Lemme Just

In my many days of parenting, I’ve come to realize that motherhood is basically days filled with saying “Lemme Just…” Like.. “Lemme just go the bathroom real quick and then I’ll feed her.. Lemme just load the dishwasher before I go to bed.. Lemme just pump before I jump in the shower.. Lemme just feed Regan before I type up a blog post..” And then the cycle re-starts. In short, all of my “Lemme Just” moments have completely filled the sixteen days we’ve been home from the hospital.

It’s easy to lose myself in the day and before I know it, it’s eight o’clock at night and I can’t exactly pinpoint where the day went. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Regan’s schedule is tough. She eats every three hours on the dot and is on four medications, taken at seven times throughout the day. In the next four weeks, Regan has at least eight doctor appointments with various specialists, and that number may increase depending on what’s found at each. I literally have a three-inch binder filled with her records and information we’ve collected to date, and that’s only partly because I love school supplies. It’s mostly because there is a boatload of information to retain and every doctor requires recollection of basically all of it.

This post is not a rant about Regan’s schedule; it’s a personal reminder to not wish these days away. It’s a reminder to be present and focused during my time with her. It’s a reminder that not all parents are as blessed to be able to have this time with their little ones. It’s a reminder to me that we have been so blessed with excellent medical care (many would argue the best in the country), and all these watchful eyes are helping us navigate this journey with Regan. I may not have the oodles of time I had B.R. (Before Regan), but I have the best snuggles in the world, and the ultimate best excuse for not getting the little things done.

I LOVE Christmas Cards. I love getting them in the mail, I love sending them, I love hanging them in my house, and I especially love when they’re accompanied by a family update of the previous year. I had grand plans of sending out Christmas / New Year cards with a full update but it seems those little “Lemme Just” moments added up quickly and it doesn’t look like they’ll make it out this year. In lieu of snail mail, I’ll include our Christmas card update here – thank you in advance for your understanding.

Friends and Family,

2016 was a year for the record books. We started it off with a bang; all the Baringers were in town for the holidays and rang in the New Year with a trip to Hershey World and a long night of “Heads Up.” Mitch and I took off for Italy in April to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. It was the trip of a lifetime full of excellent food, beautiful scenery, unmatched history, and best of all quality time with each other. Shortly after returning home, we were ecstatic to find out we were expecting our first baby! Mitch needed some help at Forrester Environmental, so we made the very scary decision to work together. You’ll all be happy to know we work together very well (though technically right now I’m on maternity leave – thanks, boss!). On the Friday, July 1, we found out our precious baby would be born with an extra chromosome and join the Homies with Extra Chromies club that is Down syndrome. Our hearts were initially very heavy with the news, but we were quickly lifted by family, friends, and fellow “club” members who gave us much to anticipate about our extra special girl. September brought a Florida beach trip to celebrate my dad (Papi)’s birthday, and October we were showered with love at our house in Pennsylvania. And as a grand finale to our 2016, sweet miss Bridget Regan made her debut on December 5. We can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for our family, and we send all of our love to you and yours this holiday season!

 

Love, Megan, Mitch, Regan and Walter

Medical Update—

Regan has had two pediatric appointments and is steadily gaining weight – tipping the scales at 7lb 12 oz today! She had her first post-NICU Cardiology appointment today (it should also be noted it was our first major outing – phew). Currently, the cardiologist is thinking that her surgery will be some time mid-March, which feels crazy to me that it could be so soon. Thank you for continued prayers of health until she is strong enough for surgery!