World Prematurity Day 2011

It’s World Prematurity Day again. I keep thinking about where we were a year ago. I went to a breastfeeding group once a week but wouldn’t put Fiona on the ground with the other babies. Everyone had to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer all the time in my house. Fiona was a bib baby, always wearing a bib because of reflux. Prevacid. No sleep. Pumping at school. Cute little tiny bundle.

Now?

Fiona is walking, I don’t shield her too much from germs. We go to the playground where she climbs stairs and goes down slides on her own. She plays “Patty Cake” and gives us high-fives. She points to things and wants them named. She pretends to read and talks to herself. We went to visit a friend today and it was a little chilly. For the walk home, I put Fiona’s coat on and little blanket on her lap. Last year she would have been bundled in several layers of clothing, a hat, and several blankets. Today she ate a snack on the way home.

She has come so far from the little preemie she was. She brings so much joy to my life. I love this age of hers! She’s fun and does new things every day, including kissing a baby doll and pretending to eat the plastic cookies in her picnic basket. Today we played “Toro! Ole!” with my coat. I held it up and said, “Toro! Toro!” and Fiona ran into it, so I said, “Ole!”

Here she is sitting quietly while my dad puts her shoes on:

She’s so far away from me:

Here is a photo my friend Nicole took:

Fiona spends two afternoons a week with Nicole and her son Caz, and it is clear from the rest of the photos (coming soon) that Fiona really enjoys herself. She was all smiles!

Last year I think I wrote a bunch of stuff about what I was feeling at the time. I will forever be changed by the experience of having a baby born too early. I still feel scarred and it will forever influence how I think about pregnancy and babies. However, at this point, I do not think of Fiona strictly in terms of being a preemie, but as being my baby who is enjoying learning all about the world around her. I appreciate her for who she is, and if I had it to do all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat.