Okay, I'm kind of awake right now because I just gave myself a lot of pain. This is a little embarrassing....I apparently have something between my legs that is connected to me by skin, not tape. I was getting my diaper changed and since my hand was at my side anyway I figured I'd grab a hold of the tube down there and pull on it, just like I pull on my NG tube and my Ventilator tube. Well..well..well, whatever I have between my legs is not a tube and it is NOT MEANT TO BE GRABBED OR PULLED ON!!!! Talk about not breathing. My O2 saturation went from 88 down to the low 40's in a matter of seconds. That is the last time I go exploring!!!!!
My nurse quickly tried to remedy the situation by removing my hand, and in the process, I was so startled that I promptly wet the bed...which then made my new, clean diaper not so new or clean. I think I'm okay now, but talk about a traumatic event!
April 30, 2006
Doing Pretty Good
Hi all, just writing to let you know I had a pretty good night last night and a pretty good day today. I only had a couple of apnic episodes last night, but not as low as I've been known to get from time to time. My nurse Tiffany explained to mommy and me that they don't usually worry too much unless my heart rate starts to drop as well. Mommy and daddy watch that pretty closely and they know that my heart rate is pretty strong and steady these days.
Really my only issue is forgetting to breathe! Mommy says if I say that over and over again, I'll remember. I think mommy's funny! I sucked on my binkie for most of the night last night, and tonight I sucked for a little while, but then Tiffany gave me a mommy juice lollipop.....I'm the luckiest boy in the world! Mommy laughed at me a short while later because I made my first stinky....it was a pretty big smell for such a little boy! My nurse said that it smelled like 24 ozs. so it must be me. Mommy denied that it was her, and daddy wasn't around so we knew it wasn't him. I can't help that I made a stinky.....most times I just get the hiccups which bounce my little body all over the place.
Mommy sometimes worries when I get the hiccups because they do seem to wreak havoc with my little body....but the nurses all assure her that hiccups are common. Mommy just worries because she thinks the hiccups hurt my chest like they hurt hers. I'll have to tell her if they do or do not when I get old enough to talk.
Mommy talked to my cousins Miranda and Tyler, and their mommy, Maria, last night. Miranda was excited because she's doing really good in school. She was also excited to hear about me and she wanted to know how small I was and when I would go home from the hospital. Tyler told mommy that he's getting all A's in school and he has a girlfriend....but then he said that his girlfriend is starting to just become a friend. Tyler assured mommy that I will be healthy and happy by the time I was supposed to be born. Tyler is really smart for his age. He knows that I was born way too early because my due date was in July. He said he knows that I will be fine once July gets here.
Tyler and Miranda live in Arizona with their mommy and daddy. Tyler said that it's been really hot in Arizona lately and they are already swimming in the pool in their backyard. Mommy told Tyler to go swimming for me and her because it's too cold to swim outside in Iowa. Tyler said he would, because he loves to swim! Both Miranda and Tyler swim like little fishies in the swimming pool. Someday, when I get bigger, I'll visit them in Arizona and go swimming in their swimming pool....mommy says that she's going to teach me how to be a little fishie in the water too!!!
Daddy slept on the couch in my room last night and mommy slept in the chair. All three of us got really good sleep. Mommy didn't wake up until 7am!!!! That's really late for her because she's been getting up at 4am or 5am when I get my blood gases. She was pretty tired though. Mommy and daddy had a mommy/daddy date this morning when they went to church. After church they called to check on me and one of my favorite nurses, Holly, said she was babysitting me and I was doing just fine. After hearing that, mommy and daddy went to their apartment for approximately 30 minutes and then picked up some food from the store and came back to me. Our friend Emily came to visit this afternoon. She's still pregnant and thinks it's funny that I will be 4 months old before her baby is born...when in reality, I should have only been 3 weeks old when her baby is scheduled to be born. I'm growing up fast!! By the time Emily's baby is born, I'll be old enough to show her how to live outside her mommy's tummy.
Daddy went shopping this afternoon while mommy and Emily stayed with me. He got more pictures developed for mommy so she could work on my scrapbook, and he bought a mommy's day present. He was so excited that he gave it to mommy today. He said he had to give it to her early because now that I'm here, our family has to do everything early!!! Mommy got a really pretty necklace with a gold heart on it. The heart has little diamonds on it...Mommy thinks it's beautiful! Daddy said he wanted to make sure there were diamonds because I was born in April and that makes me an Aries. Daddy is a little upset that my birthstone is the diamond. He says life is going to be very expensive from now on.
It's getting late and I'm snuggled in my burrito roll becasuse Tiffany is working again. Oh yeah.....I'm getting 12-13 CCs of food every 2.5 hours now. I know it seems like the amount has gone down but it hasn't! I used to get fed 15 CCs every three hours, but I was always throwing a fit 2.5 hours after I ate, because my tummy was empty. Since I can't scream and thrash about like giant babies do, I throw a fit by making my O2 saturation go really low. Well the nurses caught on to my game, and had the doctor change my feedings to every 2.5 hours instead of 3. I haven't thrown a fit all day!!!!!:)
Tiffany measured me and I'm still only 13 inches tall. But she says that my head is bigger, which means I have more brains. Mommy said I'm really really smart for being such a little guy....she has proof in my scrapbook because the doctor printed her a copy of my brain ultrasound. Mommy was bothering Tiffany so she forgot to weigh me, but once mommy falls asleep, Tiffany will weigh me to see if I've gained any weight.
I'm pretty comfortable right now, all snuggled up on my bed. Daddy went home to sleep tonight and he just called my room to see how I'm doing before he drifts off to dream land. Mommy told him that both her and I are getting ready to do the same. Sweet dreams everyone!!!
Really my only issue is forgetting to breathe! Mommy says if I say that over and over again, I'll remember. I think mommy's funny! I sucked on my binkie for most of the night last night, and tonight I sucked for a little while, but then Tiffany gave me a mommy juice lollipop.....I'm the luckiest boy in the world! Mommy laughed at me a short while later because I made my first stinky....it was a pretty big smell for such a little boy! My nurse said that it smelled like 24 ozs. so it must be me. Mommy denied that it was her, and daddy wasn't around so we knew it wasn't him. I can't help that I made a stinky.....most times I just get the hiccups which bounce my little body all over the place.
Mommy sometimes worries when I get the hiccups because they do seem to wreak havoc with my little body....but the nurses all assure her that hiccups are common. Mommy just worries because she thinks the hiccups hurt my chest like they hurt hers. I'll have to tell her if they do or do not when I get old enough to talk.
Mommy talked to my cousins Miranda and Tyler, and their mommy, Maria, last night. Miranda was excited because she's doing really good in school. She was also excited to hear about me and she wanted to know how small I was and when I would go home from the hospital. Tyler told mommy that he's getting all A's in school and he has a girlfriend....but then he said that his girlfriend is starting to just become a friend. Tyler assured mommy that I will be healthy and happy by the time I was supposed to be born. Tyler is really smart for his age. He knows that I was born way too early because my due date was in July. He said he knows that I will be fine once July gets here.
Tyler and Miranda live in Arizona with their mommy and daddy. Tyler said that it's been really hot in Arizona lately and they are already swimming in the pool in their backyard. Mommy told Tyler to go swimming for me and her because it's too cold to swim outside in Iowa. Tyler said he would, because he loves to swim! Both Miranda and Tyler swim like little fishies in the swimming pool. Someday, when I get bigger, I'll visit them in Arizona and go swimming in their swimming pool....mommy says that she's going to teach me how to be a little fishie in the water too!!!
Daddy slept on the couch in my room last night and mommy slept in the chair. All three of us got really good sleep. Mommy didn't wake up until 7am!!!! That's really late for her because she's been getting up at 4am or 5am when I get my blood gases. She was pretty tired though. Mommy and daddy had a mommy/daddy date this morning when they went to church. After church they called to check on me and one of my favorite nurses, Holly, said she was babysitting me and I was doing just fine. After hearing that, mommy and daddy went to their apartment for approximately 30 minutes and then picked up some food from the store and came back to me. Our friend Emily came to visit this afternoon. She's still pregnant and thinks it's funny that I will be 4 months old before her baby is born...when in reality, I should have only been 3 weeks old when her baby is scheduled to be born. I'm growing up fast!! By the time Emily's baby is born, I'll be old enough to show her how to live outside her mommy's tummy.
Daddy went shopping this afternoon while mommy and Emily stayed with me. He got more pictures developed for mommy so she could work on my scrapbook, and he bought a mommy's day present. He was so excited that he gave it to mommy today. He said he had to give it to her early because now that I'm here, our family has to do everything early!!! Mommy got a really pretty necklace with a gold heart on it. The heart has little diamonds on it...Mommy thinks it's beautiful! Daddy said he wanted to make sure there were diamonds because I was born in April and that makes me an Aries. Daddy is a little upset that my birthstone is the diamond. He says life is going to be very expensive from now on.
It's getting late and I'm snuggled in my burrito roll becasuse Tiffany is working again. Oh yeah.....I'm getting 12-13 CCs of food every 2.5 hours now. I know it seems like the amount has gone down but it hasn't! I used to get fed 15 CCs every three hours, but I was always throwing a fit 2.5 hours after I ate, because my tummy was empty. Since I can't scream and thrash about like giant babies do, I throw a fit by making my O2 saturation go really low. Well the nurses caught on to my game, and had the doctor change my feedings to every 2.5 hours instead of 3. I haven't thrown a fit all day!!!!!:)
Tiffany measured me and I'm still only 13 inches tall. But she says that my head is bigger, which means I have more brains. Mommy said I'm really really smart for being such a little guy....she has proof in my scrapbook because the doctor printed her a copy of my brain ultrasound. Mommy was bothering Tiffany so she forgot to weigh me, but once mommy falls asleep, Tiffany will weigh me to see if I've gained any weight.
I'm pretty comfortable right now, all snuggled up on my bed. Daddy went home to sleep tonight and he just called my room to see how I'm doing before he drifts off to dream land. Mommy told him that both her and I are getting ready to do the same. Sweet dreams everyone!!!
April 29, 2006
A New Normal
I'm not really sure, but I think that living in the hospital is becoming a normal way of life for mommy and daddy. Mommy stays with me during the day while daddy works and then when daddy comes home from work, mommy will sometimes run out to do errands. I know mommy and daddy trust the doctors and nurses because the running joke is about how mommy and daddy have hired the most expensive, most highly trained babysitters in the world for me. Daddy likes to tell the nurses that they are the best NICU nurses in the whole world.....but only until their shift is done and then the next nurse who works with me is the best. The same goes for the respiratory therapists, doctors, and nurse practitioners. I think all the staff have heard daddy's line already, but they still laugh everytime he says it.
Joking with the staff seems to make things easier for mommy and daddy. Here I am stuck in my little escape pod, with all these tubes and wires hooked up to me. I know I'm scared, but since I don't know any better I just grab onto the wires and tubes to see what happens. It must be just as scarey for mommy and daddy to see me like this.
Now that I'm gaining weight mommy and daddy are starting to feel more comfortable. I'm eating 60 CCs, or 2 ozs every twelve hours now. What that really means is I can eat up to 15 CCs every three hours. Tomorrow the doctors will up my feedings even more. I should start packing on the pounds before too long. But mommy and daddy still worry because as much is going well with me, I still have to have the tube in my mouth and lungs, and I still scare them by letting my O2 drop really low. I try to explain that I just forgot to breathe for 1 second, but I always get a lecture about how I need to learn to multi-task. Mommy says just because I'm digesting my food, or trying to sleep....I still have to breathe. Gosh, you people have such high expectations of me!!!! Give a little guy a break once in awhile!
The doctors gave me a diuretic called Lasix which is supposed to help my lungs somehow. The first dose didn't seem to help my O2 saturation, but my chest x-ray looked better than usual. That was two days ago, so the doctors decided to try it again. Hopefully it will help with my breathing and I can learn to multi-task so I breathe all the time.....then no more tube!!!!!
I know mommy desperately wants to hear me cry, but I can't because the tube is in the way. I do cry, you just can't hear me. I don't know any other mommys who WANT to hear their baby cry...my mommy is just weird. She says it's the little things that most people take for granted....like my ferocious cry that make her feel comfortable. I bet that once she does hear my cry, she'll wish I wouldn't cry anymore:)
I have Tiffany as a nurse again tonight. She's the awesome nurse who wraps me up tight like a burrito. She has this special way of putting a rolled up blanket underneath me too. I know that my other favorite nurses, Lisa and Holly, roll up a blanket and put it under my hips, but Tiffany puts the blanket length wise so I'm snuggled up on top of it. Really though, all my nurses take great care of me! But, I have to tell you....I think some of my nurses have a crush on me....someone better tell them I'm too young to date!!
I'm eating right now. I just got a mommy juice lollipop and now my tummy is being filled. After I'm done eating, I think I'll drift off into dream land. Mommy put some money down on a house today and she told me that there's a big open vacant lot across the street from the house. My daddy bought me a kite before I was born, so maybe when I get big we can fly my kite in the vacant lot. I'm going to dream about flying a kite tonight! Mommy also told me that if everything goes well, everything will be moved into our new house before I get out of the hospital....that's awesome because that means I don't have to help carry anything!!! YAY FOR ME:)
Maybe it's not so bad being in the hospital.....I mean think about it...I've got girl nurses at my beck and call, I can eat whenever my tummy says it's hungry, I don't have to work and I get to lay around all day...and people think I'm cute! I could get used to this, but I think mommy and daddy might get upset with me. I know they want me to get better so we can leave the hospital, so I'm going to work really hard to grow big and strong...and I promise I won't forget to breathe!!!!
Joking with the staff seems to make things easier for mommy and daddy. Here I am stuck in my little escape pod, with all these tubes and wires hooked up to me. I know I'm scared, but since I don't know any better I just grab onto the wires and tubes to see what happens. It must be just as scarey for mommy and daddy to see me like this.
Now that I'm gaining weight mommy and daddy are starting to feel more comfortable. I'm eating 60 CCs, or 2 ozs every twelve hours now. What that really means is I can eat up to 15 CCs every three hours. Tomorrow the doctors will up my feedings even more. I should start packing on the pounds before too long. But mommy and daddy still worry because as much is going well with me, I still have to have the tube in my mouth and lungs, and I still scare them by letting my O2 drop really low. I try to explain that I just forgot to breathe for 1 second, but I always get a lecture about how I need to learn to multi-task. Mommy says just because I'm digesting my food, or trying to sleep....I still have to breathe. Gosh, you people have such high expectations of me!!!! Give a little guy a break once in awhile!
The doctors gave me a diuretic called Lasix which is supposed to help my lungs somehow. The first dose didn't seem to help my O2 saturation, but my chest x-ray looked better than usual. That was two days ago, so the doctors decided to try it again. Hopefully it will help with my breathing and I can learn to multi-task so I breathe all the time.....then no more tube!!!!!
I know mommy desperately wants to hear me cry, but I can't because the tube is in the way. I do cry, you just can't hear me. I don't know any other mommys who WANT to hear their baby cry...my mommy is just weird. She says it's the little things that most people take for granted....like my ferocious cry that make her feel comfortable. I bet that once she does hear my cry, she'll wish I wouldn't cry anymore:)
I have Tiffany as a nurse again tonight. She's the awesome nurse who wraps me up tight like a burrito. She has this special way of putting a rolled up blanket underneath me too. I know that my other favorite nurses, Lisa and Holly, roll up a blanket and put it under my hips, but Tiffany puts the blanket length wise so I'm snuggled up on top of it. Really though, all my nurses take great care of me! But, I have to tell you....I think some of my nurses have a crush on me....someone better tell them I'm too young to date!!
