These Moments Used to Exist Solely in Our Dreams.

Chowing down! 

Me & Daddy! Go Blue!

Catching up on some reading. Or chewing...

Enjoying his first "lil' crunchie."

Creating his masterpiece. Complete focus!

The finished product! Beautiful!

Sitting up in his bath like a big boy! 

We like to party in Cael's room.

Smiley Baby!

Fell asleep during his afternoon walk!

Big boy in his Bumbo with no support and reading his book!

Sitting up in his Boppy! Yes, he loves that book. 

Always chewing on his fingers when he lacks a toy.

I can feed myself.

The King of our Queen bed. (No idea where he gets the bed-hogging from...)

Having Caelin home has made us the happiest we have ever been. Up to this point, the things we are doing, the memories we are making, and the happiness we are feeling had only lived in our imagination. Now they are a part of our lives and we are so fortunate for this. There were many days that blurred our vision and crowded our minds with fear and doubt, but here we are… here he is- home. We are a complete family. It is phenomenal, extraordinary, miraculous, remarkable and every other synonym of wonderful that exists!

Caelin has been so strong since he has been home! Last Thursday he had an appointment with one of his Pediatrician’s, Dr. Cibran, at Saint Petersburg Pediatrics. After examining Caelin, Dr. Cibran said he is surprised at how well Cael is doing and how great he looks after everything he has been through. The quotes that stick in my mind are, “He doesn’t miss a thing,” referring to his wide, alert, blue eyes. And looking at his feet, “I predict he is going to be a big boy. Probably around six feet, possibly taller.” This was the first time a doctor ever had anything positive to say about Caelin’s size since he was first born. When we told him that, he agreed Cael may be a little small now but he assured us that since he has doubled his weight and is growing taller, that he will catch up.

Caelin likes different perspectives and can get comfy pretty much anywhere. He bounces from his pack-n-play to his highchair, his Boppy on the couch, his Bumbo, his playgym in his room, his crib, Mommy and Daddy’s bed, his bouncer, his swing, and everywhere in between. Whether he is high or low and as long as he senses Mom or Dad’s presence, he loves to investigate and analyze his surroundings. And as long as he can get to his side, he can fall asleep pretty much anywhere.

Labor Day Weekend is one to remember- these days are full of some fun milestones! Caelin got to sit up in his big boy bathtub! He was kind of too big for the netting but we were nervous during the first couple of baths at home. So last week we decided to take the netting away and sit him in the angled portion of the bath tub. He did well with this and LOVED kicking his feet to make waves. While sitting in this position, he does not like to put down his arms so they get chilly. Because of this, Mommy decided to try to sit Cael in the unsupported part of the tub while holding his trunk- after getting over the instability fused with the slipperiness, Caelin enjoyed sitting up like a big boy with his butt and legs on the bottom of the tub. He even experimented with dipping his arms in the water! J On Sunday, Caelin tried apples for the first time (puréed jar food, that is)! He at 6.5 mLs! Up to this point he has only ever eaten 4.5 mLs by mouth at most in one sitting (of sweet potatoes). We assume he really likes apples! Caelin also tried Gerber lil’ crunchies Cinnamon Maple flavored on Sunday. They are meant for crawlers but Caelin is teething like crazy- constantly putting his fingers and his toys in his mouth- (and in a perfect world, should have been close to crawling by now) so we thought we might give it a shot. He was under complete supervision of both Mom & Dad, of course! He wasn’t sure about the food at first, but he did taste it a couple times. On Monday he ate almost a whole one while Mom helped him hold it as he kept trying to shove the entire crunchie in his mouth. As he gnawed away, he seemed to not only like the taste but the way it felt on his gums. First solid food? Success. Monday afternoon we were getting ready to go for a walk when Daddy mentioned the idea of starting to condense to bolus feeding. Mommy was apprehensive about the idea because she didn’t want to push Cael too hard but Daddy was confident that Cael was ready for it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the word “bolus” it simply refers to eating how normal babies eat: a certain amount of food, in Caelin’s case 100 mLs, in 30-60 mins with a 2 to 2 ½ hour break between feeds. When Cael has been fed, it has only been continuous (a certain number of mLs every hour without a break) so condensing to bolus is a big deal for him. Ultimately, Daddy convinced Mommy to let Caelin give it a whirl. We changed Caelin’s rate from 33 mLs/hr continuous up to 40 mLs/hr over a 2.5 hour time span. With this, he would get a 30 minute break between feeds. Proving Daddy’s intuition correct, Caelin did great with this first step of condensing! He has now been on this new schedule for 24 hours and tolerating it well. We will make the next move this Thursday; going to 100 mLs every 2 hours with 1 hour break. J So proud of our little Cael! Also on Monday Caelin used his fine motor and sensory skills while incorporating his cognition to create his first masterpiece- an original finger-painting! [Like that phrasing my TT friends & family?! ;) ] At first he was hesitant and untrusting of Mom and Dad’s judgment but shortly remembered we have never steered him wrong before as he wiggled his fingers and dragged his hands through the paint. Mommy wishes she would have had him do it on a canvas instead of a piece of paper after seeing the awesome outcome of his first ever creation! Finally, on Monday Caelin sat up straight in his Bumbo by himself without any support from blankets, pillows, Mommy, or Daddy! Mommy’s heart fluttered, her eyes widened while filling with tears as she realized just how far her baby boy has come and how much progress he has made even through all of his hardships. He may be slightly behind the average curve physically but he is catching up quickly. EVERY new experience for Caelin creates a cherished intense heartfelt moment for Mommy and Daddy as we realize and respect just how precious these moments are.

We are having so much fun with him at home & looking forward to his first wave of visitors! He is supposed to have a couple ladies stopping by later this week and then on Friday Uncle Eddie flies in for the weekend and Auntie Sammy will be driving up from Miami to visit for the day! The next weekend Grandma flies in for a whole week! AWESOME! Caelin is still on isolation until September 20^th (6 weeks post-op) so unfortunately we cannot venture out of the house during their stay, except for walks around the block. But we are greatly anticipating for friends and family to enjoy his presence at home as much as we do!

As always, thank you all for your continued prayers for our healing warrior and our blessed family!