Random Photos
10 years ago
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Speakng of my garden...
It's a size 13 zucchini! Fresh from my garden....how many loaves of zucchini bread do you think this will make? :) I'll never know, for it was taken to my moms house along with a bunch of my other garden goodies to help with the groceries we consumed during our extended stay there...guess I'll try again next year...because it looks like my zucchini has given up the ghost for the summer. 
Look at how cute!
Sandy, the wife of Daddy's boss baked this for us as part of a meal. It's Teddy Bear Bread! Isn't it adorable? I wish I were this talented! I'm happy as long as my cooking tastes good.... I was a little worried that Jack would be traumatized biting into a teddy bear...but he thought it was funny. When I asked him if he wanted part of its arm or leg he told me he wanted some tummy. :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Happy 1 month Baby Wesley! and happy UNBirthday!
Today just happens to be Wesley's one month birthday AND the day he was due....yes, he was born exactly one month early....and what a month it was! I'm pretty sure that it will go down in our lives as one of the longest and hardest months ever. I have to keep telling myself too that I need to be thankful that IF we had to be in the NICU, we are blessed that it was only for a month....there are many MANY families who were there before we got there and are still going to be there for a while, long after we leave. It was also a comforting, yet sad thought too that while we were waiting around for our child to "get better" and go on to live a normal life, there are many families where their child will not "get better" but will have severe ramifications from their conditions that brought them to the nicu. I try to remember to express thankfulness for our healthy baby and pray on behalf of all those other families who are still there. We are also SO thankful for all of you who lifted us up in prayer over the past month. There are so many lessons I learned over the last month about accepting help, thankfulness, faith and trust in the promises of the Lord and the love of the Body of Christ. This whole experience has also done wonders for our prayer lives! Its been quite and adventure.
Now, on to Wesley's 1 month stats:
First of all, we went to see the Dr for the 1st time on Monday...let's just say that it was VERY interesting trying to get a toddler AND a newborn ready and 2 diaper bags packed and get ourselves ready as well to get there on time....and we were definitely NOT on time. :)
When they took his measurements he measured 21 inches long (2 inches longer than birth...but as I think we mentioned earlier, his birth measurement of 19 inches could have easily been inaccurate due to his being measured with the "Buzz Lightyear" oxygen helmet on. He also weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces, which was up 2 ounces from his discharge on Friday. YAY! It was a relief to learn that he is gaining weight from just nursing! His Dr declared that everything looks good!
Wesley is eating every 2.5-3 hours like clockwork and goes through phases of wanting to be held and then not minding being put down.Its also amazing to us that he doesn't mind hugs and kisses from his adoring public, especially big brother...we are working VERY hard at teaching Jack how to be gentle....and he is trying. Jack is doing SO much better at being a big brother than I could have ever dreamed! He is being super helpful and when I am occupied with Wesley, Jack is able to play by himself. Most of the negative behaviors he was exhibiting while we were in Nashville are going away....probably because things are so much more settled and he feels more secure with Mommie and Daddy around like usual...even if he has to share us with baby brother. I have been enjoying Wesley's awake periods during the day. He is so alert....Granny Ruthie pointed out that it could be the difference between bringing home a newborn baby and a month old baby.....and I think it also helps that aside from the sleep deprivation that comes from midnight feedings, I also feel better physically, since most of my recovery happened while he was in the nicu.
Wesley also had a procedure scheduled for Thursday, 7/22 and when they weighed him, he was 9 pounds 1 ounce....up SEVEN OUNCES since Monday and 9 ounces since discharge a week ago! WOOHOO! One thing I read said that experts say a newborn should gain roughly 2/3 of an ounce per day for the first 3 months....looks like Wesley is trying to make up for lost time since he wasn't even taking full feedings until a week ago. He knows he has some catching up to do!
Now, on to Wesley's 1 month stats:
First of all, we went to see the Dr for the 1st time on Monday...let's just say that it was VERY interesting trying to get a toddler AND a newborn ready and 2 diaper bags packed and get ourselves ready as well to get there on time....and we were definitely NOT on time. :)
When they took his measurements he measured 21 inches long (2 inches longer than birth...but as I think we mentioned earlier, his birth measurement of 19 inches could have easily been inaccurate due to his being measured with the "Buzz Lightyear" oxygen helmet on. He also weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces, which was up 2 ounces from his discharge on Friday. YAY! It was a relief to learn that he is gaining weight from just nursing! His Dr declared that everything looks good!
Wesley is eating every 2.5-3 hours like clockwork and goes through phases of wanting to be held and then not minding being put down.Its also amazing to us that he doesn't mind hugs and kisses from his adoring public, especially big brother...we are working VERY hard at teaching Jack how to be gentle....and he is trying. Jack is doing SO much better at being a big brother than I could have ever dreamed! He is being super helpful and when I am occupied with Wesley, Jack is able to play by himself. Most of the negative behaviors he was exhibiting while we were in Nashville are going away....probably because things are so much more settled and he feels more secure with Mommie and Daddy around like usual...even if he has to share us with baby brother. I have been enjoying Wesley's awake periods during the day. He is so alert....Granny Ruthie pointed out that it could be the difference between bringing home a newborn baby and a month old baby.....and I think it also helps that aside from the sleep deprivation that comes from midnight feedings, I also feel better physically, since most of my recovery happened while he was in the nicu.
Wesley also had a procedure scheduled for Thursday, 7/22 and when they weighed him, he was 9 pounds 1 ounce....up SEVEN OUNCES since Monday and 9 ounces since discharge a week ago! WOOHOO! One thing I read said that experts say a newborn should gain roughly 2/3 of an ounce per day for the first 3 months....looks like Wesley is trying to make up for lost time since he wasn't even taking full feedings until a week ago. He knows he has some catching up to do!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Christmas in July!
