Flora greeted her new angel at the door.
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....
Friday, September 01, 2006
Give me back my son!
Well, we are having the usual hiccups and snafus prior to coming home. This is further complicated by the fact that this is a long holiday weekend and the end of the month (which means that we are changing attendings). Allan is coming home with 1) oxygen 2) an NG tube and 3) an apnea monitor. And he'll be getting nine (9!) medicines. You have to love it when the docs ask you how you feel about that -- What.Ever. If I tell you that this is really sh*tty and, to paraphrase Bartleby, we would prefer not, does that mean that we can go home without this stuff? Because, if that's an option, sign us up. Otherwise, don't ask. If this is what we have to do, this is what we will do. Thank goodness that Cheryl went to bat for us on the formula. Because he was small and they wanted him to gain weight, they sent Griffith home on 24 calorie formula. This means we came home with regular formula but we mix it differently from the directions so that we have a higher caloric content. Straight breast milk is 20 calories per ounce so every ounce of the formula that we give Griffith has 4 extra calories. Well, because Allan was "too fat," he was on 22 calorie formula. So we would have had to have mix up different formula for each baby. The last attending essentially brushed off my inquiry about sending Allan home on the same formula as Griffith. The point apparently being that is was a minor inconvenience (the definition of "minor inconvenience" being one that plagues us rather than the doctor, apparently). Honestly, even minor inconveniences when you have a half dozen (or more) of them can become problematic. Anyhoodle, the new attending was more sympathetic and so we are going home on 24 cal but with less volume. Which seems to make sense since the kid won't actually EAT any of it. Allan is still piddling around with his bottle feeds so they are getting an occupational therapist to come in and evaluate him for an oral aversion. I can't remember if I've explained this before. If I have, you can skip the next part. Because of the vent tubes and other stuff that they shove down preemies' throats, some of them begin to associate things in their mouths with bad things. So they don't want to suck on a bottle. Because he will sometimes do great with his feeds, they haven't thought that he had an oral aversion, but we are kind of down to what harm will it do to have him evaluated? Maybe they'll see something that someone has missed and we will be able to jumpstart his bottle-feeding.
Griffith is doing great. He got a little stomach bug last night (which he gave to Momma) so we went to the pediatrician this morning. He is just fine and seems to be on the mend. Aided in part by Miss Flora who has spent all day (again) spoiling her precious little angel. Honestly, the kid won't have any sense at all if he listens to all her sweet-talking. We weighed this morning and Griff is a solid 6 and a half pounds. He won't catch Allan (8 pounds 12 ounces) any time soon, but he is definitely holding his own.
We are looking forward to a good weekend and tying up loose ends before Tuesday. Dad and Griff are going to watch the UK game on Sunday. Might as well introduce him to the concept of "hope springs eternal" and "just wait until basketball season" early.
Griffith is doing great. He got a little stomach bug last night (which he gave to Momma) so we went to the pediatrician this morning. He is just fine and seems to be on the mend. Aided in part by Miss Flora who has spent all day (again) spoiling her precious little angel. Honestly, the kid won't have any sense at all if he listens to all her sweet-talking. We weighed this morning and Griff is a solid 6 and a half pounds. He won't catch Allan (8 pounds 12 ounces) any time soon, but he is definitely holding his own.
We are looking forward to a good weekend and tying up loose ends before Tuesday. Dad and Griff are going to watch the UK game on Sunday. Might as well introduce him to the concept of "hope springs eternal" and "just wait until basketball season" early.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Thursday - August 31st
Griffith and I are hanging out at home tonight. Kim came over and baby sat so that I could meet Jay at the hospital before shift change and then we got take out Thai. (Griff had formula for dinner instead.) He charmed Kim completely. When I got home, she was holding him and I suspect that she had been doing just that since Miss Flora left. Right now, he's swinging and we are both catching up on reruns of Grey's Anatomy. Actually, he's just fallen asleep. All this being loved on wears a boy out.
