[blparent] Update

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

It's been weeks since I've been on this list, but I wanted to give all
my parent list friends an update on Declan.

He's six-and-a-half-months-old now, which I can't believe, smile.  He
has his first tooth, and we are going through teething right now. Some
days are pretty bad, but in general, he's handling it well.

Since Christmas, he has been eating from a bottle, and since the
beginning of February, we have not had to attach him to his G-button
feeding tubes for meals. He's now drinking entirely from a bottle, grin.
We are still using donated breast milk along with formula. We mix it
half and half. We were doing all breast milk but ran out and had to
switch solely to formula for a time until we found a new donor. Our new
donor is producing massive amounts and plans to donate as long as we
want, but to make it go further, since you just never know, we are
mixing. He didn't take to the formula very well at first. We have
switched to a different formula that he seems to tolerate. We have been
so blessed to have had three milk donors. It has made such a huge
difference, and not to be controversial, but if you can nurse, I
encourage this regardless of any pain in the neck to you in terms of
nursing and/or pumping. In the end, the benefits of breast milk are just
worth it. Okay, off my soapbox for now, smile.

He's really long, but Declan is on the low end of the weight range, but
as long as he gains even if at a slow pace, we may be able to completely
remove the button in April. His transition has been remarkable, and Ross
and I are so happy to see Declan thrive and grow.

He's recently taken to rolling onto his tummy and back, which he does a
lot in order to get where he wants. He also is trying to crawl and has
accomplished the army crawl, as we call it, while he continues to
attempt to figure out how to actually get up and crawl. He's been trying
to sit up for a couple of months now too, and he can pull himself
upright but not quite ready for a full, prolonged sit-up just yet.

He chuckles a lot especially with Ross. For some reason, Pops is funny.
All Ross has to do is look at him and Declan just cracks up, LOL!

He still has a ton of hair, and it's super crazy. We call it his Harry
Potter hair, grin. He looks mostly like Ross, but he does has some of my
features.

I can't remember if I shared this on the parent list, so forgive me if
this is redundant. The Nebraska Medical Center wanted to do a follow up
story on me after having been a feature story in its magazine a few
years back and a subsequent participant in its advertising campaign.
After having Declan, I was contacted. They interviewed the three of us,
and the following link is up on You Tube and the NE Med Center's website
along with an article in its newsletter.  In this video, we are sitting
in our living room for most of the interview, but there is footage of me
walking down the hall with Declan, he and I at his changing table and me
rocking him, Ross making a bottle, which you can hear the talking scale,
and the three of us standing in front of his crib. Declan is wearing a
t-shirt that says Daddy's Little Buddy with penguins and jeans that have
penguins on the cuffs. Here's the You Tube link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncd4e4ZE2x8 

Bridgit