Five Years Ago Today...

Five years ago today, Layne Andrew Miller was born in Peoria, Illinois, weighing in at 5lbs 13oz.  He was 3 weeks early, jaundiced, cone-headed, badly bruised and his first Apgar score was 4.  He was born head first but face up... "sunny side up" they say.  Dada took him off to the nursery so the nurses could watch his oxygen levels more closely and, sure enough, in only a few minutes his Apgar score was 8.  Mama later found out that Layne's posterior position was what had caused all that back labor!  She also learned later that Dada had nearly fainted given the full responsibility of holding his newborn son in a very warm room (i.e. the hospital nursery). 

As a newborn, Layne was very colicky and didn't like to sleep.  Once his Mama discovered the act of swaddling, however, all that changed.  Everyone slept better.  By 16 months, Layne was speaking in full sentences.  His vocabulary was that of a 4-year-old.  He's been talking ever since.

Today Layne is a very intelligent, well-spoken, creative, observant and feisty 5-year-old.  His love of cars and books still remains.  He tells his Mama facts about the solar system that she didn't even know.  He can out-UNO anybody.  Not only are his Mama and Dada surprised by how much Layne has learned over the last 5 years, they are more surprised by how much they have learned from him.