Allan had a good day. He had another eye exam and still has one spot in one eye that they want to look at so we haven't gotten discharged from opthamology like we had hoped. As with every thing else, Allan is taking his own sweet time. Still we are supposed to be going home on Tuesday although there is a bit of confusion about monitors and such that we have to get sorted out. Still, we are all preparing for a homecoming. Last night Allan said goodbye to Catilin and tonight he said goodbye to Alissa. The weekend will be bittersweet, too, because he has to say farewells to Krista, Ellie, Sarah and Jennifer. Even though he knows that it is time to go home and that he will see all of them again, it still makes him a little sad. Anyway, all we have to do now is make it through the weekend without him catching on that they are going to send him home and then we are outta there.
Allan had a good day. He had another eye exam and still has one spot in one eye that they want to look at so we haven't gotten discharged from opthamology like we had hoped. As with every thing else, Allan is taking his own sweet time. Still we are supposed to be going home on Tuesday although there is a bit of confusion about monitors and such that we have to get sorted out. Still, we are all preparing for a homecoming. Last night Allan said goodbye to Catilin and tonight he said goodbye to Alissa. The weekend will be bittersweet, too, because he has to say farewells to Krista, Ellie, Sarah and Jennifer. Even though he knows that it is time to go home and that he will see all of them again, it still makes him a little sad. Anyway, all we have to do now is make it through the weekend without him catching on that they are going to send him home and then we are outta there.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
wednesday - august 30
Well, we are still on target for a Tuesday homecoming. Allan still hasn't shown all that much interest in eating from the bottle. He didn't really do any thing at the 10 a.m., took about 40 at 2 and did the same at 6. Caitlin was showing me how to work the feeding pump tonight and, of course, there was some malfunction with the machine and it kept stopping. I told her that this was not at all comforting to me considering how close we were to going home and we were laughing about how awful it would be to get home and not be able to get the darned thing working. Allan bobbled his head around and got the most alarmed look on his face. He may not want to eat from a bottle but he wants to make darned sure that the current delivery system stays functional. He's such a little faker with the bottle though. He'll suck some down and then cough and hack like he has emphysema. I had thought that he was having genuine trouble coordinating the suck-swallow-breath thing until tonight. Right before I left, he started smacking his lips like he wanted to suck, so I gave him his pacifier. He sucked a couple of times and then either spit it out or just lost his grip on it. Since I couldn't tell which, I gave it back to him. Apparently he didn't want it because he turned red, spit it out and hacked and coughed and gagged like he had sucked a gallon of water. I guess that's just his way of saying "no more."
Griffith had another excellent day. Miss Flora likes nothing better than to hold a baby and sweet talk and Griffith likes nothing better than to be doted on. So that's working out well for him - at the moment any way.
Griffith had another excellent day. Miss Flora likes nothing better than to hold a baby and sweet talk and Griffith likes nothing better than to be doted on. So that's working out well for him - at the moment any way.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
He is coming, R U ready
Well, it looks like we may be nearing the end of this part of this little adventure. Word is that Allan is being transferred (we aren't using the h-o-m-e word because of how Griffith reacted to it). We are shooting for Tuesday. He's going to be coming home with some accessories -- oxygen, monitor, feeding tube, kitchen sink. The only thing holding him back has really been this whole inconsistent eating-from-a-bottle thing. Since he's still pretty random and up-and-down on it, we are going with Plan B (or Double Y or Triple P or whatever -- we've had a lot of plans.) Any way, the current plan is that we try to bottle feed during the day and let him take what he does or does not want. Then, at night, we hook him up to the NG tube and feed him whatever the balance of that day's nutrition would have been. It isn't any wonder that the poor little fellow is having problems -- after all the talk of how fat he was, it shouldn't be a wonder that he has an eating disorder. Anyway, he is doing very well, other than being uncooperative. As an example of what a little twerp he is, Allan wouldn't take from his bottle yesterday, but last night was whiny and wriggly until he got a pacifier which he sucked on like a demon. A pretty, uncooperative demon.
