18 and Counting

Do you ever watch that show on TLC? Well, Michelle Duggar's 19th baby is a preemie! About as early as Aaron was. There were a few articles out there saying that the baby is doing "fine". I don't know about you but my idea of a 25 week preemie doing fine might not be like the general public's idea of "fine".

Here is a link to another preemie mom's blog entry on the Duggar's newest edition. It is so well written and has even been nominated on another site as a popular entry. Please take a look at it. It puts everything into perspective.

Fine*

24 in 28

Aaron has gained 24oz in the past 28 days, bringing his weight up to...12lbs 10oz!!! "Ideal" preemie weight gain is 0.5oz to 1oz/day, so this is quite a number to be excited about. Last month, Aaron skyrocketed from his own growth curve and fell within the limits of the 5th percentile group. This new weight today now puts him teetering on the edge of the 25th percentile. Woohoo!

For height, Aaron gained an inch from last visit, measuring at 23 inches. This put him in the 10th percentile for height.

As for head circumference, it is right in line with body weight, growing at the same rate and in the same percentile. This consistent growth was very pleasing to the doctor, especially with our history of hydrocephalus. But, since his last head ultrasound showed no increase in the hydrocephalus, the doctor is pretty certain that it's all "good growth".

Aaron was a really good boy with his two shots today. He screamed quite a bit but recovered very quickly. He's such a big boy!

Btw, ever since posting the video of Aaron screaming, I just can't stop watching it. He cracks me up and is amazingly adorable!

Goodnight!

Forget Cooing...

Aaron now likes to screeeeaaammmm....


And, he has a new girlfriend. She's French and her name is Sophie. Aaron can't get enough of her long legs!

Tomorrow we have a doctors appointment at DHMC. It'll be our monthly weigh-in (last month, Aaron was 11 lbs 2oz) as well as our 2nd round of Synagis and regular flu shots. I will update tomorrow with our new weight. Here's to chubby!!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

We are in NJ celebrating the holiday with family and friends. As usual, Thanksgiving was at Aunt Loretta's today. She always puts on quite an amazing spread and this year was no exception. Aaron enjoyed being around so much family (20 adults, 2 kids) for his first Thanksgiving and Clayton even had turkey for the first time ever! Everyone was commenting on how big Aaron has gotten since they saw him last, especially Aunt Loretta's sister's family, who haven't seen him since the end of July. They also couldn't get over his long eye lashes and big hands and feet. Of course, we played our now-traditional Scrabble game. It was a best-out-of-three situation and, once again, Team Vermont surpassed the competition, even with some shady practices going on by other teams. ;)

Aaron didn't eat much during the day, most likely from being uncomfortable from teething. Or, he was really hoping to have some of that yummy turkey and mashed potatoes. He wasn't even fussy about it, just didn't want to eat. In fact, this will be listed as one of our "better" outings with him, especially since we were out for over 8 hours. But, now that we're home, he is downing the ounces like a champ.

Tomorrow, we are hanging around the house during the day trying to avoid as much of the North Jersey Black Friday crowd as possible. At night, we have some plans to see Clayton's best friend and his awesome fiancee. Saturday will be more family time and then home on Sunday. Should be a great time!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Clayton's birthday! This will actually be the 10th birthday that we celebrate together as a couple and I can't believe that. My sister has offered to watch Aaron for a few hours while we enjoy a nice dinner alone. Clayton hasn't had my attention at dinner since Aaron's come home, so this should be a nice treat for him, and me! Happy birthday to the most amazing husband and even more wonderful father! I love you, Clayton!

Prematurity Awareness Day

And to think, I never thought there was such a day until I gave birth to a premature baby 8 months ago. What I'm about to post is very difficult for me. I haven't really talked much about Aaron's birth except to a few people, even then, picking and choosing certain information that I thought was relevant. But, today, in honor of Prematurity Day, I will give you a glimpse of how prematurity affected me and my family.

Nearing the end of dental school and heading towards our 3 year wedding anniversary, Clayton and I decided it was the best time for us to become parents! Neither of us had any medical issues so there wasn't a second thought about waiting. I forced myself to wait the recommended minimum 10 days after first trying to take a pregnancy test. It came up negative and I was devastated, truly believing it was false. Two days later, I saw the faintest pink line and that was it, I was in love. I was always tired, no morning sickness and no food aversions. Really, I couldn't ask for a better pregnancy.

I had my first prenatal appointment at about 9w. The heart rate was great and it was amazing to hear that sound coming out of my belly. The doctor was concerned, though, because my uterus felt like it was 5 months pregnant. My options: multiples or a fibroid. We were excited and scared. Multiples, how could we manage more than one baby, especially as our firsts! And, a fibroid? Whaaat? I cried on the way to school. I never thought I'd hear ANYTHING negative about anything. Of course we were scheduled for an ultrasound immediately.

Our first ultrasound was much earlier than most peoples. We saw a tiny little speck on the monitor with a heart beating away. It was so beautiful to see our baby so early in its life. And, of course, there it was. The fibroid. The doctor was quite impressed with how large it was already, 9cm x 10cm. How big will it get as I get farther along? How will it affect me and my baby? It was all speculation. And, what ended up happening was never what was imagined.

For the next few months, I was having an ultrasound every 3 weeks, to check the growth of the fibroid and to make sure my cervix wasn't shortening (incompetent cervix), which it never did. The fibroid did get a little big bigger, but remained steady once I was a few weeks into the 2nd trimester. An answer from God! We were finally in the clear. I found out shortly after that my sister was also pregnant, due only 4 days after I was. We will shop together, go through the experience together. They'll be like twins! This was her second baby so I couldn't imagine all the wonderful advice she'd give me as I progressed and wondered about every little thing "baby".

We made it to our 20 week ultrasound and found out we were having a boy! Finally, we were allowed to pick out a name. A boy! He will be the fourth generation Berry boy. Everyone was excited. My sister was also having a boy. What're the odds. Life was great and we were happy. Graduation was around the corner. I had job interviews lined up. Everything was perfect.

