Thankful

I am so thankful that I get to post a much happier post today. We received Ty's 3 page summary from Dr. Hamid at Vanderbilt and everything checked out normal. The skeletal survey came back within the normal range, so we are on cloud nine! We will repeat all the tests at 2 years-just to be safe, but all signs point to a healthy, happy boy. We are so appreciative for all the prayers and thoughts and love that everyone has sent Ty.

In more exciting news, Ty is actively rolling from his tummy to his back on both sides. This kiddo is on the go all the time! He's even standing on his legs with support. Unfortunately, Blogger won't let me upload videos, but I did catch this shot with the camera as he was mid roll!

Lastly, crazily enough, Ty already has one tooth and is working on a second one! He got his first tooth at 9 weeks...yes, 9 weeks! Although this is very rare, it is considered normal....let's just hope I can continue breastfeeding!

Stay tuned for more exciting news. We are super excited to celebrate our first Halloween with Ty. I'll post pics of him in his little pumpkin outfit (courtesy of Nona!).

Whew....

Wow, where to begin with this post. We have had a really rough go of it with Ty over the last week. Ty went for his 8 week check up, and Dr. Lett found 2 items of concern. The first one being a heart murmur and the second one being some bone/growth issues. So we have been at Vanderbilt much more than I would have ever hoped we would be.

After meeting with the cardiologist she found that Ty has a small hole in his heart (this part will require no repairs as about 20% of people have holes in their heart) and an open valve between his lungs and his heart. This part is something that will require action (there is a small chance that it could correct on its own). It's a simple procedure that will happen when Ty is 1 year old. So we are beyond thankful that he doesn't have a major heart condition.

We met with a genetic specialist yesterday and found that Ty has some growth/bone issues. The good news is it is not a major condition like dwarfism, but the bad news is we don't know what it is yet. They did a series of tests in addition to a skeletal survey. We have to wait a week to receive the results, as we are working with very specialized doctors in figuring all this out.

So, as you can imagine we have had a lot of sleepless nights. We just want our baby boy to have the very best life possible. We love him more than anything, and we will do whatever we need to do to give him the very best life we can give him.

We ask that you please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we find answers to all these things. We appreciate all the love and support right now. We are beyond lucky to have such amazing friends and family to lean on. We love you all.

A Big Weekend

Ty's umbilical cord stump finally fell out, so he got a bath!!! It only took 6 weeks and 2 days to come out, but it was worth the wait. Ty hated his sponge baths, so we were really scared to see what he would think about a real bath but he loved it. We had the best time giving it to him. Hope you enjoy looking at the pictures.

And he loved wrapping up in his hoody towel afterwards. He was in the best mood and slept wonderful afterwards.

And, here he is right after his bath. Doesn't he look precious?!?!

I also went back to work this Saturday, and as you can see Ty did just fine with it. He's even waving by to me!!!

The reason I didn't worry for a second about going back to work was my wonderful aunt Darlene kept Ty. They had a great day together, and Ty just loved Dar keeping him. He can't wait for her to come back again (and neither can Jeff and I). She even brought us dinner....how lucky are we to have her?!?! We are thrilled she was the first "sitter" for Ty. I think she set the bar really high for anyone else who will keep him! We love you Dar!

We love all the "firsts" we're getting to experience. Being a parent truly is the greatest gift in the world, and we are soaking up every moment of it. We appreciate all the love and support of everyone, and we are so happy to share these moments with you.

Stay tuned for more amazing moments!

Updates

Last Sunday, we had another exciting first at the Bowman household. Jeff gave Ty his first bottle! Jeff has been dying to feed him, and we decided that would be a perfect birthday present for him. As you can see Ty took right to his bottle....thank goodness! What a wonderful bonding moment for them. Jeff couldn't love that little guy any more than he does.

And on that note, I couldn't be any more grateful to Elizabeth Maxwell for letting me borrow her her breast pump. That thing is incredible! I am so lucky to have a great friend like her. It will make life much easier as I return to work (she also happens to be my very talented business partner-she has been amazing while I've been on maternity leave-I owe her BIG time!).

Sleep? What's sleep? We are finally getting some 4 hour stretches at night (meaning start of one feeding to the start of the next feeding). Thank god for this swing. I never thought I would love something so much! It has been our lifesaver. Ty sleeps in it every night....it's been the only thing that actually works...and believe me, Jeff and I tried EVERYTHING in the beginning.

During the day, Ty does great sleeping in his nap nanny. Thank goodness for it! We are so lucky that aunt Lauren and Pam Hubbard had heard about this. With Ty's tummy issues, we have a hard time laying him flat on his back, so this is perfect! It's great when people know what you need more than you know! (and aunt Lauren is great at knowing what Ty needs...she and uncle Brent are spoiling him rotten...but we love it!)

So, that's what's going on. We can't believe Ty is right at 6 weeks old. Where does the time go?!?! We've had some crazy ups and downs through this journey of becoming parents, but we wouldn't change a second of it. He's only this little once, so we are genuinely trying to soak up every moment. We are thankful every day that he's growing and healthy. We are so lucky that we get to be parents and shape a life.

We love you all. Thank you for making our lives so rich!

Amazed!

Last night, Ty hit a major milestone. He rolled from his tummy onto his back!!!! Jeff and I completely freaked out! It's so funny because yesterday at Ty's doctor's appointment, Dr. Lett put him on his stomach to see how well he was raising his head and she said he's just going to go ahead and roll over. She said it wouldn't be long, but who knew it would be last night?!?!

We are thrilled with his progress. Next up, rolling from his back to his tummy. Look's like the tummy time play mat Nona got Ty is working!

Above is a picture of Ty's birth announcement...hope you like it!

PS-On a special note too, tomorrow is Jeff's birthday. I hope Ty and I make it a special day for him!

Our big boy

It's been an exciting two days at the Bowman household. Yesterday was Ty's one month birthday. We can't believe how much our lives have changed. This has been the best month of our family's life (even if it has been with the least amount of sleep!). Every day we realize more and more what a gift, what an honor, what a blessing having a baby is. Who knew you could love this much?!?!

And, today was Ty's 1 month check up at the doctor. He's up to 8 lbs 1 oz and 19 3/4 inches long. We are so proud. If nothing else, at least we have this feeding thing figured out!

Both of these pictures were taken on his one month birthday. I couldn't resist posting the second one. Ty's learned to clasp his little hands, and it seems to melt our hearts. Yep....we are officially those mushy gushy proud parents!

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support. We are so fortunate to be blessed with the most amazing friends and family. Ty is so lucky to be surrounded by such love.

Labor Day Love

I was thrilled when Nona an Poppy invited me and Ty up to their house for Labor Day. I couldn't think of a more fun way to spend it! Nona treated us to an amazing lunch of dumplings and all the fixings complete with chocolate pie. Thank goodness I'm nursing to burn off all those calories!

Here's a little peek of the fun we had. Ty loves his awake time and has started spending time on his tummy. He's raising his head and raising his little body to one side. It's so sweet to watch him squirm, and we love that he's burning off some of that endless energy.

We head back to the doctor tomorrow, so cross your fingers all goes well. Love for the Bowmans to you all!