March for Babies

We will be walking on April 30th for March for Babies through the March for Dimes. We are raising money to support the research and programs that March for Dimes runs.

Come and join our family team "Courageous Caleb" when we walk on April 30th!

Caleb's 1!!!

We can't believe that it has already been a year and what a roller-coaster ride it has been. A year ago we were making many trips a day to the NICU to visit little Caleb. He was just under 3lbs and now he weighs in at 17lb 15oz and is over 28inches tall.

Caleb has accomplished so much over the past year and endured a good bit too. Just last month, he had a upper GI Scope, a Gastric emptying scan and Ear Tube surgery. All three procedures went well, the scope and scan came back fine and so far no more ear infections! It was a huge blessing that everything went so well, God is good!

We were at the GI 2 weeks ago and since the scan came back fine and he gained a pound in a month, we are starting to wean off of his reflux meds!!!! Praying to be done with daily meds by the end of February!!!!

December Caleb had a good weight gain, (gained 1lb), but he is still not interested in solids. So right now we are being followed by a nutritionist and closely by our pedi. He gets weekly weight checks, and they would like to see him gain at least 1 to 1 1/2lb's per month for a few more months. Since he isn't really interested in solids our main focus/goal is to get him to eat one meal a day of solids and cut 1 bottle out.

Last Tuesday, was Caleb's birthday, and he started to get the courage to let go with both hands when standing. Right now he will stand for about 20seconds all by himself. He is cruising across all of the furniture, crawling up the stairs and everywhere else. And he is trying to crawl on top of things: laundry baskets, activity table, toy baskets!

Caleb has also learned to wave "bye-bye" and also knows the sign for milk. He also knows how to get the disks out of the Wii! Man do we have our hands full :)

Car rides are starting to be a little easier on all of us, Caleb got his big boy carseat for his birthday. Even though he can't be forward facing, he is sitting up and loving it! Can't wait for him to be over 20lbs so we can flip him around.

God has Blessed us so much over the past year and can't wait to see what he has in store for 2011. Please continue to pray for steady weight gain for little man!

Wow Caleb's 11months!

Well Caleb turns 11 months on Saturday! This year has flown by way too fast.

This winter started off with many trips to the doctors, and has been sick with ear infections (on his 3rd one now) and Bronchiolitis. Since Caleb is still not approved for synigis we are having to be very strict on where we take Caleb and who he is around. Caleb's Pediatrician is concerned about him getting sick again with Bronchiolitis, it is a very serious respiratory virus.

But right now the Doctors main concerns is his weight gain. This past Tuesday he weighed in at 16lb 11oz, he just hit the growth charts for his adjusted age (3% for weight). We are meeting with a nutritionist now concerning upping his caloric intake. Caleb had labwork done 2weeks ago to see if anything was abnormal, and causing the low weight gain, those all came back normal. Caleb has gotten better with solids over the past 2weeks, but is still at about 1/4-1/2 of were he should be. We have a follow-up appt with the GI this coming week.

Since Caleb has had a 3rd ear infection within the past month and half we are going to be going to a ENT by the end of the year.

Caleb's NICU book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Caleb: Upper GI Study

Well lots has gone on over the past few weeks. Last Monday Caleb had a projectile spit-up that contained black-specks (almost like coffee grounds). We notified the Pediatrician and called his GI doctor Tuesday morning. We were told not to worry, and that if it happened again to call ASAP. This was confusing to not worry, but act immediately if it happened again.  Over the next day or so, we just weren't feeling great with what the GI office said and since Caleb had not gained any weight since the end of August (not even an ounce) we were ready for a second opinion. The old GI doctor seemed to be pushing off the fact that his weight-gained had slowed and now stopped, and did not seem to take our concerns serious until we brought it up a few times.

Friday morning we went to see a new GI doctor at a new practice and were very happy with her response. She is the type not to over medicate, so we are dropping two of his medications and increasing the dose of one to match his weight appropriately. She also ordered an Upper GI Study for Caleb. What we like most is that she truly wants to find out whats going on rather than aimlessly medicate until it goes away.

Yesterday we took Caleb to CMC-Northeast (formerly Northeast Medical Center) and he had his Upper GI scanned. The staff kept telling us that he was the most well behaved child they had had for this procedure. He just laid their drinking his barium (radioactive drink) watching the screen that showed his insides. The scan only lasted 30min. From what the radiologist could tell he did not see any abnormal structure in his anatomy or signs of reflux.