At 24 weeks, I celebrated viability day. At this point, our baby had a fighting chance to live if he was born. Not that he was going to be. But, if he was, doctors could work on him and he'd be fine. Woo hoo! It's a big milestone in a pregnancy. I never would've thought that I would give birth only 5 days later.

March 14th, 2009. I had trouble sleeping the night before. I summed it up to being nervous for my boards. Will I scale all the plaque off and add the right retention? Will I have contact? I didn't have to worry about my patients because 2 of them were family members. I wasn't in much pain, just discomfort. I had just had an ultrasound the previous week and everything was absolutely fine. It must've been nerves because there wasn't anything else it could be...right?

When I woke up to shower and get dressed, something felt not right. It wasn't labor, though, I was so early. So Clayton drove me off to school to let them know that I wasn't going to take the exam that day. I was going to the ER to get checked out and then home to relax. Hopefully I'd feel up to it and take the exam on Sunday. We headed down the elevator and Clayton went to get the car. I had a very sharp pain on my side and felt like going to the bathroom. Once there, I barely pushed and there he was. In the toilet. My son. Our son. I picked him up and sat on the floor. I needed to know if he was alive. I touched his hand and he moved it. I yelled for the security gaurd and she called EMS. "He's still moving, tell them to hurry".

Clayton came back and opened the door. I never would've imagined that the sight of a mother holding her child after birth would bring such terror to a dad's face. I didn't want him to come in, to see us like that. Our son's skin was dark. He was so skinny and small. He didn't look like the small baby I imagined when I thought of the word "preemie". He still looked like a fetus. What you see on those Discovery Channel programs.

EMS came quickly and cut the cord, rushing my son away. I found out later that the EMT just rushed him to the cop car outside and around the corner to the ER. That was probably the best and fastest thing he could've done and I am forever thankful for his quick thinking. As soon as my son was taken away, the tears came. I was no longer "in control". What happened to me after was a blur. Lots of doctors, lots of questions, morphine, pitocin. All I wanted to know was is my baby still alive. It took a few hours before I found out. Clayton was by my side the entire time, except for making some phone calls to family and letting them know what had happened.

Eventually, I was brought to a hospital room. My parents were there when the doctor first came in to let us know about Aaron. Yes, finally we could call him the name we decided on. They had rescuciated him, intubated him and warmed him up (his body temp was 86 degrees upon arrival at the ER). I heard what every mom wants to hear: his weight and lenghth: 1 lb 14 oz and 14.75 inches long! Pretty big for a 24 weeker. I couldn't see him yet, they were still working on him a bit. I was pretty composed. After speaking with people that came to visit me after the fact, they told me they couldn't believe my attitude about the whole situation. Honestly, I felt like God placed a shield of calmness around me to protect me from all the evil things I could be thinking. I knew and felt deep down that it was going to be ok. That Aaron was going to be ok. Of course, my belief was tested time and time again, especially those first few weeks.

I didn't see Aaron until later that night. I couldn't count how many tubes were in him. I couldn't even touch him because his skin wasn't fully developed and I could rub it off with the slightest touch. So, I just looked on. And prayed. It was a few more days before he opened his eyes for the first time and I knew he had more Egyptian in him Polish/Dutch. It would be two weeks before we could hold Aaron and take our first family picture. We celebrated every ounce gained and every tube taken out. After 57 days on a ventillator he had enough and took it out himself. I heard my baby cry for the first time and it made me cry (as I'm doing right now). We avoided NEC but had ROP, PDA and IVH. Bradys, apneas, O2 sats: I knew way too much about the NICU for a new mom. My day depended on the numbers on his monitor. I watched as woman after woman took care of my baby. And, as thankful as I was to them, I wished it was me doing what a mom should be doing.
I went about my school business as usual because Aaron needed me home when he came home. With all that was going on, I graduated on time and celebrated with my #1 motivation afterwards. It would be another month until his due date so I knew we still had a long way to go.

Aaron was such a fighter. The nurses loved taking care of him. He was easy. With no more school, the NICU became my second home. The nurses saw more of me than my family did. I knew the day was coming when we'd walk out of there and never come back, but for now, Aaron needed me by his side as much as possible. I couldn't imagine how the NICU nurses did it day in and day out, for years.

Being in that dark room with monitors beeping every second, with all the blood being drawn and xrays being taken, with all the paperwork and diagnoses being thrown around. I could barely do it for the 118 days we were there. NICU nurses are truly angels.

Eventually, that day came when we were ready for DISCHARGE, a word I only dreamed about. I was overwhelmed with emotions as they cut the ID bracelet I had on for 4 months and took the last of the leads off of Aaron. HE WAS COMING HOME. I couldn't imagine who in their right mind would release this baby to ME! We prayed we were ready. How would we manage without the wires that told us how he was doing? But we did. And we still are.

Today, Aaron is thriving like a champ. He weighs well over 11 lbs and is 22 inches long. He loves to "talk" to whoever will listen and is a pretty good listener himself. His favorite song: "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know". I've been singing it to him every day since his birth day and no other song calms him quite like this one does. He's progressing at physical therapy and wowing the doctors at his visits every month. Of course, we still don't know the full impact of Aaron's prematurity on his growth and development but we are steadfast in believing that that same God that saved him on March 14th; that was with him every single day in the NICU, protecting him and holding his hand when Clayton and I couldn't; that told me from day 1 that Aaron will be ok, is still with him and healing him.

So, how has prematurity affected me and my family? For one, it has strengthened our belief in God. Regardless of beliefs, we have yet to meet anyone who's experienced Aaron's story that can deny a that "greater being" had His hand in all of this. We've learned that no matter how perfectly we have things planned that God's plan may be different and we need to be faithful in following it. Aaron's story is for God's glory, there's no denying that. And, just when I start to think of all that prematurity has taken away from me (from third trimester antics, getting his room ready, holding him for the first time after birth, breastfeeding), I look at Aaron (currently sleeping next to me on the couch) and start thinking, "Wow!" Although I would never wish my experience on anyone, I am thankful for the person it has made me become and for the baby that is surpassing more than his initial 40% chance of survival.

