- Frannie Anne 1 Comment

Welcome Home // The End of Our 218 Days in the NICU

Hello, sweet, sweet peoples!

It has been far too long. There’s been a lot going on (not to mention a laptop needing a repair shop). Most wonderfully, we are home! After 63 days of hospitalized bedrest and 218 days in the NICU (281 all together!) the Duncan #partyof3 finally made it home.

We were discharged from St. Louis Children’s Hospital June 26th; we’ve been home a grand total of 42 days. It is absolutely glorious! Forty-two days to begin adjusting to having a baby at home. Forty-two mornings waking up to being in the same house, in our own beds, and forty-two nights of baths, snuggling, and enjoying every moment together at last.

Here are some pictures of our days together! (Click on them for a larger view) 🙂

Uriah’s first time to awake at home!
Day #1 at home! Happy boy is loving the living room!
Everywhere we go “Vinny” the vent follows us around. 🙂
Sitting in the captain’s chair.
Porch time is the best!
Kitchen helper sleeping on the job.
“I don’t know how I feel about this …”
Too much adorability!

We are so thankful to be home. Uriah’s life has been a full adventure and God has been exceedingly good to us! Sometimes, as I rock Uriah to sleep, I ponder the events of the last 10 months. From the moment my water broke at 24 weeks (and even beyond that!) all the way to Uriah being born and having multiple surgeries, close calls, and the difficulties living 2 hours way from home God has been present, loving us and preparing us every step of the way.

There is still a lot of growth and development we are working on but Uriah is making amazing progress! He just weaned off his oxygen (woohoo!) and we will begin discussing ventilator weans at his next appointment. His g-button has healed nicely and we do weekly tastings of thickened milk; sadly, it’s still not safe for him to eat by mouth (due to silent aspiration) but, Lord willing, we will get there. These things just take time, patience, and hard work. 🙂 His VP shunt seems to be working perfectly! We had his 6 month shunt anniversary in May; it’s often said that if a shunt lasts 6 months it is a good possibility it will work for quite a time. Below is a comparison of his first MRI (on the far right) taken at birth, to an MRI done after the shunt was placed (middle), and the most current MRI (far left). See the amazing difference in those white areas of the brain? That is the brain’s ventricles shrinking as the brain expands and the excess cerebral fluid drains away. What a blessing!

As far as personality and development Uriah is absolutely wonderful! He has the sweetest, funnest personality ever. He loves to chew on everything, stick his tongue on Mom and Dad when we kiss him, talk around his trach, roll on the floor, play with his toys, and listen to music and Mommy read. He loves snuggling with his bear-bear (a grey, silky bear and blanket) before bed and then he sleeps a full 8 hours (usually). He’s always happy to wake up and start the day — a true beam of sunshine in our lives!

 

Some things we are looking forward to? Starting weekly physical therapy visits! 🙂 Uriah loves to roll around but before he can start crawling he needs more muscle development in his neck, core, and arms and tummy time plus therapy will really help! We’re also excited for his highchair which should be arriving this week! I can’t wait for him to have a special place to sit with a tray! And, one day, we’ll feel more comfortable taking Uriah on trips so we can go visit our family. That will be exciting!

There’s so much more to share but I’ll hold off till a later day; I can’t wait to begin writing again. Being home is, for me, such a special time and I adore the mundane, daily tasks I get to accomplish. Cooking, baking, decorating, cleaning … it all has a new meaning after being away since last September. 🙂 I’m sure one day I’ll grow tired of the never-ending tasks but for now I savor them and squeeze them in between the moments of play, snuggling, and work with Uriah.

In the mean time, thank you all for your love, prayers, and friendship. I so appreciate your being patient with my lack of commenting. Our laptop is currently out of commission but once repaired I hope to be back in this community again. Until then!

Love, blessings, and coffee,

Frannie

- Frannie Anne 2 Comments

Small, Beautiful Dreams

AuthenticVirtue.com

We’ve had a long season waiting out fall and winter. The last 6 months have been full of unknowns, fearful nights, and anxious possibilities; I almost feel like we’ve been soldiers, working through the hard days, with our backs to the plow. Simple joys have become sweeter than ever — cozy nights and early mornings with coffee in our own home are rare treasures.

