Dear Jimmie- Happy 14th Month Birthday

Dear Jimmie,

Happy 14th Month Birthday!

This you right after you were born.


This is you today!


Look at how you have grown next to your Rottweiler Puppy!




Look at how you've grown in your father's hands!




Here is your "Watch Me Grow" slide show.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This month you've gained 14 1/2 ounces!! We are glad you gained so much because you've struggled with moving backwards lately. You are now 15lbs 1 oz. Your growth is pretty slow on your chart, but you *are* growing and this while taking in all your nutrition by mouth except for 1 feed that your mommy puts in your tube at night while you are sleeping.

You are 27 1/2 inches long and your head circumference is 17 1/8 inches!

You have 111 followers on your blog!

Your "Faithfulness" Video Montage has been viewed 8,901 times. That's 695 times this month!

Your "Jimmie's Wonderful World" Montage has been viewed 807 times. And your "High Places" Video Montage has been viewed 455 times!

Your blog has been viewed 5,019 times this month for a total of 87,470 hits! You have a lot of very cool people who love to check on your progress Jimmie.

As far as your eating goes you are only getting 1 tube feed in a 24 hour period! You have really started drinking liquids this month Jimmie!! Wooooooohooooooo!!! Every once in a while if you've done particularly well on your fluid intake your mommy will skip the tube feed completely! Your mommy has decided to try to help her sanity by not counting every ml and calorie you take in. I think this is a good decision. So we don't know for sure how much you are taking in, but we do know that you are doing better and better drinking from your sippy cup. You drink from your mom's water bottle too throughout the day. We are just praying that you move forward with your growth Jimmie. Even if it's slow as long as you are moving forward-- we'll take it! You have been fairly consistent eating solids this month as well. You are showing a preference for big boy food now. You'd much rather eat pieces of food then puree's. You love eating little bites off mommy's or daddy's plate too.

In fact you are doing so well that your awesome OT Ms. C. has released you from her care. You are now being followed only by your Developmental Pediatrician Dr. H. your regular Pediatrician Dr. S. and your nutritionist and OT from First Steps. Your Nutritionist and Dr. H. will make the decision when to remove your g-tube button. I don't think it will be too long Jimmie. No one wants to remove it before you are ready though so I suspect you'll have to show a lot of consistency in both intake and growth.

You have 2 teeth Jimmie and are working on cutting a 3rd!

You are not talking much. You are babbling some, but you are showing some signs of delay in this area of development. Nobody is very concerned yet. At the end of May you will be 1 years old "developmentally" and at that point you'll probably start some speech therapy for good measure.

You are choosing to walk rather than crawl more and more now. You have not given up crawling entirely though. You are the fastest crawler I have ever seen. Here is a video we posted of you a couple weeks ago!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This is the first month since your 8th month that you did not fight some sort of virus. You had 5 different sicknesses over the winter. Two of them were associated with an aggressive tube weaning attempt. All in all we think you have done outstanding for your first cold and flu season outside of the hospital. You have handled these virus's like a totally normal healthy child. We do not take this for granted. Most micro-preemies are re-hospitalized in their first year with sickness. The only reason you have frequented the hospital is because of your eating issues! This is amazing Jimmie. Your immune system and your lungs are phenomenal for a 24 weeker.

Praise God!

This month you have enjoyed the warmer weather. You have been going to the park near your home with your mommy and you've also visited a park in town and played with friends and cousins.

You are such a happy boy Jimmie!


You celebrated Easter this year at church and then you visited Grandma and Grandpa Gravitt and then Ma and Pa! You had a fun day and as always were SUPER CUTE!!









Four months ago we were all trying to come to terms with the reality that a g-tube was in your future. It was a really hard decision for your momma. She fought so hard for you Jimmie. She had really hoped to avoid that outcome for you. As we all worked to accept this I wrote, "We are hopeful that this g-tube will be your friend. That it will clear the way for some healing physically as well as psychologically."

Praise God this has been the case Jimmie. After a few weeks of healing from the surgery. You began to thrive. Slowly but surely you began to eat and then you began to drink. Your mom has been very wise in her use of the g-tube. As usual she has done things her own way... (-: Most of the time you have not been aware that you are eating through the tube which is very good for you psychologically. It helps ensure that you will not be dependent emotionally on the tube. It is because you have done so well that this has been possible. Getting that pesky NG tube out of your nose and throat without completely starving you has been a huge help. We knew you could do it Jimmie and we are so very very proud of you- you wonderful, beautiful brave little boy!!

Keep up the hard work buddy and grow grow grow!

You are a warrior Jimmie!

I'll love you forever,
Auntie Amber