Mama's Boy

Logan was born 4 weeks early.  When I was 32 weeks pregnant (2 months-ish before my due date), I stopped growing.  My pregnant belly just didn't get any pregnant-er.  My doctor thought maybe I was having an off appointment, but put a note in my file to double check the baby's growth the next time around.  My 34-week appointment came and still my belly was the same size.  My doctor decided that something was not right and had me go in for non-stress tests twice a week and ultrasounds every other week to see what was going on.  The first non-stress tests showed a wiggly, happy, normal baby and the ultrasound showed a healthy, although rather skinny baby.

This was 7 days before Logan was born

 Then at my next ultrasound and non-stress test appointment, the nurse noticed that Logan's heart rate was dropping at odd intervals.  She thought it might be that because it was around lunchtime that I was hungry and so was baby and his little baby blood-sugar was low.  They gave me juice and that seemed to help.  Then at my ultrasound the technician noticed that Logan had not gained any weight at all and worse yet, my amniotic fluid was too low.  Logan was starting to starve.  He was ingesting the fluid, but not peeing it out like he was supposed to.  The heart rate drop was caused my him leaning on his umbilical cord and because there was no spare fluid to cushion things, he was starting suffocate himself.  The consensus was that my placenta was just not doing its job anymore, so Logan had to be born.  They sent me downstairs to Labor and Delivery for a C-Section that afternoon.

Notice the lack of feeding tube...little stinker :)

When Logan was born, he was 4 pounds 11 ounces, several ounces smaller than his NICU neighbors, a pair of twins born at 34 weeks.  The doctors there assured me that he was a healthy little guy and just needed to learn to regulate his body temperature and wake up enough to eat his own food.  He was a trouble-maker in the NICU because he liked to pull out his feeding tube and kick off his blood pressure monitor.  Eight days after he was born, Logan came home.

They warned me that because he was born early and apparently hadn't been growing that he might be a little slow developmentally, but not to worry unless he was still behind by his 2nd birthday. 

Logan has been a little on the slow side.  He rolled over for the first time at 4 1/2 months and never really did roll the other way.  Once he rolled over a few times, he just didn't do it any more.  I imagined him thinking to himself, "Okay, that was rolling over.  I don't get what the big deal is.  It's not that great, but laying here on the floor and kicking my legs, that's pretty fun.  So, I think I'll just stick to that."

 Logan was well over 7 months when he finally sat up on his own. 

So, I was really surprised when he waved to himself in the mirror last week. 

I was even more surprised when he called me, "Mamamammm" today when I came into the living room. 

It's his first word and he hasn't really babbled much.  The most surprising thing is that he said his first word before Katherine did (She said her first word at 9 1/2 months.  It was "Nggkee'eee" which translates to "kitty").  I have those Mom-worries that Logan would fall behind his peers because of his rough start in life, but to beat out his sister--who had the benefit of a fully-functional placenta and a full nine months to bake in the oven--is reassuring.  So, I have to admit that my husband is right and Logan is totally fine and I don't need to worry.

But I think the best part of this whole thing is that I, ME, Mama, was his first word and not that stupid cat.  In your face, Lily!  Hah!