I thanks you for reading this very long post and I hope that it gave you some insight into the life of a premature baby, a NICU experience, and a mom handling it all. If you feel so inclined, please donate to the March of Dimes, an organization that has done, and continues to do, so much in increase awareness of prematurity, improve the survival rates of premature babies, and decrease the ever growing rate of premature births in the United States.

Believe it or not, as long as this post is, there is still plenty of other information about our exprience that just didn't get to write about. I am very open and willing to share Aaron's story (as every parent is with thier own children). Feel free to email me.

Thank you.

God Will Do It

I hope you liked the song in the last post. It's amazing how many songs just speak to you if you'll just sit down and listen to them.

Since the last post and weekend away in NJ, Clayton, Aaron and I have just been hanging out at home (up to this past weekend). It's been nice to not have to pack and unpack and drive a lot. We had gone a month straight of not being home on the weekends so we really enjoyed just relaxing.


















On October 17th, our nephew Joshua had his 2nd birthday party. I couldn't believe he's 2! And, even more so, in 5 months from then Aaron will be 1!! Anyway, Clayton had class that day so I was on the setup committee at my sister's house. We've always been such a good team. She baked while I decorated. The theme: balloons.

Joshua LOVES balloons and that's all he talks about. The house was filled with balloons and the look on his face when he walked in was priceless. He managed to get a hold of every balloon.

On the 20th of October, Aaron had an eye doctors appointment. We drove 20 minutes north to Randolph, VT. Oh, it was so beautiful. As soon as we got off the exit and looked left, we saw two large mountain peaks (I'm guessing Killington and Pico) with beautiful white runways as far down as we could see. Every day here I realize that the Upper Valley is God's canvas. Too bad I don't ski, because it was looking like it will be a good ski season.

In any case, the doctor had some good and bad news. His overall eye exam showed that Aaron's eyes are perfect! There is no scarring or issues with the surgery he had back in July for ROP. This was excellent news because we've been praying for Aaron's eyes for so long, since before his first eye exam at the hospital at about 1 month old. However, since Aaron is still not "looking" he thinks there may be an issue with the processing of images in his brain. Probably due to the IVH. He said there's some big hospital down in Boston that could figure out where exactly there is a break in the communication from eye to brain with lots of testing. But, for now, we will just wait and pray and ask you to continue praying for us as well. We know God is keeping watch over Aaron and using his story and experience in ways we couldn't imagine. Everything has it's time and we are being patient.

Of course, this news was very difficult to hear and it was a very long 20 minute drive home. Every parent just wants their child to look up at them and recognize their face. I am very very patiently waiting for that moment. When I told my mom about the appointment she asked, "So, what do they do next?" I said, "It's in his brain. What can they do?" And she simply replied, "God will do it."

I honestly think God is putting all these doctors with bad news in our lives to further strengthen our faith in Him and what He is doing in Aaron's life. Sometimes, though, it is a little overwhelming to hear negative findings like this. Of course, the perfect song came on during the ride home. It's not new and I've heard it many times before during my 4 years of dental school and when Aaron was first born. Just when I keep getting bogged down with bad news, I keep remembering:

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth
-- "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns --

That week, Aaron started vomiting a lot and just not doing well. It got to a point where we just had to call his pedi. We started just feeding him very small amounts (1 tsp every 10 minutes) until he was able to keep it all down. Turns out, after catching him chomping on his fingers like crazy, Aaron is teething! And all that saliva he swallows from chewing on his hands upsets his tummy. So, of course, I have been doing daily oral exams since then to see if anything has been peeking through. Not yet...

On Saturday, October 24th, Aaron had some special visitors. His aunt Becky and her mom came to see him. Becky hadn't seen Aaron for over a month and Marty hadn't seen him at all! They brought some nice goodies and treats for us to enjoy and Aaron was such a good boy. He loves visitors! We enjoyed a nice lunch and dinner, as well as downpouring rain.

Aaron had his first Synagis shot on November 3rd. It is used to prevent RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). He will be getting one shot every 28 days from now until March (5 total shots). This was a very good appoitment, other than getting the vaccine. Apparently, since his last weigh in last month, Aaron had a growth spurt. He had been following his own growth curve, which was below the smallest percentile. But, after this weigh in, Aaron was officially "on the charts"! He had a small linear growth that put him inside that curve! Aaron weighed in at 11 lbs 2oz, and 22 inches! Such a big boy. At that point, he was only 4 oz more than Clayton's weight. Ha!

This past weekend (Nov 6-8), I went on my first overnight continuing education course in Boston. Of course, I wasn't going to leave Aaron for 3 nights so he and Clayton came along. It ended up being a fun filled family weekend because Nana and Grandpop came up to Boston as well. Granted, I didn't really see anyone much since I was at the course all day, but I know Aaron enjoyed seeing them. It had been almost a month since we were in NJ and Nana and Grandpop couldn't stay away from Aaron. Although it was nice to have Aaron with me that weekend, he was so uncomfortable. He hated sleeping in his pack-n-play and woke up at least once every night, which threw his schedule off the next day. I think he'll have to stay home next time, for his benefit.

In other news, Clayton is working at a new job site. Previously, he was driving 1 hour each way to work. Now, he's at the VA Hospital in White River Junction, which is 20 minutes away! He was also working until 5 o'clock at the hour-away job. Now, he's home before and showered before he would've even left the old job. It's nice to have those few extra hours together.

I will not end this post with a promise to write more often, because it probably won't happen. But, one can hope.

