Trying a Bottle

Here is a video from last night of Aaron learning to eat from a bottle. They will try it a few times a day with more and more milk until he is able to get all his feeds by mouth. Gooo Aaron!!

No More IV!

Again, sorry for the lack of updates. It's been a hectic few days with my parents moving out of state and Clayton, Hurley and I moving into my in-laws until munchkin comes home. But, finally my computer is up and running and Aaron updates are back on!

Aaron broke the 1500 gram mark last Saturday (05/23). That was such a nice number to see. Our next big magic number is 1800 grams, which will put Aaron at the 4 lb mark. I almost can't believe he is that close to 4 lbs! At that point we can try to start bottle feeding, since he will be big enough to have more calories to burn.

Aaron had another eye exam on Tueday (05/26). Still at Zone 2, Stage 0, but now they've added "Anterior" after the zone, which means the blood vessels are forming more into his eyes...yay! That night, Aaron's weight registered at 1310 grams (2lb 14.1oz)...over a 200 gram loss over a few days. After 2 hours of prayer and crying, the doctor called back and said they re-weighed him on another scale and he was actually 1550g (3lb 6.56oz). There was something wrong with the other scale! Oh, the games Aaron plays with us...

The past 24 hours have been real busy for Aaron. Early this morning, just past midnight, Aaron reached 24ml/3hrs of breastmilk, which is a full feed for his weight. So the IV for his fluids finally came out! He has been tolerating all of his feeds which were increasing by 1ml/3rhs each shift. He is one hungry little boy! It as so nice to see him with one less thing poking into him! At around 1pm today, he was switched from BiPap back to nasal cannula. Last time they did that he had a lot of episodes since they went from a 25 breaths/min rate on the BiPap to zero breath rate. This time, they weaned him down first and so far he has been having good blood gases and no episodes! Aaron also had a visit from his great-aunt who came all the way from Texas to see him. She had a good time rubbing his back. Aaron even cried a little bit for her so she could hear his voice. Aunt Kathy also brought up some pictures that Rickey and Matthew (Aaron's cousins once removed) drew for him. We can't wait to put them up in his nursery for him!

Tonight when Aaron was weighed he was 1420g (3lb 1.98oz). Of course I asked if he was weighed in the isolette or an outside scale. The nurse said the isolette and the weight was similar to last night (which was 1450g, also using the isolette, even though the previous night's doctor said not to use it anymore). Anyway, I pretty much demanded they use the outside scale next time he wakes up for his feeding/diaper change at midnight. Good thing I did because munchkin actually weighs 1620g (3lb 9oz)! What a difference! Yay for getting pudgy!! :)

Tomorrow is going to be another long day. Clayton will be driving a 26-foot Ryder truck and I will be driving my Armada, both filled to the brim with my parents furniture/boxes, from NJ to Vermont (and that's not even all of their stuff...I will have to make another trip up at some point during the week with the rest)! We will be seeing Aaron early in the morning and heading out so we can miss most of the traffic. Unfortunately, we will be spending the night there and won't see him again until Saturday. But, he has been doing soo well that, although it breaks my heart that I won't see him for 24 hours, I am not worried about him at all. I know he is in good hands!

Although this picture was taken over a few days ago (05/19), I just want to share it tonight. It's a bit fuzzy but it is of Aaron's great-grandfather visiting him for the first time. It was a really sweet moment, even though Pop was very nervous about being so close to Aaron. :)
I will try to get some more recent pictures to show off Aaron's weight gain after we get back from VT!

Small Blessings

Sometimes I feel like I am the luckiest mom in the world. To think that I am able to hold/touch/kiss/smell/hear and stare at Aaron for weeks longer than I was meant to is such a blessing. How many moms get this opportunity (not counting other preemie moms, of course)? I really am lucky...

Today was such a nice day. Clayton and I went to go visit Aaron in the afternoon and I was able to hold him for the first time since Monday. He's been on "observation" since he was desatting and having apnea/brady episodes for no reason so we weren't really allowed to take him out of his house. But he's been doing much better lately so when the nurse asked I quickly said, "OF COURSE!" I held him for about 2 hours, all of which he spent sleeping comfortably. His numbers were perfect!

