Life went on, day by day. Our little angel was growing and developing, but very slowly. She was not in a hurry. She was a couple months behind on some milestones, but based on what she had been through, she was still in the normal range for most, albeit on the lower end. Her height and weight were at the very bottom of the scale. The doctors reassured us that development would be slow, but she could catch up by the time she was 6.
Our main concerns moving forward were the Tourettes, her hearing and her eyesight.
Once she passed one year old, the only real concerns was Tourettes. Her hearing had been a concern, but it was obvious now that she could hear. If her name was called, she would turn her head. If she heard sounds like the door opening or the vacuum cleaner running, she would respond. Her hearing seemed to be normal. We were still not sure about her eyesight. She was able to track toys, she would smile back if she was smiled at, she would crawl toward toys if she saw them, so we felt confident that her vision was developing normally.
She reached 22 months old. Her parents were getting dressed and ready to go to a wedding one Sunday. They were all dressed and ready to walk out the door. My niece picked up my great-niece, and all of a sudden she went completely limp in her mother’s arms. Her eyes were rolling backwards, and she was not responding. They jumped in the car and flew to the hospital. Luckily, they lived in a very small town and were less than a mile from the hospital. Our angel was rushed in to emergency. In conversation, it was discovered that my nieces husband had laid his blood pressure medication on the computer desk close to the edge. Our little angel had seen it and had swallowed it. After all she had been through previously, and this mistake nearly cost her life, yet again. Blood pressure medication in small children causes low heart rate, lethargy and can cause coma and even death. She was immediately treated with I V. medications and an antidote to raise her blood pressure and heart rate. Our angel spent 2 days in the hospital being monitored.
My niece was so angry at her husband that she filed immediately for divorce. That baby had made incredible progress after being a micro preemie, and almost lost her life from stupidity. My niece had warned her husband before about his laxidasical ways; obviously to no avail. This was the final straw!!
My niece got a divorce and weathered that storm. She was living in a family home rent free, but she still has to cover bills. Her mom helped her out for a few months. She met a man, and a few months later he moved in with her. He worked and covered the bills, and it allowed my niece to stay home with the baby.
Life took on a rythem, and they got married a year later. Her new husband loved the baby as his own and loved the time he spent with them. He was from Michigan, and eventually they moved back to Michigan.