NICU Day 35

Day 35.

Andrew and his mother had fun today in the NICU.  Andrew did some more nuzzling and is getting the hang of things.  He sure enjoys his pacifier and goes to town on it.  Hopefully we can break that habit when he comes home.  We'll see...  The little man sure smelled clean and had fluffy hair today.  I think he is extremely handsome; however, I am a little biased.  

Andrew continues to do well with his oxygen levels and heart rate.  Good news, on monday Andrew will have his first nipple feeding.  The occupational therapist will do it with a little milk in the bottle.  This is to make sure he knows how to suck, breath and swallow safely.  I am sure he will do great as always.  He continues to make his parents extremely proud.  Father Darin will be visiting his son this evening.  Mother Meredith will be at home doing chores and then to bed.

I would like to send my kicks out to Wayne and Ashley for the wonderful barbeque dinner this evening.  Thanks so much.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

NICU Day 34

Day 34. A quiet day in the NICU. Mom and baby started "nuzzling" today. That's all I have to say about that.

Andrew is still behaving himself - breathing on his own and all. He gained another 20 grams today, so he is now at 1410 grams (3 lbs. 2 oz.). He got an early bath tonight and was already sound asleep when I got there. I don't think he moved a muscle while I was there.

I think we are probably about halfway home by now, but his nurse tonight was a little more optimistic and thinks we are a little closer than that.

Speaking of home, Grandnana Sara delivered Andrew's bookshelf today. The nursery is getting pretty full. If only he had a mattress to sleep on when he makes it home...

I don't like to shout at people that bring me food, but Meredith wants to give Grandma Ada a "shout out" for bringing us dinner tonight.

That is all.

NICU Day 33

Day 33.  Andrew had an eye exam today and the doctor tells us that he has mild retinopathy, which is common in premature infants.  They will keep an eye on it (no pun intended), but it should improve as his eyes develop.  And so far he is breathing well without his nasal cannula.  I hardly recognized him tonight without that tube under his nose or all of the tape on his face.  His legs have been getting pretty chunky for a while, but now his face and shoulders are starting to fill out a little, too.  No weight report yet tonight, though.  My guess is 5 lbs...

That is all.

NICU Day 32

Day 32.  Dad didn't get to see Andrew today because he had to work late tonight, but Mom says he had a good day with her.  She sang to him and she swears he liked it.  She also claims he smiled at her.

The doctors removed his nasal cannula and he seemed to be breathing OK this afternoon.  He is scheduled for an eye exam tomorrow.  The doctor told Meredith that he wasn't really at high risk for any eye complications, but we still worry.  Keep your fingers crossed.

That is all.

NICU Day 31

Day 31.  Happy Birthday to Andrew.  Hard to believe, but he is one month old today.  Coincidentally (or not) he is also a 3-pound baby today.  Congrats to Mr. Andrew. 

He had quite a few visitors today for the big occasion, including first-timers Uncle Justin, Uncle Dallas, and Aunt Carrie.  He was a sleepy guy today - not one of them saw his eyes open.  I guess all that growing really takes it out of you.

We also made some progress on his room at home this weekend.  I got his crib (sans mattress) ready for him this weekend and Grandnana Sara is putting the finishing touches on a bookshelf he inherited from his great-great-great Aunt Goldina.

New pictures are also up just in time for the birthday party.  (Note: the URL has changed so be sure to update your bookmarks.)

That is all.

NICU Day 30

Day 30.

Andrew is doing well these days; however, it was a rough time when his parents arrived today.  I attempted to change Andrew's diaper and it somehow ended up all over the inside of the isolette.  At the same time Andrew was spitting up and his sats were dropping.  After all of this Andrew got a bed change and new feeding time.  Welcome to baby world, right?

Andrew still has his nasal cannula; the doctor tells us he is still breathing shallow.  It will be nice when he is able to let go of that.  He sure has a time keeping it in his nose.  Andrew spent some awake time with his dad today. Andrew is now up to 1270 grams(2 lbs. 13 oz.).  Darin is with Andrew this evening.  We look forward to the day we can have baby Andrew home with us.

A shout out to grandpa Rick and Grandnana Sara for a wonderful dinner and strawberry pie.

Comments anyone?

NICU Day 29

Day 28 and 29. Yes - we missed a day. Meredith told me she was going to take care of the blog last night while I was spending time in the NICU. Instead, she went to sleep.

While she was sleeping, though, Andrew managed to put on another 10 grams. He now weighs 1240 grams - 2 lbs 12 oz.

Thanks to the Smiths for the wonderful Mexican fare and brownies last night.

NICU Day 27

Day 27.  Another good day.  Meredith got to spend quite a bit of awake time with Andrew this afternoon.  We've started working on his sucker by giving him a pacifier at meal times, which is supposed to make him associate sucking with food.  He has to get that down before they will stop feeding him through a tube.  Sometimes he doesn't seem to have any interest in the pacifier at all, but Meredith said he really went to town on it today.

