March 26, 2007

Pictures Pictures Pictures... See I make good on my promises..

March 22, 2007

Well we got even more surprising news... I went for my first doctor appointment yesterday and because of my history with having early babies I always get an ultrasound at every visit. So we went in her office sat down and went over anything that has changed since last time, any questions, talked about something to help with this terrible morning sickness and nausua and then off we went into the exam room.. No popcorn but the lights were dim and we had an audience. Aiden and his godmother were with us. It was an internal ultrasound so the doc did her thing and nothing was on the screen.. Then finally the pic popped up and what was the first thing I saw..
TWO BABIES.... OMG there are two... Holy crap... and I'm not sure what else might of squeezed out. Can we say shock.. No one in our family has twins.. What are the odds.. It was just surreal, kind of still is...
SO yes all, we are having twins... They moved our due date a few days so it's now Nov 3rd..
They gave me something for the nausua and puking (thank god) but I think my body knew cause all of a sudden it is feeling better and I have only had to take the medication once so far in two days. I still got queezy but just a little and nothing like the past two weeks and I only tossed my cookies once today.. Yeah I know TMI, but that won't stop ya from reading.. ha ha ha

SO all I can say now is we are taking it one day at a time. I go in the hospital on Arpil 20th to have my cervix stitched up to help me carry longer but the odds are not as high now that there are two babies in there, but it still helps way more then if we do nothing.

Once again we are asking for them prayers.. I see how far Aiden has come and although the NICU stay seems so long ago on some days, all I have to do is read my blog or anothers or hear a story from someone and it ALL comes rushing back..

I am sure if both twins make it and do ok that we will, regardless, be in the NICU for at the very least, a small stay.. Here is hoping and praying that this time it just goes the way it is suppose to go.. I sware god is forever testing me. With the miscarriage, then with Chase, then with Aiden, now with twins.. Just please let that be the last of it and these babies be happy, healthy, strong and stay baking for at least 32 weeks...
I figure I was a 32 weeker and I'm pretty normal.. HA HA (although some would beg to differ..
For those of you requesting pics, there will be some soon... Sorry this past 2 weeks have been NUTS!!

March 19, 2007

I guess it's been about 3 weeks or so since I've posted and thit time we actually have news to share. We had a rough few days with Aiden being really fussy and ended up taking him to the ER for his belly button hernia. It got "stuck"! After being there from 2AM until 11AM they sent us home telling us it should be fine and that if it got stuck again then we'd have to bring him back and they might have to fix it, but that they thought it would still correct on it's own in time.
Well happy Aiden lasted for about 6 hours and then it was stuck again. It seemed that any time he ate cereal or food, a few hours later he was having trouble with it. So we called the surgon and left a message to call us in the morning and why. He then settled down after we got it "unstuck" and went to sleep. Morning came and no call, so we called again at 8:30, then again at 11, and yup again at 2pm. WE finally got a call back at 2:30 but not by the doc, but by the lady who was taking all our messages. She said since we didn't hear from him that she was going to make us an appt for next week... NEXT WEEK!! Are you kidding, umm NO we need to be seen today! So she said she would call us back again.. and she did, telling us to bring Aiden in to see a different doc, which was fine with me.
We packed up and off we went and the result was they agreed with us. He had to have the hernia fixed. The admitted us to the hospital and Aiden had surgery that night at 7:30.. He did great and now no more belly button knob.. He now has a belly button, which is a bit strange to me still to not see the knob, but I am sure I will get use to it..
We have to g oback in 2 weeks to have the bandage removed and I'll be able to see it for the first time. Aiden himself is doing much better.. He seems happier and not as cranky as he was before (unless he wants to be picked up and held) OMG he is so spoiled some times..

