Allan was still smelling all sweet and clean today. There's really nothing new to report with him other than if he continues to behave, then he will get another crack at bottle-feeding this weekend. When he had all of that fluid build-up, it was just too hard to suck, swallow and breath so he has been back on the NG tube.
Griffith appears to be recovering from his trying day yesterday. His temperature was back to normal and he looked pink instead of pale. He ate his lunch - quickly - and then settled down for a snuggle. He was completely racked out when I left and I expect that he'll stay that way the rest of the afternoon.
I can't remember if I mentioned the results of their eye exams. Allan's eyes have improved but they are still immature and the doctor wants to look at them at least one more time. Griffith's, on the other hand, are fully mature and he is discharged for 6 months.
Here's hoping for an uneventful weekend.
Friday, July 28, 2006
For those who may have thought I was kidding about the funk clinging to Allan, his nurses commented on it, too, and had Dad and Grampy give him a bath last night. Which helped --until he does his business again, of course. At this point we are going to have to wash the little fellow off 6 or 8 times a day. He won't have any skin left at that rate. To even things out Gramma got to hold him after the bath and all that seems to have gone well.
Griffith was having a rougher time of it. We don't know if it is because he is sick or because they wouldn't leave him alone yesterday or if it is because of something else, but he was cold last night (96 degrees) and pale and worn out. He had to trade in his big boy bed for one with a heater on it to help him get back to where he needed to be. We are hoping that it was just the cumulative effect of being under the weather to begin with and then having to contend with an eye exam, x-ray, and ultrasound, etc. He slept well and ate well last night. He was just waking up when Dad went to see him this morning. Maybe by lunch time he'll be back to normal or we will at least know why he did what he did.
Griffith was having a rougher time of it. We don't know if it is because he is sick or because they wouldn't leave him alone yesterday or if it is because of something else, but he was cold last night (96 degrees) and pale and worn out. He had to trade in his big boy bed for one with a heater on it to help him get back to where he needed to be. We are hoping that it was just the cumulative effect of being under the weather to begin with and then having to contend with an eye exam, x-ray, and ultrasound, etc. He slept well and ate well last night. He was just waking up when Dad went to see him this morning. Maybe by lunch time he'll be back to normal or we will at least know why he did what he did.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
The afternoon update
The boys had a good morning and were just fine when I checked in on them at lunch.
Allan continued his run of nasty smelling diapers. They have been giving him breast milk with fortifier in it and while it is packing the ounces on him, it makes for some stinky poos. I baby-wiped him and changed his little outfit, but the funk was clinging to him. Other than that, he was doing well. He seems to be retaining less fluid and his oxygen requirement has been coming down. Other than having his eyes checked later, his life is pretty good at the moment.
Griffith wasn't having as good a day. He is pooping which is good. And he got more milk today and really slurped it down. So that was good, too. But he pulled out his IV last night and the one they put in to replace it didn't hold. When I got there at lunch, they were having to find a new spot for it. It makes him so mad when they do that. They are also going to check his eyes(which he hates) and they are doing a couple more tests to see if they can locate a source of his infection. So, basically, people are going to be trifling with him all day and he is going to be worn out from fighting with them. I imagine that a little loving from the grandparents will make it seem a little better.
Allan continued his run of nasty smelling diapers. They have been giving him breast milk with fortifier in it and while it is packing the ounces on him, it makes for some stinky poos. I baby-wiped him and changed his little outfit, but the funk was clinging to him. Other than that, he was doing well. He seems to be retaining less fluid and his oxygen requirement has been coming down. Other than having his eyes checked later, his life is pretty good at the moment.
Griffith wasn't having as good a day. He is pooping which is good. And he got more milk today and really slurped it down. So that was good, too. But he pulled out his IV last night and the one they put in to replace it didn't hold. When I got there at lunch, they were having to find a new spot for it. It makes him so mad when they do that. They are also going to check his eyes(which he hates) and they are doing a couple more tests to see if they can locate a source of his infection. So, basically, people are going to be trifling with him all day and he is going to be worn out from fighting with them. I imagine that a little loving from the grandparents will make it seem a little better.
Thursday July 27th - the overnight report
The boys had another good visit with Grampy and Gramma last night.