Griffith and Miss Flora have taken to each other. She started yesterday and by ten a.m. Griffith had already managed to show her who was boss. She didn't move fast enough while she was changing him and he did a geyser on her just like he had done on me on Friday. She just laughed because she knew better than to leave a little boy armed and ready. After that, they got along just fine. I'm not sure she put him down all day and she sweet-talks him constantly. He loves it. I'm afraid that he isn't going to remember that his name is Griffith. All he hears all day long is Precious and Angel (which he particularly likes). Whatever else you can say about him, Griffith has a way with the ladies. He had a pretty good night tonight, too. He managed to find his thumb and has been working it over quite a bit. We haven't told him about Allan yet. We aren't sure that he is going to react well to having to share attention. Guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Griffith and Miss Flora have taken to each other. She started yesterday and by ten a.m. Griffith had already managed to show her who was boss. She didn't move fast enough while she was changing him and he did a geyser on her just like he had done on me on Friday. She just laughed because she knew better than to leave a little boy armed and ready. After that, they got along just fine. I'm not sure she put him down all day and she sweet-talks him constantly. He loves it. I'm afraid that he isn't going to remember that his name is Griffith. All he hears all day long is Precious and Angel (which he particularly likes). Whatever else you can say about him, Griffith has a way with the ladies. He had a pretty good night tonight, too. He managed to find his thumb and has been working it over quite a bit. We haven't told him about Allan yet. We aren't sure that he is going to react well to having to share attention. Guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Sunday 8/27
All in all we are having a pretty good run of days. Thursday night was a little long, especially for
Dad. He blames Caitlyn. Griffith refuses to sleep during the hours of 2:30 a.m. to about 4 a.m. This cuts in to Dad's sleep time considerably. He thought he was doing pretty well with it all -- until Cheryl pointed out that he had arrived at the NICU on Friday morning with his shirt inside out. Some days are better than others.
Griffith had a very good weekend despite the fact that my pride and joy and I didn't get started of on the right foot. On Friday morning, Rosa was coming to visit so that Mom could go to the hospital during the day. As I was changing his diaper and trying to get ready to go, he decided for the first time in ever to pee. And not just a little. A veritable geyser that hit me in the face, all down my shirt, all over the changing table. (He also hit himself in the face which served him right, little twerp.) So we both had to have a bath. Oh, well, as a result, he was wide awake and smelling like a rose when Rosa arrived. He seemed glad to see her -- she was pretty glad to see him, too. I'm not entirely certain, but I think she held him the whole time I was gone and kept telling him how handsome he is. Child will have no sense at all.
When I arrived at the hospital, Allan was sitting in his bouncy seat transfixed by the birds on the new mobile Cheryl found for him. He looked a little startled by them (a common reaction for Allan). The little birds were really quite charming -- think Disney bluebirds of happiness -- but he seemed skeptical. It just takes him a while to get used to new things. Allan hasn't been doing so well with the bottle-feeding. He had a couple of good days, but, then, lost interest or energy or something. He wasn't taking in enough by mouth so yesterday they put the NG tube back in. They will let him bottle feed for 30 minutes every 3 hours and what he doesn't take by mouth they will give him through the tube. We aren't quite sure how this is going to impact his coming home. They had been talking about next week, but this could delay it. How long we don't know. He could come home with an NG tube, although that would not be ideal. Even so, he has to be taking a certain amount by mouth before the docs would be comfortable sending him home. And some docs won't send him home with an NG regardless. And, of course, we are at the end of another month so the attending doctor will be changing. Again. No one seems to think that this sluggish eating is anything other than an annoyance that Allan will outgrow with time. What we are all coming to appreciate is that he seems to be content to putter along in first gear.
Yesterday, Cheryl came for a visit so that Mom and Dad could have a little time out. We had a nice leisurely lunch and did a little shopping. Just generally acted like real people. A welcome break. And, as much as I am sure that he missed us, Griffith seemed more than content to catch up with Cheryl.