I'm eating right now. I just got a mommy juice lollipop and now my tummy is being filled. After I'm done eating, I think I'll drift off into dream land. Mommy put some money down on a house today and she told me that there's a big open vacant lot across the street from the house. My daddy bought me a kite before I was born, so maybe when I get big we can fly my kite in the vacant lot. I'm going to dream about flying a kite tonight! Mommy also told me that if everything goes well, everything will be moved into our new house before I get out of the hospital....that's awesome because that means I don't have to help carry anything!!! YAY FOR ME:)
Maybe it's not so bad being in the hospital.....I mean think about it...I've got girl nurses at my beck and call, I can eat whenever my tummy says it's hungry, I don't have to work and I get to lay around all day...and people think I'm cute! I could get used to this, but I think mommy and daddy might get upset with me. I know they want me to get better so we can leave the hospital, so I'm going to work really hard to grow big and strong...and I promise I won't forget to breathe!!!!
April 28, 2006
The Things I Go Through
This picture shows what happens to my cute little face when they re-tape my tubes. I know the nurses do the best they can to get all the old tape off of my face, but they are not always successful. Does that make me look any less cute? Mommy thinks I'm cute no matter what!!:)
Styling In My New Hat
Now you can tell I'm a boy! I'm holding mommy while wearing my new, handmade, blue-for-baby-boy hat...a gift from an unknown admirer (I think it's someone Grandma Hewlitt knows). The hat fits my wonderful little head just perfectly and keeps it oh-so-snuggly-warm!!!:) So far this hat is the only thing that fits perfectly, but I'm trying to gain weight. This morning I weighed 820 grams which equals 1 lb 13 ozs. Then at 8pm, I got weighed again after holding mommy. And guess what?????? I gained 30 grams so now I'm 1 lb 14 ozs. If I keep eating as much as I have been, I might weigh two pounds by my three week birthday (that's Monday in case you didn't know). I'm going to be big like daddy before too long!!!
A relatively uneventful day
Today I didn't really do much, except eat and rest. I did get a blood transfusion....a whole 12 CCs of blood to make up for what they take out of me for blood gases. That's less than I eat in a three hour period! I'm eating 14 CCs every three hours now and I'm lovin' it!
Janelle and her husband, John, came by to say hi to me before they left to go Ames, Iowa for a concert. They told mommy they are having a mommy/daddy date. My mommy and daddy do that sometimes, but never for the whole night. I think it's because they'd miss me way too much!
Grandpa Hewlitt came to see me again today. He went looking for houses in Cedar Rapids for me to live in when I get out of the hospital. He looked at one house and then, once daddy came home from work, Grandpa Hewlitt and mommy went and looked at more houses. Daddy and I stayed here and had some male bonding time while mommy was gone. Grandpa Hewlitt and mommy looked at a really nice, little house that Grandpa Hewlitt says would be perfect for me. We were all going to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.
After I ate dinner, I got to hold mommy....and I wore my new hat!!! Daddy took pictures of me in my new hat. Then after I held mommy I got put back in bed and repositioned a million times. I had three nurses working on me because I'm such a tough little guy. They decided to re-tape my Ventilator Tube and my NG tube...because the tubes looked like they might fall out of me. I decided I really don't like tape all over me....The nurses tried really hard to get all the old tape off, but it's hard to do that when I'm being a squirmy worm. I have a secret....the nurses have this stuff that they rub on the tape and it comes off without hurting me...it's a good thing they use that stuff on me, or I'd beat them up!!!
I have a new nurse tonight....her name is Michelle and she keeps coming into my room everytime my O2 sat dips a little. Mommy tried to tell her to give it a second before coming in because I usually go right back up to normal, but Michelle has not worked with me before. She'll learn tonight and tomorrow when she comes back, she'll be on to my game....I like to make the nurses get exercise!!!:)
Daddy is sleeping on the couch right now. I'm kind of sad because he has to go to work tomorrow.....Saturdays and Sundays are my daddy days! But, he told me that lots of people skipped work today, so they didn't get a lot of windows made. He says that his bosses want to see if they can make enough windows this weekend to make up for today. I love my daddy so much, because he's a really hard worker...he doesn't skip work ever. The only times he has missed work have been because of me....because I'm his favorite little person!!!
I suppose I should stop pestering Michelle and get some sleep. Have a good night:)
Janelle and her husband, John, came by to say hi to me before they left to go Ames, Iowa for a concert. They told mommy they are having a mommy/daddy date. My mommy and daddy do that sometimes, but never for the whole night. I think it's because they'd miss me way too much!
Grandpa Hewlitt came to see me again today. He went looking for houses in Cedar Rapids for me to live in when I get out of the hospital. He looked at one house and then, once daddy came home from work, Grandpa Hewlitt and mommy went and looked at more houses. Daddy and I stayed here and had some male bonding time while mommy was gone. Grandpa Hewlitt and mommy looked at a really nice, little house that Grandpa Hewlitt says would be perfect for me. We were all going to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.
After I ate dinner, I got to hold mommy....and I wore my new hat!!! Daddy took pictures of me in my new hat. Then after I held mommy I got put back in bed and repositioned a million times. I had three nurses working on me because I'm such a tough little guy. They decided to re-tape my Ventilator Tube and my NG tube...because the tubes looked like they might fall out of me. I decided I really don't like tape all over me....The nurses tried really hard to get all the old tape off, but it's hard to do that when I'm being a squirmy worm. I have a secret....the nurses have this stuff that they rub on the tape and it comes off without hurting me...it's a good thing they use that stuff on me, or I'd beat them up!!!
I have a new nurse tonight....her name is Michelle and she keeps coming into my room everytime my O2 sat dips a little. Mommy tried to tell her to give it a second before coming in because I usually go right back up to normal, but Michelle has not worked with me before. She'll learn tonight and tomorrow when she comes back, she'll be on to my game....I like to make the nurses get exercise!!!:)
Daddy is sleeping on the couch right now. I'm kind of sad because he has to go to work tomorrow.....Saturdays and Sundays are my daddy days! But, he told me that lots of people skipped work today, so they didn't get a lot of windows made. He says that his bosses want to see if they can make enough windows this weekend to make up for today. I love my daddy so much, because he's a really hard worker...he doesn't skip work ever. The only times he has missed work have been because of me....because I'm his favorite little person!!!
I suppose I should stop pestering Michelle and get some sleep. Have a good night:)
April 27, 2006
I'm on strike...No More Needles!!!
Okay, I'm not really on strike. I'm just excited because my PIC Line was taken out today. It turns out that I'm eating so much of mommy's juice that the doctors don't think I need anymore of the TPN, or Total Parenteral Nutrition, Solution. That's the IV nutrition they were giving me when I was too little to eat mommy's juice. And once I did start eating I couldn't eat a lot at one time so I still got some TPN. The doctors would lower the TPN dosage every day that they increased my mommy juice CCs. Now that I am eating between 45 and 51 CCs every twelve hours, they think I'm a big enough boy to not have TPN anymore. They did warn mommy and daddy that they may have to put my PIC Line back in me sometime in the future, but they didn't want it to get infected while they were not using it, so it came out. Now if they would only stop poking my heels, I would be all done with needles!!
I'm eating really good, but I am getting a sodium supplement added to mommy's juice. The doctors say it's nothing wrong with mommy's juice, I just need a little extra salt. It's too bad daddy's don't make daddy juice because I know my daddy has a lot of salt in his body....he adds salt and pepper to almost everything he eats!
Also today, they started adding something called a preemie fortifier to mommy's juice as well. Apparently anyone that's small like me, (and some bigger babies) get this to make sure they grow up big and strong. I'm already strong, but I'm not big yet!!!
Mommy and daddy's friend Janelle came to visit for a little while today. She got to see me, mommy, and Grandma Orr. Grandma Orr got to see me open my eyes for the first time today (last time she came to visit I was sleeping with them closed). She was so excited...she almost cried! Janelle saw me open my eyes too, she sat next to me and talked to me while mommy visited with Grandma Orr. It was a good time. But then Mommy started getting tired so Grandma Orr and Janelle told mommy they were going to leave so that she could take a nap. And guess what...mommy actually took a nap!!! Mommy fell right asleep and when she woke up she found out that she missed the family rounds. She forgot it was already Thursday. When she walked out into the hallway, the doctors and nurses were discussing me. Mommy apologized and everyone told her that she was sleeping so good, they didn't want to bother her.
Today, Grandma Hewlitt and Anita (a long time family friend) came to visit me. Anita said her husband was jealous because he didn't get to come visit. I told Anita he could come next time:) I got a new hat for my head. Grandma Hewlitt said she was going to make a hat for me, but someone else asked if they could make it instead. My new hat is blue and it is just the right size!!! I wore it all afternoon but then it got too hot on my head so I had the nurse take it off for a bit. I'll wear it again so mommy and daddy can take a picture of me in my new hat!!!
Anita brought me some clothes and bibs. The doctors say I'm still too little to wear clothes...I think they just like to see my naked manly muscles. Also, I don't get to use the bibs yet, because it's really easy to be a clean eater when your food goes into your tummy....through your nose! Maybe when I get to eat with my mouth I'll get to wear one or two bibs at a time:) Anita told mommy to save them for when I get out of the hospital. Anita also brought me a frame for my little hand print and foot print. Most babies would only be able to fit one foot and one hand in the space provided, but since I'm just that amazingly tiny, both my hand prints and foot prints fit perfectly into the frame:)
I opened my eyes for both Grandma Hewlitt and Anita. They couldn't get enough of me....I'm so beautiful. My fingers amazed them since they are so perfect, and they both laughed because the nurse layed a stuffed animal on top of me to stop me from moving. The nurses do that sometimes because I squirm too much!!! Mommy visited with Anita and Grandma Hewlitt for a little bit, then daddy came home and he visited too. After awhile Grandma Hewlitt and Anita had to leave because Grandma Hewlitt had to work the evening shift tonight.
Now it's just mommy, daddy, and me....daddy already fell asleep because he worked very hard today. Mommy and I are really tired too, but I just ate so I'll be up digesting my food until it's all gone. Mommy already read me my bedtime story so I'm ready to sleep when I'm done digesting!!
Good night:)
I'm eating really good, but I am getting a sodium supplement added to mommy's juice. The doctors say it's nothing wrong with mommy's juice, I just need a little extra salt. It's too bad daddy's don't make daddy juice because I know my daddy has a lot of salt in his body....he adds salt and pepper to almost everything he eats!
Also today, they started adding something called a preemie fortifier to mommy's juice as well. Apparently anyone that's small like me, (and some bigger babies) get this to make sure they grow up big and strong. I'm already strong, but I'm not big yet!!!
Mommy and daddy's friend Janelle came to visit for a little while today. She got to see me, mommy, and Grandma Orr. Grandma Orr got to see me open my eyes for the first time today (last time she came to visit I was sleeping with them closed). She was so excited...she almost cried! Janelle saw me open my eyes too, she sat next to me and talked to me while mommy visited with Grandma Orr. It was a good time. But then Mommy started getting tired so Grandma Orr and Janelle told mommy they were going to leave so that she could take a nap. And guess what...mommy actually took a nap!!! Mommy fell right asleep and when she woke up she found out that she missed the family rounds. She forgot it was already Thursday. When she walked out into the hallway, the doctors and nurses were discussing me. Mommy apologized and everyone told her that she was sleeping so good, they didn't want to bother her.
Today, Grandma Hewlitt and Anita (a long time family friend) came to visit me. Anita said her husband was jealous because he didn't get to come visit. I told Anita he could come next time:) I got a new hat for my head. Grandma Hewlitt said she was going to make a hat for me, but someone else asked if they could make it instead. My new hat is blue and it is just the right size!!! I wore it all afternoon but then it got too hot on my head so I had the nurse take it off for a bit. I'll wear it again so mommy and daddy can take a picture of me in my new hat!!!
Anita brought me some clothes and bibs. The doctors say I'm still too little to wear clothes...I think they just like to see my naked manly muscles. Also, I don't get to use the bibs yet, because it's really easy to be a clean eater when your food goes into your tummy....through your nose! Maybe when I get to eat with my mouth I'll get to wear one or two bibs at a time:) Anita told mommy to save them for when I get out of the hospital. Anita also brought me a frame for my little hand print and foot print. Most babies would only be able to fit one foot and one hand in the space provided, but since I'm just that amazingly tiny, both my hand prints and foot prints fit perfectly into the frame:)
I opened my eyes for both Grandma Hewlitt and Anita. They couldn't get enough of me....I'm so beautiful. My fingers amazed them since they are so perfect, and they both laughed because the nurse layed a stuffed animal on top of me to stop me from moving. The nurses do that sometimes because I squirm too much!!! Mommy visited with Anita and Grandma Hewlitt for a little bit, then daddy came home and he visited too. After awhile Grandma Hewlitt and Anita had to leave because Grandma Hewlitt had to work the evening shift tonight.
Now it's just mommy, daddy, and me....daddy already fell asleep because he worked very hard today. Mommy and I are really tired too, but I just ate so I'll be up digesting my food until it's all gone. Mommy already read me my bedtime story so I'm ready to sleep when I'm done digesting!!
Good night:)
April 26, 2006
Mommy Please.........make her stop
This picture was taken at the end of my bath. I had just been rolled to my side by the nurse and she was in the process of telling mommy she was going to roll me again to my tummy. I really just wanted to be left a lone by that time so I was pleading with mommy, using only my eyes since I can't talk, to have her tell the nurse to stop. Mommy did try to stop the nurse, but the nurse turned me anyways, which turned out to be okay because I sometimes like sleeping on my tummy.
Sqeaky Clean
Hello everyone, I trust you are having a good evening. I've had a long and very busy day. Mommy and I were hoping that it would be a quiet and lazy day, but things kept needing to be done.
First let me tell you about this picture. I got my very first bath today, as I talked about earlier. Anyway, mommy liked this picture because it shows my big strong leg muscles....daddy likes to talk like Arnold Schwartzenagger and remind mommy that I got steriods when I was still inside of her. He thinks that instead of helping my lungs grow stronger, the steriods all went to my legs. I think it's just because both mommy and daddy have muscular legs and I inherited them. It also looks like I'm starting to inherit mommy's tummy too...but it's only because I have daddy's appetite!
Okay, back to my day. Me and mommy had to wake up early because my lab work showed that my Sodium level was low. This worried mommy because my Sodium has been perfect up until today. She started feeling guilty that her mommy juice wasn't good enough but the doctor told her that her juice is very good for me, and most preemie babies tend to run low on Sodium because of how hard their little bodies are working....and I told mommy that I'm working very hard!!! To fix my sodium problem, the nurse gave me a sodium suplement with my next feeding. It did the trick because my evening labs were just fine (fine for me that is).
Next, mommy and I were visited by the Developmental Specialist who wanted to introduce mommy and I to someone else who works in the hospital. They wanted to see the scrapbook that mommy is making, and then they wanted to see this website...Mommy and I are still not really sure why they visited. But Mommy did ask when we would get a copy of my last Developmental Evaluation and the specialist said she would hurry up and finish it so we could have it. She brought it to us a couple hours later...My manly muscles must have scared her into action:)
Around lunch time mommy and I were just hiding in the room working on the scrapbook when some strange people came knocking on the door. The nurse talked to the people first and then asked mommy if she would let me get my picture taken. Mommy told the nurse that she and daddy take my picture all the time. The nurse explained to mommy that the bed that I sleep in...they call it a Giraffe Omni Bed (daddy calls it a Vaginal Escape Pod)....is a special bed for the tiniest babies and the hospital is making a brochure to show how great these beds are. These strange people wanted to take lots of pictures of the bed, but they wanted a baby in it and since I'm the tiniest baby in the hospital....and the only one sleeping in the Giraffe thing, they wanted me in the pictures too. Mommy and I discussed it and decided that we had one condition.....Mommy gets a copy of the pictures that the strange people take. We thought this was a pretty good condition because most of the pictures mommy and daddy take have to be through the plexy glass of the Giraffe, where as the strange people were important people who would get to open up the bed, and turn on the lights, to get the best picture possible. Plus the one strange guy had a huge camera that puts mommy's camera to shame, and lots of professional looking lights!!!!