Allan greeted Gramma with a full, stinky diaper and a couple of decent wails. She must love the little fellow because she kept insisting that she really couldn't smell anything. Once that little project was completed, the two of them settled in for a cuddle. He did his patented wide-eyed sweet baby thing and then drifted off. As you will see in the photos, they both seem pretty satisfied with that situation. Allan's big boy bed now features a mobile but there was so much excitement going on last night that we didn't get to test how interested he was in it.
Griffith was on form as well. When we arrived he was mad because he was hungry. He sucked down the milk, gave up a decent belch and did his patented big-eyed intense scrutiny of Grampy. After a while he settled down and fell asleep, too. He was completely at ease -- limp as a dishrag, head back, mouth open. Life was all right as far as he was concerned. He, too, has graduated to a big boy bed and has a mobile. His CRP level (which indicates that there is inflammation in the system somewhere) was down from yesterday which should mean that his whatever/where-ever infection is getting better.
Allan greeted Gramma with a full, stinky diaper and a couple of decent wails. She must love the little fellow because she kept insisting that she really couldn't smell anything. Once that little project was completed, the two of them settled in for a cuddle. He did his patented wide-eyed sweet baby thing and then drifted off. As you will see in the photos, they both seem pretty satisfied with that situation. Allan's big boy bed now features a mobile but there was so much excitement going on last night that we didn't get to test how interested he was in it.
Griffith was on form as well. When we arrived he was mad because he was hungry. He sucked down the milk, gave up a decent belch and did his patented big-eyed intense scrutiny of Grampy. After a while he settled down and fell asleep, too. He was completely at ease -- limp as a dishrag, head back, mouth open. Life was all right as far as he was concerned. He, too, has graduated to a big boy bed and has a mobile. His CRP level (which indicates that there is inflammation in the system somewhere) was down from yesterday which should mean that his whatever/where-ever infection is getting better.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Wednesday July 26th
Poop Watch 2006 is a success -- Griffith finally stooled today! Big cheers all around for the little fellow. Here's hoping we get repeat performances from him. They've increased his feeds and he is absolutely loving it. He sucks it down and smacks his lips for more. So long as he does well they will continue to increase the amount of milk he gets every day (he's getting 12 ml currently. For comparison, his brother is taking 45 ml. No wonder he's such a little chubster.) They still think he has an infection, but they can't find where it is. (He's very tiny. It isn't like there are a lot of places where he could hide it.) Anyway, he is on antibiotics and they continue to try to eliminate the possibilities. He acts like he's feeling better, though. Last night he weighed in at 4 pounds 12 ounces. Allan was still at about 6 pounds 8 ounces. He seems to be getting rid of some of the fluid that had built up and was feeling better today. He spent a lot of last night awake and checking out the world. They were both drifting off as I left this afternoon. With any luck they will be revived and rejuvenated when Gramma and Grampy come in tonight.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The British are coming, the British are coming...
They are here, actually. Grampy and Gramma arrived with suitcases full of goodies in tow. They got to meet the latest additions to the family tonight. They each got to change a nappy and hang out with the little ones for a while. Allan put on a good show. He was all wide-eyed and cute. He's the baby, gotta love 'im. Griffith was hard to rouse. He had a hard day. It looks like he may have picked up an infection so they were doing a bunch of tests that involved poking and prodding him. By the time the grandparents arrived he had had E. Nough.Already. Still and all it looks like the first meeting went about as well as could be expected. Enjoy the pictures and we'll post more tomorrow.
Tuesday July 25th
The boys are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their grandparents from across the pond. We had a big discussion about it today at lunch and they are supposed to sleep all afternoon so they can really put on a show tonight.
Allan is still stumping the doctors. They haven't been able to get a handle on his fluid retention yet. They are doing a few more tests today and adjusting some of his medications to try to get him back on track.
Griffith was off of the cannula for about 18 hours yesterday before he starting dipping on his sats. He did great, but he's a little tired today. Plus, Jenny had to put in a new IV and that made him very, very angry. They are increasing his feeds and we hope that he'll process that like a trooper. Poop Watch 2006 (part XL) has begun.