What Faith Can Do

Have you ever heard a song for the first time that just really caught your attention? Then, when you heard it again you thought, "Oh, that's a pretty good song"? And, when you look up the lyrics it totally blows you away? This is one of those songs for me. It's by the the band Kutless and I heard it on sattelite radio yesterday and then today. So, I just wanted to share the lyrics with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

Aaron's Room

Believe it or not, we have yet to get internet hooked up at our new place. But, luckily, our neighbors (who've been here 5 weeks longer than us) have wireless internet ;)! We did manage to get the tv hooked up on Tuesday after weeks and weeks of phone calls to 4 different companies. Welcome to life in small town VT!

So, we moved into our townhouse on September 4th and have been unpacking ever since. It's mostly all put away but now that we're both working parents, there really isn't much time. It's also been snowing a bit here in South Royalton. Mostly early in the morning and late at night. Our Jersey winter gear isn't going to cut it up here, so a shopping trip is in order very very soon.

I'm still working only one day at the Hanover office but will be meeting with another office that I interviewed with next Friday to get a few more days. It's about that time and Aaron's doing so well and having fewer and fewer doctors' appointments that I feel comfortable transitioning into full time now.

Clayton's been working for over a week now at a hydroelectric plant about an hour south of here. He is absolutely loving it! The drive isn't too bad because he's done that much in traffic in NJ so this is a breeze. However, on days that he has school, he ends up driving an hour north of here so two hours from his job. Fortunately, there is someone from his class that lives near us so they carpool, which will come in very handy during snowy winter nights.

Now, on to who really matters: Mr. Aaron Berry! He is enjoying his new room very much. His first night in his crib (09/24/09) he slept 6 hours! And, he's been sleeping through the night consistently since, going up to 9 hours each night. Initially I was concerned about not feeding him overnight but he's been gaining weight like a champ that we don't need to worry at all. Lately, Aaron's been averaging just a little under an ounce a day of weight gain with "ideal" being an ounce/day. We actually had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and he weighed in at 9lbs 12oz. That's almost 8 lbs more than his birth weight, yet still 1lb less than his daddy's birth weight! The doctor couldn't stop saying how "remarkable" he is. I haven't needed any convincing of Aaron's amazing-ness since March 14, 2009!

Here's a little peak at where the little guys sleeps. He is finally enjoying all the gifts he received at his welcome home party.









Aaron was dedicated at church on September 27th, along with his cousin Micah. Instead of a christening we hold a ceremony in which we (the parents) dedicate Aaron to God as one of His children and dedicate ourselves to raising him as such. It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of tears. Nana, Grandpop and Uncle Glenn were able to come up for it and we had a nice party afterwards at my parents house. Aaron received lots of nice presents that he loves!

The following weekend Aaron made his first trip of many to come to Cape Cod. My sister and brother-in-law had a dental continuing education course in Hyannis and Clayton and I tagged along for an all-inclusive weekend away of babysitting! Aaron very much enjoyed spending lots of time with Joshua and Micah!

This past weekend we headed down to NJ because Great-Aunt Kathy came for a visit from Texas. She hadn't seen Aaron since May so he was still in an isolette and not even 4lbs yet! Aaron also was able to meet his second cousins Rickey and Matthew for the first time. Rickey is going to be such a great babysitter when he grows up. He absolutely LOVED taking care of Aaron and did a good job at it, too. Aaron looked so big in his arms.

That pretty much sums up the past month and a half. Here are a few my favorite pictures.


09/14/09: Brr, it's getting cold in Vermont!


09/19/09: Aaron's first hat with a strap. Nana love Janie and Jack.



10/10/09: Aaron's latest hat. Great Aunt Kathy has the same taste in kids' clothing as Nana. Look at those cheeks! Doesn't he look so big?


10/12/09: Holding on tight and eating like a champ. Totally stuffing himself so we can get our sleep.



I will post more pictures of the house as I take them. Thanks for catching up with our family!

Moving Out!

What do you think of the new layout? I saw it and loved it. Hope you're enjoying it. Although, I did lose some of my "Helpful Information" links on the right in the process of switching over. If you think of anything that I forgot to add or would like to know more about, please let me know!

Anyway, after being in Vermont for almost 5 weeks and staying at my parents house, Clayton and I are finally moving out! We've actually been looking for houses for almost a year now but not much in our price range came on the market that we liked. So, we'll be renting a freshly built, 3-bedroom townhouse that's about 20 minutes from my parents and sister. It's much quieter up there than down here in Hartford but Vermont Law School is located in the same town so we're not completely cut off from civilization! We're so excited to finally have our own place again (after 14 months of not) and use our own furniture. And, Aaron will officially be sleeping in his own room. He's been staying in a bassinet in our room since he got home. Luckily the situation supported that. But now, I guess he's big enough of a boy to have his own room...well, I'm still convincing myself!

Move in is tomorrow and we have to wait for cable/internet to be set up before I can blog again, but I didn't want to go a long time without an update.

As for Aaron post-surgery, he is a whole new baby! He is eating very well and going to the bathroom without straining so hard that it makes him scream! We noticed this difference by the time we got home from the hosptial on Saturday. He almost has a feeding schedule now and is able to eat a lot more at a time. Previously, he'd only take maybe an ounce or less every 30-60 minutes and then nap because his system would get so backed up. Now, he can eat until he's content, have less spit ups from straining his tummy muscles so much, and then sleep for a few hours at a time! God put that surgeon in our path to perform Aaron's surgery as soon as possible and we are so grateful.

Also, Aaron's been a bit congested lately. No fevers, no coughs, just congested. He has the cutest little snore at night because of it. I love hearing it. He is slowly getting over it, luckily, as the weather is getting colder and colder. We've got to make it to the LL Bean store to stock up on some heavy-duty-Vermont-winter baby gear!

A new update, and maybe some pictures of the place, when we have our internet set up...so, hopefully soon!

