Last night was a pretty good night. Both of the boys slept pretty well, if only for brief periods of time. The new monitor seems to have made a difference.
Allan is eating better. We are now trying to feed him 4 bottles during the day, but in smaller amounts. He managed a whole bottle last evening and has eaten most of the two we have fed him today. He is struggling a bit with the one that Jay is feeding him now, but he was sound asleep and we woke him to feed so you can't expect him to be too excited.
The boys had their first fight last night. Dad was holding both of them and Allan (sweet, laid-back Allan) began rooting and pushing at his brother until he had him off of Dad's chest entirely. It was sort of like sumo wrestling -- he just kept pushing with his chest until he had
Griffith out of his way. Poor little Griff didn't stand much of a chance against his bruiser of an older brother. As you can see from the photos, though, they made up this morning and were holding hands, if only briefly. And while they were both asleep. I'm sure we won't catch them doing that again any time soon.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Griffith wailing
Griffith, having finally realized that his brother is here to stay, begins to wail.
Dad and his boys
This was right before Allan deciding to root around and push his brother off of Dad's chest.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Friday - September 8th
Everything seems rosier today. Nothing like a full night's sleep to put everything in perspective.
Allan's first two days and nights at home were a little rocky. His sat monitor (which shows you how much oxygen he has in his blood) kept going off. He wasn't in danger but he was having a harder time than he should have been and just generally not acting like himself. So we called Allan's girlfriend, Jennifer, come over to check him out (since there was no water involved we thought it would be safe). Jennifer, realizing that Momma (if not Dad) needed some reassurance, came over in a flash, checked him out and pronounced him "just fine" which eased our minds considerably. In retrospect we realize that Allan had had a big week with the discharge and the doctor's visit and was probably just worn out. We also decided that his monitor was dodgy (as Dad might say) and swapped machines. And, last night Caitlin (little miss up all night) came over, took care of the boys and let the parents get a complete night's sleep. It has been a good combination. Allan's pediatrician was pleased with him -- he's up to 9 and a half pounds. We go back on Tuesday for another check-up.
This morning for the first time Griffith wasn't fussing for Flora. Apparently he had such a good night with Caitlin that he was over Flora. She has spent all day trying to get ahead of Caitlin, but Griff is having none of it. He is completely out of sorts with her. He has fussed and kicked and squirmed and hasn't let her put him down all day. And it isn't going to get any better because Cheryl is on her way over and she will no doubt want to hug on her boys, too. I'm not sure what we are going to do this weekend.
Allan's first two days and nights at home were a little rocky. His sat monitor (which shows you how much oxygen he has in his blood) kept going off. He wasn't in danger but he was having a harder time than he should have been and just generally not acting like himself. So we called Allan's girlfriend, Jennifer, come over to check him out (since there was no water involved we thought it would be safe). Jennifer, realizing that Momma (if not Dad) needed some reassurance, came over in a flash, checked him out and pronounced him "just fine" which eased our minds considerably. In retrospect we realize that Allan had had a big week with the discharge and the doctor's visit and was probably just worn out. We also decided that his monitor was dodgy (as Dad might say) and swapped machines. And, last night Caitlin (little miss up all night) came over, took care of the boys and let the parents get a complete night's sleep. It has been a good combination. Allan's pediatrician was pleased with him -- he's up to 9 and a half pounds. We go back on Tuesday for another check-up.
This morning for the first time Griffith wasn't fussing for Flora. Apparently he had such a good night with Caitlin that he was over Flora. She has spent all day trying to get ahead of Caitlin, but Griff is having none of it. He is completely out of sorts with her. He has fussed and kicked and squirmed and hasn't let her put him down all day. And it isn't going to get any better because Cheryl is on her way over and she will no doubt want to hug on her boys, too. I'm not sure what we are going to do this weekend.
Friday - September 8th
Everything seems rosier today. Nothing like a full night's sleep to put everything in perspective.