Jay's mom and dad get here late this afternoon so they should be able to go with us for a visit after shift change. I'll try to get some good pictures and post them tonight.
Allan is still stumping the doctors. They haven't been able to get a handle on his fluid retention yet. They are doing a few more tests today and adjusting some of his medications to try to get him back on track.
Griffith was off of the cannula for about 18 hours yesterday before he starting dipping on his sats. He did great, but he's a little tired today. Plus, Jenny had to put in a new IV and that made him very, very angry. They are increasing his feeds and we hope that he'll process that like a trooper. Poop Watch 2006 (part XL) has begun.
Jay's mom and dad get here late this afternoon so they should be able to go with us for a visit after shift change. I'll try to get some good pictures and post them tonight.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Monday night
Allan and Griffith got to touch each other for the first time ever tonight. Which sounds more momentous than it turned out to be. Neither one of them seemed to notice even. It was really kind of a non-event. Not like the first right hook or jab or "he started it!" At any rate we are doing what we can to re-introduce the boys to each other.
Allan was doing a little better with his breathing tonight. He weighed in at 6 pounds and 8 ounces. He is quite an armful these days.
Griffith has been on room air for about 12 hours so far today - no cannula, no additional oxygen and he is doing fine with that. We'll see how long he can go like that. His belly still isn't moving the way it is supposed to though and so he is only getting very little milk at each feeding. What with one thing and another, he has stalled out on the weight gain -- he is 4 pounds 12 ounces. Since he is about an inch and a half longer than his brother he seems just that much scrawnier.
Jay's mom and dad arrive tomorrow for their first visit with the boys. We have heard that they have brought an entire suitcase of goodies from home with them. Check back tomorrow night and I am sure that we will have a host of new photos posted.
Allan was doing a little better with his breathing tonight. He weighed in at 6 pounds and 8 ounces. He is quite an armful these days.
Griffith has been on room air for about 12 hours so far today - no cannula, no additional oxygen and he is doing fine with that. We'll see how long he can go like that. His belly still isn't moving the way it is supposed to though and so he is only getting very little milk at each feeding. What with one thing and another, he has stalled out on the weight gain -- he is 4 pounds 12 ounces. Since he is about an inch and a half longer than his brother he seems just that much scrawnier.
Jay's mom and dad arrive tomorrow for their first visit with the boys. We have heard that they have brought an entire suitcase of goodies from home with them. Check back tomorrow night and I am sure that we will have a host of new photos posted.
Monday afternoon - July 24th
The boys are doing just fine today. They seem to be adjusting to the new roommate situation pretty well. They've been able to come down on Allan's oxygen some so that's good. He is so laid back and quiet, but he let out a couple of decent wails while I was there. I figured that I better look in to that (maternal instinct) and his diaper was nasty and smelled pretty rank. So I guess Allan is pretty good at letting you know when he needs something. Otherwise, he's just going to lay there in his Winnie-the-Pooh toboggan and grow.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
The boys seem to have done pretty well with the move although each refuses
to acknowledge the other. We were so excited to reintroduce the boys to each other night one gave us the least bit of satisfactionm(I know, I know, welcome to the rest of my life!)
Allan was absolutely wide awake. He looked up. He looked down. He looked left and right. Did not look at his brother --not even once. Griffith, for his part, would not even open his eyes. Clamped them shut and it was almost as if you could hear him saying, "I AM AN ONLY CHILD, I AM AN ONLY CHILD, I AM AN ONLY CHILD." He closed his eyes so tightly that there was little hope that he would give in to reality.
I have to tell a story on myself. I gave Jennifer such a hard time about shooting water up Allan's nose. So tonight we are there to tend to Allan who has had sort of a long week. All of a sudden he is dropping his sats in to the 30's (which he never does). Jenny had to bag him and we are all distressed because he doesn't do that any more. Yeah, turns out I had accidentally disconnected his oxygen when I was putting away his laundry. (I have no business trying to raise a child. At least there was no one to blame but me.
to acknowledge the other. We were so excited to reintroduce the boys to each other night one gave us the least bit of satisfactionm(I know, I know, welcome to the rest of my life!)