As for "other news" well we are pregnant!! Yup, once again back on that roller coaster ride of fear.. I am excited but at the same time so soooo scared. Scared of what could happen and scared of having two babies. I am just getting use to having one, I have no idea what my world will be like with two.
Well i know it will be crazy, but you know what I mean.
I'm still unsure how this happened though. Yay after 3 pregnancies I know all about the birds and the bees, but when ya sleep in two different beds and two different rooms and work different shift, it's a bit amazing how things happen.
One of us is always with Aiden and one sleeps in our bedroom, so if not for the terrible morning sickness all day long I'd have to wonder if I was just crazy...
I guess I'll confirm my craziness on Wed when we go to the docs for the first time (I'll be 9 weeks then)

Well the little monster is up and "requesting my attention" so I will post again soon..
Take Care!!

February 26, 2007

It has been a crazy few weeks with Aiden, he seems to be having a growth spurt and a cranky faze. Trust me the kid has every right to be cranky, i just wish someone could tell me for sure if he is teething. That seems to be his problem most times. Its either gas or he has sore gums. I assume he is teething but so far no real word on it. He does have his 9 month check up coming on the 7th when he gets his next RSV shot so we will see what they say.

As for the "bottle" its been crazy. Some days he will take 2 ounces at a time and other days one. Then some times he wants no part of it. The kid has no problem putting toys in his mouth of sucking his binki, eating from a spoon or chewing your shoulder, but when it comes to a bottle he just doesnt want to drink from it long enough to get a full belly.. At this point I dont know what to do and we are just taking it one day at a time. When he drinks from it he doesnt choke or have a problem at all, he even does better with thin liquid now too but he just wont take a full feed. I think the only part that bums me out about this is that he will have to have the gtube longer. Its not a hassle and it makes things easy at times but it gets ikky and sore from rubbing and i am sure that Aiden would like it much better if it were gone.

As for his Early Intervention, he is doing wonderful. He is just a fun talkitive baby and just seems to love people (most of the time) unless he is having one of them "moments"
All in all he is doing great. I am sure he is not ahead of schedule as some of the preemies I know but hes doing really well and that is all that matters to me.

February 15, 2007

Well Happy Valentine's Day (a day late as usual) to everyone..
We survived the snow and ice storm we got and stayed warm in the house. Aiden had Early Intervention today and was in a much better mood then he was last week. He still is going through spats of major crankiness but we deal.

He's getting really good at paying attention to peoples faces when there talking. He listens and concentrates on there expressions and lips moving. He's going good with his exercises and grabbing too. His EI therapist said he is doing really really well and that it's amazing how hard he tries. I told her he is a fighter. From day one he has always tried so hard to accomplish so much and look at him now.

As for mommy and daddy well we are ok. I think we need so quality time together perhaps but we manage. I guess sometimes you feel a little disconnected from each other with everything that is going on. Or I know I do. With being back to work, and trying to keep the house orginized, which seems like a forever failing battle, and keeping up with the rest of life, always falling on completely different schedules and never getting really good sleep anymore takes a toll on you.. I think we both need time to spend with friends and time to spend together without a screaming baby. Don't get me wrong I love my little man more then ANYTHING in this world but you just need quiet and a break sometimes ya know.. It seems like I don't get that very often. Not to sound bitchy but I think the men have it so much easier.. They may not see it like that but if we wrote it down on paper my list I'm sure would be much longer then most guys. I am pleased I do have a guy who does bother though cause some guys don't even do that.

Well we took some new pics, then again I am always taking pics.. And they came out so cute.. One of the Aiden has this face and it cracks me up. I tried to cover his G-tube in them all but this one he moved the paper heart so momma got creative and airbrushed it.. LOL

February 12, 2007

A day late but Happy 8 Months Aiden!!!