In other news, we think that we have found someone to come and help take care of the boys. Miss Flora is a retired LPN who worked labor and delivery and in the nursery at a local hospital, had 5 kids of her own and has experience caring for multiples - twins, triplets and even a set of quads. Surely our two little ones will pose no great challenge to her. Anyway, she is going to start tomorrow. Once we are all used to each other, this should make it a lot easier for me to get back and forth to see Allan. And, just maybe, take a nap.
Dad. He blames Caitlyn. Griffith refuses to sleep during the hours of 2:30 a.m. to about 4 a.m. This cuts in to Dad's sleep time considerably. He thought he was doing pretty well with it all -- until Cheryl pointed out that he had arrived at the NICU on Friday morning with his shirt inside out. Some days are better than others.
Griffith had a very good weekend despite the fact that my pride and joy and I didn't get started of on the right foot. On Friday morning, Rosa was coming to visit so that Mom could go to the hospital during the day. As I was changing his diaper and trying to get ready to go, he decided for the first time in ever to pee. And not just a little. A veritable geyser that hit me in the face, all down my shirt, all over the changing table. (He also hit himself in the face which served him right, little twerp.) So we both had to have a bath. Oh, well, as a result, he was wide awake and smelling like a rose when Rosa arrived. He seemed glad to see her -- she was pretty glad to see him, too. I'm not entirely certain, but I think she held him the whole time I was gone and kept telling him how handsome he is. Child will have no sense at all.
When I arrived at the hospital, Allan was sitting in his bouncy seat transfixed by the birds on the new mobile Cheryl found for him. He looked a little startled by them (a common reaction for Allan). The little birds were really quite charming -- think Disney bluebirds of happiness -- but he seemed skeptical. It just takes him a while to get used to new things. Allan hasn't been doing so well with the bottle-feeding. He had a couple of good days, but, then, lost interest or energy or something. He wasn't taking in enough by mouth so yesterday they put the NG tube back in. They will let him bottle feed for 30 minutes every 3 hours and what he doesn't take by mouth they will give him through the tube. We aren't quite sure how this is going to impact his coming home. They had been talking about next week, but this could delay it. How long we don't know. He could come home with an NG tube, although that would not be ideal. Even so, he has to be taking a certain amount by mouth before the docs would be comfortable sending him home. And some docs won't send him home with an NG regardless. And, of course, we are at the end of another month so the attending doctor will be changing. Again. No one seems to think that this sluggish eating is anything other than an annoyance that Allan will outgrow with time. What we are all coming to appreciate is that he seems to be content to putter along in first gear.
Yesterday, Cheryl came for a visit so that Mom and Dad could have a little time out. We had a nice leisurely lunch and did a little shopping. Just generally acted like real people. A welcome break. And, as much as I am sure that he missed us, Griffith seemed more than content to catch up with Cheryl.
In other news, we think that we have found someone to come and help take care of the boys. Miss Flora is a retired LPN who worked labor and delivery and in the nursery at a local hospital, had 5 kids of her own and has experience caring for multiples - twins, triplets and even a set of quads. Surely our two little ones will pose no great challenge to her. Anyway, she is going to start tomorrow. Once we are all used to each other, this should make it a lot easier for me to get back and forth to see Allan. And, just maybe, take a nap.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Thursday August 24th
The boys are doing well. Griffith and I are settling in to something of a routine. He gets up about 5:30 and eats. I try to get him back to sleep. He pretends he's going to. He waits until I am nearly asleep and then starts fussing. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. This morning he had peed through everything so I changed him completely at 5:30. He managed it again at 8 (the diapers are the next size up and a little too big evidently. Then, while I was stripping him down again, he peed all over me, the fresh diaper, the changing pad. And himself. Which outraged him. So we started the day with a bath for him and a shower for me. We took a stroll while the temperature was still cool, but he only made it about 2 blocks before falling asleep. The same thing happened this afternoon when I took him on his second stroll (I'm not very good at being home all the time.) Right now he's sleeping in his crib for the first time ever. Don't know if we'll make it all night or if I'll decide I'd rather have him close in the bassinet.