The strange people agreed to give mommy a copy of all the pictures, and to make sure she had a copy of the brochure once it was printed. The woman took down all mommy's information, the man took pictures of me, and another man stood in the back to make sure everything was done right....I think he thought he was the boss...Little did he know that I AM IN CHARGE!:) It was like I was a model in a real photo shoot and when I got tired, I let them know by making all my machine alarms beep. The man who thought he was in charge told everyone to pack it up and let me rest...see, I really am in charge. Mommy was told the brochure would come out in May or June and the brochure and pictures would be sent to the apartment. Mommy said they could send everything to the hospital since mommy and daddy have basically moved in with me.
Just as the strange people were packing up their equipment stuff, the social worker came to talk with mommy. The hospital people are really worried that mommy and daddy will start being depressed and sad. How could they be sad when they have me?????
Anyway, the social worker wanted to know how mommy was doing and when she thought she would be back at work. Mommy explained that she had a doctor's appointment tomorrow and would know more then. The social worker suggested mommy work half days if she can go back, but mommy explained that income wise, she needed to work full days. Also, mommy thinks she wants to go back to work soon so that she can save as much time off for when I get out of the hospital. The social worker agreed that saving time off for when I'm out is a good idea, but not to try too hard because she still had some healing to do. I guess when I was taken out of mommy they had to cut her tummy open....I bet that didn't feel very good...but mommy doesn't complain about her tummy because she's too busy paying attention to me!:) Mommy finally told the social worker that it's really not up to mommy. Her job is not a job where you can work half days and actually accomplish anything...plus it's up to mommy's doctor when she goes back, not mommy.
After the social worker left mommy and I had a heart to heart talk. I asked mommy if I would still get to see her when she went back to work and she promised me that she would stay with me all the time when she wasn't at work. She even said she would still sleep in my room. I really have the best parents because daddy has been sleeping in my room too, even though he has to wake up really early for work. Mommy says it's because he sleeps better when he's close to me.
I've decided that to reward my mommy and daddy I'm going to work very hard not to have my alarms go off all during the night. Okay, so I decided to be good after I had an apnic spell this evening. I was doing great all day with everything that was going on. After the social worker left I got to rest some, and then eat. I had a really, really big bowel movement too. The nurse told mommy and daddy that when she checked my diaper, (mommy and daddy ran to get some dinner) I was in the process of going and almost exploded on her. Daddy thought that was funny! Then, after I was all done eating and going to the bathroom, I got my bath. The sponge bath wasn't that bad. Daddy took pictures while the nurse and mommy sponged me off. I didn't really like the cotton balls or the water on me so I squirmed a lot! The nurse then stuck all the monitor leads back on me, in different places to give my arms a rest, but I was tired of all the moving at that point and kept looking at mommy with pleading eyes to have the bath stop. The nurse told mommy and daddy that once I'm off the ventilator I can have a real bath and I will like that much better. The nurse finally let me rest and I drifted off into a blissful sleep. Unfortunately, it was too blissful of a sleep because the night nurse had to poke and prod and rub me to get me to start breathing again. Sometimes it's just too hard to sleep, look cute, and breathe at the same time...talk about multi-tasking!!!!!
I spose I should try and get more sleep now. Grandma Hewlitt is coming tomorrow and bringing a friend of the family. Her name is Anita and mommy has known her all her life, but I haven't met her yet.
Have a good night!
Daddys Ring,
Today I was having my very first bath ever and daddy was taking lots of pictures while mommy was washing me. Well a little bit into my bath the nurse asked mommy and daddy if they wanted a picture of daddys ring on my arm, I wasn't sure what a ring is but it turned out to be a little shiny metal circle. Mommy and Daddy both said sure if it will fit that sounds good, so daddy took off his ring and the nurse put this thing that had been around daddys finger over my hand and all the way up my arm to my bicep!! Well let me tell ya I was pretty impressed with it even though it was cold I thought that I did a good job getting it that far up my arm but then I opened my eyes and saw my daddy and he looked awful scared like the first night I was in the big people world. I didn't really know why till later when he told mommy that if I ever was a soldier or mountain climber or skydiver he was gonna make wear that ring around my neck on a chain and carry that picture with me so I would always remember how small and fragile I was and how much that scared mommy and daddy. Sometimes I think my parents are silly but I know that they love me and just want me to grow up to be big and strong one day. And one day I will be a mountain climbing skydiving soldier, or maybe I could just be an NICU doctor or nurse so I could help other little babies like I was when I was small. Anyway I got a long time to plan a career hey as it is now I'm still a professional student of the art of breathing outside of mommys uterus!!!
April 25, 2006
Poster Child For Kangaroo Care
Okay, so now I'm all back snuggled in a clean, freshly made bed. But it isn't the same as being able to hold mommy and daddy. I wish I could stay on them for all times! The two nurses and the respiratory therapist who assisted in moving me from the bed to daddy all told mommy and daddy that I should be named "The Poster Child For Kangaroo Care". Apparently, they are impressed with how well I do. However, once I am returned to my bed I don't always do so well. The nurses say that is because I love mommy and daddy so much that no ordinary bed is going to keep me satisfied. It's too bad the doctors won't order Kangaroo Care 24 hours a day, I think I would have an easy time of talking mommy and daddy into letting me hold them all the time.
It's really hard to believe that daddy was skeptical of Kangaroo Care in the beginning. He didn't believe that the benefits outweighed the risks. Now...even though he still has some questions and concerns, he seems to be on board with me holding him. I know he loves having me hold him and he did say that he can feel my strength when I'm on him. Mommy keeps telling him that I'm a fighter.....someday I'll beat him up just to prove it!!!!!:)
Tomorrow I might get a bath. It won't be a real bath.....I'm too little for that. But the nurse said she might give me a sponge bath. I haven't had a bath since I was in mommy's tummy, but mommy insists that I still smell wonderful. She says my smell is the "new baby smell", just like a new car. I must smell pretty good because mommy doesn't even mind when she has to change my dirty diapers. Maybe my poopy doesn't stink either!! Anyway, it won't be a real sponge bath. Apparently they don't sell sponges in my size, so the nurse will have to use warm water and cotton balls. Mommy says that when I dry off I'll be covered in white fuzz from the cotton balls because they always fall apart when wet. We'll see, I'm pretty sure the nurse has given more than her fair share of baths....I have faith that she knows what she's doing.
Sat Master
My daddy says I'm sometimes a "Sat Master". He only calls me that when I show him I can breathe enough to make my O2 saturation sit at 100%. I'm holding daddy right now and I'm sating 100% because he likes it when I do that. I've been sitting on daddy's chest holding him since about 3:30pm this afternoon and I'm not moving until 7:45pm this evening. I ate on daddy and I got a diaper change on daddy. It's amazing how when daddy puts his hand on my back and behind, he makes me so warm and comfortable that I just feel the need to poop. Mommy couldn't stop laughing about it.
So I'm comfortably full with 11 CCs in my tummy for this three hours, my bottom is clean and my daddy snuggles me in so I stay really warm. I love this feeling!!!!!
Daddy has been telling me stories all afternoon. He told me about my great-grandpa being in the military, and then he told me about my Grandpa Dicker who fought in the Korean War. Daddy has said a few times since I was hatched that he wasn't going to let me be in the military or be in sports because I'm so tiny and weak. But today he feels my little body on his and he knows I'm a tough little fighter. He told me that if I promise to grow big and get more tough, he'll let me join the Army. He says it has to be the Army because he'll beat me up if I join the Navy. I don't really get it, but daddy was in the Army, so I assume he wants me to follow in his footsteps...just like he followed in his daddy's footsteps! My grandpa fought in a war, he's awesome!
Daddy also told me about mommy's family. He says they are all Canadians because they live in Canada. Daddy told me that Canadians play lots of hockey and are really good at it. Daddy doesn't want me to be a hockey player because he's afraid I'll get my teeth knocked out. My Grandpa Hewlitt played hockey when he was in school. He was a goalie and he's not missing any teeth.
Speaking of my Grandpa Dicker and Grandpa Hewlitt....I got to see them both today. Grandpa Dicker came up with Grandma Orr this morning and visited with me and mommy. Grandma Orr was so excited because I showed her how I've been practicing opening my eyes. They come to visit me almost every day because they live just down the road. I'm always happy to see them!! Mommy said there's been a lot of testosterone in my room today, more than usual.
Grandpa Hewlitt, or Grandpa Bob as I like to call him, called mommy this afternoon and asked if he could come and visit me. Grandpa Bob doesn't get to come and visit as often as Grandma Hewlitt does because he's always making things out of wood, so it's exciting when he comes to visit me! He really wanted to see me with my eyes open. I made sure when he got here that I opened them as wide as I could, but that wasn't very wide because I'm so little. I love it when Grandma Hewlitt comes too...she always brings a friend with her. She had to work today though, she's not retired like Grandpa Bob. She'll be here on Thursday:) And I will get all her attention!!!
Okay, the nurse is making me stop holding daddy now so I have to go for awhile. I've had a good day and we're all hoping I continue doing well....more later:)
So I'm comfortably full with 11 CCs in my tummy for this three hours, my bottom is clean and my daddy snuggles me in so I stay really warm. I love this feeling!!!!!
Daddy has been telling me stories all afternoon. He told me about my great-grandpa being in the military, and then he told me about my Grandpa Dicker who fought in the Korean War. Daddy has said a few times since I was hatched that he wasn't going to let me be in the military or be in sports because I'm so tiny and weak. But today he feels my little body on his and he knows I'm a tough little fighter. He told me that if I promise to grow big and get more tough, he'll let me join the Army. He says it has to be the Army because he'll beat me up if I join the Navy. I don't really get it, but daddy was in the Army, so I assume he wants me to follow in his footsteps...just like he followed in his daddy's footsteps! My grandpa fought in a war, he's awesome!
Daddy also told me about mommy's family. He says they are all Canadians because they live in Canada. Daddy told me that Canadians play lots of hockey and are really good at it. Daddy doesn't want me to be a hockey player because he's afraid I'll get my teeth knocked out. My Grandpa Hewlitt played hockey when he was in school. He was a goalie and he's not missing any teeth.
Speaking of my Grandpa Dicker and Grandpa Hewlitt....I got to see them both today. Grandpa Dicker came up with Grandma Orr this morning and visited with me and mommy. Grandma Orr was so excited because I showed her how I've been practicing opening my eyes. They come to visit me almost every day because they live just down the road. I'm always happy to see them!! Mommy said there's been a lot of testosterone in my room today, more than usual.
Grandpa Hewlitt, or Grandpa Bob as I like to call him, called mommy this afternoon and asked if he could come and visit me. Grandpa Bob doesn't get to come and visit as often as Grandma Hewlitt does because he's always making things out of wood, so it's exciting when he comes to visit me! He really wanted to see me with my eyes open. I made sure when he got here that I opened them as wide as I could, but that wasn't very wide because I'm so little. I love it when Grandma Hewlitt comes too...she always brings a friend with her. She had to work today though, she's not retired like Grandpa Bob. She'll be here on Thursday:) And I will get all her attention!!!
Okay, the nurse is making me stop holding daddy now so I have to go for awhile. I've had a good day and we're all hoping I continue doing well....more later:)
April 24, 2006
Jeepers Creepers, Where'd You Get Those Peepers
This is the look that makes my mommy melt! She is putty in my hands:)
I practiced all day keeping my eyes open because Grandma Hewlitt is coming to visit on Thursday and I want to be able to open them wide for her. Grandma Hewlitt is a little more difficult to please, so half open eyes aren't going to cut it....I need to open them wide so she melts too!!!!!!!!!! Eat your heart out men, I'm a true lady's man! :)
Burrito Roll
This is the kind of situating and covering up that the nurses do that got daddy calling me a burrito. There are days where I like to be on my back with no covers anywhere near me...that way I can spread myself out wide and kick my feet.
But then there are days where I like to feel as tightly snuggled up as possible. On those days I only ever like to have my little fingers showing from underneath the blanket, and that's only because I rest my head on my hand. Lately I've been more prone to be want to be bundled up like a burrito, rather than free-flying! Besides, the nurses told mommy and daddy that I desat less on my tummy, and I am able to better digest my food on my tummy.
Happy 2 week birthday to me!
I turned 2 weeks old today. It was a pretty good birthday if you ask me. Mommy, daddy, and I seem to be getting used to the whole "being in the hospital" feeling. Mommy and daddy are getting more sleep and are trying to remain calm and relaxed. Today I got another developmental evaluation and the specialist told mommy and daddy that they seem to know my likes and dislikes really well. She was really impressed with how daddy changed my diaper and contained me while the nurse messed with me. And she kept asking mommy and daddy about my cares and I gotta tell ya, I was impressed too because mommy and daddy are beginning to understand all the machines and what all the numbers mean. Mommy and daddy are the best parents in the world for me....and they are only for me, so you can't have them!!!!
My Grandma Orr came to visit me today, she was so excited that my eyes were open!!! She took a CD with her that has a whole bunch of pictures of me on it. She's gonna get them printed out for herself and mommy. Mommy has been trying to make me a scrap book, but she says it's a lot more tough than it looks. She only says that because she doesn't have any fashion sense and in order to scrap book you have to match colors and designs together. I promised her I would love the scrap book no matter how silly it looked.....I also promised not to laugh, but I might not be able to keep that promise!
One of mommy's co-workers came to visit briefly today. She wanted to peek at me so daddy let her see me because mommy was in the shower. Mommy's boss also came to see me today. Well actually, she needed to pick up a letter from mommy for work, but she got to see me too because I was out of my bed and holding mommy at the time.
Mommy and daddy's realtor showed up to pick up some paperwork so she could help out by taking it to the bank. The day mommy went into the hospital, she was supposed to meet with the banker to get approved for a home loan. Unfortunately that got put on hold since I decided to grace the world with my presence a lot too early! Mommy is going to meet with the banker after daddy gets off work on Wednesday to sign all the paperwork, and then Grandpa Hewlitt is gonna look at some houses for mommy and daddy so they can stay at the hospital as much as possible. Grandpa Hewlitt is smart with houses, he knows what things can be fixed and what things will always be broken unless you pay lots and lots of money. Plus, he's retired now and needs stuff to do sometimes so he doesn't get bored.
The house hunt is really on because daddy doesn't want me to have to crawl up and down three flights of stairs to the small one bedroom apartment that mommy and daddy have now...daddy thinks I'll get too tired and fall asleep somewhere on the stairs and then get stepped on by a neighbor. I think that might hurt some!
So anyway, back to my day. Mommy and I held each other for almost 3 hours today and I was a wiggly worm the whole time. Mommy kept laughing because I was tickling her skin with my fingers. Then I burped on her. It wasn't my fault, but I got mommy really good with mommy juice!!! The nurse gave me a mommy juice lollipop...she re-soaked it in mommy's juice three times...so I got to suck a lot out of the lollipop (usually I just get one soak). Then right after that, the nurse fed me 10 CCs of mommy's juice through my NG tube. I finished it all, but my tummy was really full and I had to burp. It was such a big burp that mommy felt my whole little body move and then all the sudden she had mommy juice streaming down her neck. It was only the stuff that I was sucking on in my mouth so it wasn't that much, but mommy said it was really cold and wet!!! That was my first burp in the real world...I bet I will be able to do better burps than daddy does someday!
Well, I should go because mommy wants to see my eyes open more. I just wanted to let all of you wonderful people who care about me know that I made some progress! I Love you!
The doctors keep working to ween me off the ventilator, and I'm tolerating their changes most of the time. My doctor told daddy today that mommy and daddy should look at me as an athelete. In my case, I'm not running a sprint to the finish-line, I'm running a long marathon where I need to conserve my energy and pace myself. My doctor likes putting everything into perspective...He's silly like that! But, he agrees with mommy that I'm the cutest baby in the whole world, so I'll keep him around:)
My Grandma Orr came to visit me today, she was so excited that my eyes were open!!! She took a CD with her that has a whole bunch of pictures of me on it. She's gonna get them printed out for herself and mommy. Mommy has been trying to make me a scrap book, but she says it's a lot more tough than it looks. She only says that because she doesn't have any fashion sense and in order to scrap book you have to match colors and designs together. I promised her I would love the scrap book no matter how silly it looked.....I also promised not to laugh, but I might not be able to keep that promise!