Well it's official, he is 16 pounds now.. Not so bad of a weight gain in a months time (14 ounces)
If you remember he was gaining a pound a week on the high calorie formula, so 3 1/2 ounces a week isn't half bad at all..
There isn't much new news besides the fact he has been REALLY cranky lately. Since Thursday he has not been the happy go lucky Aiden. Thursday, Friday Saturday and even part of Sunday he was very cranky, over tired at times, fussy and crying so much I though some one was trying to hurt him. I felt so bad. Part of the problem is I think his gums are hurting. He is chewing on everything he can, his hands our shirts, toys, fingers, and drooling up a storm. Then he was a bit constipated so it seemed, and wasn't poopin nearly as much as he usually does. A dose of prunes, apples, pears, and corn within two days did the trick to get him to go easier, but it was tough seeing him so upset and know there wasn't really anything i could do but baby him. And believe me, I do, Chuck did, my mom did! It has been a exhausting few days.
He's getting back to normal, that happy giggling smiling baby, but still has fits of tears and cries. I also think he is very colic. He's burping a lot but you can tell it's bothering him too. So I went out and got him the gas drops and they seem to help a bit. We'll see how it goes, that's all we can do.

February 5, 2007

Aiden is doing so well, it is still amazing to see him grow. It's happening too fast!
He is learning new things every day.

He is still not doing 100% with the bottle but some days are better then others. I take into consideration that he has had 7 months of not eating from a bottle so it's going to take him a bit to get use to it. When he does take one most times he dose great. We give him 2 ounces at a time so that way we are not wasting the formula since we have to get it by perscription. Most of the time through out the day we feed him PO ( by mouth) on demand. He takes what he takes and then also gets his cereal and baby food through out the day and night. So come mid night he is feed through the gtube while he sleeps. If he didn't eat much through out the day then we can give him extra at night, If he eat plenty then we just give him the normal dose. Although he isn't always taking a lot from a bottle, he does awesome eating from a spoon, so the kid is far from starving.. ha ha

We had an appt with the Neurologist last week and he said Aiden is right on target for 4 months which is his corrected age so that is fine. The two thinks they wanted to watch are the tightness he has in his legs and arms, which can be helped with stretching exercise, it's a common issue with preemies who have had brain bleeds that damaged the white matter of there brains. Also he has a tremor when he gets excited, and that is also very common with preemies. Both he can grow out of, but they will keep and eye on it anyways to see how it goes. All in all, the doc said he looks great and is doing fab ! It was a doc appt full of good news.

We see the pedi Wed for shots (RSV) so we will have an updated weight. I am guessing about 16 pounds maybe 16 and a half. Considering we cut his calories from 30 cals an ounce to 20 and his feeding schedule now that he is bottling isn't always 3 1/2 ounces every 4 hrs, not to mention the cereal and baby food he gets, he shouldn't be gaining as fast as he was before. AND by looking at him, he looks longer and a bit thinned out. Well not the cheeks.. LOL there still chubby as heck, but I love them that way..

We also got him a jumper, that he LOVESSSSSS!! I let him play in it about 10 mins once or twice a day.. I don't keep him in it for long periods until he builds more leg strength because I've learned that it's not good for there hips until they get more muscles..

He also has Early Intervention come every Thursday. His PT/OT lady is awesome. She has a 3 yr old so she knows how to play with babies and she jsut has a wonderful personality. I think she is going to fit in perfect. So considering she will be working with Aiden for 18 month at least, I'm glad we get along and Aiden does well with her.

As for me, well I made it through my first week of work. It's hard leaving in the morning, and I'd much rather be home, but on the flip side it's good to be away for a few hours a day. I can just about handle the 4 to 5 hrs a day I work, but if I had to do a 8 to 10 hour day I'd go out of my mind.

Chuck seems to be doing ok too, for his first week of Daddy duty with out Mommy. He's not quite the multi tasker while watching Aiden but I'd much rather Aiden be taken care of then the house clean. Well for now anyways... ha ha
If we can do dishes and laundry and vacuum while taking care of the baby, and the grocery shop and make dinner, I think the boys can at least do dishes and toss a load of laundry in right..

One day at a time and I'm sure we will all get a schedule done packed. Well I hope so.

The newest news is every one around me is getting prego. NOT ME! Don't worry, but I think there is something in the water, so be careful what you drink.. Chuck told me I'm not allowed to drink the water. I don't think he could handle two little ones right now. It's ok though, with 4 friends all due in May and 2 in Sept I am sure I will have plenty of babies around for Aiden to play with. And maybe next year we can work on that little sister for him..