If you know Josh very well you know that he does NOT approve of anything Christmassy related happening before Thanksgiving..."Let the turkey have his day!" is his reasoning....it has even led his college roommate "Uncle Kyle" (who likes to listen to Christmas music year round) to label Josh as a Christmas Communist.....
anyway, apparently he is softening a little as you can tell from above....
since Wesley has come so early and is starting out smaller than big brother Jack, I don't have many clothes in the "newborn" size...didn't need them with Jack and this kid is wearing almost exclusively handmedowns.....including Jacks "My first Christmas" outfit which is ALMOST small enough to fit little brother....
the other night after an...ahem....wardrobe malfunction....Wesley was dressed in this festive outfit, and before I knew it, Daddy had dressed Jack in his christmassy pjs too!
Its Christmas in July for the Cooper Brothers!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
First Bath
We decided on a 2 for 1 deal tonight by joining forces and giving both boys a bath. I think eventually once Wesley is allowed to take a full fledged bath I might put his little bathtub down in the big bathtub and let Jack "help"....maybe. We are still working with Jack on how to be GENTLE with his baby brother. He is very VERY loving, but not always gentle. Anyway, I was marveling at how calm and chilled out Wesley was during his bath (not ACTUALLY his first bath...he got several in the hospital...but no pictures of that)....but as Josh pointed out, once you have had a chest tube, abdominal drain, catheter, picc line, etc etc, a bath is NO BIG DEAL! BRING IT ON! I think Jacks bath was more traumatic than Wesley's...only because within the past few months he all of a sudden decided he didn't like getting his hair washed or rinsed....just out of the blue....after months of being fine with it.....in spite of that, I do think his bath looks like it might have been more fun too!
day 1 as a family of 4
Our first full day back in Cookeville was full of blessings. Not only were we all SO happy to be back in our own home in our own beds....but we had lots of visitors too! That morning I got a call from a MOPS friend of mine who knows how much I enjoy picking and eating fresh berries from a local berry patch. She and her family were going to pick some and wanted to drop some off for us as well. Of course I said YES! We have been enjoying that fresh summery goodness all week!
Then our sweet next door neighbor came by. They agreed to watch our place and water my garden for me while I was out of town having Wesley....little did any of us know that it would turn into a month long promise....but they didnt seem to mind. Mr Frank (who is 80 something years old and mows lawns to make $$....he has one of those awesome mowers that can mow a lawn in 2 passes) even mowed our lawn for us 2 or 3 times while we were gone, AND they picked up our mail for us. SO SWEET! Anyway, on Saturday Mrs Rama came by and brought us some YUMMY southern cooked food. I was VERY thankful since I had NO idea what to cook for lunch....or dinner....since I hadnt done ANY grocery shopping in a MONTH!
A bit later in the day Uncle Jeff and Aunt Raychie came by to finally get to hold their newest nephew. Rachel documented our afternoon very well and I was able to steal her pictures off Facebook. Enjoy!
Then our sweet next door neighbor came by. They agreed to watch our place and water my garden for me while I was out of town having Wesley....little did any of us know that it would turn into a month long promise....but they didnt seem to mind. Mr Frank (who is 80 something years old and mows lawns to make $$....he has one of those awesome mowers that can mow a lawn in 2 passes) even mowed our lawn for us 2 or 3 times while we were gone, AND they picked up our mail for us. SO SWEET! Anyway, on Saturday Mrs Rama came by and brought us some YUMMY southern cooked food. I was VERY thankful since I had NO idea what to cook for lunch....or dinner....since I hadnt done ANY grocery shopping in a MONTH!
A bit later in the day Uncle Jeff and Aunt Raychie came by to finally get to hold their newest nephew. Rachel documented our afternoon very well and I was able to steal her pictures off Facebook. Enjoy!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Two worlds collide aka the Brothers meet!
Yes, I know there are probably multiple pics of the same thing, and that they are terribly out of order, hopefully I will have a spare brain cell or 2 at some point to pare them down and add captions, but in the meantime....enjoy!
A sneak peek
more to come...
my arms and brain and heart have been kinda full these past few days with unpacking, laundry, nursing every 2-3 hours round the clock, blessings from both expected and surprise visitors, dishes, grocery shopping, Dr visits, gardening, harvesting, attempting to set up a nursery, balancing the checkbook after nearly a month away, potty training an eager big brother, sleepless nights, praising the Lord for sparing Wesley's life and bringing us all through that experience with only a few scars, praying that my anxiety about Wesley's well-being will give way to peace, enjoying life with a newborn and of course reveling in the fact that we are all back together again!! Whew! I PROMISE I will get caught up in blogging...I have several posts in my head waiting to be published...stay tuned!
Baby Wesley Day 25 Friday 7/16
I was able to be fairly coherent after sleeping on that hospital version of a fold out couch and tried to make myself presentable without a shower. At least I didt have to worry so much about making it ti the hospital in time for rounds! Daddy made it just in time and i LOVED the fact that even though we were warned that we might not get to take w home, Daddy hauled thebaby seat to our room anywy! I'm usually a pretty optimistic person but this whole experience has tempered that a bit....so it was SO good to see Joshs optimism and hopefulness.
