How Far They Have Come

Even though, Ajay was born only 4 weeks early, he still had his share of hard times in the NICU. He spent 12 days in the NICU in Kansas City, Missouri. He had his fair share of IV's, wires, tubes, oxygen, and blood sticks. Thank goodness his trip didn't last as long as Will's stay! He was a little guy though at 5lbs, but he finally got the hang of breathing and eating and got to come home with us!! And look at him now, a happy, chubby little boy who loves to eat and play!! It still amazes me to this day, how these little preemies can make the best out of such rough beginnings! Thank goodness, Nelson and I were NICU experts by this time, and new all the lingo and what questions to ask and when. And even with all the wires and tubes, it still feels so wonderful to just be able to hold them and kiss them, they just feel safer when they are in your arms!!

Will, on the other hand, as a 24 weeker spent a little more time in the NICU at Mercy OKC, 164 days to be exact! And he had too many tubes, wires, vents, surgeries, and three letter abbreviations only NICU parents of micro preemies have heard of! But he is such a miracle baby, as if starting your life out at 1lb6oz isn't hard enough, we had to add a trach and a G-tube into the mix. He is our little fighter though, he is one tough little cookie!! That time was soooo hard, but day by day, that is the only way to take this life roller coaster in, just one day at a time. Lots of prayers too! But, almost four years later, he is thriving, he still has a body full of scars, but has lost all the tubes and wires, and is just a happy little boy! The "Best Boy" as Nelson calls him!

It is amazing how you get so used to NICU life, which is not normal. I don't know if Nelson and I would know how to have a baby any other way. When Will was at Mercy, Chaplan Pat, would come and visit us and say, how lucky Will was to have such caring parents like us to take care of him and love him. And I remember thinking, it's US that is lucky to have been chosen to raise such a special miracle child. These boys are just the true light of our lives and we could not be happier! They are our world!!

Ajay and his Jumperoo

Nelson finally put together Ajay's Jumperoo and he LOVES it!! He is getting soooo big! He loves to just sit and jump, maybe it will give those little chubby legs a work out!! I remember Will just loved his Jumperoo too. He is getting to be quite the happy little boy, as long as he is fed!! He loves to smile and giggle and he has this cute deep little belly laugh when he thinks Mommy is really being funny! I can't wait for him to start walking so he and Will can play together, and of course, get into trouble together!!

Will Loves to Cook

Will is getting to be such a big helper in the kitchen! He loves to help his Mommy cook. His favorite thing to make is brownies and cupcakes (sugar go figure:)! This is Will helping his Grandy make alphabet soup for Christmas dinner! He is so funny. He loves to help crack the eggs and stir. His favorite saying is, "Mom, what goes in next?" He is getting so big! We made some cupcakes or "puffcakes" as Will likes to call them the other day and he had a blast with all the icing. Although I think he was wearing more icing than was on the cakes, but boys will be boys!

Starting this Blog

Ok, after much needed support and coaxing, I decided to start a family blog so that everyone can keep up with us. And the us that is, of course, is Nelson, Sabrina, Will and Ajay Edgeman.

Things have been a bit hectic around the Edgeman house already this year. We started off the New Year with all four of us sick with the stomach virus. It was not fun at all, but we managed to make it through, I think the kids handled it better than Nelson and I. We finally managed to get past that, thank goodness!!

Will has had a great year so far! For all of you who keep up with Mr Will, he passed his bronch in December with flying colors!! Yeah!! So we don't have to make a trip to Cincinnati for another year! He is a getting really close to being potty trained (finally!!), but not quite there yet. His vocabulary has really picked up and it is kind of scary some of the things he knows and has figured out! He can say his ABC's and can count to 10 in Spanish and to 15 in English. He is really interested in what things say, he is always asking, "Hey Mama, what does that sign say?" Very inquisitive! He is happy and healthy and is a true joy!

Ajay is getting soooo big!! He is up to about 18 pounds now!! I am trying to find bottles that go past 9 ounces, who would have thought?? He has starting eating his rice cereal, and loves it!! He has also figured out how to flip from his tummy to his back and can scoot around on the floor to move around. We just caught him a new jumperoo and he LOVES it, he is a jumping fool!! He is the happiest little baby and is just the perfect fit into our little family! We are so happy to have him in our lives!

Ok, that is a little background on where the kids are to date, then I guess I will try to be diligent in updating the blog at least weekly! Thank you for caring enough about our family to want to read about us and enjoy us as part of your family!