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.

December 30, 2006

It's been a nice week.. We had a wonderful Christmas and santa was very good to us all. We got thebest present ever. To have Aiden home with us..

Aiden is getting huge, he is now 13 pounds 12 .5 ounces. Now weare just waiting for another growth spurt to gain some inches so he can grow tall like his daddy.
We celebrated Nonny's birthday yesterday (my mom) and spent time with her and my god mother who is visiting from Georgia, which was nice. The other day we visited our friend Beau from the NICU. He's getting big too, but Aiden now has a pound on him. It use to be the other way around so it's kinda funny to me. In the end it will all come out in the wash I am sure. To see them together is just amazing though. To know how tiny they were and how good they are doing now.

Aiden has also come off his oxygen. Technically we are suppose to still be on the ween, and up to about 6 hrs a day off and on while he is sleeping. However for the life of me I can't keep it on his face. Tape doesn't work anymore cause he just pulls it off. I can put mittens on him, but he learns to wiggle them off to so he can then pull the tube off his face. If he decides to let it be, then he just wiggles and wiggles until the oxygen canula is above his nose and not in it. So at this point, since I've monitored his sats and he has always been 97 to 100% (usually 100%) even while sleeping, I just let him be. Even his nurse said he looks great and sounds fine.

I'll probably get hell from some people who read this thinking what is she doing, but honestly, Aidenw asn't on the oxygen for trouble breathing. It was a precaution so he didn't get pulmonary hypotension, which he doesn't have.
He truly is doing great and all in all been off the better part of the time since christmas.

We are also still working with our fruit and veggies and cereal. It's helping so much. He does wonderful with a spoon and eating and it help tie him over til the next feeding since formula just isn't cutting it anymore. YES this is another thing I have not gotten the green light for yet. BUT as some people say, no one knows my baby like me and it's true. The doctors know some stuff but they are not with him 24 hrs a day like I am. They don't see what I see.
If he had a problem trying to eat, or swollow and breathing, then obviously I wouldn't give it to him. BUT he doesn't.. He eats like a normal new born does, swollows then takes a breath, just like we would. I am assuming that on the 17th (his next swollow study) he is going to ACE it.. Since he basiclly passed the last one, but they wanted to wait for his cold to clear before they gave the green light and chose to give it 6 weeks and do another study, I think he is going to sail through and laugh at them. He's just come so so far and accomplished so so much. I still look at him and cry because I am so proud and just love this little man so much. He truly is awesome, and wonderful and my world is a better place for having him in it.

Here are the pics from the other day when we visited Beau. They both fell asleep near the xmas tree. It was the cutest thing..

And to everyone who follows us, Have a wonderful safe and happy new year!! Can you believe it is going to be 2007 already.

December 23, 2006

IT's been a while since I've posted, and so far all is well. Aiden is getting huge and doing really well on the oxygen ween. He is actually off it more hours then he is "allowed" but I have emailed the doctor to tell him this and so far it's been ok. I would keep the oxygen on him if he didn't pull it off his face all the time. At this point it is just pointless. It's not helping him any considering he sats at 99 to 100% when ever checked, and seems to breath exactly the same with it on or off.
He is gaining weight like a champ and is now 13 lbs 1.5 oz.. I don't know what happened to our little peanut but he is now not so little. It seemed to happen with in just a few days. He went for 8 pounds to 13.. YIKES and he is growing and growing..

Well I hope everyone has a Happy and Wonderful Holiday.. Best wishes from our family to yours..