I took the night shift again.  The nurse was pretty busy with his roommate tonight, so she had not weighed him yet before I left.  He sure is looking like a big boy, though.

Thanks to Grandma Ada and Grandpa Jesse for driving all the way out just to deliver dinner tonight.

That is all.

NICU Day 26

Day 26.  All is quiet on the NICU front.  Andrew was right where I left him last night and still asleep.  He did change his hat, though, and he got a little fatter, too - 1190 grams.  His breathing is improving a little, but he still gets a steady air flow through his nasal cannula and oxygen when he needs a little help.

Meredith and I went to see him together tonight.  She has a hard time just letting him sleep, but she behaved pretty well.  I think she only went for the port covers once tonight.

On the home front, Grandpa Richard and Grandnana Sara came today to help spruce up the nursery a little.  Grandnana Sara also cooked dinner for us.  It's always a treat when Grandnana Sara cooks!

That is all.

NICU Day 25

Day 25. All is quiet on the NICU front. Meredith is still recovering from her trip to the endodontist, but she was back on kangaroo duty today anyway. What a trooper!

Tonight was bath night for Andrew (not me). By the time I got there, though, he was already sound asleep. His weight was up just a little tonight, too - 1170 grams. Every gram is a good gram...

That is all.

NICU Day 24

Day 24.
Darin and I took some time to ourselves this evening. Darin has been up in the NICU very late the last 5 evenings. I take the day shift and Darin takes the evening shift it seems.

Andrew lost his PICC line this afternoon, he loves having two free arms now. This is a great step forward for Andrew. Last night his weight was 1140 grams - tonight it's up to 1150. He has also quite a bit taller this week at 15 inches!

He is looking pretty handsome these days with his clothes and hat. The nurses seem to like to dress him. The OT saw Andrew today and said that is muscle tone is appropriate for his age and his strength appropriate for his size. Andrew now sucks on the pacifier a little while he is getting his feeding. However, grandnana Sara does not think that he likes it in his mouth very much. He is such a sweet and precious boy and just melts my heart.

Darin puts on a button up shirt even on the weekends and says he is wearing his kangaroo shirt. He is hopeful that it is his day to kangaroo. What a great dad!
I have one less tooth this evening with 9 stitches in my mouth after my trip to the endodonist.

Good night! Keep praying for Andrew.

NICU Day 23

Day 23. Another quiet day in the NICU. I'm sure everyone is bored by now, but boring is good for us.

Andrew's weight was down a little last night - 1100 grams - but he is still digesting his food quite well. No update on his weight yet tonight.

On another front, I think Meredith got some much needed rest today. Tomorrow she gets a little one-on-one time with her endodontist. I know she can't wait...

That is all.

NICU Day 22

Day 22. Happy birthday to Andrew again - three weeks old today! What a difference a few weeks can have...

I am spending another lovely evening here in the the good ol' MCD NICU with my favorite son. I got to hold him for about an hour again tonight and we had a blast.

No other news tonight. The PICC line isn't out yet and the nurse hasn't weighed him yet. I did get a few new pics posted on the Internets, though, including some good close-ups at bath time on Thursday.

That is all.

NICU Day 21

Day 21.

Well Andrew's mom is blogging tonight because Andrew is having some father-son time in the recliner. Andrew wiggles around when I hold him and is starting to make little baby noises. Usually dad comes by himself in the evening. Darin enjoys his one on one time with the baby. I nap in the evenings or catch up on the chores.
Andrew is 1120 grams (2 lbs 8 oz) this evening. Andrew is now on high calorie milk at
24 cal/oz. He is so sweet, I just want to kiss on him, scoop him up and bring him home. Tomorrow he will be three weeks old. That's exciting. Andrew seems to be awake more frequently now that he is a little older. The nurses say that Andrew might be refluxing a little, he has little "episodes" after his feedings. He should grow out of that.
Andrew officially has a place to call his own, we picked up the crib today. Hopefully, dad can put it together soon.
A shout out to Grandparents Jesse and Ada for taking us in the truck to pick up the crib. Also, thanks to G-G Bonnie for the wonderful shimp casserole, it was great!
Thanks for all of the prayers and support.

NICU Day 20

Day 20. I'm bloggin' bedside via crackberry tonight, so please forgive any typos.

Today was pretty uneventful in the old NICU. We don't have an update on the weight yet tonight. I think the only significant change today was the order to administer his caffeine orally, which means that he is no longer receiving anything intravenously. Barring anything unexpected, his PICC line should be coming out soon. Another good day.

As promised, I also posted some new pictures at the usual location.

That is all.

