough pressure on his arms, his balance isn't where it needs to be to sit up unassisted, and his tone is a little on the stiff side. Melissa said that as he grows (and his body catches up to his noggin!) his motor skills should improve. She also mentioned that many of the preemie babies she sees don't like tummy time because they missed out on a lot of that time when they were in the NICU. His reflux doesn't help either!

The good news is that Logan will be getting extra support to help him catch up to his peers. We will also get lots of tips to work with him at home. Also, the weekly visits will ensure that he doesn't fall behind his adjusted age again! The therapist said that she is NOT concerned that he will have longterm delays with his gross motor and that the weekly sessions will just help give him a kick in the pants! It will also force mom and dad to struggle through the exercises and not give in when he starts whining!

However, it is very difficult and emotional (for his mommy!!) to hear that Logan is behind his adjusted age. As she was explaining the skills that he needed help on she mentioned that when she saw him last he was on a monitor and meds, which most preemies are beyond when they leave the NICU. Hearing all of this made me relive the guilt associated with having him 11 1/2 weeks early. I know what our little fighter is capable of, I have seen his strength first hand, I have no doubt that once we start our PT boot camp he will be catching up in no time!

Hi, from our happy little fella! Our family is doing great. As you can see Logan is becoming quite interactive. He's very chatty and is definitely vocalizing his dislike of shopping. When we were out shopping for clothes on Saturday he decided he would yell until we took him home for his nap. He now is up to a whopping 16 pounds and outgrowing many of his clothes. On Friday his developmental therapist came by to see how he's doing. He was a tired guy, but he hung in there long enough to show off all of his talents. He seems to be hitting milestones between his actual age and his adjusted age. She gave us a few tips to work with him on sitting and tummy time (his least favorite). The only concern she had was when he was in a seated position he became more rigid. The physical therapist will come to evaluate him on Tuesday and make sure his muscle tone isn't too stiff. Logan also seemed to REALLY like the developmental therapist's toys. We went out today and bought him a bunch of new toys that will encourage him to learn to shake, bang, play on his belly, and distract him while sitting...he seemed to appreciate this kind of shopping much more!

Logan and his new friend Charlie Pelling

On Friday, April 17th, Charlie August Pelling was born! He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz.! We are very excited to see all of the mischief our little boys will get into together (with the help of Charlie's big sister Emmy, of course!).

Daddy and Logan playing at the parkSuper Logan!!

Friday was a beautiful 80 degree day! We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went to the playground. Logan loves to swing, as you can see! After the park we took a nice long walk with our new baby jogger.

The fam at March for Babies

Papooli, Gramma, and Logan at the walk

Today was the March of Dimes' March for Babies. We were very excited when we woke up and saw that it was not raining! We put on our shirts, loaded up the diaper bag, and headed out for an inspiring day filled with strong little kiddos! We were able to register and take pictures before it started to drizzle. During the opening ceremony Logan and Papooli were filmed for our local news, we are going to tune in at 10 and hope to see them! We began walking and the rain started to pick up. We found shelter under one of the mall's awnings and then were told to report back inside because there was lightening. We were disappointed but understood that the safety of the families was most important.

Logan waiting out the storm

Logan and mommy safe out of the storm

Once all of the walkers were inside they started the awards ceremony. I was surprised as they announced my name for being the top fund raiser of the individual walkers! I was able to raise $725 (thanks to my mom's help!!). Kasey raised $170, that means together we raised almost $900 to help babies in need! We cannot thank those of you who sponsored us enough. Obviously, this is something that is very important to us and we are continueally amazed by our friends and family that continue to support us! Next year we plan to walk as a team and hope to raise even more money for this great cause!

Mommy won the award for most money
raised by an individual walker!

Lounging on Daddy after the walk

After the walk Logan had his first "real" food. He ate a banana! We put it in this little mesh feeder and he went to town!! He had banana everywhere and loved every minute of it! He has been off of his reflux medicine for five days now. He is spitting up quite a bit but nothing serious! The doctor says as long as he doesn't seem to be in pain or spitting up full feeds we should continue to keep him off of it. This would be a major milestone for us! It would be the very first time since he was born that he would be medicine free! We will update you soon with the report from his physical therapist. Have a great week! xo.

