5 Year Update
William and Aaron are great! I haven't posted an update in a while, so I thought I'd share a bit for anyone that doesn't see them on Facebook, or has found this blog through the preemie community.
William is a few pounds heavier than Aaron (45/42lbs-ish), but they're now about the same height again (William may have a slight edge, we haven't had official measurements in a while). They're both right under 45 inches...moving up in the world!
We've been released from all doctors now except our regular pediatrician, ophthalmologist, and dentist. All is fine on each of those fronts. Outside of the NICU and early days, we've been blessed with 3 pretty healthy kids. Aaron's eyesight continues to improve. His prescription for near-nearsightedness has become weaker every visit, which is great. William, however, is becoming more farsighted, so we're on a 6 month visit scheduled for him. His glasses correct his strabismus, and it's much less noticeable now with them off, but we may end up discussing patching again at his appointment next month. If he does need it, hopefully he will view it as a pirate costume and not an annoyance! Big sister Anna started her orthodontic journey this summer, with a palate expander and braces. William and Aaron will likely follow the same path in a few years. Aaron especially has a high and narrow palate, which was probably increased by intubation and not solely due to (my side of the family) genetics.
Regarding their personalities - most of what I posted when they were 4 is still valid :) They are both in-your-face energetic and social little guys with an insatiable curiosity for the world and 9000 questions all day long. They've continued to play soccer the past few seasons, and William is enjoying it more. He did try a dance class over the summer, but was intimidated by the little ladies in the lesson and did not want to go back :) Aaron still loves soccer and is very competitive. William is his biggest supporter, although he did get a few goals of his own this year, which was fun :) We'll keep playing soccer until they express interest in something else.
Aaron is our future engineer. He is very creative with his Legos and builds his own awesome vehicles and houses with no desire for assistance. While Aaron is very affectionate, and Anna is also very sweet, William is the all around sweetest of all three kids. He says "I love you" all the time without prompting, and gives little gems at bedtime like "Mommy, I'm going to hold your kisses in my heart so that you're with me forever". Some of the sayings that he comes up with make me laugh and melt at the same time. Anna and Aaron are both more independent. William wants to be with us, or with a sibling, most of the time, and wants to be involved with whatever we're doing, including cooking or folding clothes, so he's a great helper.
We did start them in Kindergarten this year, based on their June birthday. I know the trend these days is to give boys an extra year at home, but we felt that the right decision for us was to start them with their peers from preschool. We got lucky with a teacher who is very hands-on and activity based, and they love her. They're not at the head of the class but they met their fall benchmarks, and hopefully they will meet the spring benchmarks as well. I do worry a little, because I'm a worrier, but they've come a long way.
For anyone reading this whose baby has IVH, especially grade IV, I hope this is helpful. All journeys are different. Ours has been a fairly smooth one, and for that we are very thankful.
A couple of pictures
William is a few pounds heavier than Aaron (45/42lbs-ish), but they're now about the same height again (William may have a slight edge, we haven't had official measurements in a while). They're both right under 45 inches...moving up in the world!
We've been released from all doctors now except our regular pediatrician, ophthalmologist, and dentist. All is fine on each of those fronts. Outside of the NICU and early days, we've been blessed with 3 pretty healthy kids. Aaron's eyesight continues to improve. His prescription for near-nearsightedness has become weaker every visit, which is great. William, however, is becoming more farsighted, so we're on a 6 month visit scheduled for him. His glasses correct his strabismus, and it's much less noticeable now with them off, but we may end up discussing patching again at his appointment next month. If he does need it, hopefully he will view it as a pirate costume and not an annoyance! Big sister Anna started her orthodontic journey this summer, with a palate expander and braces. William and Aaron will likely follow the same path in a few years. Aaron especially has a high and narrow palate, which was probably increased by intubation and not solely due to (my side of the family) genetics.
Regarding their personalities - most of what I posted when they were 4 is still valid :) They are both in-your-face energetic and social little guys with an insatiable curiosity for the world and 9000 questions all day long. They've continued to play soccer the past few seasons, and William is enjoying it more. He did try a dance class over the summer, but was intimidated by the little ladies in the lesson and did not want to go back :) Aaron still loves soccer and is very competitive. William is his biggest supporter, although he did get a few goals of his own this year, which was fun :) We'll keep playing soccer until they express interest in something else.
Aaron is our future engineer. He is very creative with his Legos and builds his own awesome vehicles and houses with no desire for assistance. While Aaron is very affectionate, and Anna is also very sweet, William is the all around sweetest of all three kids. He says "I love you" all the time without prompting, and gives little gems at bedtime like "Mommy, I'm going to hold your kisses in my heart so that you're with me forever". Some of the sayings that he comes up with make me laugh and melt at the same time. Anna and Aaron are both more independent. William wants to be with us, or with a sibling, most of the time, and wants to be involved with whatever we're doing, including cooking or folding clothes, so he's a great helper.
We did start them in Kindergarten this year, based on their June birthday. I know the trend these days is to give boys an extra year at home, but we felt that the right decision for us was to start them with their peers from preschool. We got lucky with a teacher who is very hands-on and activity based, and they love her. They're not at the head of the class but they met their fall benchmarks, and hopefully they will meet the spring benchmarks as well. I do worry a little, because I'm a worrier, but they've come a long way.
For anyone reading this whose baby has IVH, especially grade IV, I hope this is helpful. All journeys are different. Ours has been a fairly smooth one, and for that we are very thankful.
A couple of pictures
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| Spring 2016 Cowboys - Aaron on horse, William standing |
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| Aaron's Fall Picture 2016 |
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| William's Fall Picture 2016 |
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| Christmas 2016 - Aaron, Anna, William |
