Jack Ryan's Journey: Flashback Friday: Outside

Jack, out for his first walk, March 19, 2011 at 7 months old.

I almost forgot to do a Flashback Friday post. It's 9PM, so I have a few hours, yet I don't have anything profound to say about prematurity or Jack's journey today. This illness of Jack's, while relatively mild in the grand scheme of what he has already experienced, has interrupted my normal thought processes. But, I do keep flashing back to Jack's first walk outside. Imagine waiting 7 months to be outside...to feel the wind and the sun, to see trees and clouds. Jack spent his first four months in the hospital and then the next 3 months at home, only leaving for the many doctors appointments covered to protect him from the cold air, since he was discharged in the middle of RSV/Flu/cold season. He was still attached to the O2 concentrator, 24 hours a day, but had just gotten off the NG tube when we went outside, just for fun! I was so anxious to do something "normal" with Jack...just had to hook him up to a small O2 tank (not so normal, but do-able) and we were off for a walk around the neighborhood. He looked SO adorable in his hoodie and spent most of the time licking his zipper. I'm not sure he even knew we were outside. But the fresh air did put him into a nice slumber!


The little zipper licker fell asleep!

Since that momentous first walk, this little boy lights up the moment he hears the word outside and it was one of is favorite signs before he could speak! He is always ready and willing to venture outside and would love to stay out all day. This nasty, winter weather and all it's germs have both Jack and I looking forward to his "first walk" for Spring 2013.

Here's a few more of my favorite outside pictures of Jack, mostly for me to get myself out of the winter blahs: