Dear Nico - 17 Months

Dear Nico

We are so happy to be getting many more smiles and giggles from you this month. You have burst into hysterical laughter at the silliest things and when you do, you use your whole body. Brooklyn loves it and announces your laughter to whoever is around, just incase we didn't hear. This is a pic from just before you got your NG tube out, I think Brooklyn's face shows how much she loves you. (Note to self: fix the pic soon!)

You have lost your phobia of your bedroom, thank goodness. We have had quite a few nights where you have only woken 2-3 times at night... and even a couple with only ONE wake up. THANK YOU!! It is nice to know you can do it and even better to think that if it is pain that makes you wake, the pain is easing.

Early Intervention at Biala has picked you up off the waiting list. It's is a mixture of therapists and a playgroup. The physio comes to the house every 2-3 weeks too. The main focus for you is to get you playing. We want you to be able to reach, hit and grab things so are doing lots of work on that. You are already bringing your arms inwards much more than you have been, instead of having them extended out to the side all the time. I even think you might have started playing peek a boo, but you don't quite get your hands all the way to your eyes. You lift them to your cheeks, put them down and give a huge smile.

You have put on close to a kilo this month and reached the 8kg mark. Since leaving hospital 9 months ago, you have put on 3kg which isn't much for a bub. You are still not even close the 3 percentile weight chart for your "corrected" age of 13 months but you are approaching the 5th percentile for length which makes me smile. Somehow my family's height gene skipped me but at least it appears my children got it :D You are eating 2 meals a day of mushy food and I give you some "real" stuff too, like toast, rockmelon and apple. You are getting pretty good at chewing but it is pretty tiresome for me to have to hold it at your mouth for you, so that's another reason we are working on hand control!

You will get your PEG tube changed to a little button in mid April... the day before your 18 month birthday. It will make it som much more comfortable for you to be on your tummy and a lot easier for us so pick you up and hold you too. Something to look forward to.

Love you much

Mama