For those that don’t know our FIRST grandson was born early, 3 months premature. They call him a micro preemie, born at 1 lb 7 oz on April, 14, 2018. He was on and off a ventilator for a while so when he finally came off the vent for good it was so exciting and such a relief.
For the first 3 months of his life he stayed in the NICU at a hospital in downtown Chicago. I was honored to be able to spend a few days a week with him there in the NICU. I drove from the burbs into the city which at first I thought would be very scary but I was a pro after only a few days.
Our 16 year old granddaughter would ride along with me sometimes to keep me company in all that lovely traffic. She would then wait for me in the NICU waiting room for about 3 hours each time. What a trooper.
I would sit and enjoy watching him plus I would sing and hum baby tunes to him. I would pray for Hunter and all the sweet babies in the NICU too. He was moved frequently to new rooms around the NICU.
I met so many wonderful people from nurses to doctors to other grandparent’s, moms and dads. I truly feel for anyone who has to go through this experience.
In May, Tyler and Tiffany had their baby shower about 3 weeks after Hunter was born. It was a beautiful celebration of mommy, daddy and baby.
I went to the hospital for a visit that night after the baby shower and told him how special it was and how many people adore and love him and showered him with super cool gifts.
In May, Hunter also had his oxygen tube removed from his mouth but it was still in his nose. He was much more comfortable.
In June he graduated to an open crib in the NICU and got to wear real clothes for the first time. And it was a very special moment when mom and dad decided it was time I could touch him.
Hunter came home on July 19, 2018
First car ride! Homeward bound…
Kev and I were so excited to go visit and love on him at home.
In the middle of August, he no longer needed oxygen and was able to go hiking at Starved Rock State Park with daddy and mommy!
They are really amazing parent’s! He’s going to have so many cool experiences in life.
In October we went apple picking with Tyler, Tiffany, Hunter and our youngest granddaughter Bella (7).
Hunter also celebrated his first Halloween as a little monkey. So precious.
In December, Hunter celebrated his 1st Christmas. Everyone loved on him like crazy. What a great holiday with this little miracle. He’s got such a fun personality. Just look at that smile.
I was so thankful that my dad and mom finally got to meet him. That’s my dad, mom doesn’t like getting her picture taken lol
In February of this year, he had a little procedure that required a catheter so I was able to babysit since he couldn’t go to daycare. He did great and is always such a sweet and happy boy.
In March, Hunter debuted his new glasses. And boy is he adorable. It’s quite amazing to see the look on his face when he can see something so clearly.
We celebrated his 1st birthday last month (he shares his birthday month April with Kev and myself) at his birthday party which was so much fun.
Except for the little hiccup where they found out he was allergic to egg after touching/eating his smash cake. Of course there always has to be some excitement wherever we go.
My stepson, Tyler and daughter-in-law Tiffany have been through a lot the past few years, especially this last year and it sure was a big celebration. We look forward to many more fun times.
On Hunter’s actual birthday (it snowed, yes Chicago in April), we went to the Kids Art & Cafe in Schaumburg, IL. It was a great little place, not too crowded and perfect for him. He wasn’t crawling yet but was sitting up big and strong and enjoyed playtime there. The adults all enjoyed the cafe part. Yum!
The cafe had coffee, Belgian waffles, grilled panini sandwiches, hot dogs, pierogi’s and more. So so delicious. We would highly recommend you go there if you’re in the Chicagoland area.
Hunter is growing and changing so much. He even started crawling this month (May 2019). Just look at him go go go….
Hunter has brought so much joy to our family and we look forward to making a ton of special memories with him. Thanks for reading his story!
Such a Wonderful Story and such beautiful pictures! He is such a handsome little guy! So glad you shared this story.
Thank you so much, Kim! He’s amazing and now 2 years old and thriving. Our little buddy.