On April 14, 2009, Tate was born 6 weeks premature. Even after all the pain and anticipation of delivery, I only got to hold my baby boy for a minute before he was whisked off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by a team of doctors and nurses. When I finally did get to see him, he was in an isolette with an IV in his head, a feeding tube down his nose, and wires everywhere. He was so tiny. For 15 long days, we prayed for the day when he could drink 2 ounces - just 2 tiny, little ounces - from a bottle (that being the criteria for him to be able to go home). We learned firsthand all about gavage feedings, bilirubin lights for jaundice, and the tentative camaraderie between other parents in the NICU. It was the longest 15 days of my life.
The proudest Mommy in the world! :)
Our little man under the bili light in the NICU.
Even with all the tubes and wires, he was still the cutest kid I'd ever seen!
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Flash forward one year, my mom was babysitting Tate one afternoon and calls to tell me that he has a "squishy" spot on his head. 30 minutes later we're at the emergency room. After x-rays we're sent home, told he's fine. The next day they call us in for a CT scan. Two days later, they call and tell us to bring him in "immediately." Back to the hospital we go.
This time to Mission Hospital's Pediatric Critial Care Unit. Come to find out, he had a skull fracture! Other than one nurse who implied child abuse (oh, how I wanted to deck her) the staff was great. They monitored Tate overnight, told us to keep an eye on him and sent us home. They also put us in touch with their Developmental Follow-Up Program. This program tracks preemie babies' development as they grow.
We were contacted by Children's Developmental Services Agency's Infant-Toddler Program and the rest is history. They got us set up with specialists who evaluated Tate to see where he was developmentally. Then we were assigned a Speech Therapist who came to our house once a week for private therapy. The best part? CDSA bills on a sliding scale so the out of pocket cost to us for Tate's private, at home therapy? $0. Nothing, zilch, zip, nada. Yeah, amazing.
Once Tate turned 3 earlier this month, he was no longer eligible for home therapy and we were turned over to the Buncombe County School system. Now we have therapy twice a week at a predetermined location with a school system therapist. Today Miss Kaye (our school system therapist) had Tate point out pictures in books, practice taking turns, and name pictures on pieces as he worked a puzzle.
Everyone we have dealt with thru the Developmental Follow-Up Program has been great. Our little guy just turned 3 and is well on his way to talking up a storm! He has come so far from his days and the NICU and I could not be more proud of my little "Tater Tot."
Tate, Easter 2012
Tomorrow, we will be checking out the Children's Clothing Sale at the US Army Reserve Center in Asheville!
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