One of mommy's co-workers came to visit briefly today. She wanted to peek at me so daddy let her see me because mommy was in the shower. Mommy's boss also came to see me today. Well actually, she needed to pick up a letter from mommy for work, but she got to see me too because I was out of my bed and holding mommy at the time.
Mommy and daddy's realtor showed up to pick up some paperwork so she could help out by taking it to the bank. The day mommy went into the hospital, she was supposed to meet with the banker to get approved for a home loan. Unfortunately that got put on hold since I decided to grace the world with my presence a lot too early! Mommy is going to meet with the banker after daddy gets off work on Wednesday to sign all the paperwork, and then Grandpa Hewlitt is gonna look at some houses for mommy and daddy so they can stay at the hospital as much as possible. Grandpa Hewlitt is smart with houses, he knows what things can be fixed and what things will always be broken unless you pay lots and lots of money. Plus, he's retired now and needs stuff to do sometimes so he doesn't get bored.
The house hunt is really on because daddy doesn't want me to have to crawl up and down three flights of stairs to the small one bedroom apartment that mommy and daddy have now...daddy thinks I'll get too tired and fall asleep somewhere on the stairs and then get stepped on by a neighbor. I think that might hurt some!
So anyway, back to my day. Mommy and I held each other for almost 3 hours today and I was a wiggly worm the whole time. Mommy kept laughing because I was tickling her skin with my fingers. Then I burped on her. It wasn't my fault, but I got mommy really good with mommy juice!!! The nurse gave me a mommy juice lollipop...she re-soaked it in mommy's juice three times...so I got to suck a lot out of the lollipop (usually I just get one soak). Then right after that, the nurse fed me 10 CCs of mommy's juice through my NG tube. I finished it all, but my tummy was really full and I had to burp. It was such a big burp that mommy felt my whole little body move and then all the sudden she had mommy juice streaming down her neck. It was only the stuff that I was sucking on in my mouth so it wasn't that much, but mommy said it was really cold and wet!!! That was my first burp in the real world...I bet I will be able to do better burps than daddy does someday!
Well, I should go because mommy wants to see my eyes open more. I just wanted to let all of you wonderful people who care about me know that I made some progress! I Love you!
The doctors keep working to ween me off the ventilator, and I'm tolerating their changes most of the time. My doctor told daddy today that mommy and daddy should look at me as an athelete. In my case, I'm not running a sprint to the finish-line, I'm running a long marathon where I need to conserve my energy and pace myself. My doctor likes putting everything into perspective...He's silly like that! But, he agrees with mommy that I'm the cutest baby in the whole world, so I'll keep him around:)
Aunt Ocho came to see me!!!!!!!
Aunt Ocho came and saw me on sunday, man was it ever nice to have a full grown preemie to talk to! We spent hours talking and posing for pictures. It turns out that she realy does still speak some preemie still. She is definitely going to be my favorite aunt ever! Of course i havent met any of the others yet so that may be an early prediction.
Peek-A-Boo...I See You!
I SAW MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!! This morning at 5:45am I opened my eyes and saw my mommy. She doesn't look so good when it's so early in the morning. I only have the strength to open my eyes briefly, but it was enough to melt mommy's heart....so then I opened them again just to see her melt one more time!
After Mommy recovered, she called daddy at work and told him. Daddy was one of only a few guys there so early. Daddy wasn't as excited as mommy was, but that's only because he hasn't seen me open them....I'm even more cute with my eyes open. He showed up at the hospital 20 minutes later though, much to our surprise, and he was very excited to see that I opened my eyes for him too!!!!!
Tiffany, my nurse just put some Erythromyacin in my eyes to prevent infection so now all the world is more blurry than it was 5 minutes ago. But it's okay, cuz I can still open my eyes!!!!:)
I had a pretty good night. Tiffany got me all comfy in the Burrito roll and I held my 02 sats up in the 90's for most of the night. I think I only had one apnic episode, and it was a quick one so I got some good rest. My blood gases this morning looked exactly like last night's blood gas, which were pretty good too. Now I have to have a chest x-ray in a few minutes, so I'll desat a little bit because I don't like radiation!!!!!
I'm eating really really good these days. It's hard to believe I started getting 1 CC of food every three hours just last week. Do you know that I've done so well eating mommy's juice that I'm now getting 9 or 10 CCs every three hours? The way the doctor wrote the order is that in a 12 hour period I can have 36-40 CCs of mommy's juice, depending on what's left in my tummy! Well I've been doing really great because I don't have anything left in my tummy when they check me before my next feeding. And sometimes I throw a fit after 2.5 hours because my tummy is empty and I want to eat more!!!! I like to make life difficult for my nurses! Mommy says she doesn't know where I put it all!!! But then daddy laughs at mommy and reminds her that 10 CCs is really only 2 teaspoons of food. Mommy says she knows that, but I'm only 1 lb and 12 oz. so 2 teaspoons every three hours is A LOT OF FOOD!!!!!
P.S. Mommy is working on getting some new pics on here, but the dial-up connection was kicking her off last night. She'll keep trying! But just so you know, she's been too busy lookin at me to get a picture with my eyes open yet.
After Mommy recovered, she called daddy at work and told him. Daddy was one of only a few guys there so early. Daddy wasn't as excited as mommy was, but that's only because he hasn't seen me open them....I'm even more cute with my eyes open. He showed up at the hospital 20 minutes later though, much to our surprise, and he was very excited to see that I opened my eyes for him too!!!!!
Tiffany, my nurse just put some Erythromyacin in my eyes to prevent infection so now all the world is more blurry than it was 5 minutes ago. But it's okay, cuz I can still open my eyes!!!!:)
I had a pretty good night. Tiffany got me all comfy in the Burrito roll and I held my 02 sats up in the 90's for most of the night. I think I only had one apnic episode, and it was a quick one so I got some good rest. My blood gases this morning looked exactly like last night's blood gas, which were pretty good too. Now I have to have a chest x-ray in a few minutes, so I'll desat a little bit because I don't like radiation!!!!!
I'm eating really really good these days. It's hard to believe I started getting 1 CC of food every three hours just last week. Do you know that I've done so well eating mommy's juice that I'm now getting 9 or 10 CCs every three hours? The way the doctor wrote the order is that in a 12 hour period I can have 36-40 CCs of mommy's juice, depending on what's left in my tummy! Well I've been doing really great because I don't have anything left in my tummy when they check me before my next feeding. And sometimes I throw a fit after 2.5 hours because my tummy is empty and I want to eat more!!!! I like to make life difficult for my nurses! Mommy says she doesn't know where I put it all!!! But then daddy laughs at mommy and reminds her that 10 CCs is really only 2 teaspoons of food. Mommy says she knows that, but I'm only 1 lb and 12 oz. so 2 teaspoons every three hours is A LOT OF FOOD!!!!!
P.S. Mommy is working on getting some new pics on here, but the dial-up connection was kicking her off last night. She'll keep trying! But just so you know, she's been too busy lookin at me to get a picture with my eyes open yet.
April 23, 2006
Zander The Great!
So it's pretty late on what they tell me is a Sunday night. Daddy left a while ago to go home and get some sleep before going to work tomorrow. Mommy is trying very hard to keep her eyes open because she wants to see me eat one more time before she crashes on the couch. And then there's me....I'm hanging out in my cave, sucking on my binkie!
Like my previous post said, I didn't have the greatest of days. I personally think it started this morning when one of my favorite nurses, Lisa, told mommy and daddy to leave the hospital and have some relaxation time. Mommy and daddy don't like to leave the hospital because then they miss me terribly!!!! And the meanie doctors won't let me go with mommy and daddy for some relaxation time. When they came back, mommy told me they went to the apartment, which I haven't seen, and did laundry, the dishes, and cleaned up some. Mommy took a real shower, one where the water pressure is really good!!!! I guess laundry is when you make clothes clean.....I'm not allowed to wear clothes yet.
So like I said before, I went up and down, up and down, up and down like a yo-yo all day. But you know what, I'm doing really good right now!!!
One of my other favorite nurses, Tiffany, (whom I just met last night) is taking care of me tonight. She changed my poopy diaper and took some blood from me, but she was really quick. She checked my tummy and it's empty, but she said it wasn't time for me to eat again, so she made a mommy juice popsicle and let me suck on that for awhile. Tiffany is the only one that does that for me. I overheard mommy and Tiffany talking about it, and Tiffany said that she hoped it would tide me over until it was time to eat. I guess it also helps me to know what mommy juice tastes like so when I can see, and when I don't have to be syringe fed, I'll know where to go for my mommy juice.
I tried really hard to open my eyes all day today. Mommy and daddy laugh at me sometimes, because apparently, my eyebrows arch a whole bunch when I try to stretch my eye lids apart. Mommy tells me to calm down and be patient. Tonight, I was able to stretch them just enough to see a sliver of mommy. I know she noticed it too because, she told me she saw a tiny little slit between my eye lids. I'm hoping to get them wide open sometime this week!
The respiratory therapist came in and changed all the alarm settings on my ventilator. The nurses are getting tired of it beeping all the time. That kind of bums me out because I like to hear it beep sometimes, that means I'm doing better than the ventilator. But sometimes I work too hard then have to take a rest. When I rest the not-so-good alarm goes off and the nurses come in. Sometimes I like them coming into my room because they feed me, or talk to me, or move me to a more comfortable position. But other times, they are mean and suction my lungs or mouth out, or else they are really mean and change my diaper! Okay, I know it doesn't feel good to have a wet or dirty diaper, but they make my bottom cold with they change me. Sometimes I get so mad at them, I peepee more just to annoy them. Tiffany told mommy tonight that I didn't have a butt. Mommy said that yes I did, it was just a lot smaller than the rest of me.
Earlier tonight, daddy called me a burrito. Sometimes when the nurses get me all situated, they wrap me in a blanket so I can't move around as much. Tiffany and Lisa wrap me so snug that all you ever see is my head. Daddy says I look like a burrito cuz I'm so tightly wrapped.
I can't wait until I can talk, because I'm gonna tell people that my name is Zander! Mommy, daddy, and the nurses always come up with different names for me. Like Burrito, or Wiggly Worm....Grandma Hewlit said she was gonna call me Zed because that's what Canadians say for the letter "Z" when saying the alphabet. Mommy sometimes calls me Z or Z-man, and even Littleman at times. Daddy forgets I'm a baby sometimes and calls me Soldier and Private, like I'm in the military. But even with all these nicknames, I simply refer to myself as Zander....The Great! I know I know, I have a big head (daddy tells me that everyday too)!!!! It's mommy and daddy's fault, they spoil me with so much love and are always telling me how special I am. I can't help but listen to them and start to believe what they say!!:)
Like my previous post said, I didn't have the greatest of days. I personally think it started this morning when one of my favorite nurses, Lisa, told mommy and daddy to leave the hospital and have some relaxation time. Mommy and daddy don't like to leave the hospital because then they miss me terribly!!!! And the meanie doctors won't let me go with mommy and daddy for some relaxation time. When they came back, mommy told me they went to the apartment, which I haven't seen, and did laundry, the dishes, and cleaned up some. Mommy took a real shower, one where the water pressure is really good!!!! I guess laundry is when you make clothes clean.....I'm not allowed to wear clothes yet.
So like I said before, I went up and down, up and down, up and down like a yo-yo all day. But you know what, I'm doing really good right now!!!
One of my other favorite nurses, Tiffany, (whom I just met last night) is taking care of me tonight. She changed my poopy diaper and took some blood from me, but she was really quick. She checked my tummy and it's empty, but she said it wasn't time for me to eat again, so she made a mommy juice popsicle and let me suck on that for awhile. Tiffany is the only one that does that for me. I overheard mommy and Tiffany talking about it, and Tiffany said that she hoped it would tide me over until it was time to eat. I guess it also helps me to know what mommy juice tastes like so when I can see, and when I don't have to be syringe fed, I'll know where to go for my mommy juice.
I tried really hard to open my eyes all day today. Mommy and daddy laugh at me sometimes, because apparently, my eyebrows arch a whole bunch when I try to stretch my eye lids apart. Mommy tells me to calm down and be patient. Tonight, I was able to stretch them just enough to see a sliver of mommy. I know she noticed it too because, she told me she saw a tiny little slit between my eye lids. I'm hoping to get them wide open sometime this week!
The respiratory therapist came in and changed all the alarm settings on my ventilator. The nurses are getting tired of it beeping all the time. That kind of bums me out because I like to hear it beep sometimes, that means I'm doing better than the ventilator. But sometimes I work too hard then have to take a rest. When I rest the not-so-good alarm goes off and the nurses come in. Sometimes I like them coming into my room because they feed me, or talk to me, or move me to a more comfortable position. But other times, they are mean and suction my lungs or mouth out, or else they are really mean and change my diaper! Okay, I know it doesn't feel good to have a wet or dirty diaper, but they make my bottom cold with they change me. Sometimes I get so mad at them, I peepee more just to annoy them. Tiffany told mommy tonight that I didn't have a butt. Mommy said that yes I did, it was just a lot smaller than the rest of me.
Earlier tonight, daddy called me a burrito. Sometimes when the nurses get me all situated, they wrap me in a blanket so I can't move around as much. Tiffany and Lisa wrap me so snug that all you ever see is my head. Daddy says I look like a burrito cuz I'm so tightly wrapped.
I can't wait until I can talk, because I'm gonna tell people that my name is Zander! Mommy, daddy, and the nurses always come up with different names for me. Like Burrito, or Wiggly Worm....Grandma Hewlit said she was gonna call me Zed because that's what Canadians say for the letter "Z" when saying the alphabet. Mommy sometimes calls me Z or Z-man, and even Littleman at times. Daddy forgets I'm a baby sometimes and calls me Soldier and Private, like I'm in the military. But even with all these nicknames, I simply refer to myself as Zander....The Great! I know I know, I have a big head (daddy tells me that everyday too)!!!! It's mommy and daddy's fault, they spoil me with so much love and are always telling me how special I am. I can't help but listen to them and start to believe what they say!!:)
It aint easy being a little guy!
Today was not such a great day to be a little guy, it started last night when i started to have what the big folks call apnea? It's some sort of thing where i forget to breathe all the time and lose all the oxygen in my blood. Mommy and daddy were real worried about me and so was the doctor and my favorite nurse. They all got together and the doctor poked me and prodded me and then she had lisa take some more of my blood!! People i only got so much blood to spare come on!! well they didnt really know what to think when they looked at all the blood and my weird apnea thing so they decided i must have some kind of infection. Now I get to have some cool new antibiotics which will help kill the infection if there is any. so again im trying to struggle through another day here in this big world being just a little guy.
April 21, 2006
Comfortable is as Comfortable does
Everyone says that I never look comfortable when I sleep. I say who cares what I look like, just let me sleep. At least I don't have to share my bed with anyone!:)
My daddy and I
My daddy and I had a male bonding moment today. We held each other for the first time and it was awesome! Daddy is so warm that I just snuggled in close and promptly fell asleep. There were times when my O2 saturation went down and the alarms went off, Daddy was worried he was hurting me. The nurses told daddy and mommy that I was just too relaxed and because of that, I forgot to breath sometimes. The nurses also assured mommy and daddy that the same thing happens often when I'm in my bed....it's just part of who I am right now. I am Zander the great...and I forget to breathe! (but only sometimes)
Anyway, Daddy and I held each other and it was great. Afterwards I was put back in bed and got my blood gas drawn and had a chest x-ray. My blood gas wasn't as good as usual because my CO2 was slightly higher than this time. The doctor tweaked some stuff on my vent so hopefully my next blood gas will be better.
April 20, 2006
A better day
I had a better day today. This morning my blood gas was pretty good and showed that my CO2 level had gone down slightly. It was still higher than the previous few days, but the doctors assure me, mommy, and daddy that preemies tend start out life on a roller coaster.