Right now we are waiting to hear from the GI Doctor about what to do next. Please be praying that Caleb will start gaining weight again and that the Doctors will have guidance as to what tests or treatments need to be conducted to end his large spit-ups and improve his weight gain.  We believe that God is a healing God and we know he has the power to heal him.

Caleb and the Fish Tank

So, we realized pretty early on that Caleb liked fish.  On our last trip to PetSmart to get dog food, we ended up with a 10 gallon fish tank and 7 fish.  Don't worry, we didn't forget the dog food.  Anyways, the fish tank is set up in his room and often provides more entertainment than a TV would.  Even if you mention to Caleb (only 6 months) about his guppies, he will get all fired up.  Him watching the tank has become our new entertainment.  We posted a video below.  Enjoy!

Now I Understand...

July 11, 2010.  Probably not a date many circled on their calendar.  But it is significant to me.  You know why?  Caleb is 6 months old!  I always here, especially around graduation season, parents saying "I remember like it was yesterday when they were 5 years old.  Man they grow up fast!".  Now I understand.

It really is hard to believe it has already been 6 months since we were introduced to Caleb James Black.  That was a crazy, crazy day!  And we have been trough so much with such a small boy in the span of just 6 months, but we have been so richly blessed in those 6 months!  God has made himself known to us through this time, and all of Caleb's accomplishments are at the credit of no other than the maker of everything, our heavenly father.  Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and support.  It has been quite a ride already.

Update: Last time we posted an update we were really struggling with reflux.  That has since improved!  We are not 100% out of the woods, but it has certainly improved.  Thank you for your prayers.  He weighed in two  weeks ago at 13.5 lbs.  We continue to ask for prayers over Caleb, for healing of his reflux as well as his growth and development as we move into the time period where he really makes strides in development (rolling over, crawling, eating, walking, talking).  We pray for our little boy and we pray that each one who has taken time to petition the Father on our behalf for Caleb be blessed as well.  Thank you!

Blackberry Crumble

Yesterday we went to our favorite Blackberry Farm to pick. Summer Berry Farm in Concord, is very family friendly, and best of all they have thorneless bushes with no pesticides. So we get to sample as we pick :) Caleb did very well and was a cool dude with his sunglasses.

We picked a gallon and froze half of the berries to use in smoothies, a few cups in the fridge for munching and the rest went in a blackberry crumble.

Here is the recipe for Blackberry Crumble, I got this recipe at one of my weight watchers meeting and it was for Mixed Berry Crumble, but since we didn't have Raspberries and blueberries, we used all blackberries.

4 Cups blackberries

3/4 cup all-purpose floor

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 stick butter, melted

Take floor and sugar, and mix in a bowl. Take 3 tablespoons of the floor mixture, and mix in the berries. Next add the butter to the remaining floor mixture. mix well.

Put berries in a glass 8inch pan. Then take flour mixture and crumble on top of berries. Bake at 350 for 35-40min or until berries are bubbly. serves 8.

June 11th, 2010

June 11th, 2010.  More than just the day after my 27th birthday.  Forget all of this conference expansion talk, 5 months ago, the Black family had an expansion.  Caleb is 5 months old today!  Can you believe it?  5 months!  That's a month shy of a half a year!  Time just does not stand still anymore.  I want to thank everyone for prayers for us and Caleb. He has been through so much as such a little guy.

• Born 2lb 12.8oz, 8 weeks premature
• But, the biggest concern was lungs/breathing and he was only on breathing assist for 10hours!
• He kept his body temperature far sooner than he "should have been able to"
• Released from Hospital Feb 16
• Liver function concerns
• Fixed it's self
• 3 hernias
• Had surgery March 26 when only 5lbs
• Surgery went great and all marks are already healed!
• Reflux

This little guy is a fighter and he has clearely been blessed by our Heavenly Father.  The creator of the universe has delicately handled Caleb's growth and development every step of the way.  We are proud to say that Caleb has grown to weigh in last week at a whopping 12lbs 5oz!  We continue to petition your prayer over Caleb as his reflux is VERY bad.  He can at times spit up his entire feeding (3-4oz) just minutes after completing a meal.  This is something that seems to be tied to a immature digestive tract.  We believe in healing though.  All that God has done leaves no question.  So please pray with us in faith that he be healed.  I believe I can update this post and that last bullet point with "reflux healed" in a matter of days.  Pray that it be so.  Also pray for Sarah and I as we cope with this in the mean time.  It is troubling to see you infant child spit up 2-3 times a day 2-4oz each time.  Thank you, each and everyone of you for your support, your calls, your card, emails, flowers, gifts, time, meals, etc....  It has been so wonderful of a reminder of those God has put in our lives and how blessed we are.


