Lazy Day

We had a good day today. Brant is up to 3 pounds 4 ounces. Today they decided to give him bolus feedings instead of constant feedings. So what that means is instead of there being a constant flow of milk through his feeding tube he will now be getting 3 hours worth of milk in 2 hours, so he has an hour break each time where the feeding tube is disconnected from the pump. He will have to prove that he can handle that amount for I believe they said 4 days. After he proves himself then it will go to 3 hours worth of milk in 1 hour, then he'll get a drip bag of milk in his isolette that would be done in 20-30 minutes. So his cares are now every 3 hours rather than 4. 

Got some good sleep last night and was at the hospital by 7:45 this morning. Watched a girl who was late for an interview run into the hospital in 5 inch heels and completely eat it on her face- that made me laugh... it's mean but people would've laughed at me! 

I held him for quite a while this morning and then again this afternoon. This afternoon I was getting so tired. He was so warm and snuggly that I actually fell asleep holding him. It felt nice, though when she came in to put him back I just wanted to snuggle and sleep more!  And yes she came in and said it was time; usually I'm the one calling them to put him back because I have to go to the bathroom or get up and stretch my legs after sitting there for hours. 

This afternoon we offered him the pacifier again- he was sucking away on that thing! It was so cute. He doesn't do it for long but when we put it in there he goes to town on it which is great! 

Mom is coming down tomorrow morning and then I believe the plan is for Nicki, Joyce, Nathan, and Amber to come tomorrow night after Amber gets off work. So the apartment will be full tomorrow night! Mom will stay with me through the weekend while the rest of them head out after visiting Brant on Friday to Yakima for the basketball state tournament to watch Tanisha cheer. GO LYNCS!! Dad and Darren I think will join me and mom sometime Saturday. But right now I'm going to head back to the apartment, heat up some lasagna- thanks to Shirlene, (who also has an amazing chicken noodle soup recipe!) and head for bed! 

So sleepy! 

So just for size comparison- that is on the smaller side for a pacifier and it's huge compared to his face! I'm going to try to get some more shots so everyone can see how little he really is because these pictures make him look BIG compared to what he really is 

Oh and he had ZERO episodes while I held him this afternoon! GO BRANT!!! We want you out of the brady phase! 

No change

No changes with Brant today... he has had noticeably fewer episodes today than yesterday. Since I've been in the room only 1 that I can think of, which makes me very happy! He is down 4 grams since yesterday- so now he is just 2 grams under 3 pounds 3 ounces. So hopefully when they weigh him at 4 a.m. he will have a good weight gain. They say he is in the grow stage right now where there really won't be any changes done unless absolutely necessary so that he can grow as much as possible so hopefully in the next while my posts will be very boring other than pictures!

I got LOTS of sleep last night... I actually slept through 1 pumping session, alarms going off and all and slept right through my alarm to wake up this morning. So I arrived at the hospital much later than I had planned but I feel so much better! Darren and Nicki came down and visited today. It makes the day go by so much faster when there is someone here to visit with. I held him for about 4 hours today and after that the three of us went to Darren's new favorite spot- The Ram for lunch/dinner. Then Nicki and I wandered into Crate & Barrel... yeah could spend a LOT of money there. Thinking I'm going to have to start planning out how I want to decorate the house when we move in. 

The past 2 days Brant has been WIDE awake when we do his cares at 12- so I made sure I had my camera out today and got some really cute shots (at least I think they're cute!) 

Stretching out- the nasal prongs make his lips so squished

Through the isolette 

He loves to be all stretched out 

I love this one- he's got that look like "Mom what the heck are you doing??"

LONG day today

Don't quite know how to describe how last night went other than it SUCKED. I could not sleep- every time I would start to nod off I would hear a noise or the people next door would slam something and I would be wide awake. I don't think I fell asleep, and was really sleeping well until 4 or 4:30 and then I had to be up at 6 to pump so not much sleep. I crawled back in bed after I was done at 6:30 and got 2 more hours of sleep but it was just not enough.

I just hung out in his room this morning until we did his cares at 12 and then held him basically until I left tonight. He did fine overnight. Had a full lab work-up and blood gas. The nurse last night told me everything came back good but then this afternoon the nurse said, if I understood her correctly, that his red blood cell count was low so they would be giving him shots every three days to stimulate that. So she gave him his first shot today while I was holding him, poor little guy... He did not like it but she said it would help calm him down faster if she gave it to him I while I held him versus being in his bed. He didn't like it at all but the crying and fussing only lasted a minute or two before he calmed back down again. 