NICU Day 19

Day 19. Alright, so he's back up past 1100 again tonight - 1110 grams. They got rid of his TPN and lipids today, which is a big step for him. No more artificial nutrition. He also got to wear his first shirt tonight. All-in-all, another good day for Andrew.

I've been a little worried about his head being flat from laying on one side or the other all the time, but the nice nurse tonight explained that the two halves of his little skull still aren't fused together. Apparently he is not quite as hard-headed as his old man and he has a big soft spot that allows his skull to be a little more flexible. Long story short, it should all be OK in the end and I shouldn't worry.

Thanks to the Woodburys for lunch today. The cake was excellent.

Baby's asleep. Mom's asleep. Dad's going to sleep. New pictures tomorrow - I promise.

That is all.

NICU Day 18

Day 18.

Andrew is looking so good these days and is filling in nicely. Dr. Schwendeman informed me this morning that last nights weight of 1140 grams was incorrect. He said that they reweighed Andrew and he was 1060 grams, that was after 3 stools. Andrew is becoming more predictable, he starts squirming and opening his eyes about 30 minutes before his feeing. He is a smart guy and knows he is waiting on something good. I believe that today Andrew received last bag of TPN and lipids and by Thursday he will be on what they call "full feeds". Andrew got 2 new pillows today, one for his tummy and one for his head. Dad is with Andrew tonight, probably trying to sneak in some kangarooing.

Thanks to the Ruby's and Karen J. for not letting us go hungry today.

The dinner was delicious, and very good watermelon by the way.

NICU Day 17

Day 17. Today was another good day. Mom spent most of the afternoon with Andrew, and Dad just got home from spending a little quality alone time with him this evening.

Mr. Andrew continues to pack on the lbs, smashing through the 1100 gram barrier tonight - 1140 grams to be precise. That's a little over 2.5 lbs. The nurses also took some other measurements last night. He grew another 1.5 cm long and that big brain of his pushed his head circumference out another 1.5 cm, too. So, for the record, he is now 35.5 cm tall/long (about 14 in.) and his head circumference is 25.5 cm.

No real problems to report so far. The doctors and nurses have had to continue to tweak his oxygen and airflow to keep his saturation levels up, but that may be partly because the surfactants they gave him when he was born could be wearing off and he is not quite mature enough to make his own yet. We'll have to keep an eye on it, but he should start improving in a couple of weeks when he does start making his own.

Be sure to check out the card from Andrew that I added to last night's post. (And despite what Mom says, I did not neglect her yesterday. I did take her out to dinner.)

Good night, and good luck.

NICU Day 16

Day 16.

Well, I am embarrassed to say that Andrew did not get a visit from his parents on Mother's Day. Darin and I were not feeling well and wanted to make sure we were not passing anything along. He had one of the favorite nurses today, so I felt comfortable. He is up to 12cc a feeding this evening and the nurse tonight said his belly looked a little full. I am hoping for a poop tonight. The nurses keep trying to give him a pacifier while his feeding is going; however, he does not really suck on it. Andrew left me a sweet Mother's day present with his footprints on it. He is already doing better than his dad in the gift department.

Andrew weighs a total of 1070 grams(2 lbs. 5.5 oz.). Gotta go, its pumping time.

NICU Day 15

Day 15. Happy birthday to Andrew! He is two weeks old today (31 weeks gestational).

And speaking of birthdays, Grandnana Sara walked in on him while he was in his birthday suit taking a bath tonight! Doesn't anyone knock anymore?

Mom got to hold him again today, so the score is now 3-1. He hit the 1000 gram mark last night and he was 1020 grams tonight, so he is definitely making progress.

The complaint department (Stacy) tells me that I'm not getting pictures up fast enough and not putting them in the right place, but Big Daddy is overworked, underpaid, and just plain tired tonight. (It was actually Big Momma's turn to blog tonight, but she played the I'm-too-tired-and-have-to-pump-every-three-hours card.) I'll try to do better next week. Good night, and good luck!

NICU Day 14

Day 14. It's official - his eyes are open. I saw both of them today. He is still stable and growing. Last night he weighed 970 grams (about 2 lbs 2 oz). And by the way, dad finally got to hold him for about an hour today. Mom - 2, dad - 1.

Thanks to Grandma Ada for another home-cooked meal tonight. I don't think we ever had this much home cooking, even before Mr. Andrew came along.

Tomorrow we celebrate the end of two weeks in the NICU and one week closer to home.

NICU Day 13

Day 13.

Today has been a little stressful for us all, especially Andrew. It started out with a call from the doctor that Andrew was going to receive blood today. Andrew's breathing has still been fast and his oxygen levels are still dropping some. His momma sat for six hours watching his monitors and keeping an eye on his nurse. His nurse was a little rough with Andrew today, so his mom asked to do some of his care today. When we left this afternoon Andrew was breathing a little easier; however, by tonight trouble began again. From what I hear things will be up and down until he comes home. At this point I am hoping the time passes fast and I am enjoying my little blessing everyday. Andrew tipped the scales at 970 grams tonight(2 lb. 2 oz.), a little up because of the blood. Andrew is well on his way to being a chubby little baby.