He has been upped to 15cc/3hrs and they started adding fortifiers to the breastmilk which adds about 3 calories per feeding. That doesn't sound like a lot but when you're only 3lbs 4oz those calories go a long way. The attending said this is pretty much considered "full feedings" for his weight. Needless to say Clayton and I were so excited to hear this. And, we can't wait for the fortifiers to tack on some more weight on our little munchkin!

Aaron had a head ultrasound last night. We asked about it today and the doctor said it was "unchanged" but that ventricles were actually a "little" smaller. That seems changed to me! God performs miracles of all sizes and I'll take this as one of His "little" ones.

Aaron also has outgrown his PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line that was placed only a few days after he was born. It is mostly used for his IV nutrition but as long as he continues to do well with his feedings they don't plan on placing another one! Oh, I just love seeing fewer and fewer things sticking in/out of him. Makes me feel like the end of the NICU journey is just around the corner!!

It's Been A While

Four days without an update...sorry! It's been a long week.

Sunday, 05/17/09: My convocation from dental school! Aaron was even mentioned during the ceremony, since he was born there. He is such a little celebrity. I was able to take some pictures with him in my cap and gown. What a nice picture I will be able to show him. Technically he wasn't even supposed to be here yet, but now I was able to celebrate one of my biggest accomplishments with him.


That night, we also added another photo to my "favorites". Here is our little monkey cuddling inside Clayton's undershirt. Oh so cute!
Monday, 5/18/09: This was a rough day for Aaron. He had been having a few apnea/brady episodes but recovering well but today, he wasn't doing as well. As a result, they moved him back to CPap. However, after only an hour on this and one more episode, they decided to put him on BiPap. This was really discouraging. He has been doing so well for quite some time now. But, life in the NICU is always described as a rollercoaster ride, and this was our down. Aaron's head ultrasound a few days prior showed stability (even some slight improvement) and a CBC showed no signs of infection, so those were quickly ruled out as reasons for the episodes. The doctors ordered a chest x-ray for some explaination but that, too, showed improvement (God is soo good!). So pretty much Aaron just got tired of working so hard and just needed a break. His little lungs can only do so much work. Now the BiPap is helping him out again and he is doing well. His blood gases have been even better. Of course, he tries to pull it off of him every chance he gets!

Wednesday, 05/20/09: Graduation day! I showed up to visit Aaron today and saw taped on his isolette a sign saying, "Dear Mommy, Congrats Grad! Love you, Aaron". It was really sweet. He was sleeping most of the time and was all swaddled up. He was really comfortable. They went up on his feeds to 11cc/3hrs. He has been having zero residuals. This is such motivation to keep away from all dairy! The nurse gave him his bath at night but I was able to put lotion on him. Boy did his numbers skyrocket when his mommy was rubbing him all over! I love when I can do something that comforts him. If he keeps this up they will continue to increase his feedings and maybe move him back to cannula again. We will just continue to pray.

We're Getting Spoiled

Clayton and I have been really fortunate in the past few days to get in a lot of kangaroo care time. Prior to Thursday, we only had one opportunity to do it but have done it 3 times in the past 3 days. Aaron has been doing wonderful and we've been asking every time we visit. This afternoon was Clayton's turn. Aaron was all snuggly and warm against Clayton's chest for about an hour and a half while I read to them.

Clayton really enjoyed it, too. He couldn't help but fall asleep in the peacefulness of the moment. Of course, I was on cloud nine seeing my boys together like that!

This evening we made it in time for his bath, which Clayton gave him. When the nurse asked if we wanted to hold him, we asked about kangaroo care again...and Aaron got another hour of skin-to-skin time, this time with his mommy. When it was time to put him back in the house, he cried so loud. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. So comfortable and sweet looking.

Oh, and tonight he weighed in at 1490 grams...that's 3lb 5oz!!! :)

Another Busy Day

Aaron had another busy day of visits today. Tetta visited during the day and was able to hold him for the first time he did very well with her. His numbers were high and he was ver comfortable. When it was time to swith to Gidu, Aaron had a brady episode. He recovered. It was mostly due to reflux though, since when he went back into his house and spit up a bit, his numbers went back up. Apparently reflux is a big issue with preemies, and Aaron is now getting some medicine to help prevent the reflux and related reflux episodes.
They did a head ultrasound today. I stayed and watched. Every picture the tech took made me nervous, even though I had absolutely no idea what I was looking at. Luckily, neurology was able to look at it today and it shows that the hydrocephalus is stable (thank God!). So there is no need to run into another surgery or procedure. Again, we just keep praying that the blockage resolves on its own and a path can be created to allow complete drainage of the fluid.

