January 28, 2007

Aiden is over his little bug and doing better. He had a few days he was very cranky and then one night he threw up a few times and had the poopies. Well he hasn't thrown up since then and isn't as cranky but still seems to be a bit poopie.. And let just say my son has the talent to clear a room..

He is doing so well though. He is now laughing more and grabbing at things. He'll lay in his bed and just giggle and talk out loud. I sit and listen and just smile and laugh with him.

He has also learned that he likes to stand. So when your holding him, no matter if your sitting or standing, he wants to be held up so he can stand. With that said, I went out and got him a jumper last night. I put it together this morning and stuck him in it. His feet can't reach the floor yet so I put a bin under his feel and he was going to town. Bopping up and down and moving all over. It was so funny to see him grow so much.
This is why I am dreading tomorrow morning. It will be my first day back to work and away from Aiden for part of the day. I'm going to miss him so much. I know it's good to "get away" but it's tuff when you have been there every day, all day, or as much as you can for the past 7 plus months. I am happy though that he will be able to have daddy time and will be with chuck while I am at work. It's still going to be a very weird morning tomorrow, considering it still has not sunk in that I have to actually go to work in the morning. Lets just hope my sleeping baby sleeps the night or it's going to be a really tough day.

Well not only did Aiden get a new jumper chair but he got a new bath chair too. Can you believe he is getting too long for his baby tub already. We went so long with him staying at a length of 21 inches and now at 22 1/2 plus, he's just about too big for his tubby. So it is off to the big boy tub with a new net chair. And since he loves the tub and water, being in the "big" tub means more water and more room to splish and splash.. and boy doe she.. HE LOVES IT

January 18, 2007

Well blogger was not working right for me to post yesterday so for anyone waiting to hear the news I'm sorry about that.

As I assumed Aiden would pass the study, he did just that for thick liquids. He did however have have trouble with thin. He didn't asperate it into his lungs which was good, but it went all over. I was up his nose, in his mouth, down his throat. He got flustered and irritated. So this means he can have a bottle but we have tothicken the formula with either thick-it or rice cereal. As for thin liquids, well we have to go back in about 3 months and have another study done.
WE also go back to GI in 3 months too. Aiden is currently off all meds besides prilosec, and doing really well. His weight was 14 pounds 14 ounces and he is now...(drum roll please) 22 1/2 inches, which means he grew an inch and a half in the past month.. Yipppeeeeee

We asked the swallow team to book the study BEFORE we see GI so if he passes we can then make plans to not change out Aiden's G-tube to a "mickey" but to make plans to get it out all together. By the way a "mickey" is a tube that is flatter to the skin and not as bulky as the peg tube he has. It's wat kids get when they are gooing to have them longer then 6 months. Since our swallow will be at the 6 month mark, I want it before at least a week before we go to the GI appointment so that way we can have a little time to see how he does with the thin liquid.

My hopes are that once I can find a nipple he can actually get the formulat and cereal out of, he will then take his feeds by bottle with no problems and we won't even have to worry about the tube at all... Please all keep your fingers crossed and Aiden in those daily prayers.

As for other news, well I go back to work on the 29th, which is bitter sweet. It will be nice to be around people and get out of the house, but it is already killing me knowing I can't take Aiden with me. In some ways it's a break from the daily grind of being a stay at home mom which is a lot of work, but it's a break that I'm not so sure I want now. I'm afraid I'm going to miss all the little things he does while I am at work. On the flip side, we need the money and have finally gotten to the bottom of the barrel of anything I have managed for us to save up. Thank god for Chuck working or we would never make it, so I know for a time I have to go back, but it's killing me inside.

I'm posting new pics taken just a few minutes ago of baby Hef.. LOL in his Hugh Heffner robe.. HA HA (thank you auntie shelly for the robe and slippers... all I need now is my pipe..

January 16, 2007

Well tomorrow is the big swallow study day. I truly think Aiden is going to ace this with no issues at all. He is eating from a spoon like a champ so I really can't see taking a bottle being a problem.
He's gotten so big so fast, I look at him and wonder if that is my little 1 pound 6 1/2 ounce baby.

He's now standing better with help and kicking up a storm when he's excited. He's also bringing his hands together and ALWAYS playing with his fingers, which is something Early Intervention wanted him to have as a goal.

He giggles on occasion when I play with him and laugh with him but he is smiling all the time now. He is a really happy baby for the most part, but he has his moments that cause me to want to pull my hair out.. We are still not sure if he is teething but it is a possibility. He likes his gums rubbed at times and seems to be drooling more then he use too.

WE have also discovered stage 2 veggies and fruits. There is a bigger variety and he seems tolove everything we have tried besides the green beans, but I'm not a green bean girl either so maybe he just takes after his mommy.

Well it's late and I have things to get ready for the morning so I will post tomorrow and let you all know how the swallow study went.. Keep them fingers crossed...