I'm not sure what a roller coaster is, but mommy says it's a really fun ride where you go up and down and all around. The only difference is that roller coasters are fun and short lived....the preemie equivalent is not so fun and takes a lot longer to get off the ride. Can you believe that my daddy has never been on a roller coaster??? Mommy says we'll have to take him to Disney World or Adventureland when I get bigger. What's Disney World? What's Adventureland?
Anyway, I maintained a pretty even level for my O2 today, but they also had me set at 80% which is a lot higher than the previous few days when I was down to only needing 40%. So I did have a set back, but right now I'm doing good holding my own needing 66%, and according to mommy I'm bouncing back pretty quick.
The doctors keep assuring mommy and daddy that varying levels and little set backs are very common with all preemies, and I am doing considerably well. We had family rounds today and mommy talked with the team because daddy had to be at work. Mommy was told that my two main issues right now are respiratory and nutritional. The doctors say I'm doing great nutritionally. I'm so good that now I get to eat 5 CCs of mommy milk every three hours and I'm digesting pretty much all of it!!!!! Respiratory wise, I'm not doing great, but I'm doing okay. My new goal is to continue weening me from the ventilator, only the weening will happen much slower this time. The doctors keep getting me chest x-rays so they can see how my lungs are doing. Right now the doctors say my lungs look really good, and are opening up good. Ther are concerned that some of my Alvioli (lung sacs) will collapse, or else my lungs will over expand and spring a leak. That's why they watch me really closely. Mommy explained to me that since I was born so early, my lungs were ready because they are one of the last parts of me to develop. Daddy told me that the doctors gave mommy two shots of steroids in her bottom in order to help my lungs develop quicker before I was born. Mommy jokes that the steroids didn't help me very much, but they did make her bottom look bigger! I don't get it. What's a Steroid?
Tonight my nurse is Sue. She was my nurse last night too and we didn't have a good night, but that wasn't Sue's fault. Just now Sue was taking my vital signs and changing my diaper. She decided to weigh me before putting a new diaper on and I accidently peepee'd on her hand and the blanket beneath me. So now I get a free turn and a new clean blanket. The doctor wants me to have a gram stain, which is something to do with some secretions that are in my lungs. The doctor told mommy and daddy that it's just a precautionary measure.
Tomorrow I'm getting another brain ultrasound. I had one of those last week and mommy asked for a print out of my brain for the scrapbook that she's trying to make. She didn't get one, but tonight the doctor said that if mommy couldn't get one from the ultrasound people, the doctor would print one off for mommy. Daddy thinks mommy is crazy for keeping every little thing that I or the nurses use. Of course, daddy still thinks mommy is extra-special-crazy for taking a picture of my first bowel movement. Mommy doesn't mind people thinking she's crazy...she says that someday I'll want to know about my birth and she'll be able to show and tell everything. Besides, a first bowel movement is a once in a life-time event. Mommy says you can never have two "first bowel movements!"
The nurses tell me I'm becoming a regular little boy. Like I just said, I peepee'd on Sue's hand and the blanket just now. Earlier in the day I had a bowel movement in my diaper and when the day nurse, Denise, took the old one off to put the new diaper on, I accidentily pooped on the blanket. The nurses told mommy that little boys kind of don't have control over where and when they go to the bathroom some times.
The highlight of the day was when I got to hold Mommy. I waited almost all day before it happened. First the nurses and doctors needed to make sure I was stable. Then mommy and daddy's friend Janelle came and brought a huge basket of stuff from a religious organization that works with children who are really sick. The basket had lots of really cool things in it for me to have! Janelle was so nice that she took mommy to the Social Security Office to fill out some form that A worker told mommy she needed. It took a long time at the Social Security Office, but finally mommy got to the window and made sure that tomorrow I would have a Social Security number because the hospital wants me to be on SSI while I'm in the hospital. When Janelle brought mommy back to the hospital, mommy had to talk with the doctors for Family Rounds. Grandma and Grandpa Hewlitt were here with me, so they got to meet Janelle.
Finally the doctors told mommy to get ready to hold me. My nurse Denise and the Respiratory Therapist got mommy all situated and then put me on her. We sat there for a whole 2 hours just holding each other. Daddy came home (that's what mommy and daddy call my hospital room now) right after they put me on mommy so he sat next to me and mommy and rubbed mommy's leg. Daddy worries that the Kangaroo Care is too risky because they move me to mommy while I'm still on the ventilator, but I really love holding mommy.....and she's way too big to lay down next to me in my cave.
Daddy read a whole bunch of studies on Kangaroo Care today and finally decided that he would let me hold him tomorrow. See, Kangaroo Care is mostly about the skin-to-skin contact so both mommys and daddys can do it. Mommy is excited to have me hold daddy because she thinks it may help daddy not worry so much. I'm just excited to hold daddy and have him all to myself!!!
Tomorrow is Friday which means daddy can stay at the hospital for three whole days and nights. Daddy doesn't worry as much when he gets to be at the hospital with me. And my Auntie Rachel (otherwise known as OCHO) is coming to see me this weekend too. I may be little, but I'm a popular guy!!!
Mommy gets off driving restriction tomorrow. Since I was born mommy's doctor told her no driving a car for one whole week after she was discharged. Since mommy couldn't drive, Grandpa Hewlitt took her car to his house and fixed her headlight, it was missing. Now when mommy does drive, she'll have two headlights like everyone else. I think that's a weird rule, the no driving thing, because mommy was allowed to be a passenger in a car, just not drive it. Mommy said that sometimes when daddy or Grandma Hewlitt would drive her places, they would drive over bumps that made mommy's insides want to fall out. But she thinks she's getting better fast. She has a doctor's appointment next week and she really hopes the doctor will say she can go back to work. Mommy really doesn't want to leave me to go back to work, but she wants to make sure she can build up enough vacation and sick leave that she can be home with me for some time when I get out of the hospital. She's really hoping that everyone cooperates and she is able to take off time when I get to go home.
Well, mommy says it's time for me to go to sleep...so Good Night! :)
I'm not sure what a roller coaster is, but mommy says it's a really fun ride where you go up and down and all around. The only difference is that roller coasters are fun and short lived....the preemie equivalent is not so fun and takes a lot longer to get off the ride. Can you believe that my daddy has never been on a roller coaster??? Mommy says we'll have to take him to Disney World or Adventureland when I get bigger. What's Disney World? What's Adventureland?
Anyway, I maintained a pretty even level for my O2 today, but they also had me set at 80% which is a lot higher than the previous few days when I was down to only needing 40%. So I did have a set back, but right now I'm doing good holding my own needing 66%, and according to mommy I'm bouncing back pretty quick.
The doctors keep assuring mommy and daddy that varying levels and little set backs are very common with all preemies, and I am doing considerably well. We had family rounds today and mommy talked with the team because daddy had to be at work. Mommy was told that my two main issues right now are respiratory and nutritional. The doctors say I'm doing great nutritionally. I'm so good that now I get to eat 5 CCs of mommy milk every three hours and I'm digesting pretty much all of it!!!!! Respiratory wise, I'm not doing great, but I'm doing okay. My new goal is to continue weening me from the ventilator, only the weening will happen much slower this time. The doctors keep getting me chest x-rays so they can see how my lungs are doing. Right now the doctors say my lungs look really good, and are opening up good. Ther are concerned that some of my Alvioli (lung sacs) will collapse, or else my lungs will over expand and spring a leak. That's why they watch me really closely. Mommy explained to me that since I was born so early, my lungs were ready because they are one of the last parts of me to develop. Daddy told me that the doctors gave mommy two shots of steroids in her bottom in order to help my lungs develop quicker before I was born. Mommy jokes that the steroids didn't help me very much, but they did make her bottom look bigger! I don't get it. What's a Steroid?
Tonight my nurse is Sue. She was my nurse last night too and we didn't have a good night, but that wasn't Sue's fault. Just now Sue was taking my vital signs and changing my diaper. She decided to weigh me before putting a new diaper on and I accidently peepee'd on her hand and the blanket beneath me. So now I get a free turn and a new clean blanket. The doctor wants me to have a gram stain, which is something to do with some secretions that are in my lungs. The doctor told mommy and daddy that it's just a precautionary measure.
Tomorrow I'm getting another brain ultrasound. I had one of those last week and mommy asked for a print out of my brain for the scrapbook that she's trying to make. She didn't get one, but tonight the doctor said that if mommy couldn't get one from the ultrasound people, the doctor would print one off for mommy. Daddy thinks mommy is crazy for keeping every little thing that I or the nurses use. Of course, daddy still thinks mommy is extra-special-crazy for taking a picture of my first bowel movement. Mommy doesn't mind people thinking she's crazy...she says that someday I'll want to know about my birth and she'll be able to show and tell everything. Besides, a first bowel movement is a once in a life-time event. Mommy says you can never have two "first bowel movements!"
The nurses tell me I'm becoming a regular little boy. Like I just said, I peepee'd on Sue's hand and the blanket just now. Earlier in the day I had a bowel movement in my diaper and when the day nurse, Denise, took the old one off to put the new diaper on, I accidentily pooped on the blanket. The nurses told mommy that little boys kind of don't have control over where and when they go to the bathroom some times.
The highlight of the day was when I got to hold Mommy. I waited almost all day before it happened. First the nurses and doctors needed to make sure I was stable. Then mommy and daddy's friend Janelle came and brought a huge basket of stuff from a religious organization that works with children who are really sick. The basket had lots of really cool things in it for me to have! Janelle was so nice that she took mommy to the Social Security Office to fill out some form that A worker told mommy she needed. It took a long time at the Social Security Office, but finally mommy got to the window and made sure that tomorrow I would have a Social Security number because the hospital wants me to be on SSI while I'm in the hospital. When Janelle brought mommy back to the hospital, mommy had to talk with the doctors for Family Rounds. Grandma and Grandpa Hewlitt were here with me, so they got to meet Janelle.
Finally the doctors told mommy to get ready to hold me. My nurse Denise and the Respiratory Therapist got mommy all situated and then put me on her. We sat there for a whole 2 hours just holding each other. Daddy came home (that's what mommy and daddy call my hospital room now) right after they put me on mommy so he sat next to me and mommy and rubbed mommy's leg. Daddy worries that the Kangaroo Care is too risky because they move me to mommy while I'm still on the ventilator, but I really love holding mommy.....and she's way too big to lay down next to me in my cave.
Daddy read a whole bunch of studies on Kangaroo Care today and finally decided that he would let me hold him tomorrow. See, Kangaroo Care is mostly about the skin-to-skin contact so both mommys and daddys can do it. Mommy is excited to have me hold daddy because she thinks it may help daddy not worry so much. I'm just excited to hold daddy and have him all to myself!!!
Tomorrow is Friday which means daddy can stay at the hospital for three whole days and nights. Daddy doesn't worry as much when he gets to be at the hospital with me. And my Auntie Rachel (otherwise known as OCHO) is coming to see me this weekend too. I may be little, but I'm a popular guy!!!
Mommy gets off driving restriction tomorrow. Since I was born mommy's doctor told her no driving a car for one whole week after she was discharged. Since mommy couldn't drive, Grandpa Hewlitt took her car to his house and fixed her headlight, it was missing. Now when mommy does drive, she'll have two headlights like everyone else. I think that's a weird rule, the no driving thing, because mommy was allowed to be a passenger in a car, just not drive it. Mommy said that sometimes when daddy or Grandma Hewlitt would drive her places, they would drive over bumps that made mommy's insides want to fall out. But she thinks she's getting better fast. She has a doctor's appointment next week and she really hopes the doctor will say she can go back to work. Mommy really doesn't want to leave me to go back to work, but she wants to make sure she can build up enough vacation and sick leave that she can be home with me for some time when I get out of the hospital. She's really hoping that everyone cooperates and she is able to take off time when I get to go home.
Well, mommy says it's time for me to go to sleep...so Good Night! :)
Auntie Ocho?
Today daddy started calling me "Quatro", and I had to think huh? Daddy, you really need to sleep more...you're going crazy!!! But then daddy explained to me about my Auntie Rachael. Auntie Rachel was born early like me, but not quite as early...and she was almost two times my size! Well, daddy said that somehow Auntie Rachael got the nick name Ocho and being as I was hatched about half the size she was, when she was born, I get the nick name Quatro!! Mommy and daddy told me that Auntie Ocho is coming to see me this weekend. I really hope she still speaks preemie cause I could certainly use some inteligent conversation around here!!!
April 19, 2006
I had a bad day
Here's a quick update before I try and get some much needed rest.
The doctors talked to mommy this morning and told her that they felt I would do okay without the ventilator. They wanted to take me off the ventilator but keep me on the CPAP machine so I would still get some oxygen. Mommy and daddy were both very worried that I wasn't truly ready to be off the ventilator, even though the settings the doctors have me on are really low. Daddy was at work so there wasn't much he could do, besides mommy and daddy are not the doctors....but I am their son.
Around 2:00pm the doctors finally decided to extabate me. They took the ventilator tube out of my throat and hooked me up to the CPAP machine. Instead of a tube down my throat I had a little mask on that provided oxygen to me through my nose. The doctor and nurses monitored me for 30 minutes and found that I wasn't doing well enough on my own. I was able to keep my O2 saturation around 83-85, but not really on a consistent basis. I would drop into the 70's, and occassionally jump up to the 90's, but I just couldn't keep my O2 consistent. So after 30 minutes on just the CPAP, the doctor decided to intebate me again. It took them approximately 15 minutes to get set up and then they re-inserted the tube down my throat and into my lungs.
This was a little traumatic for me as my little throat and lungs are still sensitive and growing. Mommy was a little traumatized as well. Daddy showed up after work right as they were finishing the intebation. He was not very happy and asked the doctor why I couldn't just try the CPAP with the old tube still in. The doctor explained that when the tube is in, it creates an obstruction in my lungs because they are so tiny. If they were to attempt to have me on the CPAP with the tube in, I would surely fail to reach the O2 levels expected.
Once they put the tube back in, they actually hooked me up to a regular ventilator. I did really well on this one and kept my O2 sat up. However, my 4:00 pm blood gases showed that I had again started trapping CO2 in my lungs. The amount that I was trapping in my lungs was not a healthy amount so they had to change the ventilator to the one I was on before they extabated me. I don't know what the ventilator is specifically called, but Grandma Hewlitt refers to it as a tractor engine because she says it kind of sounds like that.
It's now after 10:00pm and I'm doing pretty good, but I'm definately tuckered out and I am actually requiring more O2 than I have for quite a few days. Mommy and daddy have been very stressed out today as it appears that I am backtracking some, but the NICU staff keep assuring them that this yo-yoing is actually pretty common.
All I know is that I am really pooped out and just want to hold my mommy and daddy. I haven't gotten to be in mommy's arms since Monday, and I've never gotten to be in daddy's arms so far. Every day they tell mommy they are going to try and fit the Kangaroo Care into the day, but then something stresses me out and I need to rest.
Mommy and Daddy need rest too. I know they are worried about me, but I worry about them too. This evening they tried to keep the room as quiet as possible and didn't allow any visitors to see me. We are all hoping that tomorrow will be a better day! I really need to store up some energy for this weekend because my Auntie Rachel is coming to see me all the way from Texas. She was a preemie baby 27 years ago. She had to be born 9 weeks early because both she and Grandma Hewlitt were really sick. Grandma Hewlitt had what my mommy had with me, Pre-Clampsia.
Actually though, the doctors don't really know what was wrong with my mommy because her blood pressure was really high, and she had a tiny amount of protein in her urine, but all her labs regarding Pre-Clampsia came back normal. Because the doctors didn't know what was really wrong, they were afraid if they left me in mommy I would not make it. They told mommy and daddy that I had a better chance of living outside of mommy, so mommy and daddy told them to take me out right away. No matter how I am doing on a daily basis, I promise you that I will survive and grow up to be an awesome little boy! I know this because my mommy and daddy are so very special to me and I know that they love me more than anything else in this world. Daddy tells mommy that she's number 2 now in his life, and mommy tells daddy the same thing. As much as they love each other, they love me more. And you know what? That love is what will make me strong!
Good night and God Bless.