Allan's first two days and nights at home were a little rocky. His sat monitor (which shows you how much oxygen he has in his blood) kept going off. He wasn't in danger but he was having a harder time than he should have been and just generally not acting like himself. So we called Allan's girlfriend, Jennifer, come over to check him out (since there was no water involved we thought it would be safe). Jennifer, realizing that Momma (if not Dad) needed some reassurance, came over in a flash, checked him out and pronounced him "just fine" which eased our minds considerably. In retrospect we realize that Allan had had a big week with the discharge and the doctor's visit and was probably just worn out. We also decided that his monitor was dodgy (as Dad might say) and swapped machines. And, last night Caitlin (little miss up all night) came over, took care of the boys and let the parents get a complete night's sleep. It has been a good combination. Allan's pediatrician was pleased with him -- he's up to 9 and a half pounds. We go back on Tuesday for another check-up.
This morning for the first time Griffith wasn't fussing for Flora. Apparently he had such a good night with Caitlin that he was over Flora. She has spent all day trying to get ahead of Caitlin, but Griff is having none of it. He is completely out of sorts with her. He has fussed and kicked and squirmed and hasn't let her put him down all day. And it isn't going to get any better because Cheryl is on her way over and she will no doubt want to hug on her boys, too. I'm not sure what we are going to do this weekend.
Allan's first two days and nights at home were a little rocky. His sat monitor (which shows you how much oxygen he has in his blood) kept going off. He wasn't in danger but he was having a harder time than he should have been and just generally not acting like himself. So we called Allan's girlfriend, Jennifer, come over to check him out (since there was no water involved we thought it would be safe). Jennifer, realizing that Momma (if not Dad) needed some reassurance, came over in a flash, checked him out and pronounced him "just fine" which eased our minds considerably. In retrospect we realize that Allan had had a big week with the discharge and the doctor's visit and was probably just worn out. We also decided that his monitor was dodgy (as Dad might say) and swapped machines. And, last night Caitlin (little miss up all night) came over, took care of the boys and let the parents get a complete night's sleep. It has been a good combination. Allan's pediatrician was pleased with him -- he's up to 9 and a half pounds. We go back on Tuesday for another check-up.
This morning for the first time Griffith wasn't fussing for Flora. Apparently he had such a good night with Caitlin that he was over Flora. She has spent all day trying to get ahead of Caitlin, but Griff is having none of it. He is completely out of sorts with her. He has fussed and kicked and squirmed and hasn't let her put him down all day. And it isn't going to get any better because Cheryl is on her way over and she will no doubt want to hug on her boys, too. I'm not sure what we are going to do this weekend.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Well, here we are on day two of the rest of our lives....
We have managed to string together two fairly sleepless nights. We estimate that we (the parents) got about 2-3 hours each night in no more than 45 minute stretches. Allan has had some issues with settling in and we have had some equipment issues. We traded out our monitor so we hope that addresses part of the problem. We go back to the pediatrician tomorrow so that may help with our other concerns. No one is in particular distress. We just need to adjust to be home and having new doctors, etc.
More tomorrow when we have more to report and more rest.
We have managed to string together two fairly sleepless nights. We estimate that we (the parents) got about 2-3 hours each night in no more than 45 minute stretches. Allan has had some issues with settling in and we have had some equipment issues. We traded out our monitor so we hope that addresses part of the problem. We go back to the pediatrician tomorrow so that may help with our other concerns. No one is in particular distress. We just need to adjust to be home and having new doctors, etc.
More tomorrow when we have more to report and more rest.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
So far, so good. Weve made it 24 whole hours (more actually) as a family unit. We haven't misplaced either of the boys and, so far, they are both just fine. If this is short, it is only because I am typing with 1 hand. Allan is laid out in the crook of mt left arm. Griffith is racked out in his crib and we are listening to the "Be Creative" CD of classical music.
Last night was kind of long for all involved -- we were pretty keyed up just to have Allan home. Well, Jay and I were. Griffith could have cared less. There was the getting used to his monitors and equipment. And making sure that we got all of his meds delivered in the right amounts and at the right times. His alarm didn't go off all that much, but enough that we really couldn't relax. I doubt if Jay or I slept more than 45 minutes at a stretch all night. Allan was awake most all night, too. Every time we checked, he was wide awake. He wasn't fussy or any thing. He was just hanging out, looking all around. He seems to be doing the same tonight and may have his days and nights confused. Just what we need. One who is up all day and one who is up all night.