After dr s heard the report about wesleys night he didnt feel too worried at all about the little bit of weightloss and asked if we wanted to take him home. Um.....YES!!! I was prepaing myself for the long drawn out discharge process I'd heard about, but we were all done and ready to go around noon! I think one of my favorite moments of this whole adventure was when thenurse came inand took off his leads to all the monitors and I was finally able to roam around freely with my son and not worry about all the wires and tubes and such! What an awesome, long awaited moment! We were very excited to leave the hospital and I may have shed a few tears of joy and relief as we drove away! Whew! On to the next adventure! WE ARE GOING HOME!!!!
 |
| I can't begin to tell you how amazing it was to hold my baby for the first time without being tethered to any machine or monitor. I could walk around with him, so Daddy took a picture of me "making a break for it"...pretty sure you cant tell, but there are major tears in my eyes. Seriously one of the very best days of my life! |
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wesley Day 24 Thursday 7/15
Happy Unbirthday Baby Wesley!
This was the date of my scheduled C-section....
Daddy came into Nashville today bright and early. He hung out with Jack for a while and then Mommie and Daddy headed to the hospital.
When we got there I was a bit disappointed to hear that Wesley's feedings hadn't gone "splendidly" overnight. He was getting overtired while eating and just wasn't able to take in as much milk as they were hoping. While I KNEW I didn't want to take home a baby whose body wasn't able to eat enough to sustain and would be at risk of getting dehydrated and/or losing weight. There was a good chance that this would delay Wesley's going home by a day or 2.
We had made plans and arrangements for me to "room in" with Wesley at the hospital and for me to do the bulk of his care and all of his feedings. Even though the timing of our departure might be changed, the drs felt that we could still go ahead with the rooming in and "ad lib on demand" nursing. They even brought in a lactation consultant to help. I liked the idea of going ad lib on demand" instead of sticking with a strict every 3 hours he take a bottle schedule....I had noticed in the past that sometimes he would be up for a while, or have a procedure or evaluation just before a scheduled feeding or even get a wicked case of hiccups, and would therefore be too zonked to take his whole bottle. If we could let HIM set the schedule, I really felt like we would get some better results.
We had a few visitors this day: Mommie's aunt Beverly came by to see us and that evening Pops and Bertie came by. When Daddy, Pops and Bertie left for the night (and I tried really REALLY hard not to be jealous about the ice cream they were going to enjoy at Mzee and Granny Ruthie's house) i settled down for a better than expected nights sleep on an uncomfortable fold out cot...guess you can sleep anywhere if you are tired enough. It took a few tries' but we finally getting into a rhythm with nursing however I was very discouraged to learn later that he had lost weight (15 grams which is the amount they like for a baby to GAIN in a day....not lose!) over the course of the night. I was SURE they wouldn't let me take him home....but we would have to wait until the drs rounds on Friday to find out.
This was the date of my scheduled C-section....
Daddy came into Nashville today bright and early. He hung out with Jack for a while and then Mommie and Daddy headed to the hospital.
When we got there I was a bit disappointed to hear that Wesley's feedings hadn't gone "splendidly" overnight. He was getting overtired while eating and just wasn't able to take in as much milk as they were hoping. While I KNEW I didn't want to take home a baby whose body wasn't able to eat enough to sustain and would be at risk of getting dehydrated and/or losing weight. There was a good chance that this would delay Wesley's going home by a day or 2.
We had made plans and arrangements for me to "room in" with Wesley at the hospital and for me to do the bulk of his care and all of his feedings. Even though the timing of our departure might be changed, the drs felt that we could still go ahead with the rooming in and "ad lib on demand" nursing. They even brought in a lactation consultant to help. I liked the idea of going ad lib on demand" instead of sticking with a strict every 3 hours he take a bottle schedule....I had noticed in the past that sometimes he would be up for a while, or have a procedure or evaluation just before a scheduled feeding or even get a wicked case of hiccups, and would therefore be too zonked to take his whole bottle. If we could let HIM set the schedule, I really felt like we would get some better results.
We had a few visitors this day: Mommie's aunt Beverly came by to see us and that evening Pops and Bertie came by. When Daddy, Pops and Bertie left for the night (and I tried really REALLY hard not to be jealous about the ice cream they were going to enjoy at Mzee and Granny Ruthie's house) i settled down for a better than expected nights sleep on an uncomfortable fold out cot...guess you can sleep anywhere if you are tired enough. It took a few tries' but we finally getting into a rhythm with nursing however I was very discouraged to learn later that he had lost weight (15 grams which is the amount they like for a baby to GAIN in a day....not lose!) over the course of the night. I was SURE they wouldn't let me take him home....but we would have to wait until the drs rounds on Friday to find out.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wesley Day 23, Wednesday 7/14
Is it bad that pretty much the only reason I know what day any of our nicu days has been is because of writing it up on the blog? The days of the week seriously blur together!
Finding Wesleys new room wasnt TOO hard this morning....felt like I had to park in the catacombs of the main hospital parking garage, and I am praying I am able to find my way back to my moms car....but I made it here!
I am trying to learn my way around this new unit and new part of the hospital...its a more private room with its own bathroom and a WINDOW! Seeing the sunshine sure is making me feel better!
Only a few hiccups since being here, like I didnt know there were different rules for my meal tray.....have I mentioned what a blessing these meal trays have been? Turns out they let nursing moms of nicu babies have 3 free meals a day while their baby is here.....which has been SUCH an amazing blessing! We would have gone broke if I had to purchase every meal while here....the food really is pretty good....but over in our other room I could order the food whenever I wanted and had it brought up, but over here there are strict time constraints which no one told me last night during my "TreeHouse orientation" session....which basically consisted of the night nurse showing me around. Oh well....I got to eat today with some interesting lunch buddies: birds!