Discharge Weight

We asked the nurse to weigh Aaron yesterday before we were discharged. At his pre-surgery appointment on Tuesday he was 6lbs 11.5oz. At the ER on Wednesday night, he was 6lbs 13.7oz. On Friday, surgery day, he was 7lbs even (with a diaper and onsie). At discharge on Saturday he weighed in at 7lbs 4.8oz. This was pure naked baby weight! Yay!

We also had a surprise visit from Nana and Grandpop. Aaron was so excited to see them and spend some time with them since it had been a couple weeks since they saw him last. Hurley enjoyed seeing them, too!

The weather up here is nice and crip, and September is just about to start. Summer is officially over in the Upper Valley.

Nothing Goes as Planned

Well, we met with the pediatric surgeon on Tuesday regarding Aaron's hernia and surgery was scheduled for Friday, only 3 days away...

On Wednesday (08/26/09), only one day after meeting with the surgeon, we rushed Aaron to the ER because of his hernia! He was acting cranky and sleepy all day, which he usually does when he's backed up. He works so hard to go to the bathroom that he just gets tired and falls asleep, usually without taking much food. But he was so sleepy all day that day and hadn't taken anywhere close to his normal. He woke up around 6pm starving! We were so happy that he finally wanted to eat. And, he took his bottle pretty well, too. But then, it all came right back up. Almost projectile but not quite. This has happened before but not on a day that he wasn't taking much to begin with. Figuring he was backed up, we checked his diaper to see if he had done anything. There was no poo. But, his hernia was the worst we'd seen it since he was discharged back in July! Aaron was screaming and his hands were shaking. Nothing was making him feel better. We pressed on his tummy, tried to reduce the hernia, tried to help him go to the bathroom any way that we could, but nothing. It was like a big balloon filled to almost bursting. It was rock solid. Usually, I'm the one that wonders, "Is this it? Is this the time we have to rush to the ER?", Clayton suggests to wait awhile longer, and Aaron settles down and goes to the bathroom. This time, Clayton looked at me and said, "We need to go." So we packed some stuff and headed over to the ER. We were the only ones there and got in right away. Aaron had settled a bit in the car and probably passed some gas because the hernia was slightly better by the time we got into our room, around 8:20pm. It took 2 doctors to reduce the hernia on the left side, and it just kept trying to bulge out again. But pushing some in was better than nothing. They left the hydrocele on the right alone. In the meantime, they wanted some blood work and Aaron was stuck 4 times just to get 2 teeny vials of blood. Also, they wanted a urine sample to check his electrolytes since he was vomiting, so poor Aaron was catheterized. It was really sad to watch and he was miserable. They also took an abdominal xray (KUB = Kidney, Ureter, Bladder) just to make sure there were no blockages stopping him from going to the bathroom. After everything came back perfect, we fed Aaron a bottle and had to stay a bit to make sure he kept it all down. He was so exhausted he just passed out. Here he is sleeping with his hand all bandaged up. We've seen him go through a lot during his short life already but this was just so sad...

Aaron slept the whole rest of the time and 90 minutes after finishing eating, they discharged us from the ER. Oh, and Aaron weighed in at 6lbs 13.7oz.

We got home around 1am Thursday morning and prayed that Aaron can just make it through the day for his surgery on Friday. We also changed him over to formula to help pack on some pounds and to try and help him be less gassy. It all seemed to work. Aaron did very well yesterday. We got a phone call in the early evening from the hospital asking to be there by 11:30am on Friday because surgery is scheduled for 12:30pm.

Aaron stopped having formula at 4:15am and was having pedialyte until about 9:30am. Almost immediately we received a phone call from hospital seeing if we could come in earlier. The surgeon was done with her surgeries and wanted to get Aaron in right away. Great! The sooner they finish the earlier we can get home.

As soon as we got there and checked in, we were immediately brought back to pre-op. Everyone was waiting for little Aaron. They weighed him, took some medical history and dressed him up in a little (big for Aaron) surgical gown.
Anesthesia then came to talk to us. They were planning on doing a spinal block, which almost always works. The procedure should only take about 1 hour. After he wakes up and eats, we go home. Well, nothing ever goes as planned with Aaron. In the waiting room they had one of those monitors, like at the airport, with each patient assigned a number and the screen letting you know when they were in the room, what time surgery started/finished, etc. Aaron's surgery didn't start for an hour after anesthesia took him away. I knew something had to have not worked. In another hour, the procedure was done and the surgeon came out to talk to us. Apparently, Mr. Aaron was as feisty as usual. They tried to spinal block on him. They got right where they needed to and gave the right amount for his weight but someone wouldn't stop kicking! They decided to go with plan b, which was to use general anesthesia. They got him all set up and tried to intubate him, just in case, but he just would not let them! Aaron had been done with intubation for a long time and was not going back! He went into broncospasm and was given some steroids to help calm the muscles down so they could get the tube down, which they eventually did. They repaired his large hernia on the left and while exploring the hydrocele on the right, discovered that he also had a hernia there. Fortunately, the hernia was separate from the hydrocle which is pretty uncommon but made for an easier repair and drainage of the hydrocele.

The rest of the procedure went well and Aaron woke up fine and extubation went perfectly. By the time we were brought back to see him, he was awake and ready to start eating. We began with some sugar water to get him awake, which he totally wanted to bypass. He took some formula and went right to bed. They were avoiding giving him narcotics for pain relief so they've been alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen. Since he had to be put under general, hospital protocol is to keep all babies less than 50 weeks old (Aaron is 48 weeks) overnight for observation.

We were brought up to a room on the pediatric floor. Currently, I'm sitting in a sleeper rocking chair next to a very tired baby. He is eating very well. Not a whole lot at a feeding but getting there, and up every hour to make up the difference. He's got two tiny bandages on his lower abdomen. They closed the small incisions with surgi-strips so it'll make it easier to heal and with less of a scar than stitches. The surgeon will be back in the morning to check on him and we should be on our way home!