Thank you!


5 months down.  A lifetime to go!

Quick and Easy Pork Ribs

Here is another Crock Pot, Easy Meal.

Pork Ribs

1 family pack Country Style Ribs (bone-in or boneless)

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Brown Sugar, Honey, hot sauce to taste (we will add either brown sugar or honey depending on BBQ sauce used)

Place ribs in the crock pot, top with BBQ sauce and additional brown sugar/honey/hot sauce. Cook on low for 4-5hr or high for 3-4hr. When done meat will fall off the bone.

Chicken Azteca - Crock Pot

Well Crockpot meals have been a saving grace around our house for the past few months since Caleb has come home. And there have been a few favorites, one being Chicken Azteca that my best friend gave me. It is quick, easy and not too many ingredients and makes a lot of food (so far 1 pot has served 5people dinner, 4 lunches and i have 4more servings in the freezer for dinners later on!)

Chicken Azteca

8-10 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts

2 cups Salsa (I sometimes add a 3rd cup)

2 Cans of Black Beans (rinsed and Drained)

2 cans of Corn (drained)

2 Tbsn Cumin

2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed

2 pkg Cream Cheese (i use fat free)

Rice, shredded Cheese, Sour Cream and Chips

Mix together 1cup of salsa, black beans, corn, cumin and garlic in the bottom of crock pot. Add chicken to top and cover with remaining salsa. Cook on high for 3-4hrs or low for 4-5hr or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and cut into chunks, and add back to crock pot. Cook rice according to package (i cook 3-4cups of brown rice). Add cream cheese and cook rice to crock pot (turn to low/warm) cook until cream cheese melts. Serve with Chips, Shredded Cheese and Sour Cream. (serves 10-12)

Cloth Diapering Venture

So some of you know that Josh and I decided while we were pregnant that to be cost effective and Eco-friendly we would do cloth diapers. When I thought of cloth diapers, I thought back to the old-school prefolds with the plastic pull-over cover and then having to do the dunk in the toilet, ewww, I just couldn't bring myself to do that. But after much research, we found that cloth diapers have come such a long way and many look just like a disposable diaper.

Josh and I calculated the cost of disposables and for 1year of pampers and it was going to be around $500-650. Where with cloth diapers we spent around $400-450 for 18 diapers that we can use up until Caleb is 35lbs and then use for future kids too. Yes there is a large up-front cost, but it sure bets running out of diapers at 3am! Right now we do diaper laundry every 3rd day, and man is it easy.

Here are somethings that we have found helpful to have and what our diaper stash looks like:

• we have 12 BumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers, each comes with 2 different size inserts and run about $18 apiece and are for infants 7-35lbs.
• we also have 3 Flip Day Packs; each pack includes 2 covers and 6 inserts. again these are for infants 7-35lbs. These run around $45 per day pack (the basis of these are that you just change the insert and continue to use the cover til soiled)
• Stainless Steal Kitchen trashcan with lid ($45 from walmart).
• 2 waterproof diaper pail liners ($13 each).
• Cloth wipes (we bought 24 baby washcloths from marshals $8)
• 1 medium wetbag (for when we are out, for wet/dirty diapers $15)
• Thirsties Booty Luster Spray (Just found this yesterday and love it, $11)
• Bummis Flushable Diaper Liners (put this in the diaper to catch all solids and then flush, 100 per roll for about $6, we go through 1 roll in 1 to 1 and 1/2 months)
• BumGenuis Odor Remover Spray ($6 per bottle, we put 1 spray on each diaper before it goes in the pail, this bottle will last us a little over 2 months).
• Charlies Soap (made in NC, this is a fantastic laundry soap that is safe for diapers. We ended up ordering a 40gallon bucket that will last us 2 years and now use it for all of our laundry!)

There are 3 different places we love to get our diapers and supplies from, 2 online and 1 store in Charlotte. The Milky Way is located in Dilworth, and they carry a wide range of diapers and accessories and hold a free cloth diapering class that go over all of the different types of diapers and options you have. JilliansDrawers.com is our next favorite, they have great prices and also do a trial run of diapers for 21days for $10. Cottenbabies.com is our other favorite online store. Also on both sites they sell gently used diapers for a reduce rate.