Oh, for the count the holding time remains Meredith-2, Darin-0.

Thanks to Marilyn for lunch at the French Garden today, and a shout out to Natalie B. for the wonderful dinner with wonderful dessert!

NICU Day 12

Day 12. So, the big news this morning was that Andrew crossed the 2 lb mark for the first time. He was actually 930 grams. By tonight he was back down to 880 grams (Grandnana Sara must have swapped a little Slim-Fast (tm) for his milk today while the nurse wasn't looking). The doctors also removed his nasal cannula (which provided airflow to help his breathing). Unfortunately, by this evening he seemed to be having a little trouble keeping up on his own, so they had to put it back for now. All things considered, though, it was another good day for Andrew.

Mom also got to hold him today - again. Dad still did not. For those of you keeping count (like me), that's Mom -2 and Dad - 0. Something doesn't seem quite right... what does a dad have to do to get a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t around here? Am I gonna have to start lactating before I get to hold the little guy or what??

NICU Day 11

Day 11.

Andrew continues to amaze us everyday. He is a very strong boy and a fighter. Andrew is up to 4cc every 3 hrs for feedings and was able to poop on his very own today. His mom was very proud of him for this. He looks like he is all belly and continues to be a little squirmer. He was able to cuddle with his momma for the first time today and he loved it. He did not move much, but he did drop his heartrate a few times and that was it for the cuddling session. We received wonderful news that his head ultrasound was normal, that was a huge relief. All of the alarms continue to shake up grandnana Sara. It was another good day in the NICU, thanks be to God.

NICU Day 10

Day 10. Today was another good day for Andrew. The doctors increased his milk to 3 ccs every three hours and cut off the humidifier in his isolette. He also graduated to a real blanket. I think he slept all day wrapped up in that blanket.

Last night I learned that the little guy had grown half a centimeter over the last week. Tonight he weighed 830 grams.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for all of us. He gets a head ultrasound in the morning to make sure there is no bleeding in his big brain. And if all goes well, at least one of us should also get to hold him for a little while tomorrow afternoon. (I hope Meredith gets to hold him some, too.)

NICU Day 9

Day 9.

Today was a good day for Andrew, mom and dad. Andrew's personality is definitely beginning to show. Andrew had to wear a urine bag for the third time today and he was not happy about it. Andrew wiggled and threw his arms and legs around like crazy. Andrew's PICC line is looking good. Andrew is up to 1.5cc of milk every 3 hrs, tummy is looking good. We are still not sure about sweet Andrew's eyes, whether they are open or not. He weighed in at 1 lb. 11 oz. (770 gms.) He is the sweetest little guy ever and we could not be more proud.

Thanks to Carrie D. for baking us muffins, cookies and banana bread(yum) and to Aunt Jean for the soup. Thanks to Darin for the clean clothes.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

NICU Day 8

Day 8. Today kicks off week 2 for the newest member of the family. We were starting to worry a little bit yesterday about his stomach digesting his food properly, but everything seems to have improved today. The doctors have resumed feeding him milk in smaller doses. He weighed in today at a hefty 760 grams. Scattered reports of seeing his eyes open continued to trickle in from the nurses. We still have not seen them.

The nurse gave him a bath this evening and he was resting comfortably when I left about an hour ago.

Thanks to the Greenwoods for lunch today. Very tasty. And thanks to "Grandma Ada" for picking up the groceries.

NICU Day 7

Day 7. The end of the first week is upon us. Andrew got a little "backed up" today and the doctors cut off his milk supply for now. He eventually managed to clean out his pipes (in a big way) with a little help from his friends, but the doctors are still keeping a close eye on his stomach. His girth is getting a little larger than what the doctors consider normal. We should know more about his prognosis tomorrow.

The doctors also traded in his UAC (little tube) for a more durable PICC line (big tube), so he now has this splint-like gizmo on his right arm that keeps the new big tube in place. It looks terribly uncomfortable, but he didn't seem to mind it too much at last check.

Meredith tells me I should be asleep by now, so I guess I better call it a day before I get in trouble.

NICU Day 6

Day 6. The big news today is that the doctors bumped up Andrew's feeding to 2 ccs every three hours and he seems to be processing all of it. One of the nurses also reported seeing his eyes open today, but we've never seen them open.

The other big news story is that Meredith came home tonight and we get to sleep in our own comfy bed again. It is a bittersweet homecoming, of course, but we know there will be a second homecoming real soon and that keeps us going.

Thanks again to the Rubys for a good home-cooked meal tonight! Delicious.