What a life we live!

Life seems to be going a mile a minute in the VanderMeer household. In just a few weeks we managed to sell a house, buy a house and move to a brand new city! To say life has been busy is an understatement.

I enjoy packing and moving which surprises people because I so often hear people say that “moving is stressful” but for me moving is just a way of life. Since I was little I have moved a lot! So I guess I have just become very efficient at doing it. Our whole main floor is unpacked with pictures and shelves on the wall and everything, though we still need to work on the downstairs.

This past week Mateo had to get a covid test for his sedated MRI procedure today, had blood work done, had a visit from his RT, has had two nurses every night training together to be able to take care of him overnight, and he has been enjoying his new neighbourhood. We send our love and gratitude to our nurses in Niagara, we miss you, love you all so much, you will always be a special part in our family's life!

We set up the swing on the tree in front of our house, like we have done at our last two houses, we call it the “Mateo tree”. Mateo loves looking at the window and just taking in the day. When he wakes up in the morning the first thing he does is wait for us to open up the window. He enjoys looking outside and just waking up slowly.

Mateo has enjoyed going for walks and getting to see new streets, houses and cars. He has been adjusting well to his nurses, and has been sleeping well over night. This week he actually let me put him down in his bed during nap time and he soothed himself to sleep, which is a big deal for him, because he prefers to just nap in my arms. Which honestly I love; I can’t get anything done while he naps, but it feels me with so much joy! I think that being a medical mom, and not being able to hold your baby when they are born, or after they have a procedure, just makes you appreciate every single moment that they are in your arms even more intensely. Mateo has to stop eating since midnight and can only have water until 5 am. Then they will probably give him a sedative to calm him so they can take him away for his procedure. Sometimes (before covid) the anesthesiologist would actually allow me to go in the room and hold his little head while they slowly administer anesthesia into his trach. It was such a nice feeling to go in there with him right when he went to sleep, and to be there again right when he opened his eyes.

I was sharing Mateo’s website with the nurses so they could read more about his journey and I realized that I haven’t written a blog post since January! And it’s July, like I said time is just flying by. Ever since Mateo has been off of his oxygen he has been able to explore so much more, he has learned how to walk independently, and he has been able to just move around wherever he wants without any restrictions of how far he can go. For a babe that was plugged into machines and attached to a hospital crib for the first 9 months of life, that freedom is everything.

So much has happened this past six months, Mateo has been to the beach for the first time, dipped his feet in the pool and in the lake, and has even sat in his own little plastic pool and had a blast. He is now constantly asking for pretzels and loves to lick the salt off of them. He has also started to drink more water by mouth with a syringe and he has learned how to crawl up and down the stairs. When I stop to really think about how much he has accomplished I am so grateful to God, and feel so blessed to see him developing and growing into a sweet, cuddly, loving, and obedient little boy. He is the sweetest and most gentle boy. And so much fun to raise!

As parents we feel so proud of everything that Mateo has accomplished, we continue to keep our spirits up, our minds filled with gratitude and love, and our hearts with contentment, knowing that Mateo is so loved and well cared for by his family, friends and community! in terms of what's coming up next for Mateo, we are waiting to hear from his neuro-surgeon about the MRI today, we are waiting for a date for his bowel surgery, we think it is going to be sometime in August. He also has a cardiac Cath in August, so it will probably be a busy month for Mateo and for us. We will be meeting his new paediatrician this month, and hopefully his team at KidsAbility in Guelph sometime soon!

We thank our amazing tribe for loving us, supporting us and being here for us every step of this amazing and magical journey of raising such a special boy! A big THANK YOU! again goes out to @youngglasspotography for the most beautiful photos, and @Dear.Heart.Co for featuring me as the May Mama, for the most beautiful outfit, and for connecting us to other business who also donated some wonderful things for Mateo and our family!