Bye, Bye Bottle

Two weeks ago we woke up and decided no more bottle for Aaron. We've tried the sippy cup before but he absolutely refused to take it. This day was different; we were determined. When Aaron woke up, it was the first thing we offered him. This was something we hadn't done before. We usually would try it in the middle of the day and at that point he had already had his mouth on a bottle. But, this worked like a charm and he hasn't looked back since. We are still working on getting him to hold the handles but that'll come with time.

All table foods. No more bottles. Our little boy is growing up!

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!!

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.

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.

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!!

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!

One Hungry Little Boy

First of all, I can't believe it's April 30th! Where did the time go? Aaron will be 7 weeks old already this Saturday. WOW!

They upped Aaron's feeds again today. He is now receiving 5cc (mL) every 6 hours. We are so happy that he is tolerating it. We are hoping that this will soon help him get over his 2lb 6oz hurdle. They've also deceased the pressure on his ventilator some more. Woohoo!

We cannot believe how much different he looks already. I always seem amazed whenever I see a full-term newborn being wheeled down the hall to the regular nursery because Aaron seems so big already, I can't imagine a bigger baby! The ID band they put around his leg when he was first admitted was stuck on his thigh today. I actually had to use two hands to slip it down to his ankle! It used to just dangle there and slip off his feet when he would kick. He even has chubby toes that I just want to eat up! But still no tush, according to Nana and Pop who visited tonight.

On a personal note, we've recovered from the almost-house-burning-down incident of last night. We still ordered in just to be safe, and the smell is almost gone. I am actually taking the day off from school tomorrow to head to NYU for board (NERB) orientation. My second attempt at taking them will be this Saturday. Last time I attempted, I ended up giving birth in a bathroom. Fortunately, I don't think that will happen again this time. But please say a prayer that all goes well and I will be one step closer to getting my license.

Here's a picture of Aaron's "stick-em-up" pose from tonight.

Another Eye Exam

Aaron had another eye exam today. He had his first exam when he was 31 days old. It's done to check for ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). The doctor's findings show that Aaron's eyes are "immature", which is consistent with his gestational age (31 weeks yesterday). So pretty much, there is nothing the matter other than his eyes aren't fully developed yet. He will probably be getting an eye exam every 2 weeks until somewhere around 38-44 weeks gestational age, when they would normally be developed. They've increased his feedings today to 4cc every 6 hours and he is still tolerating it very well. He really seems to be loving breastmilk this time around! His breath rate on the vent is now down to 36 per minute. He started out at 60/min, was on 40/min for a while and since his PDA ligation last week they've been weaning his breath rate and pressure. Just another hurdle to get over before coming home. Hopefully tonight's blood gas readings will show that he is able to handle this lower setting.