Allan was pretty and sweet as ever. He weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces tonight. The doctors are trying him ad lib meaning he eats when he wants as much as he wants and that they are not supplementing with the NG tube. We'll see how that goes. The problem is that he runs out of steam before he is 'full' so that he eats more frequently which makes him tired. Lather, rinse, repeat. Still, we had a long talk about all the fun that Griffith is having and that is awaiting him. They are still talking about him coming home next week so we may get to have that reunion soon.
Allan was pretty and sweet as ever. He weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces tonight. The doctors are trying him ad lib meaning he eats when he wants as much as he wants and that they are not supplementing with the NG tube. We'll see how that goes. The problem is that he runs out of steam before he is 'full' so that he eats more frequently which makes him tired. Lather, rinse, repeat. Still, we had a long talk about all the fun that Griffith is having and that is awaiting him. They are still talking about him coming home next week so we may get to have that reunion soon.
griffith - the thumb sucker
Griffith working on figuring out how to get his fist, fingers or thumb in his mouth.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Wednesday - August 23rd
Pretty little Allan continues to do well with his bottle-feeding. He isn't eating his full measure yet, but he takes at least some every time and seems to be willing to give the ol' college try every time. It is a wonder he has any energy at all considering how much of it he expends admiring himself in the mirror. Honestly, when I got there tonight he was gazing at himself in wonder. I really don't have any question where this comes from -- two of his girlfriends were in there today sweet-talking him. I keep telling them to focus on his other sterling qualities (beauty being only skin deep and all) but, as soon as my back is turned, they started talking about how pretty he is again. His "diet" seems to be working -- he is holding steady at around 8 pounds 4 ounces or so. I can't say that he has thinned out much, but he isn't continuing to pack on the pounds like he was. Tonight we worked on some of his stretching and range of motion exercises. Baby yoga -- he didn't cry or protest much (now that I think about it, he is a zen-like little fellow), but he did fix me with the most quizzical stare. You could almost see him doing the cost/benefit -- was it worth throwing a fit or was I likely to stop soon anyway? We'll keep it up. He'll be as flexible as Gumby by the time I'm through with him.
Griffith had an appointment with his pediatrician today. He gained nearly 7 ounces this week and weighs 5 pounds 13 ounces. If he keeps this pace up, he will catch Allan soon. Griff and I also did his stretching and range of motion exercises, but he acts as if I am drawing and quartering him. He isn't sure what I am doing, but it might get worse and he is going to nip that in the bud. We took a stroll this morning and he managed to stay awake for the first five minutes of the walk. Then he was out for the rest of the hour that we walked. He does much better when we sit out on the back deck. He doesn't fall asleep and he is content to listen to the waterfall and watch the light through the leaves.
Time to sign off. Griffith eats at midnight and will be impatient if I don't step lively.
Griffith had an appointment with his pediatrician today. He gained nearly 7 ounces this week and weighs 5 pounds 13 ounces. If he keeps this pace up, he will catch Allan soon. Griff and I also did his stretching and range of motion exercises, but he acts as if I am drawing and quartering him. He isn't sure what I am doing, but it might get worse and he is going to nip that in the bud. We took a stroll this morning and he managed to stay awake for the first five minutes of the walk. Then he was out for the rest of the hour that we walked. He does much better when we sit out on the back deck. He doesn't fall asleep and he is content to listen to the waterfall and watch the light through the leaves.
