You know you are a parent of a preemie when....

When we visited the kids on Friday night they had received little beanie babies as well as this list of things for parents of preemies. And yes, these are all very true!!! I hope you enjoy.

1. You use strange initals (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.
2. You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.
3. You count his/her weight in grams.
4. The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often.
5. You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs.
6. The answer to "how old is your baby?" is 30 minutes long.
7. When someone asks his birthday, you reply "which one?"
8. You start to understand some of the things they say on ER.
9. You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.
10. You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up.
11. You know how much he/she weighs before putting him/her on the scale at the doctor's office.
12. You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.
13. You see a 7# newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"
14. Your baby is months old before he can go to the mall.
15. You have never explained why your baby is on an apnea monitor.
16. When someone says how tiny your baby is, you argue that he is huge and to demonstrate you whip out pictures of him from the NICU.
17. You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit.
18. You make people wash their hands before going near your child.
19. You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32 or 34.
20. You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age.
21. You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.
22. You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas.
23. You never take your child for granted.
24. You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away....
25. You know what "RSV" stands for.
26. You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too darn large.
27. Your son/daughter gets a simple cold and her doc sees her within the hour.
28. People say "He CAN"T be ___ old... he's too little!"
29. It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes.
30. You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born at the same weight.
31. You buy "Purell" in bulk.
32. You can stare at your baby for hours when he sleeps.
33. You know about oxygen tanks and regulators more than the company supplying it to the airplanes.