He didn't have many episodes last night but his night nurse kept him mostly on his belly. That's where he is happiest in the isolette. Today he had a few episodes before I held him. They wanted to me to hold him as long as I could because that is where he does the best and he is the most comfortable. So from 12:15-6:30 we only took a tiny break for me to use the restroom, grab a quick bite for lunch, change his diaper, take his temperature and give him his vitamins and then it was back to snuggle time. I love holding him but sitting in that tiny room all day by myself and not being able to move really wore me out. I felt guilty leaving a little before 7 tonight, especially when the nurse asked if I was coming back... but I really needed to get out of that room, walk around and stretch my legs, and I need SLEEP.

I was in such a hurry to get to the hospital I forgot my camera in the apartment- good thing for cell phones! This is one of the best pictures I've got yet- wide awake and when his isolette was open so no glares!  

Pictures!

Okay this is the BEST hand sanitizer ever! I have NEVER been a germaphobe but having to scrub every time you enter the NICU and then sanitizing your hands each time you enter/leave his room plus sanitizing anytime you open his isolette has totally changed that. I had my own bottle of normal hand sanitizer at the apartment and last night I found myself using it so much last night that my hands started to go raw- so mom asked the NICU front desk where I could get their good stuff and she gave me a bottle... yeah going to have to find this stuff when we go home! 

I love my little man! 

Sorry this one is kinda blurry

Makayla getting him situated back in his isolette 

Snuggle time! 

And then there is Darren....... yeah....... 

Moved In...

Well we got me moved into the apartment... not really what we were expecting but we're going to make it work. Apparently their version of "newly renovated" and ours are NOT the same. And their cleaning could use some work. We went to Safeway and got some groceries and cleaning supplies. The building is back in corner and not very well lit so going back after dark is a little uneasy but Dad is going to get me pepper spray as we speak- plus I have my concealed weapons permit, I just can't carry in the hospital. There is no way I could've slept without Darren there last night but he left with Wayne & Nicki a few minutes ago and mom and dad will leave tonight. So tonight I'll be on my own. It's going to be hard but I'll be fine- I'm going to have to get used it eventually! I was by myself this week because Darren was working out of town but it's different when everyone you know is 2 hours away... but it'll only be a couple days before someone is back :) I'm sure there will be a few nights where I just stay at the hospital in Brants room. Tomorrow I think I will ask if I can get a couch in his room instead of the 2 chairs. That way I can lay down and take a little nap during the day. I haven't been able to sleep much lately so that would be nice.

Brant has had a few episodes the last 2 days where he'll forget to breathe... He pulls himself out of it so they said not to worry too much about it and that they would worry about it if they had to step in to get him breathing. It still scares the heck out of me when I hold him and all of the sudden he stops breathing; they told me that if I notice him doing it before the alarms start going off to rub his back or tickle his feet and that will help remind him. They increased his level on his high flow nasal cannula to give him some more support. The nurse practitioner came in this morning and said that with all the changes he's had and it's all been so fast that things could just be catching up with him. So they are leaving him up on a higher level for a few days to see how it goes. They also increased his caffeine supplement dosage to his higher weight for stimulation and hopefully the higher dose will also help with the episodes.

His weight is up to 3lbs 1 ounce- almost 2 ounces. He hit 3 pounds yesterday! They will be doing a bunch of labs tonight along with a blood gas to see how everything is going. They haven't done any labs at all this past week so I'm praying everything comes back good! They keep increasing his feeds too. Makayla, his nurse for this weekend has been showing me how to get him out of the isolette on my own- a little nerve wrecking! He only has the nasal cannula and feeding tube that are the major lines but he has all the monitor wires too so it's a process to get all the wires in the right place in my arms and draped right and then getting him positioned just right too... I don't see how they think I can do it on my own but I am starting to feel more comfortable handling him. She just helps me with the wires and making sure he is positioned just right.

I will post pictures from today and yesterday later tonight.

Crazy Crazy Day

Brant is doing about the same as yesterday. They turned down his settings on the high flow yesterday but this morning they changed them back to what they were before. They said he was working a little too hard on the lower setting. His weight is down 8 grams- which they said is pretty normal. He had a couple of really big weight gain days now it's evening out a little bit. Plus she said he had a really big poop right before she weighed him. They don't have any plans for him today just letting him sleep and grow!

First thing this morning I ran to Target and now the rest of the day will be spent packing, organizing, and cleaning.... I'm going to be exhausted before the day is up! Darren has been working out of town all week and is supposed to be home sometime tonight. Tomorrow morning Darren and I and my mom and dad will head down and get all moved into the apartment and visit Brant of course.

Uneventful week

Sorry for the lack of any updates the last couple of days... I really have nothing new to report. Brant is still on the high flow nasal cannula. He is doing really well on it, breathing room air for the most part. As of this morning (Thursday) he was about 2 pounds 15 ounces. By the weekend he should be up to 3 pounds with how he's been gaining weight. They did move his feeding tube to his nose rather than his mouth. They haven't been doing labs or x-rays or anything, just taking his temperature, changing his diaper, and giving him his vitamins every 4 hours. They are very pleased with is progress. Nicki took me down yesterday. He was being quite the little stinker... The whole time I was holding him he would kick his legs straight out and then tuck them up under him again- it reminded me of a frog. And then when Janelle (his nurse for the past couple days) put him back and positioned him on his tummy with his legs tucked he shot them right out. It didn't look comfortable at all and whenever she repositioned them he got mad and shot them out again, so she gave up and left him. He's already got the stubborn attitude down! I'll be moving into the apartment we got on Saturday... here's to packing and organizing! 