Wow, this was a long post, but so much has happened in just the past few days. If any lesson is learned, it's that Aaron likes things done on his terms. So, don't plan anything, because he will always surprise you. We've known this, but now so do his doctors.

Goodnight.

Change of Plans

Happy birthday, Nana! But, unfortunately, we will not be going to to NJ this weekend. Aaron will be having his third surgery this Friday, and it's to repair his hernia on the left and explore his hernia/hydrocele on the right. Here are the facts:

-Although it's progressively been getting bigger, they usually don't treat hydroceles until about 9 months of age since it can go away on its own.

-The hernia on the left is reducible and large, so the chances of it getting strangled and leading to an medical emergency are slim. But, we'd have to watch it very carefully and know when it progressed so we could rush him to the hospital for immediate surgery.

The options:

-Treat the hernia on the left now and wait 3 more months to see if the hydrocele went away. If not, perform another surgery on the right side

-Wait 3 months to treat both so only one surgery is needed

-Treat both, repairing the hernia on the left and exploring the right, meaning if there is also a hernia there it will be repaired, if not, they will just reduce some of the hydrocele

Needless to say, we opted to treat both now. Like I mentioned, the hydrocele on the right has only been getting bigger, so if there is also a hernia there it is not very reducible. And, Aaron's been having some trouble going to the bathroom and straining really hard to pass stool through the hernia and out, which makes everything even worse and backs up his system. So, not only does he scream in pain but he also spits up any food he takes because there's no room for it. Our decision was an easy one to make. The doctor only does surgeries on Mondays and Fridays and said she'd get us in as soon as possible. By the time we had lunch in the cafeteria and got to the car, I had a voicemail from the hospital telling us that they have an opening on Friday. Friday? Yes, THIS Friday!

This will be Aaron's third surgery, and it hasn't gotten any easier to sign that consent. They will try a spinal for anesthesia but incase that doesn't work and he needs to have general anesthesia, he may have to spend the night, which of course made me break down and cry. Since he came home I havnen't given one thought to him ever having to stay in a hospital again, even if it is for one night. But, whatever needs to happen will happen and I'm ok with that.

Before we went to our appointments today, Aaron had a photo-op with his cousin Micah. Micah was born on July 3rd, only 4 days after Aaron's due date. Aaron is about 7lbs and Micah close to 12lbs!

Dad's Way Day

Aaron had a very special day today with Clayton. It was my first offical day at work and Clayton had Aaron all to himself for 9.5 hours! He did bring him over to meet me for lunch, which was great. Although it was and will always be tough to leave him to go to work, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. I think because I know I will be coming home and taking care of him for the rest of the evening as opposed to when he was in the hospital and I only saw him for a handful of hours a day. Nothing will ever be as bad as those 4 months, and a few hours at work is a breeze compared to that. But, it was very nice to come home to my boys and hold Aaron as long as I wanted.

After dinner, we headed over to Aaron's cousins' house to hang out with them and Aunt Margo and Uncle Jed. Aaron did so well. He took 2 whole bottles in 3 hours! My hungry little hippo is growing soo fast!

Tomorrow is a big day for Aaron. We will be meeting with a developmental pediatrician to figure out where he falls on a scale of babies between 2 months and 5 months. But, more importantly, we will be meeting with a pediatric surgeon and hopefully scheduling Aaron's hernia repair. It's been giving him a lot of trouble lately. When his system is backed up and it bulges, he cries so much and is in a lot of pain. Fortunately, it reduces by itself. But it just breaks our hearts to hear him scream like that. The sooner it is repaired the better. Please keep him in your prayers as we meet with these doctors tomorrow. I will update after the appointments!

Goodnight.

Special Treat

Two posts in one day! Aaron's been doing this for a while now but this is the first time we've had our camera ready.

Sorry It's Been a Month...

I know a lot of people love the Aaron updates so hopefully this one will make up for it! Apparently, being a new mom, moving to a new state and starting a new job don't really lend themselves to having extra time to blog. I did ask Aaron to give it a try one day:

but all we got was "afiuoaerfvjnh iaeoiue928374ADFHKJAFNHIE39IAD". Maybe we'll try again in a few months...

A couple days after the last blog entry (08/02/09), we moved from NJ to VT. It was a nice loong drive up with lots of stopping for both Aaron and the Hurley. The first week was pretty low key. We just took time to get ourselves settled into our new home (ie, my parents home) while we restarted our house hunt. Nana and Grandpop couldn't stay away for too long and came to visit Aaron that following weekend. we had fun showing them around our new town. And the weather was sooo beautiful that day. Here we are at the Woodstock Farmer's Market (yummy!).

The following week was pretty uneventful. On Wednesday (08/12/09), Clayton drove up to Burlington to Local 300's office to get things rolling while I drove down to Concord, NH, to pick up my dental license. Tetta and Gidu had Aaron all to themselves that morning, and they loved it!

This past week we had a few doctors appointments at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. What a difference from Newark! As soon as we walked into the hospital we were so pleased with it. Everyone was so nice and friendly. The Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) coordinated our appointments with the pediatric opthamolgist and high risk clinic to make it more convenient. We started off with opthamologist. At first they gave us a run down of the procedure and suggested we sit down in case we fainted. Clayton and I let them know that we actually were the ones to hold him down during his previous follow-ups at Newark. But, we would definitely take them of on the offer for the ICN nurse to do it this time. As Aaron gets further and further away from his NICU stay, it gets harder and harder for me to hear his cries and screams during procedures like this. I was very happy to not be an eye witness to it this time. Anyway, the doctor was very pleased with Aaron's healing. She could tell that the left eye was treated more vigorously but said that the laser was done perfectly and that there is no scar tissue at all in either eye! In her words, "There is no sign of prematurity. Everything looks normal." Hallelujah! I would've never thought that I'd hear those words. Another miracle healing: check! We will be following up with her again in 4 weeks.