January 11, 2007

Happy 7 Months to my Chunky Monkey!!
Who by the way is doing wonderful. Now that we no longer have the visiting nurse coming we will have to wait for his doctor appointments to find out his weight. His last appt he weighed in at 15 pounds 2 ounces BUT she weighed him with his clothes on and a full pee pee diaper. I was hoping she'd weigh him after I changed him but she didn't. His real weight was no were near 15 pounds considering he was just 13 lbs 12 1/2 ounces 5 days earlier and has had his calories cut down.
We'll see what they get for a weight on the 17th, but I have to say he does feel so much heavier then he use to a few months ago. Now you NEED a little muscle to pick him up. HA HA
He's doing fabulous eating from a spoon and we have now moved to stage 2 foods so he has more of a variety, although I realized today we still have not tried peas or green beans.. I guess we will have those for dinner and see if he likes them.
The 17th is the swallow study and I assume as does everyone else at this point he will have no problems. If he can eat from a spoon he should be ale to drink from a bottle. I also think a bottle will be better. With the G-tube he is not learning nothing. He now knows when he is hungry he cries and then he gets fed. He knows what to do as fas as taking it off the spoon and swallowing it and knows to keep his mouth shut when he doesn't want any more. With the g-tube however it just goes into his belly and it seems that even when he has had the entire does he still wants a bit of something before he will settle and know he is full. It's not that the formula isn't filling him up, it's more like he needs that oral sensation of something in his mouth and to swallow for something to click and say "ok I'm good I'm full".. Does that make sense cause it's the best I can explain it.
As for learning, well EI will be coming 2 times a month starting in a few weeks or so. He's done better with standing up now when being held, before he'd just sit, he didn't want to stand at all. He's done better with recognizing toys and swatting at them to make them move. He has a really good grip, which he has always had, and is now starting to put his hands to his mouth more. Even once today he held his binki and fixed it when it was falling out.

Another awesome moment was I got him to laugh out loud for the first time the other day. i was so happy I cried. He probably thought I was nuts but it was the best moment. last night he made me laugh too cause he was taking a tubby and i sware when he is in there he thinks he is an olympic swimmer. The kid is all over the place, splashing and kicking and just loving it. He actually cries when i take him out cause he wants to stay in longer..

He is truly awesome and amazing and very attached to his mommy and daddy. It's funny to see him somedays want me and only me and other days want daddy time. He loves people and doesn't seem scared of new faces yet but I am sure that will come later.. Speak of the devil, he just woke up from his 30 m in nap so I will catch you all later (with some pictures too)

Ok I came back on to post a few pictures one from Aug 7 and a one from today Jan 11. In both Aiden has his little teddy bear. You can finally see just how much he has grow with the bear in both pictures..

January 5, 2007

It's a new year and so far it's started of great.
Aiden is off his oxygen 24 hrs a day now, (he has been since Christmas) and we called the pulmonary doc to let him know. He was pleased Aiden is doing so well. WIth that said, his visiting nurse called the pedi also to update him and to get the ok to discharge us. No more visits from English Joan. We will miss her, but promise to keep in touch and send pics.
It is amazing all the friends we have made along the way. All ove the US and even our great friends Jen and Ronin in Canada (who we promise to visit some day after the new baby) her new baby not mine lol.
We have also cut Aiden's calories down. We were playing with his feedign schedule too and pushing it to every 5 hrs rather then every 4, but to be honest, every 5 is just a pain in the butt. It's not consistant like 8, 12, and 4 is, so I went back to every 4 hours. The calories are still cut from 660 (formula calories) per day to 500. This whould help in the rapid weight gain he was having. It was my only concern when we talked to the pulmonary doctor. He said to try and keep it every 5 hrs, cut that amount he was getting and lower the calories. Some of which I already did on my own.
We are now adjusting and re-adjusting, but currently at 1oo ml's of formula per feed every 4 hrs at 25 calories and ounce. He was gettin 110 ml's every 4 hrs at 30 cal an oz. So this should help.
This doesn't count the cereal and fruits and veggies he was getting and still is.
The nurse did say what ever I was doing on my own for the last week and a half was working. Aiden was gaining almost a pound a week (and tha tis way too much) and once I changed things up on my own, he only gained 1.5 ounces in 5 days.. That is exceptable and not going to put him in shock of gaining too fast or having a weight loss. He is still gaining weight, and it being good weight, not fluid, but at a normal rate.
Speaking of fluid, he has also only had lasix once in about 2 weeks. How amazing is that.. YAY
His actigal he should be off completely at the next GI appt on the 17th too.. Then the only thing he takes is prilosec for the reflux and iron.

Early Intervention came and worked with him and there evaluation was that on some things he is at a 5 month old level and other things a 1 month old. That he should catch up just like most preemies do, but it will be on his schedule. They also said that since they worked with him after waking him up and while he was a bit fussy, it's hard to evaluate him on what he does for us and wouldn't do for them at the moment. Which I knew and that is fine. I knew he was behind on some things and ok with others, but I also know he'll learn and grow and be just fine in the end.

All in all, it's been pretty good. He is now almost 14 pounds. His last actual weight was 13 lbs 14 oz. He is a chunky monkey, but MY chunky monkey.