December 15, 2006

Well good news Aiden passed his hearing test. When we got there they did an initial test that measures the movement of the ear drum and for both ears she was getting a flat reading, or no movement. She said that usually means the child has fluid behind the ear drum and to make sure I mention it to our pediatrician.
Then it was the regular test. The night before we had to keep him up late and wake him up early (if possible) and then hold his 8am feed so he'd be hungry when we got there.
We did our best to keep him tired and he was definetly hungry (the poor kid, his app't was at 10:30 so the last time he ate was 4AM) After they did the ear drum test, we hooked up Aiden's feed and they put us in a sound proof room and dimmed the lights. We had to try to get him to sleep, which I thought was going to be hard after they scrubed his head and spots to stick the probe stickers on, which kept coming off. Eventually he fell asleep and actually for the most part stayed sleeping for the entire hour. They checked the left ear and told us his hearing was in the normal range so that was good and we moved on to the right. Then she camein at the end and told us he passed, that both ears have hearing in the normal range and she was surprised considering he has fluid in his ears.
So all that stress in the NICU thinking he might be deaf cause he failed both hearing tests then. i am so so glad that he has passed. One less worry and one more thing this child has seemed to come through with flying colors. He still amazes me..

He is doing well and gaining weight like a champ. I picked him up today and I sware he is 5 pounds heavier then yesterday. He's getting big and now wants to eat more often then every 4 hours so I have increased the amount he gets every 4 to see if this helps rather then changing to every 3 hour feedings. So far so good, and we see the nutritionist next week so I am sure some adjustments have been made. It does seem like formula is not holding him over as long though. I can't wait til they tell me I can feed him cereal. Which to be honest we have tried a spoon or two. We have also tried a spoon or two of peaches and today bananas. HE LOVES IT!!!
I just won't give him enough to really consider a meal, it's more like a taste and so far it's only been once for each. I'm just waiting for the green light from the swollow study people, who said that he would probably do great on cereal. At the next test they are actually going to spoon feed him too. I k now maybe I am foolish for even letting him taste test things like that, but if he failed the last test I wouldn't even think about it, but considering he passed it, I figured just a little taste would be nice. You should see the smile I got after. It was enough to melt your heart.

December 13, 2006

Happy Birthday to Daddy! aka Chuck.. Can you believe he is 30 today haaaaa and now the world knows.. For his it's no big deal, When I turned 30 I cried, Go Figure...
Well Mr Aiden gets a Happy 6 months, he turned 6 months old on the 11th and as of today weighs 12 pounds. He is a 12 pound turkey, tee hee..

We had a pulmonary check up today and have begun to ween his oxygen which I am sure he is going to do fine with considering he is active now more then before so that darn thing is forever popping out of his nose. If it's not popping out he pulls it off his face, so he probably only has oxygen half the time he should. I can't keep up and trust me I try.

We also saw the GI doc and didn't I feel like a goof when the only problem was the spin bar on his tube needed to be tightened. I wish someone showed me that a month ago. 6 hours in the ER and a doctors app't to find this out. Now that I think of it, why didn't the ER just tell me that, there solution was use tape.. UGH!!!

All in all, Mr.Man is doing fab. He's gettin bigger, moving more, and interacting with people. He's come to like his little swing more then the big one and has learned that he likes to watch TV which is really funny. He will lay on the bed with me and turn toward the TV to watch what ever is on. He is so funny at times and so amazing..

We have our hearing test on Friday so I will keep you all posted on how that goes. We are now off to make Daddy a birthday card. (Well Mommy is, if Mr Man will let me be for long enough ha ha)

December 10, 2006

Always something huh..
Well we spent about 6 hrs in the ER once again.. This time it was because I hooked up Aiden's midnight feed and went to change him and well his g-tube was out about an inch or more then it has ever been. Yeah it was a bit scary. I stopped his feed (he'd only got 8 mins worth) and off we went to the ER. It took forever, try this try that, then they decided to send him to get a g-tube study. It was off to xray and they put in some contrast to make sure it was going into his tummy. Sounds simple huh. Well this took 6 hours.. YES 6! For them to finally decide what to do and not send us home still questioning if it was disconnected. Which then meant that Aiden missed his midnight feed and his 4AM feed and was NOT happy. We finally got to go home and Aiden got to eat. The doc said to keep the little bas that spins on the outside of his belly taped down, but considering that it is suppose to move and be turned everyday, taping it makes no sence to me. So I will be calling GI tomorrow to see if they can get us in and take a look. I know it's not leaking, or well I've been told, and he has been tolerating his food fine, so that is good. I just want to make sure that it's not the tape keeping it in place so when I go and take it off the damn thing comes out. Or if I give him a bath, cause that would really scare me.

