N is 9

Or nearly anyway!
9 years ago today I was re-admitted to hospital (N had a decent try at arriving at 25 weeks but we thankfully pulled back from that one!) and wound up having him by emergency c-section on the 22nd of Jan.

He did his NICU time as he decided breathing was an optional extra but came home with me, tiny, still very much a prem but bigger than W was, by about 400g.
Reflux hit by 2 weeks old (still not due date) and of course cast it's shadow over the ensuing years.
To a certain extent reflux's pall continues to be cast over him due to his eating problems. I have no idea where his eating is going to take us this year but something has to change with that.
We have a psychologist who specilizes in ADHD and who can enlist some help with it. Failing that, I don't know what else we can do. P keeps talking tube and my heart just sinks.

But over the past 9 years N has lead us a very merry dance - he seems to have a 3 yearly cycle of major or potentially major accidents or events. 6 months old was a vicious tangle with croup which saw us ping ponging between ICU and the ward and with him nearly on a ventilator, 3 years old was a major concussion which took him nearly 3 months to bounce back from, nearly 6 was swallowing a magnetic metal ball - and nearly a magnetic bar with it. If he'd swallowed both then he'd have earnt himself a quick trip to theatre but instead all he earnt was 2 trips to the doctor, a trip to ED and an amazing looking x-ray with the ball as clear as day sitting at the bottom of his stomach! I'm hoping that the 9 or nearly 9 adventure was the 8 staples to his head in the middle of last year!

He has needed physio for gross motor development, on going optometrist involvement - first pair of glasses before age 2, dietician involvement over the years from under 6 months and in 2007 an SLT with feeding 'experience' - she didn't really have any ideas on how to manage him, had various specialist time put in to dx the ADHD and tinker with meds and behaviour and of course the reflux and the surgery.

These days he is still followed by - the optometrist (sort of - yearly checks when his glasses break!), - the GP for scripts for ADHD meds and weight checks each month, - the paediatrician - ADHD management and eating and growth issues, - a psychologist who is helping with ADHD behavioural management and hopefully eating!

The relentless round of appointments waxes and wanes but it never disappears completely.

Yet, despite all of this and the fact that he can be difficult to handle at times I am impressed with the caring, intelligent and thoughtful person he is. He's dynamic, busy, loud and bubbly, everyone knows if he's in the room or house even but he takes so much out of life and throws his all into everything he does - even tantrums!

There are times when I wonder if he'll manage to see another birthday with his reckless and crazy stunts but over all I can't wait to see what he does with his life and who he becomes. One thing's for sure - whatever he does it's going to be with maximum impact, splash and vibrancy!
Happy Birthday Nicholas!