The doctors talked to mommy this morning and told her that they felt I would do okay without the ventilator. They wanted to take me off the ventilator but keep me on the CPAP machine so I would still get some oxygen. Mommy and daddy were both very worried that I wasn't truly ready to be off the ventilator, even though the settings the doctors have me on are really low. Daddy was at work so there wasn't much he could do, besides mommy and daddy are not the doctors....but I am their son.
Around 2:00pm the doctors finally decided to extabate me. They took the ventilator tube out of my throat and hooked me up to the CPAP machine. Instead of a tube down my throat I had a little mask on that provided oxygen to me through my nose. The doctor and nurses monitored me for 30 minutes and found that I wasn't doing well enough on my own. I was able to keep my O2 saturation around 83-85, but not really on a consistent basis. I would drop into the 70's, and occassionally jump up to the 90's, but I just couldn't keep my O2 consistent. So after 30 minutes on just the CPAP, the doctor decided to intebate me again. It took them approximately 15 minutes to get set up and then they re-inserted the tube down my throat and into my lungs.
This was a little traumatic for me as my little throat and lungs are still sensitive and growing. Mommy was a little traumatized as well. Daddy showed up after work right as they were finishing the intebation. He was not very happy and asked the doctor why I couldn't just try the CPAP with the old tube still in. The doctor explained that when the tube is in, it creates an obstruction in my lungs because they are so tiny. If they were to attempt to have me on the CPAP with the tube in, I would surely fail to reach the O2 levels expected.
Once they put the tube back in, they actually hooked me up to a regular ventilator. I did really well on this one and kept my O2 sat up. However, my 4:00 pm blood gases showed that I had again started trapping CO2 in my lungs. The amount that I was trapping in my lungs was not a healthy amount so they had to change the ventilator to the one I was on before they extabated me. I don't know what the ventilator is specifically called, but Grandma Hewlitt refers to it as a tractor engine because she says it kind of sounds like that.
It's now after 10:00pm and I'm doing pretty good, but I'm definately tuckered out and I am actually requiring more O2 than I have for quite a few days. Mommy and daddy have been very stressed out today as it appears that I am backtracking some, but the NICU staff keep assuring them that this yo-yoing is actually pretty common.
All I know is that I am really pooped out and just want to hold my mommy and daddy. I haven't gotten to be in mommy's arms since Monday, and I've never gotten to be in daddy's arms so far. Every day they tell mommy they are going to try and fit the Kangaroo Care into the day, but then something stresses me out and I need to rest.
Mommy and Daddy need rest too. I know they are worried about me, but I worry about them too. This evening they tried to keep the room as quiet as possible and didn't allow any visitors to see me. We are all hoping that tomorrow will be a better day! I really need to store up some energy for this weekend because my Auntie Rachel is coming to see me all the way from Texas. She was a preemie baby 27 years ago. She had to be born 9 weeks early because both she and Grandma Hewlitt were really sick. Grandma Hewlitt had what my mommy had with me, Pre-Clampsia.
Actually though, the doctors don't really know what was wrong with my mommy because her blood pressure was really high, and she had a tiny amount of protein in her urine, but all her labs regarding Pre-Clampsia came back normal. Because the doctors didn't know what was really wrong, they were afraid if they left me in mommy I would not make it. They told mommy and daddy that I had a better chance of living outside of mommy, so mommy and daddy told them to take me out right away. No matter how I am doing on a daily basis, I promise you that I will survive and grow up to be an awesome little boy! I know this because my mommy and daddy are so very special to me and I know that they love me more than anything else in this world. Daddy tells mommy that she's number 2 now in his life, and mommy tells daddy the same thing. As much as they love each other, they love me more. And you know what? That love is what will make me strong!
Good night and God Bless.
Um...hello, poke me already!
Listen ladies, I know you're wonderful and all but I'm ready to get this over with. I've kept my leg sterile...look, I'm even bringing it closer to you....just poke me because I have things to do! Nap, eat, squirm....Nap, eat, squirm....don't mess with the schedule!
They said "keep the site sterile"
The BEST Nurse Practitioners told me to keep the site where the PIC Line would go sterile. I put my leg out and held everything else back just to help out. They were very impressed with my cooperation.
Mommy and Me
Here's a picture of me and mommy holding each other. The doctor says that studies show that Kangaroo Care is really good for me. When I am on mommy, my skin sends her skin a message telling her exactly what my little body needs. Then the message gets sent to something called a Mammy gland which makes mommy's milk. When the mammy gland gets that message, it stimulates mommy to make milk with the added extras that my little body needs. Those Mammy glands must be really smart!
Oh the things I can suck on
Here's a pic of me sucking my thumb. Mommy thought it was cute that the nurse had to guide my thumb to my mouth because my litle eyes aren't ready to open yet. The doctors and nurses all believe that my eyes will be open within the week. I can't wait to find out what color they will be!!!
Come to Jesus talks
My Nurse Jen threatened to have a "Come To Jesus Talk" with me this morning. But then she looked at my cute face and decided that I wasn't so bad......she knows I'm just being hungry and a little bit ornery!!
Good morning everyone! I had a very busy day yesterday. Okay, that's not entirely true....I was scheduled to have a very busy day yesterday, but schedules are apparently made to be broken. Mommy talked to the doctor in the morning and he told her I was going to have a PIC Line put in so that my tummy catheter could come out. The PIC Line is more safe for me with a lower risk of infection and it can last longer. They can keep my PIC Line in for at least 2 months. The doctor assured mommy that I wouldn't need the PIC Line, or any other sites like it, in 2 months. The PIC Line enables the nurses to give me my medicine without worrying about the line infiltrating. The only down fall is that they can not draw blood from the PIC Line. So they have to poke me for blood, but it's okay because the doctor says that because I'm doing so much better than expected he decided to decrease the number of blood gases I get in a day.
So my PIC Line was supposed to be put in me around 12:30pm. At 11:00am I was supposed to meet with the developmental specialist who evaluates me on a weekly basis during my stay in the lovely NICU. She came to visit me and mommy briefly yesterday morning and said she would come back at 11am, but her watch must have broken because she came back at noon and got mad at herself because she was off a whole hour. She rescheduled for today. I just hope she got her watch fixed! Then 12:30pm came and went and I still didn't have a PIC Line.
The doctor had told mommy that he wanted her to do more Kangaroo Care with me, but due to the pre-arranged tight schedule, the nurse didn't think there'd be time. It turns out there would have been, but no one has a crystal ball, so I did not get to hold mommy yesterday.
To make up for not being able to hold mommy, I got to visit with Grandma Hewlitt and Sherry, a really good family friend. Sherry was amazed at how small I was and got really excited when she saw the size of my first diapers. Mommy gave her one, which seemed to make Sherry's day. Don't worry....it was a clean, unused diaper! Grandma and Sherry didn't stay long at all, basically just long enough to say hi and drop off some necessities for mommy.
Right before Grandma and Sherry left, Daddy came!!!!!! It's hard with daddy being back at work because we both miss each other a lot. Daddy hasn't been sleeping very well at home, so both mommy and me are worried about him. The day actually worked out great because my PIC Line didn't get put in until around 4pm so both daddy and mommy were here to make sure the procedure went well. It went awesome.....daddy says it's because I had the two best NICU Nurse Practitioners working on me at the same time. I say it's because I'm a tough little guy.
Teresa and Shannon did the procedure and they did really good. The PIC Line is under the skin and actually travels up through a vein for quite a ways to ensure good placement. Mine happened to enter at my little heal and then travel all the way up my leg, past my hip, and into my abdomen. Sounds like it would hurt, but the great part is that the catheter is so tiny that I still can move my leg just as much as I did without the PIC Line. All you can see when you look is just the entrance site where they put my medicines. I did bleed a little bit because the needle they used to poke me was bigger than the catheter, but daddy says it was still tiny compared to most needles. The procedure took about an hour from start to finish and I got two x-rays out of the deal. Once the catheter is in, an x-ray is taken to ensure proper placement. The first x-ray showed that Shannon was in the right place with the catheter, but she had fed it into me too much so there was 2cm of extra catheter that did a little loop at the end. It was easily fixed with Shannon gently pulling those extra 2 cm back out. The second x-ray was perfect! Daddy told mommy that I might become a nuclear baby with all the x-rays I keep getting. He's just joking of course, but it helps to lighten the level of anxiety.
Once I was all taped up and back to wiggling all my limps, something I do better than any other person in this world, mommy and daddy took a quick break to have dinner. I like that they feel safe leaving me for short periods of time because they need a break too. Plus, when they come back it makes me all excited and happy!
Daddy looked really tired so mommy talked him into taking a nap on the couch in the room. Daddy tried to argue with her, but he didn't get far because he was asleep once his head hit the pillow. That was about 7:00pm and he ended up sleeping on the couch until 1:30am this morning. Mommy woke him up twice to make sure he was okay with sleeping at the hospital. The first time she woke him up, daddy asked her to wake him up before midnight and he would go home so he could be ready for work in the morning. Mommy then woke him up at 10:00pm and they decided daddy would just sleep at the hospital and get up at 4:00am to go to work. Daddy slept so good because he didn't have to worry about me, cuz I was less than four feet away from him. Mommy and daddy sometimes go through some separation anxiety when they have to leave me. It's because I'm so cute!
I started out the night time with my alarms beeping almost constantly. The ventilator beeps because it's warning the nurses that I'm not relying on it as much. So the Respiratory Therapist came in and changed the alarm parameters so it didn't beep as much. Then the alarm for my O2 kept going off. The nurse came in and fed me, changed me, and turned me on my side, and my saturation jumped right back up to Awesome! This was the first night I got to sleep on my side. It's because they took my tummy catheter out now that I have the PIC Line. Mommy said I actually looked comfortable for once. She laughs at me because I sleep in some funny positions. The nurses and mommy agree that some of my positions don't look comfortable, but I like to sleep in my own way. But sleeping on my side, what a new concept.....I'll have to try that more!!!
I slept quietly almost all night. Daddy slept and mommy slept too. Daddy ended up leaving for home about 1:30am and then he called at 4:30am on his way to work to make sure I was doing good. Mommy was up when daddy called because she was pumping some milk for me to have later. I kept sleeping for a little while and then at 5am my O2 alarm started going off again. I was getting restless in my cave again. My Nurse Jen came in 5 times to make sure I was okay and each time my saturation would jump back up to normal. The sixth time she told me we were going to have a "Come to Jesus talk". She was pretending to be all mean and mad, but I melted her. She watched me for a little bit and then told mommy that I was only being ornery because I was hungry and it was almost time for me to eat. Mommy told the nurse that I usually desat around eating times. The nurse said that it's okay that I do that because it means that my little body recognizes hunger and since I can't talk I have to let someone know somehow. Mommy says I'm a smart little man!
Now it's 6am and I get to eat so I should get going. Mommy and I are going to put some pictures up on here during the day today. And mommy is gonna participate in a scrapbook class....she says she's going to make me the best scrapbook ever!!!!!! More later.
Good morning everyone! I had a very busy day yesterday. Okay, that's not entirely true....I was scheduled to have a very busy day yesterday, but schedules are apparently made to be broken. Mommy talked to the doctor in the morning and he told her I was going to have a PIC Line put in so that my tummy catheter could come out. The PIC Line is more safe for me with a lower risk of infection and it can last longer. They can keep my PIC Line in for at least 2 months. The doctor assured mommy that I wouldn't need the PIC Line, or any other sites like it, in 2 months. The PIC Line enables the nurses to give me my medicine without worrying about the line infiltrating. The only down fall is that they can not draw blood from the PIC Line. So they have to poke me for blood, but it's okay because the doctor says that because I'm doing so much better than expected he decided to decrease the number of blood gases I get in a day.
So my PIC Line was supposed to be put in me around 12:30pm. At 11:00am I was supposed to meet with the developmental specialist who evaluates me on a weekly basis during my stay in the lovely NICU. She came to visit me and mommy briefly yesterday morning and said she would come back at 11am, but her watch must have broken because she came back at noon and got mad at herself because she was off a whole hour. She rescheduled for today. I just hope she got her watch fixed! Then 12:30pm came and went and I still didn't have a PIC Line.
The doctor had told mommy that he wanted her to do more Kangaroo Care with me, but due to the pre-arranged tight schedule, the nurse didn't think there'd be time. It turns out there would have been, but no one has a crystal ball, so I did not get to hold mommy yesterday.
To make up for not being able to hold mommy, I got to visit with Grandma Hewlitt and Sherry, a really good family friend. Sherry was amazed at how small I was and got really excited when she saw the size of my first diapers. Mommy gave her one, which seemed to make Sherry's day. Don't worry....it was a clean, unused diaper! Grandma and Sherry didn't stay long at all, basically just long enough to say hi and drop off some necessities for mommy.
Right before Grandma and Sherry left, Daddy came!!!!!! It's hard with daddy being back at work because we both miss each other a lot. Daddy hasn't been sleeping very well at home, so both mommy and me are worried about him. The day actually worked out great because my PIC Line didn't get put in until around 4pm so both daddy and mommy were here to make sure the procedure went well. It went awesome.....daddy says it's because I had the two best NICU Nurse Practitioners working on me at the same time. I say it's because I'm a tough little guy.
Teresa and Shannon did the procedure and they did really good. The PIC Line is under the skin and actually travels up through a vein for quite a ways to ensure good placement. Mine happened to enter at my little heal and then travel all the way up my leg, past my hip, and into my abdomen. Sounds like it would hurt, but the great part is that the catheter is so tiny that I still can move my leg just as much as I did without the PIC Line. All you can see when you look is just the entrance site where they put my medicines. I did bleed a little bit because the needle they used to poke me was bigger than the catheter, but daddy says it was still tiny compared to most needles. The procedure took about an hour from start to finish and I got two x-rays out of the deal. Once the catheter is in, an x-ray is taken to ensure proper placement. The first x-ray showed that Shannon was in the right place with the catheter, but she had fed it into me too much so there was 2cm of extra catheter that did a little loop at the end. It was easily fixed with Shannon gently pulling those extra 2 cm back out. The second x-ray was perfect! Daddy told mommy that I might become a nuclear baby with all the x-rays I keep getting. He's just joking of course, but it helps to lighten the level of anxiety.
Once I was all taped up and back to wiggling all my limps, something I do better than any other person in this world, mommy and daddy took a quick break to have dinner. I like that they feel safe leaving me for short periods of time because they need a break too. Plus, when they come back it makes me all excited and happy!
Daddy looked really tired so mommy talked him into taking a nap on the couch in the room. Daddy tried to argue with her, but he didn't get far because he was asleep once his head hit the pillow. That was about 7:00pm and he ended up sleeping on the couch until 1:30am this morning. Mommy woke him up twice to make sure he was okay with sleeping at the hospital. The first time she woke him up, daddy asked her to wake him up before midnight and he would go home so he could be ready for work in the morning. Mommy then woke him up at 10:00pm and they decided daddy would just sleep at the hospital and get up at 4:00am to go to work. Daddy slept so good because he didn't have to worry about me, cuz I was less than four feet away from him. Mommy and daddy sometimes go through some separation anxiety when they have to leave me. It's because I'm so cute!
I started out the night time with my alarms beeping almost constantly. The ventilator beeps because it's warning the nurses that I'm not relying on it as much. So the Respiratory Therapist came in and changed the alarm parameters so it didn't beep as much. Then the alarm for my O2 kept going off. The nurse came in and fed me, changed me, and turned me on my side, and my saturation jumped right back up to Awesome! This was the first night I got to sleep on my side. It's because they took my tummy catheter out now that I have the PIC Line. Mommy said I actually looked comfortable for once. She laughs at me because I sleep in some funny positions. The nurses and mommy agree that some of my positions don't look comfortable, but I like to sleep in my own way. But sleeping on my side, what a new concept.....I'll have to try that more!!!