We made it to the pediatrician's office for both boys -- both are just fine. We go back for Allan on Friday to keep a check on his progress. Griffith is doing just great -- he is 6 pounds 12 ounces which means he has gained nearly 2 pounds since he was discharged.
It is getting late -- nearly time for Griff to eat so we will cut it off here, but will try to add more tomorrow.
Last night was kind of long for all involved -- we were pretty keyed up just to have Allan home. Well, Jay and I were. Griffith could have cared less. There was the getting used to his monitors and equipment. And making sure that we got all of his meds delivered in the right amounts and at the right times. His alarm didn't go off all that much, but enough that we really couldn't relax. I doubt if Jay or I slept more than 45 minutes at a stretch all night. Allan was awake most all night, too. Every time we checked, he was wide awake. He wasn't fussy or any thing. He was just hanging out, looking all around. He seems to be doing the same tonight and may have his days and nights confused. Just what we need. One who is up all day and one who is up all night.
We made it to the pediatrician's office for both boys -- both are just fine. We go back for Allan on Friday to keep a check on his progress. Griffith is doing just great -- he is 6 pounds 12 ounces which means he has gained nearly 2 pounds since he was discharged.
It is getting late -- nearly time for Griff to eat so we will cut it off here, but will try to add more tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Allan and his accessories
Allan and his O2 tank (we now have a smaller one) and his bag with the monitor in it.
Allan and Dr. Rao
Allan and his buddy, Dr. Rao, who gets the prize for finallly discharging the little malingerer.
Welcome home, Allan!
Well, we made it. This blog is coming to you from the nursery -- Allan is in his crib, listening to Baby Mozart. Griffith is hanging out in the living room with his dad, probably watching sports of some sort. So far we are just keeping pace with the boys. (Actually, they are probably slightly ahead.) Of course, we had Miss Flora until six and then Kim came over about 7:30 or so with dinner. So, here we are at nine, finally going one on one with our boys. The first night Griffith came home we had a big thunderstorm and, coincidentally, there is one blowing up right now. Maybe it is a good omen. So far we have managed okay with the oxygen compressor, the feed pump and the O2 monitor. That'll last as long as it takes Allan to pull out one tube or the other. I ended up putting a sock on his right hand because he kept tugging on his NG tube and I figure that although we've both put it in before, there really isn't any real reason to start out with that on the first night.
Allan had his occupational therapy evaluation to assess whether he has an oral aversion (funny to think of eating as an occupation, but apparently it is if you do it right). Anyway, he doesn't have an oral aversion. What he has done is actually pretty clever. According to the OT, Allan has only limited resources for eating and breathing. Clearly he has to do both and, by throwing back his head, he has found a way to maximize both. We are to let him continue to do so. So we bottle-feed 3 times a day for 30 minutes. If he finishes the bottle, perfect. If he doesn't, then we feed the remainder through the NG tube. Then at night, he is hooked to a pump that delivers a set amount of food per hour for 12 hours to ensure that he gets the proper nutrition. As he gets bigger and stronger, we should be able to increase bottle feeding and eventually discontinue the pump.
Miss Flora was very impressed with our other boy and set about spoiling him as rotten as Griffith. She was supposed to get here at 7:30 this morning and Griffith was sleeping like an angel until about 7:28 at which point he began to wail like someone was killing him. That's how I had to greet Flora. This only confirmed her suspicions about how mistreated her boy is. After she took him, he proceeded to wimper to her like he was telling her all about how awful it had been without her. Ingrate.
Once again, the boys are completely unimpressed with each other. Neither of them will look at the other. Everyone said that they'll entertain each other, but, so far, no dice.
Tomorrow we head out for the pediatrician's. It should be big fun taking this show on the road.
I'll try to post lots of pictures of the homecoming for your entertainment.
Allan had his occupational therapy evaluation to assess whether he has an oral aversion (funny to think of eating as an occupation, but apparently it is if you do it right). Anyway, he doesn't have an oral aversion. What he has done is actually pretty clever. According to the OT, Allan has only limited resources for eating and breathing. Clearly he has to do both and, by throwing back his head, he has found a way to maximize both. We are to let him continue to do so. So we bottle-feed 3 times a day for 30 minutes. If he finishes the bottle, perfect. If he doesn't, then we feed the remainder through the NG tube. Then at night, he is hooked to a pump that delivers a set amount of food per hour for 12 hours to ensure that he gets the proper nutrition. As he gets bigger and stronger, we should be able to increase bottle feeding and eventually discontinue the pump.