After the ultrasound and a few more bradys that were managed with some suctioning, I was able to do some kangaroo care with Aaron for over an hour and a half! Oh, it was so special and he did so well! His skin against mine feels so sweet and natural. I didn't want to give him up. Now that he is bigger and on the cannula I have a feeling that I will be asking to do kangaroo care every day.

Aunt Margo came and visited at night. The last time she saw Aaron he was 7 days old. She was so glad to see him doing so well. He really enjoyed her visit and was doing well the entire time! She was even able to hold him while the nurse changed his bedding. I changed his diaper and he had a big poopy!! Yay for poopy diapers!! And he is already back up to 9ml/3 hrs. He was at 5ml/3hrs yesterday!
Tonight, Aaron weighed in at 1410 grams (3lbs 1.6oz)!

Three Pounds!!!

YAY! As of last night, munchkin is 1370 grams, which puts him just over the 3lb mark! We knew he could do it. He is getting so big and finally filling out. Oh, his cheeks are just the cutest thing!

Aaron had quite a busy day yesterday. He was out of the "house" a lot! First with mommy then Nana came and held him for the first time and then finally daddy.
Aaron must've really enjoyed all the love he was getting and decided to put some more weight on so he can come home ASAP to even more love!

Aaron is going to continue having a busy weekend. Aunt Margaret is coming to visit for my graduation and the last she saw him was when he was 7 days old. Boy what a big difference she will notice. She is hoping to get to hold him, too. I absolutely love that he is finally big and stable enough for all these visitors so he can start to feel like a "real" baby. Clayton and I are just so proud of all the hard work he is doing and want to show him off to the world!

He wore his first shirt yesterday, which was gigantic on him, and did really well at keeping his pacifier in by himself. Sometimes, I just can't stand how cute he is!! :)
He is doing really well with the nasal cannula so far. As of yesterday he is back up to 5mL of breastmilk every 3 hours. He had a few episodes of bradycardia but he was able to recover on his own. Some of that they are contributing to reflux from eating. We are praying that all of that resolves on its own and Aaron doesn't have many more episodes. It is scary sometimes but we know he has so many angels around him protecting him that it makes us able to get through it. Aaron really is an inspiration and we cannot wait for all of you to meet him.

Let's Try It One More Time

Today is Aaron's 2 month birthday!

Aaron had been on BiPap since Sunday afternoon. They've been weaning him off and he's been doing really well. They moved him to CPap on Tuesday (no set breaths/minute, just continuous pressurized oxygen for when he decides to take a breath) and back to cannula yesterday! Last time he was only on it for 24 hours so we're praying for a little longer this time. He was doing really well last night. We just love how comfortable he looks with these smaller tubes on. They've also started feeding again, very slowly. He is tolerating it well.

On Tuesday, he had another eye exam. Everything looks great so far! Aaron even went from stage 2 to stage 0. After speaking to a few doctors someone was finally able to explain that to us (apparently opthamology is a confusing thing). So pretty much there was a fibrous scar wall that could have potentially stopped Aaron's blood vessels from growing properly to his eyes (if it got really bad they would remove the scar surgically). But now that fibrous wall is resolving and getting better. Thank you Jesus for continuing to heal our little boy!!

Yesterday I had really special visit with Aaron. For the first time I could be with him and not look at the clock or worry about setting up for a patient. I was there for hours. And, since he's been doing very well on the cannula, I held him the whole time. Of course, he was sound asleep in my arms, which was not a problem at all. I think I managed to kiss every inch of his face and head. Here he is sleeping comfortably in mommy's arms!
Doesn't he look so much bigger?