Allan was absolutely wide awake. He looked up. He looked down. He looked left and right. Did not look at his brother --not even once. Griffith, for his part, would not even open his eyes. Clamped them shut and it was almost as if you could hear him saying, "I AM AN ONLY CHILD, I AM AN ONLY CHILD, I AM AN ONLY CHILD." He closed his eyes so tightly that there was little hope that he would give in to reality.
I have to tell a story on myself. I gave Jennifer such a hard time about shooting water up Allan's nose. So tonight we are there to tend to Allan who has had sort of a long week. All of a sudden he is dropping his sats in to the 30's (which he never does). Jenny had to bag him and we are all distressed because he doesn't do that any more. Yeah, turns out I had accidentally disconnected his oxygen when I was putting away his laundry. (I have no business trying to raise a child. At least there was no one to blame but me.
New accomodations
The boys are doing pretty well this weekend. Griffith is having a few stomach issues still. No one appears terribly alarmed but it is a little frustrating. Apparently after surgery it is not all that uncommon to have an ilius. As best I understand it, your intestines move food through by contracting rhythmically. When you have surgery, that stops the movement and it sometimes takes awhile for it to start back up again. It is just a matter of time, but it is, well, frustrating. On the up side, though, his incisions are healing well and he seems to be getting back to his ol' fiesty self. Yesterday Cheryl reported that he was hanging out, breathing room air (no oxygen) for several hours. He can't do it full time, but he is making progress. He's also been sitting up in his swing and loves it. Not only does he like the constant movement, but it enables him to investigate what's going on all around him. This morning, Jenny had Griffith propped up looking out in to the hallway and singing "I'm a Girl Watcher." Oh, yeah, it is cute now, but just wait until he's a teen-ager. Jenny is going to have a lot to answer for then.
The big news on Allan is that he is moving in to the same nursery as Griffith. They should be roommates by tonight. They were originally in beds that were side-by-side, but Griffith got moved to isolation because he tested positive as a carrier for MRSA. Despite the fact that he wasn't sick with, despite the fact that at any given time 2/3 of the population has it on their skin, and despite the fact that the boys are going to be sharing the same bed as soon as they get out of the hospital, they weren't allowed to remain together. (Hospital protocol. What.Ever.) Anyway, it comes as no surprise that Allan has tested positive as well. So now they can be together. After 8 weeks of separation. It will be nice for us in that we don't have to separate when we go to care for them. And they might as well get used to the idea that the other kid is here to stay (I swear they both think that they are only children!) But since they are together, we only need half the nurses. That means that we are going to lose some of the folks who have taken such good care of the boys. And that makes us unhappy. Having the boys in the NICU is hard, but knowing that they are with people who are not only competent, but also genuinely love and care for them makes it possible for us to go about our day-to-day life. I can't say that we don't still worry, but we worry less because of the faith and trust that we have in their nurses. I'm sure that it will all get sorted out though. There are worse problems to have other than too many people who love and want to take care of your babies. Besides, Griffith is so social, he'll probably organize an open house or happy hour or something.
The big news on Allan is that he is moving in to the same nursery as Griffith. They should be roommates by tonight. They were originally in beds that were side-by-side, but Griffith got moved to isolation because he tested positive as a carrier for MRSA. Despite the fact that he wasn't sick with, despite the fact that at any given time 2/3 of the population has it on their skin, and despite the fact that the boys are going to be sharing the same bed as soon as they get out of the hospital, they weren't allowed to remain together. (Hospital protocol. What.Ever.) Anyway, it comes as no surprise that Allan has tested positive as well. So now they can be together. After 8 weeks of separation. It will be nice for us in that we don't have to separate when we go to care for them. And they might as well get used to the idea that the other kid is here to stay (I swear they both think that they are only children!) But since they are together, we only need half the nurses. That means that we are going to lose some of the folks who have taken such good care of the boys. And that makes us unhappy. Having the boys in the NICU is hard, but knowing that they are with people who are not only competent, but also genuinely love and care for them makes it possible for us to go about our day-to-day life. I can't say that we don't still worry, but we worry less because of the faith and trust that we have in their nurses. I'm sure that it will all get sorted out though. There are worse problems to have other than too many people who love and want to take care of your babies. Besides, Griffith is so social, he'll probably organize an open house or happy hour or something.
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