Then the neonatologist came in. She was wonderful. Aaron weighed in at 6lbs 10oz and measured 19.25 inches, and was right on track of his growth curve. They measured his head circumference and that appeared to have slowed down in growth, meaning the hydrocephalus is no longer much of a concern. She took a look at his hernia and suggested we treat it sooner rather than later, which was very pleasing to hear. Previous doctors had told us to wait until he was 8lbs or so because of general anesthesia. Although, Aaron was put under for his PDA ligation when he was just over 2lbs. We will be following up with her in 4 weeks as well.

Next week, I will be officially starting work on Monday. On Tuesday (08/25/09) we will be meeting with a developmental pediatrician and a pediatric surgeon. And, on Thursday we will be heading back to NJ to visit Nana for her birthday.

And, here's a recap of the past month in pictures. Enjoy.

Visiting with the great-grandparents, 07/30/09:

Family dinner at Maggiano's before leaving for VT, 07/31/09. Aaron made it all the way around the table:

Just the cutest baby ever, 08/04/09:

And, visiting with cousins Joshua and Micah and Aunt Margo, 08/05/09:

Well, that's all, folks! I will post again after our appointments on Tuesday.

6 down...

...240 to go. That's according to Uncle Craig regarding Aaron's new weight. As of yesterday, Aaron is officially a 6lb baby. He weighed in at 6lb 0.8oz at the doctor's office, which is exactly 1lb more than his discharge weight on July 10th. He is caught up to what the doctors think is "ideal" weight gain at 1oz/day. They also checked on his inguinal hernia and said it was doing well (since I was getting worried about it on Sunday). There is no immediate need for repair though it is definitely needed in the future. Once Aaron's at a better weight it will be done, since he will need to be put under general anesthesia to fix it.

Aaron also had is first real bath today. We've been sponge bathing him like we did at the hospital but he just getting too big and it is taking too long. So, we filled up the sink and put him in! After his first initial jump, he seemed to really enjoy it. Of course he pooped on my shirt as soon as I took his diaper off! It also got him pretty tired and, after taking his bottle, took a nice long nap.

He is also getting very good at sleeping longer through the night. When we first got him home, we tried to hard to get him up every 3 hours to eat, as instructed by the NICU. But Aaron, just like his mommy, absolutely loves to sleep and would do miserably and choke at his night feedings. So, we just let him sleep. Although this initially had me very worried about his weight gain, yesterday's doctor visit showed me that he/we are doing just fine!

Clayton and I are still busy finishing up a few things down here in NJ while setting up some appointments up in VT. Aaron's got a few more people to meet before we leave this weekend and we're excited about that. Oh, what a bittersweet week this is turning out to be.

For Marty...

Needless to say, it's been a very busy week and a half since I last blogged. Although I apologize for not updating everyone more frequently, I am thoroughly enjoying every waking minute with my son at home! He is just so wonderful and amazing and after 2 weeks I still cannot believe he is home with us!

Aaron's been doing the usual baby thing: eat, sleep, poop, repeat. He has been staying awake more and more lately in between feeds. This gives us the opportunity to try some tummy time with Aaron. Even from very early on in the NICU, during kangaroo care, Aaron would lift his head and move it from side to side and he continues to do well with that. Last Tuesday night (07/14/09), Aaron actually rolled from his tummy to his back! Since then he has been a pro at it, mostly just rolling to his side. We've also caught him smiling at us randomly. It is nice to see that he is already catching up to some things for his actual age of 4 months (can you believe it? I can't...) but he's still got some stuff to work on, since he is only almost 1 month adjusted.

Clayton and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary this past Tuesday (07/21/09) and we decided to go out to dinner as a family. Aaron did really well. He slept most of the time and it was really nice to take him out. We've been trying to do that since the weather has been really nice. The good thing about him coming home in the summer is that we don't have to worry about RSV or other people being sick.

Aaron had a follow up with the eye doctor today. Everything is healing very well from the surgery and he is very pleased. The blood vessels in his left eye are still a little engorged but there is improvement from last time so no major concern yet. Aaron even had pictures of the back of his eyes taken with a real fancy machine. We got to see his optic nerves. The doctor was surprised to see how good they were, even with the laser surgery. He actually laughed and said, "Aaron's got a lot of nerve!". Must be an opthamology joke...

This is going to be a busy weekend coming up for us. Aaron is visiting his Aunt Loretta and Uncle Eddie on Sunday for a going away picnic. This will officially be our last weekend in NJ. Although we are very sad about leaving our family and friends, we are very excited at the prospect our finally starting our new life up there and the opportunities that will be available for our whole family. Aaron will be receiving medical care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, one of the best hospitals around. His care will always be of utmost importance and it is comforting to know that he will be taken care of. Clayton will be continuing his work/education in VT's electrical union, Local 300, and I will start working in September at a private practice in Hanover, NH. So much is going on but we are thankful for all the doors that have opened up for us.

Thanks for being faithful and checking this blog, although I've become a slacker at updating it. All I need is some prodding every once in a while! As always, here's some pictures from the past week for your enjoyment.

Naked nap time (07/17/09):

Playing with his best friend, Hurley (07/17/09):


Sleeping like a big boy (07/22/09):

Fun in the bouncy chair (07/23/09):

Thanks for checking in!

We're Home!

What a long-awaited weekend it's been!!

Aaron came home on Friday (07/10/09) after being in the NICU for 118 days - just 11 days after his original due date (06/29/09). We couldn't believe they let us walk out of the hospital with the most amazing and precious thing ever! They took off all the wires to his monitors, cut off his and my ID bands (that I've had on since being admitted on this birthdate), I signed some papers and that was it. Aaron was ready to come home. Fortunatley, he didn't need to come home with any oxygen or monitors (as initially thought).

Of course, Friday night was sleepless. Aside from being nervous about him being home, we just couldn't stop staring at his handsome little face. For so long I've had to go to bed without Aaron next to me...I wasn't going to let his first night go by without enjoying every minute of being able to look at him.