I slept quietly almost all night. Daddy slept and mommy slept too. Daddy ended up leaving for home about 1:30am and then he called at 4:30am on his way to work to make sure I was doing good. Mommy was up when daddy called because she was pumping some milk for me to have later. I kept sleeping for a little while and then at 5am my O2 alarm started going off again. I was getting restless in my cave again. My Nurse Jen came in 5 times to make sure I was okay and each time my saturation would jump back up to normal. The sixth time she told me we were going to have a "Come to Jesus talk". She was pretending to be all mean and mad, but I melted her. She watched me for a little bit and then told mommy that I was only being ornery because I was hungry and it was almost time for me to eat. Mommy told the nurse that I usually desat around eating times. The nurse said that it's okay that I do that because it means that my little body recognizes hunger and since I can't talk I have to let someone know somehow. Mommy says I'm a smart little man!
Now it's 6am and I get to eat so I should get going. Mommy and I are going to put some pictures up on here during the day today. And mommy is gonna participate in a scrapbook class....she says she's going to make me the best scrapbook ever!!!!!! More later.
April 18, 2006
Taking the good with the bad
Mommy and I had a long day yesterday. Some of it was great, but other parts were not so great.
I did really good for most of the day with keeping my O2 needs set at around 35%. I think that's pretty good seeing that normal people get about 21% from their surroundings. There are times when I need a little extra though because sometimes my little body gets tired.
Doctor Barden came to visit mommy and me. He said I was doing remarkably well for only being a week old. That's right....I had a birthday today! Doctor Barden talked to mommy about doing something called Kangeroo Care. This is where they have mommy sit in a special chair and then they lay me on top of her. My skin is supposed to be right next to her skin, and we sit like that until one of us either gets tired and restless or has to go to the bathroom. Doctor Barden explained that there are studies out that show that this kind of contact for preemie babies and their mothers seems to increase the babie's strength and vital statistics. Mommy was pretty excited that she would finally get to hold me, but was also worried because I'm so little and still have lots of hoses and cords stuck to me to help me live comfortably. The doctor assured her that they would not suggest Kangeroo Care if I did not seem ready for it.
Mommy agreed to try the Kangeroo Care and then Dr. Barden asked if he could take pictures while I was on mommy. He said he has to speak at a March of Dimes Convention in June and he would like to present me. Mommy told me later that since Dr. Barden wants to present me, that must mean I am doing really good. Mommy told Dr. Barden that he could present me, but that she would not allow me to travel to New York with the doctor for the convention. He said that I would still be too little to travel in June, which is why he only wanted pictures. I think mommy was just jealous because she's never been to New York. :)
Mommy's friend Gwen came to see us. She brought some kind of paperwork for mommy to fill out. They ate McDonalds while I had my milk. Gwen's sons colored me pictures and mommy said she would hang them on the wall for me. Gwen also brought me a birthday present and an Easter present. Mommy gave Gwen a stern talking to about why we need to NOT BRING more stuff into the room. Gwen laughed at mommy! Now I have more books for mommy to read to me!!!
Around 1:30pm I finally got to be held by mommy. While mommy held me the nurses changed my bed and the respiratory therapists changed all the tubing on my ventilator. Mommy said for being such a little guy I have lots of people working for me. Thank heavens I don't have to pay all those people! While mommy held me, she couldn't answer the phone and it seemed like everyone decided to call right at that time. Neither of use cared though, we just sat and held each other. My nurse was very happy because my O2 saturation stayed between 99 and 98% for the first two hours that mommy held me. The last half hour my saturation did start to decrease. Mommy thinks this was because her bottom was asleep, and we had both been in one position for way too long so we were antsy, but it's hard to move because we are afraid a hose will come lose.
Daddy got to watch for the last half hour of the Kangeroo Care. He had to work today, and he told mommy and me later that he really missed me during the day. I missed him too!
After I went back to bed I had a little bit of a difficult time getting comfortable and the nurse had to suction my mouth and lungs because my breathing wasn't very good. Once she got some spittle out of me I did much better. Daddy took mommy away from the hospital for dinner, but then they came back before eating because their friends Tammy and Jason came to see me. Jason was mommy and daddy's best man when they got married. Tammy is pregnant now too and she already has two little boys. Tammy said her boys were sad they weren't allowed to visit me, but those are the rules....no children in the NICU. Tammy took pictures of me and gave me some clothes for when I'm out of the hospital. Tammy said she knew she wasn't supposed to get me anything, but she figured we could take the clothes home instead of keeping them at the hospital. She also brought me a hand-made (by Tammy) blanket. I think it's knitted or chrocheted. Anyways, Tammy said she intentionally made it small, but mommy told her I would still get lost in it. We'll save that for when I get bigger too.
Last night mommy and I got kinda stressed out. The doctor on-call for the night came and talked to mommy. She said that I'm doing so well that if my ventilator tube would come loose or fall out for any reason, the doctors would try to see if I could keep my O2 stats up on my own. The doctor said it's a little too early to come off the ventilator, but they felt that I would be able to sustain myself for a good amount of time. Mommy asked not to take me off so quickly because she was worried that I would do well for a short time and then need the assistance again. Mommy was more worried that if they take the tube out, they would eventually need to put it back in and she doesn't like them sticking things down my throat more than once. Mommy says I'm too little to have to be constantly poked and prodded.....but I'm doing good so I don't mind.
Anyways, the doctor left and I was doing really good just resting. Mommy read me some books and it was getting past my bed time. My nurse Lisa turned my head so I wouldn't get a cramp and all of the sudden my ventilator stopped working. Lisa and the other nurses remained calm and called respiratory therapy to get up to my room. Mommy stood back and thought about having a heart attack, but when she saw that I was breathing really good, she tried to calm down. It took approximately 30 minutes to find out what the problem was and fix it. In the mean time I had three nurses making sure I was okay. My O2 never went below 90, but the nurses were ready to "bag me" if necessary. After the machine was fixed everybody felt much better and kept commenting on how well I did. What can I say, I'm a strong little man!!!!
I pretty much slept the rest of the night with a few feedings here and there. I'm getting 2CCs each feeding now and I'm digesting almost all of it so I'm doing much better. The doctors are happy because I'm having bowel movements more regular now too. They were worried because one of the first medicines they had to put me on some times causes bowel/intestine damage, but not for me!
Daddy called early this morning, while on his way to work, to check up on me. He talked to the nurse because mommy was sleeping. My last blood gases showed that I am doing really good so the doctor wants to decrease my ventilator settings again. The doctor was really impressed with how well I did when the ventilator broke. The nurses explained to mommy that part of the reason I did so well was because only part of the ventilator quit working. I get O2 from the ventilator and then I get pressure from the ventilator. The pressure is given to me to keep my lungs opened up and this is the part that quit working. I was still getting the O2 at times, but because they had to switch out parts of the machine, it had to be turned off completely. During that time I was breathing on my own! Mommy was very proud of me, but also very worried and scared. We're going to try and forget about that little event and just keep moving forward.
More updates later!:)
I did really good for most of the day with keeping my O2 needs set at around 35%. I think that's pretty good seeing that normal people get about 21% from their surroundings. There are times when I need a little extra though because sometimes my little body gets tired.
Doctor Barden came to visit mommy and me. He said I was doing remarkably well for only being a week old. That's right....I had a birthday today! Doctor Barden talked to mommy about doing something called Kangeroo Care. This is where they have mommy sit in a special chair and then they lay me on top of her. My skin is supposed to be right next to her skin, and we sit like that until one of us either gets tired and restless or has to go to the bathroom. Doctor Barden explained that there are studies out that show that this kind of contact for preemie babies and their mothers seems to increase the babie's strength and vital statistics. Mommy was pretty excited that she would finally get to hold me, but was also worried because I'm so little and still have lots of hoses and cords stuck to me to help me live comfortably. The doctor assured her that they would not suggest Kangeroo Care if I did not seem ready for it.
Mommy agreed to try the Kangeroo Care and then Dr. Barden asked if he could take pictures while I was on mommy. He said he has to speak at a March of Dimes Convention in June and he would like to present me. Mommy told me later that since Dr. Barden wants to present me, that must mean I am doing really good. Mommy told Dr. Barden that he could present me, but that she would not allow me to travel to New York with the doctor for the convention. He said that I would still be too little to travel in June, which is why he only wanted pictures. I think mommy was just jealous because she's never been to New York. :)
Mommy's friend Gwen came to see us. She brought some kind of paperwork for mommy to fill out. They ate McDonalds while I had my milk. Gwen's sons colored me pictures and mommy said she would hang them on the wall for me. Gwen also brought me a birthday present and an Easter present. Mommy gave Gwen a stern talking to about why we need to NOT BRING more stuff into the room. Gwen laughed at mommy! Now I have more books for mommy to read to me!!!
Around 1:30pm I finally got to be held by mommy. While mommy held me the nurses changed my bed and the respiratory therapists changed all the tubing on my ventilator. Mommy said for being such a little guy I have lots of people working for me. Thank heavens I don't have to pay all those people! While mommy held me, she couldn't answer the phone and it seemed like everyone decided to call right at that time. Neither of use cared though, we just sat and held each other. My nurse was very happy because my O2 saturation stayed between 99 and 98% for the first two hours that mommy held me. The last half hour my saturation did start to decrease. Mommy thinks this was because her bottom was asleep, and we had both been in one position for way too long so we were antsy, but it's hard to move because we are afraid a hose will come lose.
Daddy got to watch for the last half hour of the Kangeroo Care. He had to work today, and he told mommy and me later that he really missed me during the day. I missed him too!
After I went back to bed I had a little bit of a difficult time getting comfortable and the nurse had to suction my mouth and lungs because my breathing wasn't very good. Once she got some spittle out of me I did much better. Daddy took mommy away from the hospital for dinner, but then they came back before eating because their friends Tammy and Jason came to see me. Jason was mommy and daddy's best man when they got married. Tammy is pregnant now too and she already has two little boys. Tammy said her boys were sad they weren't allowed to visit me, but those are the rules....no children in the NICU. Tammy took pictures of me and gave me some clothes for when I'm out of the hospital. Tammy said she knew she wasn't supposed to get me anything, but she figured we could take the clothes home instead of keeping them at the hospital. She also brought me a hand-made (by Tammy) blanket. I think it's knitted or chrocheted. Anyways, Tammy said she intentionally made it small, but mommy told her I would still get lost in it. We'll save that for when I get bigger too.
Last night mommy and I got kinda stressed out. The doctor on-call for the night came and talked to mommy. She said that I'm doing so well that if my ventilator tube would come loose or fall out for any reason, the doctors would try to see if I could keep my O2 stats up on my own. The doctor said it's a little too early to come off the ventilator, but they felt that I would be able to sustain myself for a good amount of time. Mommy asked not to take me off so quickly because she was worried that I would do well for a short time and then need the assistance again. Mommy was more worried that if they take the tube out, they would eventually need to put it back in and she doesn't like them sticking things down my throat more than once. Mommy says I'm too little to have to be constantly poked and prodded.....but I'm doing good so I don't mind.
Anyways, the doctor left and I was doing really good just resting. Mommy read me some books and it was getting past my bed time. My nurse Lisa turned my head so I wouldn't get a cramp and all of the sudden my ventilator stopped working. Lisa and the other nurses remained calm and called respiratory therapy to get up to my room. Mommy stood back and thought about having a heart attack, but when she saw that I was breathing really good, she tried to calm down. It took approximately 30 minutes to find out what the problem was and fix it. In the mean time I had three nurses making sure I was okay. My O2 never went below 90, but the nurses were ready to "bag me" if necessary. After the machine was fixed everybody felt much better and kept commenting on how well I did. What can I say, I'm a strong little man!!!!
I pretty much slept the rest of the night with a few feedings here and there. I'm getting 2CCs each feeding now and I'm digesting almost all of it so I'm doing much better. The doctors are happy because I'm having bowel movements more regular now too. They were worried because one of the first medicines they had to put me on some times causes bowel/intestine damage, but not for me!
Daddy called early this morning, while on his way to work, to check up on me. He talked to the nurse because mommy was sleeping. My last blood gases showed that I am doing really good so the doctor wants to decrease my ventilator settings again. The doctor was really impressed with how well I did when the ventilator broke. The nurses explained to mommy that part of the reason I did so well was because only part of the ventilator quit working. I get O2 from the ventilator and then I get pressure from the ventilator. The pressure is given to me to keep my lungs opened up and this is the part that quit working. I was still getting the O2 at times, but because they had to switch out parts of the machine, it had to be turned off completely. During that time I was breathing on my own! Mommy was very proud of me, but also very worried and scared. We're going to try and forget about that little event and just keep moving forward.
More updates later!:)
April 17, 2006
Another good night
Good morning everyone!
I had a pretty good night last night. Jean was my nurse and Katie is the student that has been following Jean for a long time now. Katie graduates in about a week so daddy and I thought it would be okay for her to help out with me. There are some days here where nursing students shadow the nurses. Not nearly as many students as we would see at the U of I, but still...mommy and daddy get a little paranoid sometimes because my life is very important to them and they feel selfish in that they want someone who already knows what they are doing to take care of me.....rather than someone who is learning how to do a procedure for the first time. The good thing about St. Lukes is that most of the students just observe....the nursing students like to observe me because I'm so little. They agree with mommy that I am a tiny little bundle of perfection!
Katie has done a wonderful job the last three nights. Daddy calls her the preemie-whisperer because I behave like a little gentleman around her.
I had my third bowel movement early this morning. Mommy still gets excited when she sees that I am dirty. Katie told her that her excitement will wear off very soon. Mommy doesn't think so!
I slept through almost the whole entire night. The doctor took my tanning lamp (bilirubin) away again yesterday morning but I was kinda missing the light last night, so Jean turned on my bedside light and I slept very soundly. Mommy says I like the light because it makes me look like I am in the spotlight all the time.
My blood gases were all really good last night, which means my lungs are getting stronger. I sucked my thumb last night too. I needed a little help getting it into my mouth as my eyes are still fused shut so I don't really have any eye-hand coordination. But once it was in, I sucked it like a mad man!!!
Jean and Katie had to take my IV out of my hand. It's been there for almost a week now and it just got too old to use anymore. I only need it when I get blood transfusions, so I can go a few days without an IV site. I think I have some kind of an IV site, or catheter going into my belly button. The nurses put medicine in there sometimes too. Eventually they will give me a PIC line for my blood transfusions. The doctors say this is a good thing, but mommy won't be allowed in the room when they put it in because she doesn't like to see me poked. Daddy already has to keep her from looking when the nurses poke my little foot for a blood sugar. Mommy says my feet are too perfect for words.
Don't worry, I am not diabetic. In order to make sure I'm getting all the essential nutrients I need the nurses give me some kind of sugar water stuff. Once my tummy gets big enough to eat more of mommy's milk I won't need the sugar water, but right now I'm kinda little. Because I have to have the sugar water, the nurses have to make sure my blood sugar stays within the normal parameters. So far I've done really good keeping it where it needs to be.
I had a really good Easter! Both sets of my grandparents came to visit and I got some presents. I got two blankets and two stuff animals. I can't have the blankets with me yet and there is no room in my little room for the stuffed animals, but eventually I will get to keep them with me. Mommy says the blankets are Zander-sized because they are so little. Doesn't she know that I'm gonna grow up big and strong??????
Mommy told me she has to clean the room later on and try to organize. She and daddy told everyone not to buy gifts for me because there is not a lot of room at the hospital and I don't really need anything right now. But still, some people sneak stuff in. Grandma Hewlitt is the worst!!! She tells mommy everyday to remind people not to bring stuff and then she sneaks me in stuff. Mommy told me that some of the stuff will have to be sent home and I can play with it when I get big enough to go home. I don't mind waiting to play with my stuff because I'm too busy right now working on getting my eyes to open. The nurses say that maybe by the end of this week I'll be able to see mommy and daddy. Mommy told me I need to give her enough warning so she can take a shower and make herself look pretty. Daddy says she's pretty enough.
So far I'm told I have mommy's nose and daddy's mouth. Everyone who sees me agrees that I have daddy's arms and legs and will more than likely be tall and skinny like him. Mommy thinks I have Daddy's eyes and forehead too. Emily, a good family friend, told mommy I must be a shake-n-bake baby because I look like both my parents. I think Emily has a funny way of saying things!!!