I finally can't wait for the tube and the oxygen to be gone. Parents that don't have there kids hooked up to 1000 things have no idea how lucky they are. Iknow the g-tube is easy to use and oxygen isn't a big issue. But when your out and have a baby and need to feed him and carry his oxygen around and the feeding bag. Making sure the bag doesn't tip so air doesn't get in his belly. Trying to chang his diaper when there are lines every where. And then getting the oxygen perfect on his face and he pulls it off. Not to mention that the tape at this point is giving him dry chapped cheeks. For his sake and ours I can't wait until he can drink from a bottle, eat off a spoon and not have to carry a tank around. Considering it it off his nose more then it is on from him moving and pulling, I am pretty sure he will be fine with out it.

On a holiday not I took some pics of Aiden today at my moms in front of the tree for xmas BUT since I am putting them in cards I can't post them yet.. Sorry all.. You will have to wait. I do however have pics from yesterday of him in his car seat all ready for some football.. Well once he wakes up that is LOL.. Enjoy!!

December 7, 2006

So our little boy gained some more weight, or it could be that it was just a different scale at a different doctors office, but he was 11 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches. I might of already said this before, but it's hard to imagine that some people have newborn babies this big.. OMG Noooooo!! OUCH!
As you know we saw the pedi, Aiden got his 6 month shots and his RSV shot and the doc said he had a bit of brocholitis. He ended up getting a bit of a fever that night and was a bit fussy then slept a lot once I gave him some tylenol and the next day was a bit better.
Today on the other hand he sounds better but still a bit junky. He's sleeping a lot today but that may have something to do with his staying awake til 5AM. Once again we will be trying to flip his awake and sleep time. It seems like every time I get him close to a schedule of awake during the day and asleep at night, he decides he is going to change it up on me and stay up later so he will be tired and sleep all day. I've tried to wake him up about 10 times already but no luck. It last about 10 to 15 minutes and he is out again. If I try to wake him too much he crys cause I am aggrivating him and I just feel bad..
Yeah I know he already has me wrapped around his little finger..
Oh and I was semi right about the GI doc. They cut his Actigall in half until they get the labs drawn next week and then they will cut it altogether at the next appt in January or they will adjust it again. Most likely they will cut it..
I'll keep you all posted on how the "little" guy continues to do... Until then hav a good one..

December 6, 2006

Only 19 days until Christmas people... WOW I need to get a tree.. ha ha
Soo on to better things.. Aiden had his swollow study yesterday and technically passed thick liquid. They did not try him on thin. He didn't asperate any of the liquid into his lungs but towards the end pooled it near the opening of his wind pipe, but then directed it toward his belly like a big boy. They were very pleased with this and so was I.. No choking, couching, nothing, just down the shoot it went and right to the belly. However they chose to keep him off bottles until he doesn't have the "pooling" issue. So we will have another test in a few weeks and they will then also try him with a spoon for cereal and fruits.
I think some of it may have had to do with him just getting tired too because (and they agreed) he didn't pool until the very end and he also has a cold so he was pooped out a bit. Either way, what is a few more weeks... We did 150 days in the hospital, I can handle another 30 with no bottles and stand on my head at this rate.
...and YES you heard me he has a cold. All the keeping him in, making sure people stay away, washing hands, no kids around rules didn't stop it from coming. It's not a bad one so I am sur ethe "rules" helped out, and who knows part of it may have to do with one day it being 60 out and the next being 30. back and forth to doctor appt's causes us to be aorund sick people and kids so I am not surprised by the least. It started with the snuffly sound in his noise, which he has always had cause it's a common thing with preemies. Now it just soundsed more junky. I kept his nose clean, and lets say he just loves me for that. (He see's the boogha bulb and runs for the hills.) and we kept him cosy and warm and in doors as much as possible but on nce days did bring him out for a bit of sun and air which he LOVES.
He started to sound like he was getting a sore throut too but part of that I think has to do with theis damn reflux. Some days he is fine and other days he can throw up every other feed. That has got to do a job on your throut and I'm sure it's sore, but a little baby tylenol seems to help him no cry when he coughs.

