You've come a long way, baby!

Check out my little guy 1 year ago...

And 8 months ago (24 weeks gestation)

And now!  My, my how he has grown.

On July 25th, 2010, Reid was a wee 5 day old embryo.  He and his sibling were implanted back in my uterus and the prayers continued just as they had all through our infertility and IVF journey.  We certainly prayed that both embryos would survive and that we would be blessed with twins.  I found out very early that I was indeed pregnant and my HCG levels (pregnancy hormone) were very high which indicated twins...but after the initial screening the levels didn't double like they should have.  After my first ultrasound we figured out that I was pregnant with twins but one did not make it very long and while one baby's levels were rising, the other was fading...thus the conflicting HCG levels.  I grieved for the little one that we would never know and swung from the rafters about the one we would.  I didn't have long to grieve because I had to take care and celebrate my pregnancy and have been caught up in the joy that is Reid ever since.  However, today I am a little sad not knowing which of the two embryos above is Reid.  I guess it is just knowing what that little embryo can become...

On the lighter note that I intended to write about...Reid will be 16 weeks tomorrow!  He is the most adorable and smiley little thing.  My favorite word to describe him is delightful.  He truly is.  We went to the pediatric GI doctor today to discuss his acid reflux.  Result: He has acid reflux, yep we knew that.  :)  We are going to up his dosage of Prevacid and see how he does.  We really liked his doctor and now have established the relationship to monitor his acid reflux and the crazy noises that come out of babies that have reflux.  The other cool thing is that we got his stats!

Reid is:

*16 lbs. 10oz.

*26.5 inches long.

Additionally, he is:

*loving to sit up!  Reid goes from a laying down position, grabs our hands and pulls up to a stand.  He loves it!

*sleeping through the night most nights. (Lord, please don't take this away now that I wrote it...please.)

*napping every 90 minutes during the day.  He just dropped his evening nap and goes to bed at 9pm.

*napping for 45 minutes most naps and usually one 1.5 hour nap during the day.

*looking red headed one minute and blonde the next!

*wearing mainly 6 month clothing.  In Janie and Jack he wears 3-6 but not for long!

*wearing size 2 diapers but not for much longer.

*doing well with physical therapy and still goes 2x per week for his torticollis.

*drinking 7.5 oz. of formula 5 times per day.

*dancing like Lord of the Dance several times per day (video to come)!

*kicking so hard in the crib that I had to put his bumper back in so he would quit injuring his foot by banging it against the hard surface.

*loving his cousins both older and younger.

*super interested in faces.  Since I'm home with him (and Mike too when he is not traveling), he gets tons of face time.  He even gets super ticked when you are not right in his face visiting about all the world has to offer.

*talking up a storm.

*giggling several times a day.

*crying less.

*ready to start eating some "real food"!  Rice cereal soon!

*not ready to sleep without a swaddle.  His arms just bonk him all night without it.  Who am I kidding?  The kid can't sleep without it yet.

*must have his pacifier to relax...favorite is the "binkie".

*maybe just a little spoiled!!!

Happy 1 year anniversary,* kiddo.  I plan for us to be attached at the hip for many, many years to come!  :)

*I just had a good giggle about the title of what type of anniversary we are celebrating here!  Happy 1 year, taken from my body, birds and the bees in a petri-dish, grown for 5 days, and returned to your home for the next 9 months anniversary!  Hey, the journey makes him even more delightful and miraculous!  :)