Logan enjoying a REAL banana!! Yum!

New Slideshow!

Isn't this amazing?!? I can't believe how much our "little" man has changed over the last 7 months! When we were at Grandma B.'s Kasey stood on the scale with him and figures he is over 15 pounds now! We don't have a doctor's appointment until he is 9 months so we won't know his official stats until then! This slideshow will permanently be in the sidebar so we can add new laundry basket pictures each month. Thanks for looking!

Happy Easter!

Well, we did it! We successfully made an 8 1/2 hour road trip with Logan! He was a very good boy and slept most of the way. We had to stop only once to feed and change him and then he was happy! We had a great visit with Grandma B. On Saturday we visited for a bit with Sara and Ron Miles and then went over to Tyler and Nicole's to introduce Logan to Kasey's friends. On Sunday we got to see Great Grandma Betty, Great Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and second cousins! It was quite a full house! Logan did great and had smiles for everyone! Monday we made a trip to the mall to do a little shopping. While we were there we noticed that the Easter Bunny had no line! This meant no germs! Daddy gave Logan permission to get his picture taken! He did so well and just sat there petting the E.B.'s hand! On Tuesday we went to Marlena and Leo's house. We ate WAY too much delicious food and visited with Craig and Amy and their two little ones, Molly and Ryan. After a terrific visit we had to pack up our things and head back home on Wednesday. We were sad to leave Grandma B.'s, Logan sure had fun with his buddy!




Last night we celebrated Logan's baptism. We had Gramma Jan, Papooli, Auntie Lauren, Uncle Brian, Auntie Cindy, Uncle John, Elizabeth, Taylor, Brian, Lori, and Emmy Pelling, Matt Stanley, and Auntie Donna over for dinner and cake (Gramma Jan even let Logan have a lick of the lemon filling from his cake...mmm!). Logan tolerated being up past his bedtime pretty well...that is until we got to church! Daddy spent the first part of church walking with Logan until he was almost asleep. As he settled down, Father Leswing went and got them for the baptism. It was a beautiful candlelit ceremony. Logan was fine until Mother Forrester tipped his head and poored the water on him! He sure let everyone know that he was not happy about this sacrament! We are so happy that so many of our friends and family were thinking about and praying for our little man last night! We are especially grateful that Logan's Godfather, Matt Stanley, flew in all the way from Texas to be with us. We are also very lucky that his Godmother, Lori Pelling, did not go into labor last night! She is due any day now and will be welcoming a little boy for Logan to play with!!



Today Logan is celebrating his first Easter. The Easter Bunny brought him a new basket with a baseball liner that has his name on it. It is filled with four new books and a new hat. Next year he can use the teeth he's working on to eat some jelly beans and peeps! He is still working on sitting unassisted and is getting very close to rolling over from back to belly. We are reopening his Early Intervention case this week. He will be reevaluated by the occupational and physical therapists to make sure that he is progressing on track! We hope you all have a very happy Easter!

The last one!

Today Logan had his LAST synagis shot of this RSV season! Kasey took the day off to come with us. I wanted to ensure I had backup in case we had another "blue leg" situation! Logan was very upset but managed to calm himself while eating. He now weighs 14 lbs. .5 oz. and maxed out the dosage for one shot. At least he didn't need two! The nurse informed us that he will not need to come in for his April shot. She said that RSV in our area is on the decline! Yay!!! She also told us that due to Logan's weight and gestational age at birth he does qualify for a second season of synagis shots, yuck. Oh well, at least he will be better protected next fall/winter. This also means that we will have to be very cautious again next winter about germs!




He is acting so "grown up"! Our happy little guy typically wakes us up with lots of "ah-goos" and squeals! Even in the middle of the night! He likes being held to stand and we are continuing to work on sitting! He also is getting very good at eating. He has tried prunes, peaches, pears, bananas, peas, squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes! There isn't one of them that he doesn't like. He usually gets cereal and a fruit or vegi for breakfast and dinner but today he was extra hungry so he had lunch too! Hopefully all of this eating will help him beef up by his nine month appointment in June.