Emily is pregnant too. She blames mommy for being pregnant because after mommy got pregnant with me, she told all her friends to watch out because there was pregnancy in the water. Emily didn't believe her, until it was too late. Emily has been a mommy for a long time so she knows what she's doing. Apparently Emily called mommy the other day and told her that I already have a girlfriend because Emily's doctor says she's gonna have a little girl. I think I'm kind of young to date so I'm going to keep my options open!
Time to rest again.
Have a great day!!!!
I had a pretty good night last night. Jean was my nurse and Katie is the student that has been following Jean for a long time now. Katie graduates in about a week so daddy and I thought it would be okay for her to help out with me. There are some days here where nursing students shadow the nurses. Not nearly as many students as we would see at the U of I, but still...mommy and daddy get a little paranoid sometimes because my life is very important to them and they feel selfish in that they want someone who already knows what they are doing to take care of me.....rather than someone who is learning how to do a procedure for the first time. The good thing about St. Lukes is that most of the students just observe....the nursing students like to observe me because I'm so little. They agree with mommy that I am a tiny little bundle of perfection!
Katie has done a wonderful job the last three nights. Daddy calls her the preemie-whisperer because I behave like a little gentleman around her.
I had my third bowel movement early this morning. Mommy still gets excited when she sees that I am dirty. Katie told her that her excitement will wear off very soon. Mommy doesn't think so!
I slept through almost the whole entire night. The doctor took my tanning lamp (bilirubin) away again yesterday morning but I was kinda missing the light last night, so Jean turned on my bedside light and I slept very soundly. Mommy says I like the light because it makes me look like I am in the spotlight all the time.
My blood gases were all really good last night, which means my lungs are getting stronger. I sucked my thumb last night too. I needed a little help getting it into my mouth as my eyes are still fused shut so I don't really have any eye-hand coordination. But once it was in, I sucked it like a mad man!!!
Jean and Katie had to take my IV out of my hand. It's been there for almost a week now and it just got too old to use anymore. I only need it when I get blood transfusions, so I can go a few days without an IV site. I think I have some kind of an IV site, or catheter going into my belly button. The nurses put medicine in there sometimes too. Eventually they will give me a PIC line for my blood transfusions. The doctors say this is a good thing, but mommy won't be allowed in the room when they put it in because she doesn't like to see me poked. Daddy already has to keep her from looking when the nurses poke my little foot for a blood sugar. Mommy says my feet are too perfect for words.
Don't worry, I am not diabetic. In order to make sure I'm getting all the essential nutrients I need the nurses give me some kind of sugar water stuff. Once my tummy gets big enough to eat more of mommy's milk I won't need the sugar water, but right now I'm kinda little. Because I have to have the sugar water, the nurses have to make sure my blood sugar stays within the normal parameters. So far I've done really good keeping it where it needs to be.
I had a really good Easter! Both sets of my grandparents came to visit and I got some presents. I got two blankets and two stuff animals. I can't have the blankets with me yet and there is no room in my little room for the stuffed animals, but eventually I will get to keep them with me. Mommy says the blankets are Zander-sized because they are so little. Doesn't she know that I'm gonna grow up big and strong??????
Mommy told me she has to clean the room later on and try to organize. She and daddy told everyone not to buy gifts for me because there is not a lot of room at the hospital and I don't really need anything right now. But still, some people sneak stuff in. Grandma Hewlitt is the worst!!! She tells mommy everyday to remind people not to bring stuff and then she sneaks me in stuff. Mommy told me that some of the stuff will have to be sent home and I can play with it when I get big enough to go home. I don't mind waiting to play with my stuff because I'm too busy right now working on getting my eyes to open. The nurses say that maybe by the end of this week I'll be able to see mommy and daddy. Mommy told me I need to give her enough warning so she can take a shower and make herself look pretty. Daddy says she's pretty enough.
So far I'm told I have mommy's nose and daddy's mouth. Everyone who sees me agrees that I have daddy's arms and legs and will more than likely be tall and skinny like him. Mommy thinks I have Daddy's eyes and forehead too. Emily, a good family friend, told mommy I must be a shake-n-bake baby because I look like both my parents. I think Emily has a funny way of saying things!!!
Emily is pregnant too. She blames mommy for being pregnant because after mommy got pregnant with me, she told all her friends to watch out because there was pregnancy in the water. Emily didn't believe her, until it was too late. Emily has been a mommy for a long time so she knows what she's doing. Apparently Emily called mommy the other day and told her that I already have a girlfriend because Emily's doctor says she's gonna have a little girl. I think I'm kind of young to date so I'm going to keep my options open!
Time to rest again.
Have a great day!!!!
April 16, 2006
Baby's first bowel movement
Hello everyone,
HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!
Today's update is pretty good. Early early this morning, approximately 12:30am, I had my very first bowel movement. And then a couple hours later, I had another one. Mommy was pretty excited because she was worried that the milk in my tummy had no where to go when it was digested. But now we know that my little insides do work for sure. The nurse explained that it may take me a little longer to reach those little milestones that babies reach, but that's only because I'm a lot younger than most babies.
I got to have 3 CCs of mommy's milk for breakfast this morning, but I'm skipping lunch because my tummy is not done digesting my breakfast.
I had another blood transfusion today becaue they keep taking blood from my little body to run tests and stuff. The good news is that because I'm so little, one donation will last me a month. Mommy and daddy said they would be donors, but the doctors said that wasn't always safe. So the doctors found a donor who matched really great with me. I don't know the person, but the doctors are planning to do a Directed Donation, which means I will only get my transfusions from that one person.
Mommy tried to find out if there was any way to let the donor person know how grateful her and daddy are, but everything has to be confidential so no one can tell her. She said a prayer in the hospital chapel yesterday and added the donor to her prayers as a way of saying thanks.
The doctor lowered the setting on my ventilator again. My chest x-ray and blood gases showed this morning that I'm doing really good. The doctor says that we still have a long road a head of us, but every little decrease in the machines means that I am learning to support myself more and more.
I'm gonna have daddy add some pictures to this later because when the doctor came to talk to me today, he had bunny ears on. He's not my real doctor, but he's the one that works when my real doctor has a day off. They are both really nice and like to make mommy and daddy feel better by explaining that all of the complications that I am having right now are very common for premature babies. I like the doctors because they always finish talking to mommy by saying, "he is doing really well for how young he is." I think this makes her feel better and then she doesn't worry so much. Daddy on the other hand says that he's going to worry until we're out of the hospital. When I grow up, I wanna be just like my daddy!!!!!
Time to rest.
Happy Easter!!!!!!
HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!
Today's update is pretty good. Early early this morning, approximately 12:30am, I had my very first bowel movement. And then a couple hours later, I had another one. Mommy was pretty excited because she was worried that the milk in my tummy had no where to go when it was digested. But now we know that my little insides do work for sure. The nurse explained that it may take me a little longer to reach those little milestones that babies reach, but that's only because I'm a lot younger than most babies.
I got to have 3 CCs of mommy's milk for breakfast this morning, but I'm skipping lunch because my tummy is not done digesting my breakfast.
I had another blood transfusion today becaue they keep taking blood from my little body to run tests and stuff. The good news is that because I'm so little, one donation will last me a month. Mommy and daddy said they would be donors, but the doctors said that wasn't always safe. So the doctors found a donor who matched really great with me. I don't know the person, but the doctors are planning to do a Directed Donation, which means I will only get my transfusions from that one person.
Mommy tried to find out if there was any way to let the donor person know how grateful her and daddy are, but everything has to be confidential so no one can tell her. She said a prayer in the hospital chapel yesterday and added the donor to her prayers as a way of saying thanks.
The doctor lowered the setting on my ventilator again. My chest x-ray and blood gases showed this morning that I'm doing really good. The doctor says that we still have a long road a head of us, but every little decrease in the machines means that I am learning to support myself more and more.
I'm gonna have daddy add some pictures to this later because when the doctor came to talk to me today, he had bunny ears on. He's not my real doctor, but he's the one that works when my real doctor has a day off. They are both really nice and like to make mommy and daddy feel better by explaining that all of the complications that I am having right now are very common for premature babies. I like the doctors because they always finish talking to mommy by saying, "he is doing really well for how young he is." I think this makes her feel better and then she doesn't worry so much. Daddy on the other hand says that he's going to worry until we're out of the hospital. When I grow up, I wanna be just like my daddy!!!!!
Time to rest.
Happy Easter!!!!!!
April 15, 2006
You Are My I Love You
My mommy likes to read me stories when I'm resting. I like the sound of her voice and I'm working so hard to open my eyes, but the nurses say they're not ready to open. I just want to be able to see my mommy and daddy....and my grandparents too!
Anyways, mommy found this wonderful book that she says someday we will own. Right now we are just borrowing it from the hospital. It stays in my room because mommy likes the book so much, she reads it every day. I like it too.
In fact, since this is kind of my little book of memories, I'm gonna save the words on here so that I can always remember them, even when I'm too old for bedtime stories.
Anyways, mommy found this wonderful book that she says someday we will own. Right now we are just borrowing it from the hospital. It stays in my room because mommy likes the book so much, she reads it every day. I like it too.
In fact, since this is kind of my little book of memories, I'm gonna save the words on here so that I can always remember them, even when I'm too old for bedtime stories.
You Are My I Love You
I am your parent;
you are my child.
I am your quiet place;
you are my wild.
I am your calm face;
you are my giggle.
I am you wait;
you are my wiggle.
I am your carriage ride;
you are my king.
I am your push;
you are my swing.
I am your audience;
you are my clown.
I am your London Bridge;
you are my falling down.
I am your carrot sticks;
you are my licorice.
I am your dandelion;
you are my first wish.
I am your water wings;
you are my deep.
I am your open arms;
you are my running leap.
I am your way home;
you are my new path.
I am your dry towel;
you are my wet bath.
I am your dinner;
you are my chocolate cake.
I am your bedtime;
you are my wide awake.
I am your finish line;
you are my race.
I am your praying hands;
you are my saying grace.
I am your favorite book;
you are my new lines.
I am your night-light;
you are my starshine.
I am your lullaby;
you are my peekaboo.
I am your good-night kiss;
you are my I LOVE YOU.
Mommy doesn't read me this book when any other people are around because she sometimes cries. She assures me that she is only crying tears of happiness because I am so beautiful. I think she is just trying to butter me up so I'll be nice to her when I'm older.
One of my other favorite books that mommy reads is called "MY DADDY AND I". We're borrowing that one indefinately too because it talks about all the things that I will get to do with daddy when I get out of the hospital. I can't wait!!!!!
I may not know all of you yet, but I love you already!!!!!!!
I asked Auntie Sonya to send some pictures that she took when I was still only a few hours old. I was a handsome dude right from the start! Check them out!
My feet look huge in this picture!
I was only 6 hours old when Auntie Sonya took this picture. My enclosure was too humid for a good picture though and it's kinda fuzzy. I was exhausted so I don't remember any of it, although I think someone was tickling my foot! Auntie Sonya??
In this picture, I was about 18 hours old. The nurse had just rubbed something on my tongue & cheeks and it sure was tasty! I know now that it was some of Mommy's milk.
Man, it seems like these were just yesterday! It's been a grand adventure so far!
Beep away ventilator!!
Today is Saturday, 04-15-06 and I am 5 days old! I've had a great day so far, but mommy and daddy were a little worried to begin with.
Yesterday the doctor told me, mom, and dad that I could eat 1CC of mommy's milk every three hours. I did really good with the first feeding. I didn't eat too fast but I did finish every last drop! The nurses warned mommy that because my tummy is so little, she shouldn't be worried if I still had most of the food in my tummy three hours later.
When they checked my tummy at 11am (three hours after my first feeding), my tummy was EMPTY!!!!! And man was I hungry so I got another 1CC of mommy's milk. Actually, to make a long story short, I got to eat 1CC of milk every three hours yesterday, even during the night!
Anyways, this morning the nurse checked my tummy and mommy was sad because I actually had 1.5CC's of milk in my tummy from the previous feeding. The nurse explained that this was not bad news because I had partially digested the milk, I just didn't finish the job. I think mommy was really only sad because they had told her if I still had milk in my tummy before any feeding, they would hold off on that feeding. That made me kind of sad too because I wanted more milk! Well....guess what?
The nurse showed the doctor what was still left in my tummy, and the doctor said I could still eat. In fact, the doctor decided that since I was doing so good the nurse was going to give me back the old stuff (so I could finish digesting it), and the doctor wanted me to have 2 more CCs with it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we're talking food!!!!!
It's now 2:20pm on the 15th of April....did I tell you I'm five days old already???? I'm almost a big boy!! Anyways, I've already gotten 6CCs of food since 11am and I am loving it!
Oh yeah, I have other big news too.....
My ventilator has been beeping at me all day. Mommy and daddy say that it's an alarm of some sort, but they really didn't know because it's a new noise. When they asked the nurse, she explained that the alarm keeps beeping because my lungs are becoming more open and are needing the ventilator less and less. The nurse said that it's still too early to take me off the ventilator, but because I'm doing so great....I'm only on 39% oxygen and my O2 stats have been awesome!!!!!
So that's my awesome news for today. I know I still have a long ways to go, but I am bound and determined to get better quick so mommy and daddy can hold me.
On a side note, I do have to have my tanning light back (bilirubin) because the doctor said I was getting a little jaundice again. But I'm okay with that because now I don't have to wear the heavy blanket anymore. The blanket makes it really hard for me to move around and I like to be active. The nurses and doctors tell mommy and daddy I move around too much for my own good, but it's pretty boring laying around all day so let me kick my feet already!!!!!!!!
More updates soon:)
Yesterday the doctor told me, mom, and dad that I could eat 1CC of mommy's milk every three hours. I did really good with the first feeding. I didn't eat too fast but I did finish every last drop! The nurses warned mommy that because my tummy is so little, she shouldn't be worried if I still had most of the food in my tummy three hours later.
When they checked my tummy at 11am (three hours after my first feeding), my tummy was EMPTY!!!!! And man was I hungry so I got another 1CC of mommy's milk. Actually, to make a long story short, I got to eat 1CC of milk every three hours yesterday, even during the night!
Anyways, this morning the nurse checked my tummy and mommy was sad because I actually had 1.5CC's of milk in my tummy from the previous feeding. The nurse explained that this was not bad news because I had partially digested the milk, I just didn't finish the job. I think mommy was really only sad because they had told her if I still had milk in my tummy before any feeding, they would hold off on that feeding. That made me kind of sad too because I wanted more milk! Well....guess what?
The nurse showed the doctor what was still left in my tummy, and the doctor said I could still eat. In fact, the doctor decided that since I was doing so good the nurse was going to give me back the old stuff (so I could finish digesting it), and the doctor wanted me to have 2 more CCs with it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we're talking food!!!!!
It's now 2:20pm on the 15th of April....did I tell you I'm five days old already???? I'm almost a big boy!! Anyways, I've already gotten 6CCs of food since 11am and I am loving it!
Oh yeah, I have other big news too.....
My ventilator has been beeping at me all day. Mommy and daddy say that it's an alarm of some sort, but they really didn't know because it's a new noise. When they asked the nurse, she explained that the alarm keeps beeping because my lungs are becoming more open and are needing the ventilator less and less. The nurse said that it's still too early to take me off the ventilator, but because I'm doing so great....I'm only on 39% oxygen and my O2 stats have been awesome!!!!!
So that's my awesome news for today. I know I still have a long ways to go, but I am bound and determined to get better quick so mommy and daddy can hold me.
On a side note, I do have to have my tanning light back (bilirubin) because the doctor said I was getting a little jaundice again. But I'm okay with that because now I don't have to wear the heavy blanket anymore. The blanket makes it really hard for me to move around and I like to be active. The nurses and doctors tell mommy and daddy I move around too much for my own good, but it's pretty boring laying around all day so let me kick my feet already!!!!!!!!
More updates soon:)
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