We see the pedi today for his 6 month shots and his RSV vaccine so we will discuss the issue with him too. We did talk to the pulmonary doctors they gave him a dose of lasix yesterday to help him with the wetness and breathing (that seemed to work great) and told us that colds in babies, full term or preemies, seem to last 10 days so to hang in there and if we have any problems to let them know. To also talk to the pedi about it, which as I said I planned to do anyways.

He is now off his diuril and pottassium all together and his lasix has been cut from every other day to twice a week. We see GI tomorrow and I am thinking they will take him off his actigall too because he no longer is jaundice and seems fine, we will see what they say.

Now for meds all we have is Iron in the morning, Prilosec in the morning and at night, and Actigall in the morning and at night but like I said that may be done with as soon as tomorrow. Then his lasix twice a week.. Ahhhh so much better for his little tummy I am sure, cause who wants a belly full of meds every day.. YUK..

Well the monster (who's last weight was 11 pounds 3 ounces on Friday) is waking up again, so I am going to go tnd to my baby boy and as usual I will update you all again soon..

November 30, 2006

Well can you believe that it is just about December.. It is almost 2007 people, where did the year go?? Well I know where we were yesterday... Mommy (me) took Aiden to his doctor appointments. We had an appointment with pulmonary and GI, we however only made it to pulmonary. It ran late and made us miss the GI appointment so we rescheduled it for next week.
As for the pulmonary doc, well they cut Aiden's diuril to half and his potassium to half. Then tomorrow I have to call in and let them know how he is doing with that, if he is doing fine then starting Friday he is off them all together. They also cut his lasix from every other day to twice a week. We have to go back in two weeks and if all is well we will then start to ween him off the oxygen too. We'll start with a few hours a day then go to all day and he'll be on it just at night, then we will go to being off it all together. YAY.. One less thing to tape to him and drag around.
I think he will do just fine with out it. He takes it out of his nose so much now and is on such a little amount that half the time it's like he isn't on it any way. Another change was his zantac. They took him off it and put him on prilosec. He will start that today and hopefully the reflux will let up and he can eat better with out gaging and couching at times from it..

He's getting so big so fast. I pick him up now and he feels heavy, how funny is that. I love having him little but at the same time can't wait for him to grow up to see what he will look like and how he'll interact with us more. I also can't wait for him to slepe through the night. I have to say out of it all. The NICU stay, the meds, the g-tube, the lack of sleep is the hardest part. Last night Chuck stayed up with him cause I had just baout had it. I was over tired and grouchy again and for the life of me can't understand where this baby gets the energy to be up all night. I thought crying was suppose to make them tired and burn energy.. Haaaaaa
Not that I let him cry it out that often but for the love of god when this kid wants to sleep he sleeps and when he wants to be up he is UP.. The other problem we are having is he wants to be held for comfort all the time. I know in my head that it's a bad habit, but he'll just cry and cry and cry the second he is not with you. If he is tired he'll fall asleep in your arms too and you can hold him for 10 minutes or an hour it doesn't matter, he'll stay asleep until youput him down and he is WIDE awake and fussy.. So if any of you want to volenteer for the night shift come on over. I am sure me and chuck could use a few nights of normal sleep ha ha..
It makes me wonder, although I want more kids, I dunno about that.. I knew having kids was hard. I've helped friends, I did day care, but having your own at 3am when your tired and need sleep and have no one to help you is really tuff. So all of you out there who have help, make sure you thnk those people when ever you can. For all the ones who don't, well god bless you..