I reviewed some of the pictures we have taken recently and have found some of my favorites. Some are comical, one of them is a picture of Nicole the Big sister at 17 years old and Zach her little brother, one of them is Terry's grandma Vera who is a young 96, and some are just for fun. Pay no attention to the stains, we on occasion let Zach experiment with feeding himself and well, you know.........I hope they make you smile. I know today sucked at work and it was just what I needed.

If you look at the nurse's fingers in the second picture you can get a idea of how small Zach was.

Zach's birthday is coming up. We just found some pictures which are added for a time of REFLECTION. Some of them are blurry.

Zach's 1st Halloween. I can honestly say, I miss when my children, Nick and Nicole were small, and I am loving it all over again. Only difference is this time I have a wonderful supportive Husband. Last night we took Zach out trick or treating, what Fun !!!!!! Not to sound like I am bragging but at every house people thought Zach was sooooo Cute and you can just see his father gloating. Dad took Zach up to most of the houses and I watched, I think this gave me the biggest kick, just watching the two of them. After trick or treating, we went to the Brighton Fire House, every year they have games, pizza and treats for the children. Just like last time I went a few years back they had run out of pizza. So we just came home and ordered a pizza. It was a perfect Halloween. Today we had a meeting with Nick's teachers. They are so impressed with his improvement from the last few years, and we can not be more proud of him. Nick struggles every day with his schooling due to having ADHD. Nick also was a premature baby, however his coarse was not as bumpy as Zach's. He did have a touch and go with a minor operation and stopped breathing then was air flown to University of Michigan and spend a week on the vent, this after being born at 34 weeks. They say ADHD can be a result of being premature, we can deal with this, much worst could of happened and I thank god it didn't.

Some long overdue updates! Here are some new pictures as well. The first one is of Zach and his new activity gym. He likes it sometimes, and other times, he hates it. Just depends on his mood at the moment. (Yes he has a temper). And the other four are with Zach and the process of getting him ready to go outside in the cold. Which we don't like doing now, with it now being RSV season. Zachary has a birthday coming up, he will 1 years old. Wow, where has the time went. I remember when Jill and I brought Zachary home, I was so scared to take care of this little man who had wires hooked up to him and a tube down his nose. Afterall, the NICU took care of him for 3 months, and now it was our turn. Well, I am so happy to be able to stay home with him, because he brightens my day. All he has to do is smile, and he does that a lot. Anyhow, he is almost 11 months old (8 months adjusted), and he can sit up on his own, crawl, stand with support (on one of us, or on his own by holding on to something), and he has also started to shuffle along the couch standing up. It won't be long now until he will be walking. (That's when the fun starts for me). But what baffles me, is he still has no teeth. Hopefully they will come soon. He says da-da, na-na (which I take to be ma-ma), and a few other distinguishing babbles. The doctor's at St. Joseph say he is progressing nicely. We had an 8 month (adjusted) developmental clinic appointment on Saturday October 7th. And the developmental nurse told us he is doing great. She said he is actually ahead developmentally by a little over a month. Jill and I were happy to hear this. The only thing is, he is a little underweight. He should be around 18 pounds, but he only weighs around 16 pounds. So we had to bulk up his formula to 24 calories instead of 22 calories. Normal formula is 20 calories, so you can see, he needs to put some lbs. on. I thought he was heavy as it is, but then again, he does get heavy when I carry him and his carseat around. I thinkhe has gained a little since the clinic, because of the increased calorie intake. We also got him some fast flow nipples which seem to help (he doesn't suck as hard now and get tired out.) We'll see when he goes in for his flu vaccine this Saturday. Next month he gets 4 or 5 shots, he's not going to be a happy camper that day. The following day on Sunday, we went to the NICU annual reunion. It was their 4th annual, but the first for Zachary. We saw some parents and their children that were there when Zach was in the hospital for those 78 days. We also saw a couple of Zach's Neonatologist doctors, including Dr. Ivacko, who was there in the delivery room to help deliver him. And we saw some of the nurses and RT's who helped keep Zach alive during his trying and troubling times in the NICU. Zach seemed to like the bubble machine, once he got used to it, and he crawled around on the floor with a little girl who will remain nameless (actually we don't know her name). All in all it was a good time. And then our journey took us back to the NICU where Zach was for 78 days, not actually the same NICU, they moved since we were there, but it still keeps the same nurses there. We saw some nurses that weren't at the reunion, and they were happy to see Zach. What a busy day, the same day Zach got his new activity gym. What a lucky little man, but he is ours and I wouldn't give him up for anything!!!!!!!!!! And the last piece of information I have for you all, is Zach's baptism. He was baptized, Sunday, September 24, 2006 at St. Patrick's church in Brighton, by Father Karl Pung, in front of the whole congregation. Wow, that was awesome. When the whole congregation clapped and welcomed Zachary to the fellowship, I welled up a little with tears. It was a great feeling. Besides Zach, Jill and myself, Zach's older brother Nick, Zach's Godmother Denene, and her youngest daughter Sara were there. I would say it was an experience I will never forget. I'm just sorry that Zachary will not remember it. Well, I guess that's all for now. As we speek, Zachary is crawling around back and forth and saying da-da, da-da, da-da, so I better put the pen down. Thank-you to everyone who reads our blog about our precious little man Zachary, and thank-you for leaving a comment, Jill and I love to hear your thoughts.