I was able to nurse Wesley this morning but it was a challenge because in the middle of it his team of drs came in for rounds. I was glad to be included though, because they told me that the GOAL (if he tolerates his increased feedings well) is to go hom on FRIDAY!!! WOOHOOO!
His main dr is the same one who saw him when we first got to the nicu 3 weeks ago and he is the one who gives such interesting compliments. My favorite one of the day was "Your baby looks terriffic. His progress brought me the most happiness during my time in that nicu" I think Dr. S is very pleased with his handiwork! :) He seemed as pleased to have a former patient as I was to see our former dr. He even remembered that daddy is an NP.
They told me that the results of the echo showed an improvement in his pulmonary hypertension.... he has moved up from "severe" to "moderate" and they are thinking that it is something he will outgrow. There are no plans for any medication when we go home and they just want us to do a follow up echo in a month. YAY! I think Dr S would have discharged us today if he could have, he just couldnt believe how good Wesley looks and is ready to get agressive with his feedings....his IV nutrients are being discontinued today and he is going to full 2 ounce feeds by tonight! YAY! If all goes well with that they will want me to spent 24 hours with him starting tomorrow through our discharge so that he can nurse "on demand" to see if he maintains his weight and progress while nursing. (NO PRESSURE on mommie there! YIKES!) so I get to spend the night in the nicu tomorrow night. Should be interesting. Please pray that his feedings continue to improve! That is all that is in our way of going home!
Finding Wesleys new room wasnt TOO hard this morning....felt like I had to park in the catacombs of the main hospital parking garage, and I am praying I am able to find my way back to my moms car....but I made it here!
I am trying to learn my way around this new unit and new part of the hospital...its a more private room with its own bathroom and a WINDOW! Seeing the sunshine sure is making me feel better!
Only a few hiccups since being here, like I didnt know there were different rules for my meal tray.....have I mentioned what a blessing these meal trays have been? Turns out they let nursing moms of nicu babies have 3 free meals a day while their baby is here.....which has been SUCH an amazing blessing! We would have gone broke if I had to purchase every meal while here....the food really is pretty good....but over in our other room I could order the food whenever I wanted and had it brought up, but over here there are strict time constraints which no one told me last night during my "TreeHouse orientation" session....which basically consisted of the night nurse showing me around. Oh well....I got to eat today with some interesting lunch buddies: birds!
I was able to nurse Wesley this morning but it was a challenge because in the middle of it his team of drs came in for rounds. I was glad to be included though, because they told me that the GOAL (if he tolerates his increased feedings well) is to go hom on FRIDAY!!! WOOHOOO!
His main dr is the same one who saw him when we first got to the nicu 3 weeks ago and he is the one who gives such interesting compliments. My favorite one of the day was "Your baby looks terriffic. His progress brought me the most happiness during my time in that nicu" I think Dr. S is very pleased with his handiwork! :) He seemed as pleased to have a former patient as I was to see our former dr. He even remembered that daddy is an NP.
They told me that the results of the echo showed an improvement in his pulmonary hypertension.... he has moved up from "severe" to "moderate" and they are thinking that it is something he will outgrow. There are no plans for any medication when we go home and they just want us to do a follow up echo in a month. YAY! I think Dr S would have discharged us today if he could have, he just couldnt believe how good Wesley looks and is ready to get agressive with his feedings....his IV nutrients are being discontinued today and he is going to full 2 ounce feeds by tonight! YAY! If all goes well with that they will want me to spent 24 hours with him starting tomorrow through our discharge so that he can nurse "on demand" to see if he maintains his weight and progress while nursing. (NO PRESSURE on mommie there! YIKES!) so I get to spend the night in the nicu tomorrow night. Should be interesting. Please pray that his feedings continue to improve! That is all that is in our way of going home!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Wesley Day 22, Tuesday 7/13
Highlights from our day:
* Wesley nursed well this morning...I am very excited that he is getting more enthusiastic about eating.
*After eating he was awake for over 2 hours! This was very surprising to me, I'm used to him conking out mid feeding but he was WIDE AWAKE! Suffice it to say, I didnt put him down for the entire 2 hours....I just cant get enough of his sweet alert time. He seems like a very content baby...if I am holding him he is happy just to gaze into my face or look around at what is going on....and the nurses have told me that he is usually content also when he is not being held, especially at night. I am hopeful that one positive of this experience will be that he will be able to sleep through a noisy house....I already know I wont be able to keep the house in total silence like we had with Jack. but since for the first month of his life Wesley has had to sleep with beeps and chirps and talking and such, maybe the noises of his big brother wont bother him as much.
*The Occupational Therapist came by today to go over some baby massage techniques which are really relaxing to give as well as to receive. She even said I can get Jack involved in some baby massage with Wesley and that Jack might enjoy getting a similar massage himself. I was also encouraged because she said that she thought he had "good tone" which is apparently very important with nicu babies. I had been discouraged a few days earlier when one nurse told us she didnt think he had good tone (but then she couldnt describe very well what that meant) but I'll take the assessment of ot anyday!
*Just after feeding this morning he got the long awaited follow-up echo. The tech who administered the test was not the one who had done his previous echoes, so she wasnt able to share any comparisons, but while she was finishing up, Wesleys team of drs came in and asked her for some insight into her findings....of course I didnt understand a word they said (they SERIOUSLY talk in code around here!) but I did hear someone say "oh, some improvement! good!" so I breathed a sigh of relief! As I was sitting and watching the echo being done, I just prayed and prayed. I prayed for strength and peace to handle the results, positive or otherwise and I prayed for the knot of worry in my stomach to go away! Thank you to all who prayed along with us about this important test!