Miss Flora was very impressed with our other boy and set about spoiling him as rotten as Griffith. She was supposed to get here at 7:30 this morning and Griffith was sleeping like an angel until about 7:28 at which point he began to wail like someone was killing him. That's how I had to greet Flora. This only confirmed her suspicions about how mistreated her boy is. After she took him, he proceeded to wimper to her like he was telling her all about how awful it had been without her. Ingrate.
Once again, the boys are completely unimpressed with each other. Neither of them will look at the other. Everyone said that they'll entertain each other, but, so far, no dice.
Tomorrow we head out for the pediatrician's. It should be big fun taking this show on the road.
I'll try to post lots of pictures of the homecoming for your entertainment.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Labor Day
It is hard to believe that it is Labor Day already. Summer is over. Football season is here (as if that's something to look forward to as opposed to something to be endured). Time has flown.
Allan is still scheduled to come home tomorrow sometime. There's still a fair amount of stuff to get sorted out, but it looks like we are good to go. He has done much better with his bottle-feeding this weekend. Jay has discovered that if you lay him back on a pillow with his head thrown back over your knees that Allan will eat. But you can't pay any attention to him or talk to him. In fact, he likes it best if there are two people talking around him. No kidding. I have no idea how any one would swallow in that position, much less someone who has breathing issues, but there you have. Don't argue with success. Of course, he may stop doing that today. He's like that. Contrary. And he can't be coaxed, wheedled or bullied. Jay has to admit that Allan has his disposition. Apparently one of Jay's bosses once told him that he had only two speeds: dead slow and stopped. Allan is apparently Jay's pay back. Despite his eating issues, Allan continues to make progress in the growth department. As of last night he is a solid nine pounds.
Griffith continues to make progress, too. As of Friday, he weighed in at 6 and a half pounds. Very respectable. He has spent the weekend meeting and greeting Uncle Eddie (my oldest brother), Aunt Clara (his wife) and his cousins, Jennifer, Eric, Kim, and Charles. Today he is going to meet Uncle Tim (middle brother) and Aunt Lisa (his fiance). So far all reports on him are favorable so Jay and I believe that we will keep him. Although if he keeps his dad awake from 3 to 5 a.m. for a whole lot longer, we may be interested in working out a time-share arrangment with someone. Someone who doesn't need rest.
Allan is still scheduled to come home tomorrow sometime. There's still a fair amount of stuff to get sorted out, but it looks like we are good to go. He has done much better with his bottle-feeding this weekend. Jay has discovered that if you lay him back on a pillow with his head thrown back over your knees that Allan will eat. But you can't pay any attention to him or talk to him. In fact, he likes it best if there are two people talking around him. No kidding. I have no idea how any one would swallow in that position, much less someone who has breathing issues, but there you have. Don't argue with success. Of course, he may stop doing that today. He's like that. Contrary. And he can't be coaxed, wheedled or bullied. Jay has to admit that Allan has his disposition. Apparently one of Jay's bosses once told him that he had only two speeds: dead slow and stopped. Allan is apparently Jay's pay back. Despite his eating issues, Allan continues to make progress in the growth department. As of last night he is a solid nine pounds.
Griffith continues to make progress, too. As of Friday, he weighed in at 6 and a half pounds. Very respectable. He has spent the weekend meeting and greeting Uncle Eddie (my oldest brother), Aunt Clara (his wife) and his cousins, Jennifer, Eric, Kim, and Charles. Today he is going to meet Uncle Tim (middle brother) and Aunt Lisa (his fiance). So far all reports on him are favorable so Jay and I believe that we will keep him. Although if he keeps his dad awake from 3 to 5 a.m. for a whole lot longer, we may be interested in working out a time-share arrangment with someone. Someone who doesn't need rest.
Griffith and Uncle Eddie
Griffith was a little uneasy with Uncle Eddie. They say that children and animals are good judges of character....
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