The Playpen

Sometimes, when the chips are down, things happen that restore your faith in humankind and in yourself. As everyone (thanks for making it public, Matt!:)) knows, I had a bit of a health scare recently, on the eve of our tenth anniversary. Murphy’s Law, I guess.

I am happy to report that all tests were negative and that I am home and back to enjoying the daily grind with my husband, daughter and doggy. Apart from a few follow up doctors visits, I am A-OK.

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your thoughts, prayers, emails and comments. They helped more than you know. I also want to say a special thanks to a few people who’s interest and concern in my health made Matt feel better about the situation, which means a great deal to me.

Barbara from TherExtras. We both agree that this woman’s blog will make us feel like dummies for all time, but she is an amazingly good-hearted woman, and for that we love her.

Jen, from Blessings From Above. The first brave soul to post on The Preemie Adventure, she truly seems to care, and does NOT deserve the BS comments she’s been getting from a stalker on her site recently.

Mr Lady at Whiskey in My Sippy Cup who, if she does decide actually write a book, should write it just about how to cheer someone up. She’ll make millions.

Thanks again to all of you. Watch for a new and NON-depressing Playpen post soon!

Aline
RedSparks is now proud to offer Baby SpareWear. If you don’t check it out you’ll regret it.

Tonight was the night.

Tonight was the night I was going to rent a Neo-Classic chick flick and watch it with you because it would make you happy.

Tonight was the night I was going to buy you an expensive card from Papyrus.

Tonight was the night I was going to shop for flowers I can’t afford and have them sent to you.

Tonight was the night I was going to sit down next to you on the couch and talk excitedly about our upcoming trip to Maui, while we laughed about how we stole ketchup packets and barbecue sauce from McDonalds so we could eat on our honeymoon ten years ago.

Tonight was the night I was going to write out my grocery list for the dinner I would prepare for you tomorrow, complete with candles and a new jazz CD.

Tonight was the night I was going to hold you tight and tell you that, even though we are weathering tough times, everything would be OK…I’m sure of it.

Tonight was the night I was going to put together a photo collection of our daughter (all the best pictures) so I could print them out and put them in a little book for you.

Tonight was the night I was going to write a draft of a letter. A letter that explained that, after ten years of marriage, I have never been more sure of anything in my life. That throughout all the tough times, our relationship has only grown stronger. That I depend on you, and cherish and respect you more than you will ever know. That I am forever indebted to you for giving me the most beautiful little girl in the world, even though you had to struggle, fight and sacrifice for her survival. That, to this day, you are the most beautiful woman, inside and out, I will ever know. That I cannot imagine a life without you, and I will go to the absolute ends of the Earth to protect what we have. That I promise to always work, strive and sacrifice to make sure that you have the life you deserve. That I love you.

Tonight was the night.

Instead, you sleep restlessly away from me, subject to interruption and incessant beeps, dings and pages. You are surrounded by strangers, who poke, prod and bleed you. You are unsure, uncertain and alone. This is not how it was meant to be, and I am scared. I want to be with you. To help you and make you feel safe. But, for the first time in a long, long while, I realize that I have absolutely no control over the outcome of this situation.

God, you and I haven’t had much of a relationship in a long, long time. Maybe I got a little spoiled, maybe even a little arrogant. Its been a couple of decades since Sunday School. But, frankly, I have nowhere else to turn. I’ve heard through the grapevine that, when it comes to forgiveness, you wrote the book. Please. Please, let my wife be OK. I need her.

Matt

Thanks to everyone who commented in our recent Bright Baby Activity Box Giveaway!

The random number generator picked Lucky commenter #7, Elizabeth M., who said “I think there’s oodles of great finds at RedSparks. Some of my favorites are the black/white art cards, the zoo friends bath set, the busy bee activity toy and the happy feet gift set. I’d love to see art prints for nursery walls and other decorative items. That would be great! :)”

Thanks, Elizabeth! Email us at matt@redsparks.com with your address and we’ll send your prize right out!