When it comes to washing, we do diapers every 3rd day. We take the diaper pail liner and empty the contents and liner in the washer, and do a cold water rinse. then a hot water wash with Charlies soap, and then a cold water rinse. All covers are hung to dry and inserts dried on hot.

That's what were are doing now, and will post new things as we continue our venture.

Caleb is now 4months

Well Caleb turned 4months (2months adjusted) this past Tuesday and is growing like a weed. He had a weight check on Monday and weighed in at 10lb 5oz.

We are still battling his reflux and had a really bad day last week, but it seems to come in waves. we will have 1-2 really bad days and then a few good. His medication was adjusted so hopefully we will see some changes.

Friday we had a follow-up appointment with the physical therapist that worked with Caleb in the NICU. And she did an evaluation to see how his development is going. There are somethings he scored on target with his adjusted age, and others he was either behind 1month or ahead. We have some stretches and different exercises to do a few times each day. We will go back in 4months for another follow-up, PT said that she would like to see Caleb roll-over by that point.

Caleb is now smiling on a more regular basis and babbling all the time.

Thats all for now. We go back to the doctor on Wednesday for his 4month appointment and will post new weight then!

What's REALLY in a Name?

So, I had a post earlier this year that explained Caleb's name.  That post was named "What's in a Name?".  In that post, I explained how we chose Caleb's name in part due to the correlation of Caleb to Joshua in the Old Testament.  I also explained how his middle, James name was chosen (practically) at random.  Well, so we thought at least.

I recently got into genealogy.  This was sparked by both the new show on NBC "Who do you think you are" and the birth of our first son.  I have been thinking a lot of legacy.  In case you didn't know, I am the only one bearing the Black name for some generations.  I was not sure how far back, but the idea of legacy caused me to begin tapping into the abundant resources online to find out about our family.  Pertaining to carrying on the Black name, I am the only one going back 4 generations at least.  I still have to trace distant cousins to see how many of us are carrying the torch.  As for my other discovery...  We thought Caleb's middle name of James was completely random.  However, I found that starting 5 generations ago, there were at least 4 generations of James' in my Black family lineage!  I have noticed in my family studies that it was very common for children to receive at least part of their name from a family name.  We thought this occurrence was intriguing.  We pray that Caleb carry the Black family legacy with pride.

Caleb is 3months Today

Caleb turned 3months old yesterday, 1month adjusted. It is amazing to see how far he has come in the past 3months. He has doubled in weight since birth, as of 4/1/10 he weighed in at 6lbs 4oz!!! We head back to the pediatrician this morning and will know what his current weight is. He had his first smile at mommy and daddy on the 9th! and oh does he have a cute little smile.

March 26th Caleb had to have 2 hernia's repaired, we had a awesome surgeon and thankfully he checked the other right side inguinal and he ended up having a hernia there too that just hadn't popped out yet. So he repaired that one too. Caleb did very well through the surgery, and we ended up spending the night there at the hospital due to his prematurity. Caleb was back to his happy self within a few days.

last week we had an appt with his GI dr. concerning his liver and then to talk about his reflux. labs were taken and came back very good, we will be on Actigall for 1 more month and then we are done. Follow-up isn't for 2months. Its a huge blessing to see the dr. appt's start to slow down. While we were with the GI dr. we talk about his reflux, and his current medication (zantac, his Pediatrician put him on it) has pretty much stopped working. His GI dr has put him on Nexium and we started that on Saturday, we have been told that it can take up to 3weeks for it to work. This is due to the medication working on the problem and not just masking the symptoms.

Over all Caleb is such a happy baby!!! he is now sleeping 4hrs straight through the night, and we couldn't be happier to let him sleep and not be on the strict 3hr schedule! God has truly blessed us with an amazing little boy!

Caleb is 2months today....Needs Surgery....and has reflux...

Caleb is 2 months old today, and 5days adjusted. He now weighs 4lb 11oz! He is such a blessing and we can't thank God enough for giving us this sweet little boy.

March has been the month of doctor appointments. So far we have been and had a HIDA scan on the 1st for Caleb's Liver, been to the eye Dr once to check for ROP (and get to go back on the 18th), the Pediatrician 3 times, and have to go back tomorrow and next week too. And the list keeps growing.

We went last Friday to the pediatrician because Caleb was spitting up quite a bit. They say he has reflux and it is very common in preemies to develop this. They gave us baby zantac to take twice a day. It seemed to be helping over the weekend but by Monday afternoon it was getting worse. Around the same time I noticed a rather large lump on Caleb's lower abdomen. I was able to press it back in and assumed it was a hernia. Tuesday morning called the Dr about his Reflux and this new spot. They called us in for an appointment that morning.