Pics from yesterday! 

sorry for the glare, lighting is terrible in there when it's gloomy out

Sleeping Beauty 

Blowing bubbles!

More Progress!

We were VERY surprised this morning when I called in before we left the hotel. They took him off CPAP! He now is on the high flow nasal cannula- so no more mask! He has been doing well on it so far, but is very tired today. I held him for about 3 hours today- he just snuggles right in and goes to sleep. I even got a little nap during our snuggle time. I love being able to see his whole face too. He has tape on his chin to keep his feeding tube in place- he likes to grab a hold of it; and he has tape on his cheeks to keep the prongs in his nose. Other than that he just has monitors on. Less and less equipment in his room is what we like to see! The doctor came in this afternoon and said he was doing great and making wonderful progress, he just needs to grow! 

He loves being on his tummy

He hasn't figured out how to swallow yet- he likes making bubbles but drools everywhere! 

For comparison, my ring next to his foot... his feet are HUGE compared to the rest of his body

See- he's got a hold of that feeding tube! 

Less and less equipment 

Grandma Vicki got these pictures after I held him... 

So in love with him! 

Nothing but snuggle time today

Today was another good day for Brant. They don't feel like he was quite ready to come off CPAP yet. From the sounds of it maybe by the end of the week they'll start transitioning him to the nasal prongs. So we just hung out and he did well, no blips or anything. Darren and I both got to hold him today, and that's really the only news we have to report. Here are a couple pictures of Brant snuggling with his dad! 

Just moving right along...

Mom, Dad and I drove down this morning (Saturday) to visit Brant. Once again his room looks totally different, but I like it! Less and less equipment is what we want! He is doing well with the CPAP. Though I don't like the contraption itself. It sits on his nose and then he has head gear that hold it down. Whenever they do his cares they take it off and massage the pressure points that hold it on. His nurse said some babies just crash right away when they take it off but he does well without it and just having oxygen blown at his face while they do it. She also gives him a pacifier when he starts to root around, and he actually sucks on it! which is great. His blood gas this morning came back awesome, she said if they went with the blood gas and what it says they would've taken him off the CPAP and went to the next step, though I can't remember what it's called. But his breathing is still a little fast sometimes so they don't think he is quite ready for it. I held him again today for a couple hours. He is such a little cutie. He was sucking on his thumb and went right to sleep. My Grandma June came down and met him today too. She was amazed at how small he is- she said his pictures make him look a lot bigger. So the picture with the pacifier shows you just how small he really is. He weighed 2lbs 10.5 ounces today and is at full feedings. Darren and Nicki are coming down tomorrow. Mom, Dad and I will head home Monday and then Wednesday I will be moving into a hotel room for a couple days and then moving into the apartment. It'll be nice to not have to do that drive so much! 

Here are some pictures from today:

His poor little squished face :(

Finally seeing him with nothing but a feeding tube in his mouth! 

Sucking away on his binkie 

We have a fighter!

Brant is doing great! They are very pleased with how he is taking to the CPAP. He is no longer on IV fluids either. All their tests have come back great since coming off the ventilator so that is awesome! That's all there really is to report about Brant.

I'm having some sort of allergic reaction to something, not sure if it is the antibiotics they have me on or if I'm developing an allergy to the fabric softener we use... not sure but I itch all over! So I got no sleep last night so my plan today is to sleep, A LOT. I think the plan is for me to go down this weekend and stay down there and then I think Wednesday I will be staying down there long term.

Bittersweet Day Yesterday...

Brant is doing great. He's very strong and a little fighter. He will up to full feedings by tonight. That's AWESOME. I just spoke with the NICU (it's about 9:45 a.m.) and within the next half hour they are actually going to take him off the ventilator and try CPAP, which is HUGE. We will just have to wait and see how he tolerates it. He is also up to 2lbs 12oz too! 

 I got to hold him for the first time yesterday too. That was AMAZING. Here are some pictures-

However, yesterday afternoon I got a NASTY infection... Mom and Nicki took me up to labor and delivery and they got me on some powerful antibiotics. I have NEVER felt that sick in my entire life. They assured me that there is no way Brant could get sick from my infection, which is what I was worried about after holding him. All I wanted to do was go home and go to bed. But today, even after only 3 antibiotic pills in my system I feel much better. I'm just hoping to get lots of rest today and that Brant takes coming off the ventilator well and takes to the CPAP as well as he has handled things so far.