Such a Rebel

Ever since realizing the comfort of the nasal cannula, Aaron has been rebelling against the BiPap...in a good way, of course. For one thing, he has been trying desperately to pull the tubing off his face! Second, they've brought down the breath rate and pressure and he is still consistently hitting his 100% oxygen saturation on the pulse oximeter. He is soo wanting to be off the BiPap and back on the cannula. Clayton and I realized tonight that when they switched him over this weekend his settings were still pretty high on the BiPap. This time, they are actually weaning more. He is doing very well and having good blood gases. Maybe they will try the cannula again real soon.

They started feeding breastmilk again. Very slowly. There was no infection so they are discontinuing the antibiotics for the millionth time. I am trying my hardest to cut out ALL dairy and anything that could make Aaron gassy. I never realized how many things that would be!

Aaron is 1250 grams tonight (2lbs 12oz). This is a little less than a few nights ago but considering he wasn't being fed it's not too bad of a weight loss. I can't believe 3lbs is just around the corner.

Happy Mother's Day

Needless to say, Mother's Day has a whole new meaning for me. As special as today was, it was also very difficult. I wanted nothing more than to celebrate my first Mother's Day with Aaron at home in my arms. But, I was just so thankful that he is doing so well and is still here fighting every day so that he can come home!

The nasal cannula was short lived and Aaron was put back on BiPap early this afternoon. Although he had a really good blood gas last night (even better than his usual "good" ones), he seemed to be getting very tired of maintaining his breathing and had a few apneic episodes. He is still not getting any breastmilk which I'm sure isn't giving him the energy he needs to maintain breathing. Although it is a minor step backwards, we are glad that he is getting the support he needs. Of course he hates the BiPap hat and is trying to take it off with all his might! Hopefully when they start feeds and he gets more energy we will try the cannula again.

Aaron had a lot of visitors today. Both sets of grandparents, uncles Craig & Glenn, and great-grandma Berry all went to say hi. And, he will be spending lots more time with me from now on as I am (un)officially done with school!

I can't thank you enough for all your thoughts and prayers. We definitely see a light at the end of the tunnel. Aaron will be home before we know it.

No More Vent!

The ventilator is off! After 3 days of BiPap, and exactly 8 weeks since he was born, Aaron is now ready for nasal cannula...bypassing CPap! They told us about the change early this morning. We really thought we'd have a somewhat long journey to cannula but Aaron must've been doing really well these past few days for them to change it this quickly. He looks so much more comfortable than before.
There is no positive pressure associated with the cannula so he is 100% breathing on his own now. His throat is also completely recovered from having the tube down there for so long. He's gone from a low, scratchy cry to looong, loud one. It just makes us smile every time he cries. The cannula is also helping him not swallow so much air. The xrays they've been doing on his belly are getting better and better, but they're still holding off on the feedings. As a result he's down a few grams. Hopefully they will start with that again very soon. The most wonderful perk of the cannula is that soon we can try bottle feeding. This is one of the biggest hurdles, along with breathing on his own (which we can now cross off the list), that Aaron has to overcome before coming home.

The nurses can't believe how strong Aaron is and how fast he is progressing. He would only be 33 weeks gestational age this upcoming Monday, meaning he'd still have at least 4 more weeks to go before being considered "full term". We are just so thankful that God continues to watch over and protect our little miracle.

A Minor Setback

They've been increasing Aaron's feeds consistently over the past few days. But it may have been just a bit to much for him. Yesterday, he spit up some of his milk and it was a little greenish in color. Of course the first thing that the doctors think of when they see something like this is NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis). They've completely stopped his feedings as of yesterday. The x-rays they took of his abdomen show that everything is ok but they still started him on some antibiotics so they will be ahead of the game incase there is an infection. Poor little Aaron was getting fussy and crying around 6pm which is when he would normally be getting food. It is so comforting to know that although he is still getting most of his nutrition through IV, that he enjoys the feeling of a full tummy of mommy's milk! We just gave him his pacifier and that helped calm him. He went right to sleep with it in his mouth! We are hoping that by the time we visit today that the feeds will have started again and there are no complications to worry about. His tummy is still soft and he is going to the bathroom just fine.

As of last night, munchkin is 1285g (2lbs 13.3oz)! Only a few more ounces to go until we reach 3lbs...woohoo!!

Enough's Enough!

There were a few long nights this week on our part which led to no updates, so here it finally is. Sorry for the delay!