Some views of Fall.

Life of our special Preemie-Inside the NICU and Beyond

Zachary is progressing nicely. The doctor said he can go off the NeoSure and on to regular formula. He is 35th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for length. He weighs in at 15 1/2 pounds and 27 1/4 inches long. He is sitting on his own, crawling, and starting to pull himself up. Look out, I'm going to have to start chasing him all over the place now. His new favorite thing is the dog's water dish. He either splashes the water or tries to drink it. Oh little boys, Jill says I'll start losing weight just chasing after him. It's probably true, because I'm doing it now. He's babbling a lot more now also. He has said "dadda" several times now, and a few other small words that sound like words. Anyway, here are some new pictures I took while Zach and I were waiting for mommy to wake up. Hope all is well with all the family.

All is well here. Nothing much new, each day is a blessing. The picture above includes "Alex" the dog or AKA Mr. Jealous he will do anything to be in between you and the baby. The picture to the side is my other son, Nick. He was the baby at 15 until Zach came along. :)

Hello Everybody!!!! Zach is doing pretty good. Usually I start with Zach is doing great, however the last few days he has had numerous bouts of crying spells that can't seem to be explained. We think he may be teething, but we can't feel any pokey things sticking up yet. Last night I think dad got one hour sleep, he is looking a little ruff. If I have not said it before shame on me...Terry is the best FATHER EVER !!!!! If I could of choosen certain fathering skills that a man should have in raising a son I would say Terry holds them all. I am posting a picture of a giraffe that Zach's God Mother Denene bought him, Thank You Agian !!. We are so blessed to have Denene and Tim as God parents. They are special people and have raised two beautiful children. Denene used to be my boss at my current job and if you ever heard you can't be best friends with your boss and you believed it, your wrong. Denene and I had a very good working relationship as well as a friendship and I miss working with her very much. I usually don't say mushy stuff much so that will be it for the year..... One more thing Happy Birthday, Denene, You old Fart!!! Zach will be baptized on September 24th, what a special day that will be!!!!

Today August 13, 2006 we went to the Kenisington Metro Parks Farm. These pictures were taken inside the barn. Zack is sitting on a horse saddle, and the other picture Dad is checking Zach's height. It seems he is trying to get in every little inch by standing on his tippey toes !!!!! The weather is starting to break, I so much look forward to Fall. :)

Doctors appointment at 9 months. Wow, I can not believe Zach is now 9 months. To look at him he is very comparable to a 6 month old. He now weighs 14lbs 7.5 ounces. His iron was excellent as well as his white blood count. The best news of all is he has the green light for ice cream :). I asked the doctor and his response was "Chocolate would be best !!!!" So after his shot today we came home and had a little ice cream, he loved it. He pretty much eats anything. We just have to watch it is mushed up real good. I would say the Gerber spaggetti is his MOST favorite, must be the Italian in us Hoffman's :). The picture was taken as he was beating up his dad, he looks like he was having a ball, I know I was :)

These are the dog days of summer. The car read 101 today. I thought it was hot when I lived in Florida, but this has that beat by far. I guess my next move will be Alaska!!!! I enjoy the cooler weather by far. We chilled out in the pool today or should I say dad and Zack. He seemed to enjoy his little boat much more this time around. He is now sleeping, pooped him right out!!!!! Today's accomplishments include the ability to suck on his toes, and being able to handle his own bottle. He seems to be moving right ahead with his development. We could not be more proud. Nick my 16 year old has started driving school, talk about being on two sides of life. One is beginning to crawl and one is beginning to drive. I told Nick I never took any classes or driving school. I went to the school of Mr. Ed Hoffman AKA Dad. That was tougher then any class he will ever go through. But I must say so myself I am a pretty good driver no accidents yet......Knock on wood.

Zach has discovered sucking on his fingers awhile ago. However he is not satified unless he sucks them all at once and chokes at least once a day. This is a great shot of his talent, can you fit all your fingers in your mouth. We all have to have a talent :)

Sorry we have not had updates in so long. We have been busy playing with Zach so much and have fallen into a routine. Now is usually quite time for Terry and I. I just said to Terry " We have to put some new pictures out there", so here we go. But first I want everyone to know that Zach is doing Super! He is already scooting, and eating solids, and laughing out loud. Long behind us are the sleep studies, eye surgeries, spinal taps, multiple blood and urine tests, apenea monitors, ventilator, C-Pap, blood transfusions, bilirubin lights, heel pokes, and taking caffeine to help him remember to breath.

Life of our special Preemie-Inside the NICU and Beyond