*Speaking of his team of drs, I was VERY pleased with their news....they thought he was making good progress and said that depending on the results of the echo and how well he progresses with his feedings, he should be "looking at going home by this weekend" and my heart skipped a beat! YAY!
*I wasnt able to stay with Wesley as long as I would have liked due to 3 "bedside surgeries" scheduled for the day. The nicu rooms are set up so that they can be quickly converted and used at mini ORs and if a baby cant be moved for whatever reason, the surgeries can be done at the bedside. This is really cool, except that it means all visitors and parents have to clear out of the entire hallway until the surgery is over....so you can imagine how long our hallway was on "lockdown" due to 3 surgeries. I dont let it bother me too bad though, because I try to pray for the babies and their families instead. I am so thankful we werent any of those families during our stay here at the nicu.
*Turns out his echo did look good because just before I left my moms house to come back to the hospital for the 9pm feeding I got a call from one of Wesleys drs that he was being moved tonight to the nicu "step-down" unit. This is WONDERFUL news...it means we are that much closer to going home!! When I got to the hospital I was able to still find him in his old room, nurse him and then accompany him to his new room. It is in a completely different part of the hospital, with new parking and elevators and hallways and procedures. to learn etc. Should be interesting to figure out how to get there in the morning!
* Wesley nursed well this morning...I am very excited that he is getting more enthusiastic about eating.
*After eating he was awake for over 2 hours! This was very surprising to me, I'm used to him conking out mid feeding but he was WIDE AWAKE! Suffice it to say, I didnt put him down for the entire 2 hours....I just cant get enough of his sweet alert time. He seems like a very content baby...if I am holding him he is happy just to gaze into my face or look around at what is going on....and the nurses have told me that he is usually content also when he is not being held, especially at night. I am hopeful that one positive of this experience will be that he will be able to sleep through a noisy house....I already know I wont be able to keep the house in total silence like we had with Jack. but since for the first month of his life Wesley has had to sleep with beeps and chirps and talking and such, maybe the noises of his big brother wont bother him as much.
*The Occupational Therapist came by today to go over some baby massage techniques which are really relaxing to give as well as to receive. She even said I can get Jack involved in some baby massage with Wesley and that Jack might enjoy getting a similar massage himself. I was also encouraged because she said that she thought he had "good tone" which is apparently very important with nicu babies. I had been discouraged a few days earlier when one nurse told us she didnt think he had good tone (but then she couldnt describe very well what that meant) but I'll take the assessment of ot anyday!
*Just after feeding this morning he got the long awaited follow-up echo. The tech who administered the test was not the one who had done his previous echoes, so she wasnt able to share any comparisons, but while she was finishing up, Wesleys team of drs came in and asked her for some insight into her findings....of course I didnt understand a word they said (they SERIOUSLY talk in code around here!) but I did hear someone say "oh, some improvement! good!" so I breathed a sigh of relief! As I was sitting and watching the echo being done, I just prayed and prayed. I prayed for strength and peace to handle the results, positive or otherwise and I prayed for the knot of worry in my stomach to go away! Thank you to all who prayed along with us about this important test!
*Speaking of his team of drs, I was VERY pleased with their news....they thought he was making good progress and said that depending on the results of the echo and how well he progresses with his feedings, he should be "looking at going home by this weekend" and my heart skipped a beat! YAY!
*I wasnt able to stay with Wesley as long as I would have liked due to 3 "bedside surgeries" scheduled for the day. The nicu rooms are set up so that they can be quickly converted and used at mini ORs and if a baby cant be moved for whatever reason, the surgeries can be done at the bedside. This is really cool, except that it means all visitors and parents have to clear out of the entire hallway until the surgery is over....so you can imagine how long our hallway was on "lockdown" due to 3 surgeries. I dont let it bother me too bad though, because I try to pray for the babies and their families instead. I am so thankful we werent any of those families during our stay here at the nicu.
*Turns out his echo did look good because just before I left my moms house to come back to the hospital for the 9pm feeding I got a call from one of Wesleys drs that he was being moved tonight to the nicu "step-down" unit. This is WONDERFUL news...it means we are that much closer to going home!! When I got to the hospital I was able to still find him in his old room, nurse him and then accompany him to his new room. It is in a completely different part of the hospital, with new parking and elevators and hallways and procedures. to learn etc. Should be interesting to figure out how to get there in the morning!
Monday, July 12, 2010
the things he says
*what's this called?-it's just been since we have been staying at Granny Ruthie's house that he has started saying this...and he asks it ALL THE TIME! I think it's funny that he doesnt just say "whats this? or Whats that?" but adds in the "called" part too. He is such a curious little guy and with that amazing memory of his, he remembers A LOT of the new things we tell him...this morning it was "mini wheats"...."I 'yike' mini wheats mommie"
*my daddy, my maggie, my pillow, my punko (plunko....an ugli doll auntie hannah gave him that he MUST sleep with at night!!) He's all about the MY these days! He has also cracked us up saying "pick my up" or "get my down" instead of "ME" but I realized that he rarely hears ME or MY said correctly. So often I will say in 3rd person "Give that to Mommie" or "That is Mommie's drink" instead of the correct 1st person. We are working on that!
*fatman!-Jack has shanghaied several of uncle daniel's toys including a Batman figurine. I was being silly the other day and singing a Batman song...he thought it was funny and started joining in, only he was calling him FATMAN! I tried correcting him once, but he just wasnt buying it, and it cracked me up so much, I just let him keep it up!