It was confirmed that he had another hernia (has an umbilical hernia as well) and we needed to see a urologist very soon to get it repaired. Yesterday we saw Dr. Perez and confirmed that he did have an inguinal hernia and that he would need surgery to repair it. 1 in 3 preemie boys develop this type of hernia and 1 in 4 will become strangulated prior to surgery. They don't know when that would happen but we would rather get the repair done now then wait for that to happen and have other complications with an emergency surgery.

So we are looking at the surgery happening in the next week to 2 weeks.

With the reflux, we cant add any other meds due to his immature liver so we thickening his formula with rice cereal.

Thats all the updates for now and will post when we know his surgery date.

What an AMAZING week!!!

We were thrown for a wild weekend and great week last friday, the 12th. I walked into the NICU to both the Baby Doctor and NNP asking if we were ready to room-in that weekend with Caleb. I was flooded with emotion, we were not ready for a baby at home and thought we had a few weeks to go. (just like Calebs entrance into the world, we weren't ready for that either). So the rest of Friday and Saturday was a mad rush on getting the house ready and making sure we had all of the many things for little Caleb at home. Sunday we had a nice morning at home, (again finishing the last few things), and headed out the door around lunch time to go and be with our little man. We made a much needed pit stop by Starbucks for an extra bit of energy. The nurse brought Caleb to our room, things came full circle because the room that we were in was the room that I was in when Caleb was born. (it is one of the nicer, bigger rooms!) The 1st night alone with him, was a little nerve racking. Trying to get use to his noises (we have been told that preemies make a lot more noises that a full-term baby), getting up and feeding him every 3 hours, and then the nurses calling to check in or just stopping in (we have been told by all of the staff that they have faught over him at shift changes). The plan was to room-in for 1 night and then go home on Monday mid-morning. Caleb's nurse came and got him at 4:30am Monday morning to do some final lab work. Around 10am the NNP came in and told us that one of the labs that was done on his liver came back abnormal, and that the Baby Doctor wanted to run some more tests, and they had a Pediactric GI Specialist downtown at the Childrens Hospital looking at the labs and he wanted them to do an Ultrasound and run more labs. So we ended up having to stay another night. The ultrasound came back normal, but the labs were still elvated. But were ok for us to still go home on Tuesday. So Tuesday at 2:30pm we were in the car and on the way home with Caleb. It was great to finally leave the Hospital with Caleb and know that we did not have to go back. Yesterday Caleb had a follow-up Appt with the GI Dr and ended up doing more labs, to help rule out a blockage in the liver. We just got the results and the were still high, so he is being put on 2 medications and he will have to have a HIDA scan on March 1st. Other than the many trips to all the different drs, Caleb has been doing great, a little fussy here and there. But Most nights sleeping 3hours straight, in between feedings. God has blessed us so much with the Little One and we can't wait to see what he has in store for him. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

2.3.2010 Caleb Update!!!!

Well, last night Josh had his award ceremony at UNC Charlotte for passing his PE Exam. So we missed Caleb's 8pm feeding and weigh-in. We had called in to check in on him, but they were admitting another baby and could not talk with us.

So when Josh got in this morning, Caleb had a big surprise for us! He gained enough weight to be moved out of the isolate to a bassinet. He now weighs 3lbs 5.2oz!!!! His temp has been staying up which is good, because there is a nice draft by his bed.

Yesterday, he took 2 of his feedings by bottle and took the full amount!!! it was the first time he took the whole bottle for Josh, and he was thrilled!!!

Each day he is making changes and growing!!! He keeps amazing the Nurses, NNP and Doctors everyday.

We Thank God for blessing our little one!!!

Big Caleb Update

Its been a few days since our last post, here are the updates:

• Caleb has gained a lot of weight over the past few days, he has hit 3lbs!!!!! and last night he weighed in at 3lbs 2.4ounces!




• Last Sunday he was moved from Patient Controlled isolet to Air Controled and is now in Clothes!

1.26.10 Caleb Update

Caleb is now 2weeks old and 1day old! here are a few new updates:

• He gained the weight he lost sunday night back last night at his weigh-in, so he is now 2lbs 14.9oz.


• since he has kept his weight above 1250grams he is now in the isolate as air controlled, not patient controlled. which means he gets to wear clothes!!!! last night they put him in his first onesie and he is super cute!