Aaron did make it home in time for my shower/his welcome home party on Saturday (07/11/09). It was a very nice thing to come home to. Aaron received lots of really nice gifts and toys that he can't wait to use! It was wonderful for him to meet just some of the people that have been praying and thinking of him for so long.
The next couple of nights went better for Clayton and me. We were able to get more sleep as we adjusted to the late night feedings. Thankfully there are plenty of helpful hands at home to make things easier, especially Nana and Grandpop who also can't stop putting Aaron down!

Now that I'm a little more used to him being home, hopefully more updates will be available. Although, I make no promises about tearing myself away from the cutest little thing ever! Here is just a little glimpse of his cuteness after bath time!

Oh, ROP...

Well, it's been quite a hectic few days since I last posted. Things had been going very well since being moved to the intermediate nursery on Sunday afternoon. In an effort to get Aaron discharged as quickly as possible, they moved his scheduled eye exam from Thursday to Tuesday (07/07/09), which we didn't even find out about until that morning. As usual, he gets nothing to eat before the exam because of the eye drops they put in, which was around 3:30pm. Anyway, the exam didn't get started until 7pm and once finished the he pretty much said, "We need to treat Aaron tonight." Aaron had been borderline for stage 3 ROP since last week and this week he just crossed the line. So, they wanted to treat him as soon as possible to prevent it from progressing any further. They transferred him back to the NICU where the laser surgery was to take place under conscious sedation. As a result, they wanted to intubate him just in case. After leaving him on the warmer before the surgery started, seeing him intubated and with an IV line was the hardest part. It pretty much just brought back memories of the beginning when he needed all that support all the time. I didn't realize how quickly we would "get over" all that once he started doing better.

The surgery was done by 10pm. They actually ended up starting later than we thought because it took 3 doses of the medicine to get our little fighter to calm down! And then, on top of that, it took the neonatologist 30 minutes to intubate him because Aaron was just NOT having it!! One of these days, this little kid has to tell me where he gets all this fight from. They were trying to wean him off the ventilator while the meds wore off but Aaron extubated himself around 4:30am and did wonderfully. He looked so sad but cute with his puffy little eyes. It has now been over 48 hours since the surgery and his eyes have healed so much already! We will find out in a couple weeks how well the surgery went.

Aaron then had his circumcision in the morning (07/08/09). No need to delve into detail here, but Aaron was so achy all over after both these procedures. Again, he had to have nothing to eat before it so his schedule was all messed up. All of this wad done in hopes of bringing him home today.

Last night, Aaron had his car seat test which is done to all preemies before discharge. They pretty much just want to make sure that he breathes well sitting up for an hour in the car seat. Technically Aaron "failed" the first time he took the test. But, today when we tried again we noticed that the night nurse who administered the test didn't take out the extra headrest and neglected to adjust the straps, because we could NOT get Aaron into the seat at all. So he was pretty much sitting hunched over on top of the straps for an hour! It took Clayton almost 15 minutes to adjust everything properly to Aaron's size. Once all of that was done, Aaron didn't go below 95% saturations for the whole hour he was sitting there! He was good to go home.
We talked to the doctor, the resident, the case manager and discharge nurse. We were all set to take Aaron home. But, although doing better than before, he still seemed a little loopy at his 3pm feeding. Clayton and I just felt it best to keep him there overnight and get him back on his feeding schedule and even more recuperated from his procedures. After 117 days, what's one more night. When we called to check in on him tonight, he was officially over 5lbs (2290g), which was surprising considering how much he hasn't eaten in the past 48 hours. He was also back on his eating schedule of waking up half an hour early for each feed!

Tomorrow, Aaron has a follow up with his eye doctor at 8:30am and then we're homebound. At least, that's the plan, though nothing's ever gone as planned with Aaron! Clayton and I can't even begin to tell you how we feel tonight. It's like Christmas Eve, but even better! Finally, we can have a night of (hopefully) sleep with our son next to us!

It's been a long journey and there is absolutely no way the three of us could have made it this far without the grace of God and all of the love and support we have received from our family, friends and others who have been following our story. Thank you a million times over. The journey is actually just beginning and we will definitely be keeping everyone up to date!

Stepping Down

Aaron's second attempt at no cannula began again on Thursday (07/02/09) and is still going strong!! He had been down to 0.1L for a couple days and taking him off was a piece of cake. He even seemed to do better without it since it had been annoying him so much! It was so wonderful to see him with NOTHING on his face and to be able to pick him up out of the crib with nothing holding him down! The cannula was pretty much his last big hurdle, since he had already been taking 100% of feeds by mouth for almost a week at that point. So, the countdown to home began! Here's a picture from that day: no cannula and ready to eat. I just absolutely love his big brown eyes!
On Friday morning, Aaron actually became a big cousin for the first time. Baby Micah was born at 3:22 am and weighed in at 8lb 10oz and was 19.5in long! One day, Aaron will be as big as his baby cousin.

Saturday was pretty uneventful, which is always a good thing in the NICU. Aaron continued to do well without his oxygen support and we continued to ask when he is coming home!

This morning, after his noon feeding, Aaron was transferred to the intermediate nursery, which is a step down from the NICU. He can actually be discharged from this nursery. It's a little quieter here and he is getting less attention from the nurses. It's good because he no longer needs it but I know he misses all the love he received from the nurses he's been with for the past 113 days. For Clayton and me, it's nice to feel more free with Aaron. And, we know we are one step closer to him coming home.

Tonight, he was unofficially 5lbs, weighing in at 4lbs 15.5oz. He actually fit into his first "newborn" onsie that his aunt Kathy got for him. It will never cease to amaze me how big he is getting compared to where he started from.
Hopefully tomorrow we will be getting a more firm discharge date. Although he is actually 3.5 months old, he is only 1 week old adjusted since his due date was last Monday (06/29/09). Not too bad of a hospital stay when you're born 15 weeks early!