*I'm like a baby!-since being hugely pregnant and now recovering from a c-section I havent been able to pick Jack up and hold him as much as he likes...I try to sit down to snuggle with him, but he still tugs at my heart strings when he asks "hold me mommie"...and the other day he told me "Hold me Mommie, I'm like a baby....babies go waaaah-waaaaah!" He especially likes playing this game after bathtime when I have him wrapped up in a towel....and I figure that if this is pretty much the only time he wants to play "baby" I can let it slide. I know he might not want to snuggle with me like that forever!
*change my diaper!-oh my goodness....another way my little guy is quickly becoming a big boy....since we have been here in Nashville he has gotten very VERY aware of the condition of his diaper. He still shows little or no desire to actually use the potty (which is understandable since his potty chair wasnt something that we packed for our "short" stay here...and it's NOT Granny Ruthie's job to potty train her grandson) but he will tell us when he has is dirty or wet and in need of a new diaper. I say on almost a daily basis that as soon as we get home and I get my wits about me again, we will get serious about potty training...maybe I wont have 2 in diapers for TOO long!
*flamingoes get stuck in the mud-this one FLABBERGASTED me! Jack has long since mastered the set of 12 piece puzzles I got him for Easter, and I knew it was time to graduate up to more challenging ones, so I was VERY excited to find some 24 piece puzzles in the $1 section of Target the other day! One of the puzzles has a bunch of animal pictures on it. I pointed to a picture of the flamingoes and asked him "Whats this?" not really expecting him to know....to which he confidently replied "Flamingoes" Just as I was getting over my amazement and saying "Good Job" he informed me "Flamingoes sometimes get stuck in the mud" (I'll admit, it took me a while to decipher what he said....not really because it was unclear....just because I wasnt expecting a phrase like this to come out of his mouth. Anyway, I was amazed and I asked him "How do you know flamingoes sometimes get stuck in the mud?" (since this isnt a fact I had ever heard before and I certainly didnt teach it to him) and he told me "The WonderPets helped flamingoes get out of the mud"......so there you have it. If the wonder pets did it, it must be true! (btw-he hasnt seen the wonder pets in well over a month....)
*with a new baby in the family, we have a boppy pillow floating around the house....Jack took one look at it and declared "It's a horseshoe!" which is pretty accurate as far as its shape....and surprising, since I cant figure out when he would have ever heard that word before!
*my daddy, my maggie, my pillow, my punko (plunko....an ugli doll auntie hannah gave him that he MUST sleep with at night!!) He's all about the MY these days! He has also cracked us up saying "pick my up" or "get my down" instead of "ME" but I realized that he rarely hears ME or MY said correctly. So often I will say in 3rd person "Give that to Mommie" or "That is Mommie's drink" instead of the correct 1st person. We are working on that!
*fatman!-Jack has shanghaied several of uncle daniel's toys including a Batman figurine. I was being silly the other day and singing a Batman song...he thought it was funny and started joining in, only he was calling him FATMAN! I tried correcting him once, but he just wasnt buying it, and it cracked me up so much, I just let him keep it up!
*I'm like a baby!-since being hugely pregnant and now recovering from a c-section I havent been able to pick Jack up and hold him as much as he likes...I try to sit down to snuggle with him, but he still tugs at my heart strings when he asks "hold me mommie"...and the other day he told me "Hold me Mommie, I'm like a baby....babies go waaaah-waaaaah!" He especially likes playing this game after bathtime when I have him wrapped up in a towel....and I figure that if this is pretty much the only time he wants to play "baby" I can let it slide. I know he might not want to snuggle with me like that forever!
*change my diaper!-oh my goodness....another way my little guy is quickly becoming a big boy....since we have been here in Nashville he has gotten very VERY aware of the condition of his diaper. He still shows little or no desire to actually use the potty (which is understandable since his potty chair wasnt something that we packed for our "short" stay here...and it's NOT Granny Ruthie's job to potty train her grandson) but he will tell us when he has is dirty or wet and in need of a new diaper. I say on almost a daily basis that as soon as we get home and I get my wits about me again, we will get serious about potty training...maybe I wont have 2 in diapers for TOO long!
*flamingoes get stuck in the mud-this one FLABBERGASTED me! Jack has long since mastered the set of 12 piece puzzles I got him for Easter, and I knew it was time to graduate up to more challenging ones, so I was VERY excited to find some 24 piece puzzles in the $1 section of Target the other day! One of the puzzles has a bunch of animal pictures on it. I pointed to a picture of the flamingoes and asked him "Whats this?" not really expecting him to know....to which he confidently replied "Flamingoes" Just as I was getting over my amazement and saying "Good Job" he informed me "Flamingoes sometimes get stuck in the mud" (I'll admit, it took me a while to decipher what he said....not really because it was unclear....just because I wasnt expecting a phrase like this to come out of his mouth. Anyway, I was amazed and I asked him "How do you know flamingoes sometimes get stuck in the mud?" (since this isnt a fact I had ever heard before and I certainly didnt teach it to him) and he told me "The WonderPets helped flamingoes get out of the mud"......so there you have it. If the wonder pets did it, it must be true! (btw-he hasnt seen the wonder pets in well over a month....)
*with a new baby in the family, we have a boppy pillow floating around the house....Jack took one look at it and declared "It's a horseshoe!" which is pretty accurate as far as its shape....and surprising, since I cant figure out when he would have ever heard that word before!
Wesley Day 21, Monday 7/12
Well, he's almost 3 weeks old....this has definitely been the longest 3 weeks of my life....but also one filled with lots of love, blessings, reality checks and gut checks. We've all heard it said that the Lord will sometimes put you flat on your back to get you to look back up at Him....well...I've felt pretty flat on my back several times these past 3 weeks...and I have been constantly reminded that I can't make it through this journey without the strength from the Lord, and the helpers He has put in my life to make it so much easier.
