5 Weeks

Yesterday we took him for his weekly weight check. They do this with preemies to make sure they're gaining weight adequately until they reach their original due date. We're happy to report that he's gaining above and beyond the 1 ounce per day - he's up to 6 lbs 13 oz now, which is an 11 oz gain in 7 days. He gained so much in fact that they said we can wait until his 2 month appointment to have him weighed again. He even went 5 hours between feedings last night. Hooray! We took him out for a long walk this morning to celebrate. He slept the whole time.

Sleeping

Trying out the crib - he was sleeping until I woke him up to take this picture.

He can't sleep flat on his back, but he can sleep like this...


We're still trying to figure out the night time sleeping situation. The doctor's office says it's normal for him not to be able to sleep flat on his back for a few months, especially since he was early. So we can relax and let him sleep wherever/however he likes for now.

Rootin Tootin

Luke has his days and nights mixed up. The past few days he's been sleeping like a little angel, but at night he's wide awake. He sleeps in cousin Elise's boppy pillow during the day and in the pack and play at night (Note to everyone expecting, you need to get a boppy pillow!). He really does well in the pillow, but he doesn't dig the pack and play that much. Thank goodness he doesn't cry all the time, he just squirms and makes little sounds.

He's been a great source of entertainment for us with his funny looks and movements. Here's a short video of him waking up and blowing his trademark kiss. This is part of his stretching routine. Listen carefully for some sound effects, courtesy of Luke. Please forgive the camera work as we had a difficult time trying to contain our laughter and hold it steady.

Looking good

Luke's first doctor's appointment went well. He's up to 6 lbs. 2 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. He's supposed to gain about an ounce a day so he's right on track since he left the hospital. The doctor told us we needed to get out of the hospital mentality now that we're home. That means no need to dress, kiddopotamus and swaddle him and no need to take his temperature every 3 hours - just if we think there's something wrong with him. Basically we're supposed to let him tell us when he needs what instead of following a strict schedule. I guess we're (or I'm) falling into the typical first time parent mold of being overly cautious. I am glad we can turn down the AC a bit though!

Perhaps I am biased, but you can't deny this baby is dang cute!

Tuesday

Grandma Betty arrived yesterday to give us more support while we get used to having a baby. She'll be here all week and has been very helpful so far, watching him while we sneak in a little nap and even getting up for his 2 AM feeding!

Tomorrow he has his first doctor's appointment so we'll get to see how much he's changed since we took him home. It was nice to get daily reports on him in the hospital, but we're glad he's home instead of there. He seems to want more food now so that must be a good sign. I wonder how long it's going to take us to pack him up and get going in the morning.

Here he is with his cute giraffe buddy from his great aunt Shay. You can't see it, but It goes perfectly with his giraffe outfit.

Settling in

Things have been going well at home and we're slowly learning to adjust to Luke's schedule. This boy thing is taking some getting used to - I was peed on twice just yesterday! It is nice that he sleeps most of the time so we are able to do some non-baby things. I don't think we can ever move - the house has been taken over by baby stuff. It's a little toasty at our house as we try to keep him warm. I hope we're being over-cautious and can be more comfortable soon!

On Sunday Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Mack came over to bring us dinner and spend some time with Luke. He had his first tummy time. He was able to lift his head and turn it from side to side without getting too frustrated. He also got his first bath at home and smells like a nice clean baby again.

HOME!

For everyone waiting on pins and needles - we made it to South Austin! We all survived the rooming in night without any incident. We had to continue to check his temperature, change his diaper and then feed him every 3-4 hours. The nurse came in a couple of times to do various assessments, but we handled all the regular care.

This morning the doctor evaluated him one last time before writing the discharge orders. After a lot of waiting around we finally left the hospital about 2:30. We got him snugly in the car seat and headed home.

Since we've been home he's eaten, slept in his pack and play and checked out cousin Elise's boppy pillow. The Simpson family is home!

Decision Day

He made it through the 48 hours in the open crib - woohoo! - but he has to continue maintaining his temp. I'm waiting to speak to the doctor to see what the verdict is and if he's really going home tomorrow.

My friend Brenda stopped by to drop off some goodies for Luke and to see him without his cool shades. He was kind enough to save some gas for her arrival.

An eventful day

Luke's up to 5 lbs 11 oz - that's a gain of almost 4 oz. in one day! At that rate we may have to get second jobs to pay for his food! He made it through the first 24 hours in the open crib. 24 more to go while keeping his temp at an acceptable level.

They wanted us to room in with him tonight, which means he would go home tomorrow. We asked to do the rooming in Friday night instead. He still has a lot to accomplish before he can go home and we'd like a little more time for him to get it all done. Sometime this afternoon he'll have the circumcision, the nurse said he'll need lots of cuddling afterwards. She said every baby is different, so let's hope he isn't too traumatized. Next he has to have the car seat study and the overnight monitoring. If all these things go well and we pass our practice night with him, he'll get to see his new home on Saturday!

Another Try

Luke's been moved back into an open crib. 46 hours of maintaining his temperature to go! As of last night he was 5 lbs 7.8 oz. Hopefully we'll get to take him home Friday or Saturday.

Here's a short video of him eating that Dad took on the Blackberry last night.

No homecoming yet

We arrived at the hospital this morning very refreshed and prepared for our rooming in night and homecoming tomorrow. But, when we walked in to the NICU he was back in his isalet. Since they put him in the open crib on Friday his temperature had been consistently on the lower side, but last night it went too low and they had to put him back in the isalet where it's a bit warmer. The doctor said he'll need to remain in the isalet for another 2-3 days and then he can go back in the open crib where he'll need to maintain his temperature for another 48 hours. So, we're looking at closer to next weekend when we can bring the little dude home. It's disappointing, but we'd rather he be 100% when we take him home.

The good news is he's doing well otherwise - continuing to eat pretty well on his own and gaining weight. If I remember correctly from last night he's up to 5 lbs 4 oz!

Moving ahead

Grandpa Ramon came to visit Luke and to bring him his glider. He ate like a champ for him, sucking down 65 ml in record time!

Things are moving quickly - last night he had overnight monitoring done, where they record all his monitoring and review it to make sure he didn't have any problems. Today they'll do the car seat study, which I think just monitors him while he sits in the car seat for some amount of time. Then there's the circumcision, which may also be today. He's supposed to have a bath today too, so we'll be there for that so we know how to bathe him. Either tonight or tomorrow night we get to "room in" with him, which means we'll stay in a room with him at the hospital overnight and experience what it will be like when we take him home. One last chance to practice before we're on our own! So assuming he passes all these tests I think he may come home Monday evening, after Brad gets off work.

Big Changes

Time ran out for me yesterday and I finally got booted out of my courtesy room. It was a good run, two weeks of not having to drive back and forth (for me at least). Now I get to hang out in the Ronald McDonald family room, which is another awesome feature this hospital has. It's like your own living room, equipped with a couch, recliners, tv, computers and kitchen stocked with drinks and snacks. NICU parents who commute in daily can hang out and relax in between feedings. They sure do their best to make you comfortable here. Thanks Ronald McDonald volunteers!

The doctor put in a new order to only tube feed him if he's had a couple of poor feedings in a row, instead of if he doesn't eat well once. We are happy about that - it seems a baby would be like a regular person and might not be hungry on demand every 3 hours. So they've left the tube in his nose in case they need to use it again - that way they don't have to put it back in.

He's up to 4 lbs 15 oz now and he's in an open crib! They just put him in there this afternoon and they'll monitor his temperature closely to make sure he stays warm. I just spoke with one of the doctors and she said we could take him home Sunday or Monday if all goes well! Yikes! He still has to reach several milestones so we'll keep you posted on his graduation from the NICU!

Two Weeks Old

Luke is now 35 weeks and up to 4 lbs 12 oz. He's still in the isalet,which is slowly working its way down to 27 Celsius while he maintains his temperature. Once he comes out he could go home 3 days later, so we have a little more time. They had to put in a feeding tube again last night because he wouldn't eat during one of his feedings. They assure me this is not a setback and is very common for babies his age. Still, you don't want to see a tube in his nose, especially since he's been doing so well so far.

Last night my friend Barbara stopped by to meet Luke. He was polite enough to wake up for her and show her how well he can eat most of the time.

Good Day

Granny B or Grandma Betty (we're not sure who she is just yet), Ana Maria, Theo and cousin Elise came in for a couple of days to help us with some things at the house. Baby stuff is washed, car seat's installed, meals are prepared, baby shower gifts unpacked and ready to use and all the necessities from the registry have been purchased. On top of that Grandma Cheryl cooked us a yummy lunch today, which was a nice break from constant restaraunt food. I don't know what we'd do without all the amazing family who've stepped in and been a huge help to us during this time.

After a slow feeding start this morning Luke resumed his good appetite and behaved pretty well. He was also pretty alert. He's up to 4.64 lbs now and eating 40 ml. The doctor told us today if he continues to be a good boy he'll move out of his isalet and into a regular plastic bin (I can't remember the offical name) they keep babies in in a regular nursery. He also said he might be able to go home in about a week or so. Just enough time for us to take care of some last minute things I hope!

Happy one week birthday!

It's hard to believe he's already 7 days old. It seems he's changed so much in this short period of time I'm already wishing he wouldn't grow up. I haven't seen him too much today as I've been trying to catch up on 7 days of very little sleep. We're so grateful to have the NICU nurses take care of him when we can not. I guess this is lesson number 2 we're learning - we can't try to do everything anymore, must focus on keeping the three of us healthy and the rest will have to fit in when it can.

Tonight they told us they're removing the Bili blanket and increasing his food again. He's on his way out of here!