Happy Birthday, Tyler

So many memories come back to me this special day. It is my nephew Tyler's birthday. He was born 3 months early. I got a call in the middle of the night by my dad to get up to SLC, Nancy was having a baby. I got woke up, and I thought I had slept thru 3 months! Until realization hit, and it was only September. My sweet roommates drove me up and sat with me at the U of U hospital, we weren't sure which hospital he was going to be transferred to. Finally we got the word, Tyler was born. 1 lbs 11 oz, 13 inches long! SOO little!! He was being transferred to LDS Hospital. My roommates took me there, I told them I would be ok and they could go home. I sat there on the curb, finally the life flight helicopter came. I was the family rep, Nancy and Dallas as were at the hospital on the other end of the valley. Life flight nurses asked if I was the aunt the family said would be there, I said yes, they told me to follow. I had to follow fast. I went with them up to the NICU. Before they took him in to get him settled, they asked if I wanted to see him. OF COURSE! He looked so little. I sat there waiting for someone else to show up.

I went up almost every other day to see my little buddy the whole time he was in the hospital (LDS and PCMC). I was so excited (and scared) the day Nancy asked me if I was ready to hold him. I just sat there looking at him and couldn't believe it! He was a miracle.

I love having them close. He makes me laugh. Everytime he has a new phrase, Nancy calls me and he has to tell Aunt Nicky Mouse. It has been amazing seeing him progress sooo much the last few months. Saturday at his party he was such a little talker. He made sure everyone knew when it was time to clap. He would say "everybody say LIMBO!" "Everybody say CLAP!" and if people didn't clap, he would count, "one, two, three! CLAP!" Saturday me and Tyler were just laying on the blanket outside, and we were just laughing at each other. I feel a special bond with him. I love teaching him new words (pooh pooh, or MISSION COMPLETED!)

Happy Birthday Tyler! I love you so much! You are such a miracle!

The joys of life....

This year, seeing my neices and nephews love the gift that I get them for their birthday makes me so happy! This is the picture I got of Tyler with his teddy bear that I made from Build-A-Bear. Nancy was singing "me and my teddy getting all ready" and Tyler started making his bear dance. It was so cute! He would sit there and give his bear loves. Seeing them love their bear makes it so worth it. I wanted to get them something that I thought was worth the money and they will remember who gave it to them. So parents, Please don't throw the bears away or give them away. Lexi gave me a good idea as to what to do for christmas and it does involve the bears. Max will get his bear around the same time. So maybe a little early so he won't just get this christmas present and wonder what to do with it. :)I hope my brother and sisters realize that doing this for their kids, is helping build a bond with them. I love to make them happy. I wish I could take all the kids for their birthday and have them have some alone time with Aunt Nicky but I know that can't happen. So I hope knowing that Aunt Nicky has put thought into it as to what kind of bear that child would like means something. When I saw Tyler dancing and hugging the bear I almost started crying because I know that it meant something and seeing his face. I love making my family happy.

Thanks for the BBQ party, Nancy and Dallas. the food was great and the cake was so adorable! I hope Ty gets feeling better! I got lots of loves from Ty, so it made my day! :)

Happy Birthday Big Boy Ty! :) I love you!

4 years ago....

Happy Birthday to my Bubba! I can't believe it has been 4 years! You have defied all odds and you are truly a miracle. I am so glad that you live closer now!

I remember getting the call late Sept 20,2005. It was my dad telling me that Nancy was having a baby! I didn't believe it, it wasn't December yet. I even had to ask him what day it was. He kept telling me that the baby was coming early and for me to get up to SLC. I had taken a sleeping pill so I talked to my roommates at the time, and they drove me up to SLC. Not only did they drive me up there, they sat there in the waiting room being my support. My parents and Tammy were coming up. Nancy and Dallas asked me to go to UofU hospital because they were told Tyler was going to be taken there. At the time, they also thought Nancy was going to be taken there. Me and my roommates sat in the waiting room. I got the call from Lori Brown saying that I was a new aunt. I couldn't believe he had come. I wasn't there at the hospital with my sister. The dr's finally decided to just fly Tyler. But, I was at the wrong hospital. My roommates took me up to LDS hospital, it was really late at this time. I told my roommates that they could just leave and I would be ok. I wasn't sure where the ER was. When I finally found it, they told me that the helicopter should be there soon. Nancy and Dallas were still down at Alta View, so I was the only family member there when tiny Tyler got there. The life flight nurses would only let me see a quick glance of him (I just got to see how little he was) and then they had to rush him in to the NICU to stabalize him. He is our little miracle!

I love you Tyler! I hope you had a good birthday.

Tyler

This handsome lil man needed to go into emergency surgery last night. His shunt had broke off and needed to be replaced... again... Surgery went well but please keep him in your prayers! Too many brain surgeries for him, but they are so grateful to have good neurosurgeons who take care of him! If you want to read more about what happened, you can check out Nancy's blog here! Tyler is such a special lil boy! I hope he has a fast recovery. I love you Bubba

Happy Birthday (a day late) Tyler

hospital2
Originally uploaded by nlabrum

I know this a day late, but my computer crashed.. (it got a virus) So I am sitting here at Tammy's. I wanted to say Happy Birthday to my little man, Tyler. I can't blieve that you are 3! This picture was taken the first time I got to hold you! Nancy surprised me when I got to the hospital and asked me if I wanted to FINALLY hold you. When she placed Tyler in my arms, I felt like I holding nothing. I asked her if she could get me a pillow to put under him so I could feel like I was holding something. I sat there just looking at this little miracle in my arms.

I remember the day that little Tyler was born! The night before he was born, I had taken my sleeping pill and I had gone to bed. I got woke up by a phone call from my parents saying that Nancy had gone into labor. I asked what day it was because I know when I had fallen asleep it was only September and I knew that she wasn't due until December so that had really confused me. I was starting to think I was having a dream. I ran out to the living room and told my roommates because they were still awake and they told me that since I had taken a sleeping pill, they would take me up to SLC. My family told me to go up to U of U hospital because they were going to life flight Nancy and/or the baby up there. So we fell asleep in the waiting room and it ended up that they didn't life flight them to U of U, and they weren't even going to go to U of U. My roommates were so good to me that night! After Tyler was born, they life flighted him up to LDS Hospital. As soon as we knew that they were going life flight him there, they took me there as fast as they could. I was the only family member there (everyone else was at Alta View with Nancy and Dallas). I got to see Tyler get off Life Flight and I was the "family rep" (as the life flight people called me) and I got to walk with him up the NICU. I spent a lot of time up there with Tyler in the NICU. I was so glad to be living so close to Nancy and Dallas when I moved up to SLC so I could spend a lot of time with them.

I can't believe my little man has turned 3. He has gone through so much in his 3 years. He is such a hero in my eyes! Thank you for letting me be your aunt! I have been part of your life since before you knew it! I was there for one of your ultrasounds and I am so glad that Nancy has allowed me to be there. Happy Birthday! I am going to come down in a few months to see you. I love you TyTy!