Matt & Aline
The RedSparks Summer Sale is coming to an end. Don’t miss out! Receive up to 60% off on today’s hottest fashion and accessories for preemies, infants and toddlers!

We are extremely excited to kick off a new ongoing series at The Playpen entitled The Preemie Adventure! This personal and inspirational series is a collection of real-life stories from real-life parents that deals with the emotional roller coaster associated with pre-term birth. The Preemie Adventure is designed to feature up close and personal stories, advice and information regarding prematurity, along with photos of preemies, then and now. Aline and I drew a great deal of inspiration from the photos along the walls of the NICU during our daughter’s stay there, and we have committed ourselves to providing support and encouragement to parents who are going through the same experience now.

Our first story comes from Jennifer, who writes a terrific blog called Blessings From Above.

Jennifer is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and has agreed to share the amazing story of her son, Kyle’s, whirlwind premature birth. Please join me in thanking Jennifer for her honest and uplifting submission, and be sure to stop by her site and drop her a comment. Thanks, Jennifer!

Kyle’s Story

During a family vacation to Disney World, I was diagnosed with Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes (PPROM)…which is a fancy way of saying that my water broke VERY early. I was 22 weeks pregnant and was told that there was very little chance that the baby would survive.

We were devastated as they went over the statistics. My due date was still 121 days away. We had a 90% chance that the baby would die in the delivery room. If he beat the odds and survived, it would almost surely be with severe disabilities and a very poor quality of life. We were even offered medication to speed up the “inevitable”.

Thankfully, I lasted almost two weeks on bed-rest, which gave the baby some much needed time to develop further. At 24 weeks and 5 days, Kyle was born weighing 1 pound 6 ounces. Again we were warned that his chances of surviving, let alone leading a quality life, were not good.

We were devastated when we saw how small he was. And it was not a tiny, cute little baby kind of small. He obviously was very sick. Despite all the problems on the inside - things like his lungs and heart not being developed - we were struck by how different he looked on the outside. One of his eyes was still fused shut. His skin was transparent and covered with hair. Even his ear lobes had not yet developed cartilage and just hung there.

You will hear many parents of preemie’s state that their NICU stay was a rollercoaster ride and this description is so true.

During Kyle’s 119 days in Florida Hospital South’s NICU, while he had some good days, he also endured heart surgery, 69 days on life support/ventilator, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), anemia, bilateral hernias, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), Chronic Lung Disease, bilateral renal calculi (small kidney stones), jaundice, aspirations, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, 3 bouts with pneumonia, hyperglycemia, 11 blood transfusions, high blood pressure, numerous infections and Stage 3 Retinopathy of Prematurity requiring Eye Surgery.

Thanks to many answered prayers, today Kyle is a happy and healthy 18 month old (14 months adjusted age). He is the happiest baby and loves to be the center of attention. He is close to walking on his own and is adding new words to his vocabulary weekly.

If there is one remnant of Kyle’s extreme prematurity, it is the slow rate in which he has grown. Although it is finally starting to get better, since the day we left the hospital we have received comments on Kyle’s small size. An automatic question of strangers seems to be, “How old is your baby?” When he weighed 7 pounds and I would answer that he is six months old, people would look at me like I am crazy. Kyle is now almost 19 pounds, which considering his start in life, is amazing to me. Still, I feel like I always have to defend his small size and am looking forward to the day that he is actually on the growth chart!

We had a great appreciation for Kyle even before his prematurity because I had such a difficult time getting pregnant (he is an IVF baby), so even his conception was nothing short of miraculous to us. But everything now is even more precious to us and we take nothing for granted. We have learned some valuable lessons through this trial and we’ll never be the same. When I look at Kyle now, it is hard for me to imagine that he once weighed just 18 ounces. I am amazed by the accomplishments he has made, he truly is our miracle baby. “This is the Lord’s doing, it is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:23

If you would like to submit your preemie stories and photos for inclusion in The Preemie Adventure, drop us a comment, or email us at matt@redsparks.com.