Aaron's vent settings have slowly been getting remarkably better over the past few days, from 35 breaths/minute to 30 BPM 12 hours later, to 25 BPM 12 hours after that. Then Tuesday morning when Mari went in to see Aaron with some friends from school she noticed that there was a "15 BPM" setting on the machine. She was so happy to see that and the low pressure settings. She asked the nurse if it meant that Aaron will be off the tube soon, the nurse just smiled and nodded. We were then told that they planned on making sure he could handle this setting for another day or so and they would take it out. If, however, he managed to pull the tube out himself, they would just leave him be and see how he does. Needless to say, that part didn't sit well with Mari.

Well, apparently Aaron inherited Nana's eavesdropping abilities and at approximately 3am on May 6th he extubated himself!!! The doctor told us later that when he did that, he didn't even need much support while they got the BiPap ready. He only desatted a few times while on no breathing support at all! The nurse, one of our favorites, called Mari just before 9am to tell her the news, so Mari headed right over to see Aaron's new breathing apparatus. It was so nice to see his face without all that tape on it. We definitely have one handsome little boy on our hands.Of course, we shared the news immediately with family. Aaron probably had one of his busiest nights with visitors. Both sets of grandparents rushed over to see him after work. He was so happy to finally show them his cute little chin.

So Aaron is now receiving oxygen with some pressure through his nose just as an aid. With the tube out, we can now (FINALLY!) hear him cry and hiccup and he even sneezed! To top it all off, as of last night (05/06/09) he weighed in at 1250 grams (2lb 12oz)! Feeds are continuously being increased by 1cc/12 hrs. He is currently up to 11cc/3hr.

He had a head ultrasound the other day. Although his head circumferance has been steady, the U/S did show a little blockage that is stopping the cerebrospinal fluid from draining properly. The attending doctor said it was "pretty big" but we know that nothing is too big for God. He's already brought Aaron this far so He is definitely taking care of him.

Thank you for the continued prayer. We are so happy to be sharing this news with everyone! And, we will definitely try to update more often :)

Daddy Time!

Since Mari took her boards on Saturday we were not able to get to see Aaron until aound 8:30pm. The nurse was even nice enough to call and see when we were going to get there because she wanted us to bathe him. I started the process by cleaning his head but soon found myself overwhelmed by Aaron's smallness and had to relinquish the washcloth to Mari. Once she was done it was time to re-diaper, so I jumped right in! It was then time to change his bed so I got to hold him while his bedding was changed, and then for another 20 minutes or so after that.Aaron weighed in at 1130g (2lbs 7.86oz) and had feeding up to 7cc every 4 hours, with a little residual.

Sunday was just another day at the NICU. He was doing well, desat-ed a few times and was just hanging out. Busy day for him with visitors though, first Nana & Pop showed up early, then Mari and I arrived probably within an hour of them leaving, then Tetta and Gidu got there a little after we left.

Mari just got off the phone with his nurse at 10:30 and she informed us that he weighed in at 1200g!!! (2lbs 10.33oz) His breast milk consumption has been upped to 9cc ever 4 hours (they went to 8 early this morning), he has no residual from prior feedings, and he has only had 2 desats since 7pm!

Chunky Monkey

What a great visit we had tonight with Aaron. He is finally over his 2lb 6oz (1070 grams) hurdle!! Tonight he weighed in at 2lb 8oz (1120 grams). All the breastmilk he's been getting must really be helping. He is officially up to 6cc every 4 hours. It was just four days ago that I was so excited that he was receiving 3cc of breastmilk every 6 hours!

Also, they've decreased his breath rate on the vent to 35 breaths/minute (previously 40) and his pressure is down to 12/5! It seems like the surgery is paying off and weaning him off the vent is going well.

He did need a blood transfusion, however, because his platelets were low. Luckily, everyone on Clayton's side and Aaron are all the same blood type so he's been getting direct donations from his dad and uncles. Now everyone can say they've helped him grow!

We are just so thankful! It is so nice to see him acting like a "real" baby.

Quick Update

The doctor just called. They did some blood work on Aaron overnight. Nothing clinically has changed so he's ok but they did find some elevated bands which could be a sign of infection. They're starting him on antibiotics until the next CBC is done. Please pray that this is nothing, which has happened before. Or, if that it is, that they caught it early and it will resolve with the medications.

Thank you!