Last night my mom and I worked out that I can hopefully either get a ride or drive myself in her car up here for the 9pm feeding. YAY! The generosity and patience of Granny Ruthie, Mzee and Daniel towards us while we have invaded their space has been amazing!
It also amazes me that no matter what time I try to get to the hospital lately, I always seem to miss rounds....if I get here before 9....they seem to do rounds much later and I miss them while I am gone pumping or eating...if I get here 9:30ish I will get here just as they have left our room.....sheesh! Thankfully the nurses here have all been excellent with catching me up.
I learned today (After missing rounds) that they will now allow me to nurse him 2x per shift....and I'll be honest...that just wont happen during the night shift....9pm is the latest I can drag my bootie up here....but it means that I can nurse him at least 2 times while I am up here during the day!! YAY! They have also determined that one of the criteria for him to go home is that he tolerate at least a 2 ounce feeding each time....as of this morning he is allowed to try 1 ounce and this afternoon/evening it will be increased to slightly above that....so we are getting closer! They are also discontinuing some of his iv nutrients...the lipid (which is a fancy name for FATS....which I find so interesting....most of the population is told to limit the fats in their diet....and he is getting it sent sraight into his blood) but since he is getting more milk they dont feel the need for the lipids anymore.
I was very pleased with his nursing this morning...I think that he and I still have some learning to do about each other and such....but I dont think it will be long before we have each other better figured out. For example....the past few times he has NOT been enthusiastic about switching sides, so today I was patient and I played with him, and even made him a little mad with some tummy time for a few minutes....and then lo and behold, he was ready to eat again. It's exciting to get to know my baby like that.....instead of feeling sad or frustrated that he spends probably 2/3 of his day being cared for by nurses, I am trying to tell myself that his nurses are different almost every day, so there is no way he is "bonding" with them like he hopefully is with his parents, who are the same every day. Plus he spends so much of that time sleeping....it doesnt really count anyway, right?
PLEASE Keep praying for the echo to get good results tomorrow morning (not sure when we will get the results, surely by Wed morning) and that he continues to make good progress with his feedings.
Last night my mom and I worked out that I can hopefully either get a ride or drive myself in her car up here for the 9pm feeding. YAY! The generosity and patience of Granny Ruthie, Mzee and Daniel towards us while we have invaded their space has been amazing!
It also amazes me that no matter what time I try to get to the hospital lately, I always seem to miss rounds....if I get here before 9....they seem to do rounds much later and I miss them while I am gone pumping or eating...if I get here 9:30ish I will get here just as they have left our room.....sheesh! Thankfully the nurses here have all been excellent with catching me up.
I learned today (After missing rounds) that they will now allow me to nurse him 2x per shift....and I'll be honest...that just wont happen during the night shift....9pm is the latest I can drag my bootie up here....but it means that I can nurse him at least 2 times while I am up here during the day!! YAY! They have also determined that one of the criteria for him to go home is that he tolerate at least a 2 ounce feeding each time....as of this morning he is allowed to try 1 ounce and this afternoon/evening it will be increased to slightly above that....so we are getting closer! They are also discontinuing some of his iv nutrients...the lipid (which is a fancy name for FATS....which I find so interesting....most of the population is told to limit the fats in their diet....and he is getting it sent sraight into his blood) but since he is getting more milk they dont feel the need for the lipids anymore.
I was very pleased with his nursing this morning...I think that he and I still have some learning to do about each other and such....but I dont think it will be long before we have each other better figured out. For example....the past few times he has NOT been enthusiastic about switching sides, so today I was patient and I played with him, and even made him a little mad with some tummy time for a few minutes....and then lo and behold, he was ready to eat again. It's exciting to get to know my baby like that.....instead of feeling sad or frustrated that he spends probably 2/3 of his day being cared for by nurses, I am trying to tell myself that his nurses are different almost every day, so there is no way he is "bonding" with them like he hopefully is with his parents, who are the same every day. Plus he spends so much of that time sleeping....it doesnt really count anyway, right?
PLEASE Keep praying for the echo to get good results tomorrow morning (not sure when we will get the results, surely by Wed morning) and that he continues to make good progress with his feedings.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Wesley Day 20, Sunday 7/11
I didnt get to the hospital today until after noon, but I enjoyed some sweet snuggle time with my sleepy boy. Our nurse came in to update me...she said that he has been approved for feedings up to 24mL (about 2x more than yesterday) but that so far today he hadnt been able to keep that much in his tummy...one time he even spit most of that back up! That's the first time I've heard of him spitting up at all, so I am hoping this isnt a trend that will stick around....because that wont help him get better or get home any sooner. She also said that the dr has agreed to let me try nursing him once per shift....basically once every 12 hours....which might be interesting because shift change is at 7, but his first feeding after shift change will be 9pm....I wonder if I'll have a ride to and from the hospital that late...hm.....
Our nurse also said that she thinks that even if his echo on Tuesday is PERFECT she still thinks we will be here for "a while" because of his slow progress with feeding and waking up his digestion....but that he might surprise us all and get more agressive with his feedings. We'll see. I hope he will.....trying to think optimistically and NOT live in denial here....because we REALLY want to get both our boys home and live in the same house again... have I mentioned that before???
Today we took Jack to Panera Bread for lunch and all 3 of us saw a family nearby who had an adorable baby girl...Jack and I talked a out her cute chubby cheeks and Josh must have read my mind when he mused "are we ever going to get to take our new baby out like that?" I was thinking the same thing....it's not a nice feeling to be jealous, especially of total strangers.