I’m also four months postpartum and I think hormones are beginning to fluctuate into a new normal; my mind is less foggy and my body is feeling better than ever. I’m so thankful for the springtime that is outside and within my heart.

I was browsing Pinterest looking for spring-time decor ideas I could use for our home when it hit me … I’m dreaming again. I’m dreaming of being home with our family (#DuncanPartyOfThree). I dream of planting flowers on the porch with Uriah in a swing beside me. My mind’s eye plays over our upcoming nights — how fun it will be to welcome Dalton home and finish dinner while he plays with our darling son. I’m dreaming of resuming weekly coffee visits with my dear coffee-loving friend while Uriah plays or naps. I ache to snuggle with my family on the couch and read, talk, and play together. To make dinners in my creamy yellow kitchen with a baby in the house and a husband who loves to come home to us every day.

There’s something so refreshing and good about dreams. I used to think that dreams needed to be big and spiritual or else they were not worthy. But these last 6 months have taught me that even the smallest dreams, done with joy and love and for the Lord, are absolutely what we need in our homes and lives. We need mothers who dream of serving their families with love. We need men who desire to work hard for their families and yearn even more for times together. It’s okay to dream about planting gardens, keeping home, and visiting with friends and reaching out to community. These hopes are small but they’re life-giving.

The beautiful thing? I remember writing a post about dreams in 2011 (I was 21 and had yet to meet Dalton). In almost every way, God has met those dreams I shared. Isn’t that beautiful? To think that I have been so blessed renews my heart with so much praise. Thank You, God, for knowing and caring for your people so well!

So, here’s to dreaming. Here’s to waiting for better days and looking forward to living life fully with those around us. Tell me … what are you dreaming about these days? Are they large and glamorous? Or quiet and gentle? I would love to hear from you! 

Love, blessings, and coffee,

Frannie

- Frannie Anne 2 Comments

How Will You Inspire Your Year?

What word will power you through 2017?

There’s something delicious about writing those first few words of a story. You can never quite tell where they will take you. – Miss Potter

There is something delicious about new things. New books, new houses, new clothes — they all carry an innate specialness. Even more importantly, new years are something to be look forward to.

It’s time for me to begin planning for the year ahead. Last year I really benefited from choosing a word and making it the theme of the year. 2016 was the year I chose delight.

This year, my theme for 2017 is the word season.

I’m in a time of life where I need to remember our lives are made up of seasons. In the last 135 days I’ve been home twice. My sweet 2 month old is in the NICU and some days I forget that real life is lived outside hospital walls. It’s important for me to remember that this is only a season of life; a short paragraph in our story.

The beautiful thing about seasons is that they are each unique and require different attitudes and actions from us. During spring we prepare gardens, clean homes, and refresh closets while summer days find us sweating in the sun; autumn is full of harvest and winter rest, lit fires, and warm blankets.

Our live’s seasons are also unique and require different attitudes and actions. I don’t want to waste these days dreaming of our homecoming or dreading the hours spent in the hospital. I want this season of life to count for something.

So, what does this mean practically?

I want to find ways to make the most of our time in the NICU.

I want to pursue my husband and marriage even while this season of life has us apart most of the week. I also want to find courage and creativity in seasoning our marriage with more romance and encouraging other women to do the same. (You know, spice things up?) 😉

I want to find creative ways to tell our story and God’s goodness throughout this entire season.

I want to invest in people.

I want to organize and declutter our home now so that when Uriah comes home I can focus (more easily) on him than on the stuff around me.

I want to get to know my Lord better during this season of whispered prayers, exhaustion, stress, and rough introduction to motherhood.

I want to sow now, so that later I may reap a good harvest. 

What’s your theme for 2017? Do you make resolutions or are you a word sort of person? Are you as surprised by February’s arrival as I am? 🙂 Share your thoughts below!

Love, blessings, and coffee,

Frannie

- Frannie Anne Leave a comment

Songs for the Christian Mom in the NICU

AuthenticVirtue.com

 

It’s laundry day at the Ronald McDonald House and, while I wait for my load to finish drying, I thought I’d share some of the songs that have inspired, encouraged, and helped me over the last several months when my waters broke at 24 weeks, the 6 weeks of bed rest in hospital, and now on our NICU journey.

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