Well Helloooooooooo

Hi peeps that read this blog!

My apologies that it has taken me almost 2 months to put up a new post.  This morning I'm bringing you good news and a few other Stevie updates.

The Good News!

My very talented sister-in-law (Daisy Stoops www.cdistyle.com) created the design plan for the Camp Christopher parent room in the NICU.  The plans were approved last week and we can begin the next steps!  We will have the room complete by May 11 so we can dedicate it on the twins birthday, or sometime around their birthday.  

We will be creating a registry for the room.  This will include lamps, a TV, a sleeper sofa, console for the TV, mirror, glider rocking chair, artwork, IPOD speakers, and a few other things.  If you would still like to make a contribution you can select something from the registry, or make a cash donation.  We have raised over $5,000, and our goal is still to raise close to $10K.  The cost of the furniture and accessories counts toward the overall $10K goal.  I'll keep everyone posted on this. 

Please pray for us as we move forward.  I'm really humbled how God has brought us through this experience, we miss Christopher so much still, and think about him at least 100x a day.  Watching Stevie get bigger we can't help to wonder - what would Christopher have been like and looked like?  Would he have been as crazy as his sister, or a gentle little soul.  My heart just gets a little heavy thinking about it, and yet I'm still thankful we had the time with him we did.  I pray the parent room that will now be Camp Christopher will be FULL of GOD's grace, and healing mercy.  For anyone who steps in that room I pray that they would immediately feel a sense of peace and comfort no matter what situation their child is facing.

I'll do my best to post pictures of the furniture and other things that have been selected for the room.  

Stevie Updates!

Our 3lb baby now weighs 18lbs and 6oz!  We went yesterday to get her 5th dose of Synagis - the medication that helps keep her clear of getting severe RSV.  She did get RSV in December and PRAISE GOD it was a really mild case.  

She is almost sitting up all by herself.  She rolls and scoots all over the place - not crawling yet. She is getting more and more hair everyday.  

She also enjoys shopping.  Aunt Ashley and I took Stevie into Neiman's yesterday and while I was trying on clothes I let Stevie roll around on the floor of the dressing room.  NOW before you call me crazy for doing that - let me tell you I scoured the floor for random pins and other funkies before I let her do that - AND I put down a huge blanket.  She had a ball checking herself out in the mirror and chewing on the hems of clothes that were in her reach.  Another praise - My child is a shopper! THANK YOU!  She comes by it naturally - trust me.

Stevie is the light of our lives.  She brings more joy than I ever thought possible.  

Other misc news:

One of my dear friends and I started a business last November.  Ashley Hill-Friend and I have known each other since college and are sorority sisters (Go Chi-O!).  We launched Fringe Fashion Group and are having a blast.  Our company offers apparel and accessories up to 80% off retail. Our basic mission statement is - Taking the retail out of retail!   We currently have mens and womens apparel.  Our website will launch early February - www.fringefashiongroup.com . 

If you'd like to see us - come down to Crowne Plaza on February 5 and 6 - 7050 Stemmons Freeway - Mockingbird / 35.  We'll be setting up shop with Old Gringo Boots and Triple Creek Home Decor for 2 days.  It will be a blast.  

Love all of you,

Erin

She is almost 7 months!! Time flies!

I am still waiting on details from Presby Plano about the parent room that we'll now be decorating.  I posted this several weeks ago.  We're really excited, and if you know anyone who would like to donate to the cause it would be greatly appreciated.  We're about $7K shy of meeting the $10K total donation.  We'll get there and help would be appreciated.  Don't forget it is tax deductible and we are approaching the end of the year.  

Here is the text from that post:

We are still raising money for Camp Christopher.  We have been approached about considering decorating a parent room in the NICU now vs. a pediatric room.  There is a an immediate need in the NICU to have a parent room where parents can spend some quiet time (away from beeping monitors and alarms), also a room where parents of very sick babies can spend the last moments with them.  We did not have that opportunity with Christopher, the hustle and bustle of the nurses and doctors were an earshot away while we held Christopher.  

Since we have such a strong bond with the NICU we feel this may be a good place to start utilizing the funds from The Christopher & Stevie Hickman Fund, however the room project is still a goal.  I will have more information on this in the next few days and will keep you all posted.  We are so thankful and humbled by the generosity of our family and friends that have given.  

Time flies, doesn't it?  In 2 short days Stevie will be 7 months old.  She is almost 16 lbs now, and growing taller every day.  She is doing really well and we say our prayers everyday for her that she will continue to be healthy and be protected from any kind of funkiness going around out there.  She is still receiving the Synagis shots and will continue to get an injection 1x a month through March to protect her from RSV.  

Stevie is still enjoying her "mommy and me" yoga class.  I think she is going to be a social one.  I can't imagine where she gets that from!

We had a great Thanksgiving! We spent a week in Rockport, which is about an hour from Corpus Christi. The weather was gorgeous and Stevie put her feet in the sand and ocean for the first time.  She loved the beach - thank GOODNESS, we'll spend a lot of time by the water.  

Thank you for the continued prayers!

Love,

Erin

Have you seen the "melamine in formula" emails?

I'm sure most of you have seen the email that is going around about the melamine found in formulas that are made in China, and also tells you to check the bar code which will tell you the country code.  

Stevie is now on Enfamil Lipil & sometimes Nutramigen (made by enfamil - if you're child has a poop problem Nutramigen is the overnight wonder!).  At 10:30pm I read this email and proceeded to my kitchen to thoroughly check her cans of formula for information on where the product was made - it didn't say specifically the product was "Made in ....."  So I emailed Mead-Johnson the parent company for Enfamil.  Here was their response - if any of you are using Enfamil you can be assured it is all made in the USA.  

--------------------

Thanks for your e-mail, Erin, asking where our infant formulas are manufactured. I appreciate having an opportunity to respond.

Our infant and toddler formula products distributed in the United States are manufactured in the United States.

I have passed along your suggestion to modify our labels to add where our products are manufactured. I thank you for taking the time to relay your thoughts.

We appreciate your interest in our products, and I hope this information will be useful to you. Please let us know if you have additional questions about our products or if we can help you again.

Sandy Willett
Product Information Department
Phone: 1-800-222-9123
E-mail: MJProductInformation@bms.com
Websites: http://www.enfamil.com and http://www.meadjohnson.com

6 month shots - done!

Stevie turned 6 months old on November 11.  

She weighs 15 lbs now and is 25 1/4" long.  

We had a good appointment (except for the shots).  She got a flu shot and that made her feel pretty bad for 2 days, but today she is back to her little cheery self - thank goodness!

Stevie is sitting in my lap now as I'm typing this and I decided to take a quick picture with our I-cam.  

We had a great meeting also this week  regarding Christopher's room.  I will have more details early December.  I believe that by May 11 of next year we'll have a completed room - it will be a parent room in the NICU as I described earlier.  

Bye for now!

Stevie Dee & Erin

Stevie's Developemental Follow Up Appointment

This is a long one - lots to catch you up on. 

First - we are still raising money for Camp Christopher.  We have been approached about considering decorating a parent room in the NICU now vs. a pediatric room.  There is a an immediate need in the NICU to have a parent room where parents can spend some quiet time (away from beeping monitors and alarms), also a room where parents of very sick babies can spend the last moments with them.  We did not have that opportunity with Christopher, the hustle and bustle of the nurses and doctors were an earshot away while we held Christopher.  

Since we have such a strong bond with the NICU we feel this may be a good place to start utilizing the funds from The Christopher & Stevie Hickman Fund, however the room project is still a goal.  I will have more information on this in the next few days and will keep you all posted.  We are so thankful and humbled by the generosity of our family and friends that have given.  

The Developmental Update:

Stevie's Weight - 14 lbs 8 oz

Length - 25"

We are fast approaching Stevie's 6 month birthday.  Only 5 more days and our little "Bug" (Stevie's nickname) will be 6 months.  It is amazing how fast time flies by, and I remind myself that we have had her home almost 4 months now!  Everything changes so fast and just when you think you have something figured out you move on to a new stage.  It's so exciting to see her progress, and she is DEFINITELY developing a personality!  We know she has had one all along, but she is really showing her true colors now. 

This Tuesday she had a follow up with her development doctor who saw her on a weekly basis while she was in the NICU.  She gave Stevie a good looking over and then placed her on the floor (on a big blue mat) and showed Stevie different objects and toys.  Stevie did a good job, and the doctor seemed pleased with her progress.  Stevie's chronological age is almost 6 months, however since she is a preemie they refer back to her "corrected" age of 3 months - since Stevie was born at 29 weeks vs. 40 weeks  they consider her to be 11 weeks early (or almost 3 mos early).  

Here is part of what the doctor wrote in her report:

Stevie is a former 29 week surviving twin who is now almost 6 months old with a corrected age of 3 months.  She has had a nice interval growth and her growth parameters are well within the average range for her chronological age.  In addition, she is making very nice progress with her development.  Currently her gross motor skills (large movements) are average for 4 months 3 weeks.  Her fine motor/cognitive adaptive skills are at the 4-5 month level and her language skills at the 5-6 month level (of course she's a girl -we're natural talkers!)  Thus her skills are very nicely placed between her chronological and adjusted ages.  

SO, go Stevie go.  You rock little girlfriend.  

Our first mommy and me yoga class

The instructor took pics of each mom and baby.

Stevie and I took our first mommy and me yoga class www.MoMeYoga.com at Cooper this morning. She had a really good time, and oddly enough there was another little girl in the class named Stevie! While you are doing yoga poses you say nursery rhymes, and sing songs (I was a little apprehensive, but Stevie enjoyed my singing so I kept right on!)

It was a great workout too.

Awesome Weekend

On Friday we had a small family memorial for Christopher. It was such a beautiful day and so wonderful to remember him and celebrate his life. We planted an oak tree on Friday afternoon for him. We had the memorial at Steve's family lake house in Emory, TX. It's a special place for us and we knew that is where we would have a service. We waited until now to do this because we wanted to focus on Stevie getting well, and getting her settled in at home.

He was such a sweet and wonderful little boy and we miss him every day.