Please keep Wesley and his feedings in your prayers, and all of the rest of us too. We are all trying to stay strong, patient and optimistic with this "waiting game" where his primary health concerns seem to be resolving, but other residual issues are now being dealt with. Also, go ahead and start praying NOW that his echo on Tuesday looks GREAT! Thank you!
At his 3pm feeding I got to try to nurse him...I tried really hard not to get my hopes up too much and then get disappointed, but HE DID GREAT! (Sorry, no pics allowed of this momentous event! :) It was very exciting!
Also, Granny Ruthie was here around that same time...she is determined to see this boy with his eyes OPEN....but unfortunately he did not oblige....until later:
Our nurse also said that she thinks that even if his echo on Tuesday is PERFECT she still thinks we will be here for "a while" because of his slow progress with feeding and waking up his digestion....but that he might surprise us all and get more agressive with his feedings. We'll see. I hope he will.....trying to think optimistically and NOT live in denial here....because we REALLY want to get both our boys home and live in the same house again... have I mentioned that before???
Today we took Jack to Panera Bread for lunch and all 3 of us saw a family nearby who had an adorable baby girl...Jack and I talked a out her cute chubby cheeks and Josh must have read my mind when he mused "are we ever going to get to take our new baby out like that?" I was thinking the same thing....it's not a nice feeling to be jealous, especially of total strangers.
Please keep Wesley and his feedings in your prayers, and all of the rest of us too. We are all trying to stay strong, patient and optimistic with this "waiting game" where his primary health concerns seem to be resolving, but other residual issues are now being dealt with. Also, go ahead and start praying NOW that his echo on Tuesday looks GREAT! Thank you!
At his 3pm feeding I got to try to nurse him...I tried really hard not to get my hopes up too much and then get disappointed, but HE DID GREAT! (Sorry, no pics allowed of this momentous event! :) It was very exciting!
Also, Granny Ruthie was here around that same time...she is determined to see this boy with his eyes OPEN....but unfortunately he did not oblige....until later:
"What is going on?"
"Umm....Dad? You're not REALLY making me do the hokey-pokey, are you?"
Our nurse today told us that she feels he doesnt have as much "tone" as a baby his age and size should have....so we tried giving him a little work-out today!
fyi
it is my goal to eventually have the blog updated (or is it backdated) with details about recent adventures.....and several entries I have completed recently about Wesley date back to 6/24 and about Jack from 6/25....
as we are getting further and further (or is it farther?) away from those first scary days of Wesley's life, some of the specific details are fading faster than I can get them onto the blog...but hopefully with Josh's amazing memory I'll be able to get some sort of timeline down....or some of the days may just have to be a group entry....we'll see what time and my brain can handle...who knows how much blogging I'll be able to do once I am snuggled at home with all 3 of my favorite boys....and Maggie too....hopefully SOON!
as we are getting further and further (or is it farther?) away from those first scary days of Wesley's life, some of the specific details are fading faster than I can get them onto the blog...but hopefully with Josh's amazing memory I'll be able to get some sort of timeline down....or some of the days may just have to be a group entry....we'll see what time and my brain can handle...who knows how much blogging I'll be able to do once I am snuggled at home with all 3 of my favorite boys....and Maggie too....hopefully SOON!
Fun with Jack 7/11
Jack got to visit the Adventure Science Center with Pops and Bertie today! Looks like they had fun! Thanks for sending me these pictures!
Riding with Ms Frizzle on the Magic School Bus!
Playing with a fun Ball Scooper contraption
Playing on some sort of train.
As Pops said after showing me these pictures "That boy is never still! Its impossible to get a picture of him!" I agree!
EXHAUSTED after all that fun...I love that he fell asleep with his hand IN the snack cup!
Riding with Ms Frizzle on the Magic School Bus!
Playing with a fun Ball Scooper contraptionPlaying on some sort of train.
As Pops said after showing me these pictures "That boy is never still! Its impossible to get a picture of him!" I agree!
EXHAUSTED after all that fun...I love that he fell asleep with his hand IN the snack cup!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Wesley day 19 Saturday 7/10
Happy Birthday Granny Ruthie!
This pic is a copycat of this post...oh what the hey....here they both are in one place...I can tell they are brothers?? Can you? Daddy has been sweet and said several times to me "You make such beautiful babies!" to which I must reply (because it is true) "are you also calling yourself beautiful...because they both look just like you!"
Not many other changes to speak of...no word yet on starting to nurse...hopefully soon...but his feedings have been slightly increased from 10mL to 14mL.....and he seems to be doing well on that too. I just got word that there is another surgical procedure being done on his hallway... I sure hope they let us back in to see him before we have to go, but you never know! Thanks for checking in on us and for all the prayers.
We were VERY excited this morning to walk in and see this:
NO TUBES! For the first time since the moment of his birth we can clearly see his sweet little face! I knew yesterday they had taken out his feeding tube, but apparently during rounds this morning his drs decided to let him have a try without his oxygen tube as well...and so far he is doing GREAT! This pic is a copycat of this post...oh what the hey....here they both are in one place...I can tell they are brothers?? Can you? Daddy has been sweet and said several times to me "You make such beautiful babies!" to which I must reply (because it is true) "are you also calling yourself beautiful...because they both look just like you!"
Not many other changes to speak of...no word yet on starting to nurse...hopefully soon...but his feedings have been slightly increased from 10mL to 14mL.....and he seems to be doing well on that too. I just got word that there is another surgical procedure being done on his hallway... I sure hope they let us back in to see him before we have to go, but you never know! Thanks for checking in on us and for all the prayers.
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