Time to sign off. Griffith eats at midnight and will be impatient if I don't step lively.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Tuesday - August 22nd
As I try to post, our youngest son is wailng like a banshee. Must be the Irish blood. He has an uncanny sense of timing. Just when I am on the verge of accomplishing something, he insists on my full attention and both hands. I keep trying to explain to him that I Am Trying To Get Something Done, but he really doesn't seem to care. As my father used to say of babies, you just can't reason with them. We are sitting out on the deck, listening to NPR and all of the fascinating noises of the neighborhood: the pond burbling, dogs barking, birds, tree frogs. It is amazing what you hear when you stop to listen. Lest you fear that Griff will be a little tree-hugger, we also have identified the very distinctive chugga chugga of the Bud Light beer truck stoppped at the little store down the street. I think the Guinness truck comes on Thursday. One must learn to discriminate early. Any way, Griff has been very good and has been helping me work in the garden. We have identified all the flowers and birds and all of the colors. If the neighbors are listening, I'm sure they think that I have lost my mind. Whatever. If the kid can't identify a hibiscus, it won't be MY fault.
Allan has had several good days in a row. He has continued to bottle-feed. He is slow but steady. A lot of times he won't feed well two times in a row. He just doesn't have the energy to do that every time. Still, he seems to have turned the corner and, although we aren't telling him, there is some talk of being discharged by the end of the month. We are ready (ish) to get him home, but realize that it took a couple of attempts to liberate Griffith. It is going to be hard to have two since we are only just now adjusting to having one, but it will be nice not to have to split our time between home and the hospital.
Allan has had several good days in a row. He has continued to bottle-feed. He is slow but steady. A lot of times he won't feed well two times in a row. He just doesn't have the energy to do that every time. Still, he seems to have turned the corner and, although we aren't telling him, there is some talk of being discharged by the end of the month. We are ready (ish) to get him home, but realize that it took a couple of attempts to liberate Griffith. It is going to be hard to have two since we are only just now adjusting to having one, but it will be nice not to have to split our time between home and the hospital.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
The comprehensive update
Where to begin? We've had a busy couple of days. Don't ask what we've done because when I start to list it, it really doesn't sound like a whole lot. Really, how much time can it really take to feed one baby the size of Griffith? How much laundry can two little boys create? All I can say is that some days I seem to be swimming in molasses. Ensuring the survival of Griffith for one more day is an accomplishment, but it isn't exactly something that you can scratch off of your "to do" list.
Cheryl came over Friday to look after Griffith in the afternoon while I went over to visit with Allan. When I left they were watching Paula Deen and her boys. I approve. Those boys sure do love their momma. She swears that she didn't hold him the entire time that she was here and, when I walked in, he was sleeping in his pack and play, but I'm not sure she didn't toss him in there when she heard my car in the driveway....
Saturday was a very big day. We are beginnning to introduce Griffith to some of his family. Stephanie and Bailey brought Aunt Evelyn up for a visit and Aunt Kathy came, too. Although Evelyn had seen Griffith before, she hadn't been able to hold him. The last time she was here was the day before his surgery and he was a little puny that day. Needless to say, she was very impressed with him. Bailey also found him to be quite neat -- although she pronounced him "fussy" and kept calling him "Allan." After being corrected several times, she just took to calling him "the baby" and referring to Allan as "that other baby." After lunch, we went over to the hospital so that Evelyn could hold Allan. We also arranged it so that we could put Allan on a portable tank and take him out to the window where Steph and Bailey could get a good look at him. Bailey didn't quite understand why he couldn't come out or they couldn't come in and Steph explained about germs and the other babies and all. As soon as she saw Allan, though, she said "we've got to get him out of there!" Amen. Allan wasn't very cooperative, though. Little twerp kept his eyes closed the whole time we were there only to turn wide-eyed and precious just as it was time for us to leave.
As part of his diet, they have taken Allan off of the high-calorie formula and they have stopped supplementing the breast milk with extra calories. That seems to be accomplishing the goal of slowing his weight gain. We had thought that his diapers were particularly smelly because of the supplements, but we were apparently wrong. Our child's poop just stinks. Really. The funk hangs around him like a dark cloud. To the point that Jennifer was taking his diapers and putting them in the trash in other nurseries so that she wouldn't be trapped in with his stink. Sort of like the Easter Bunny of dirty diapers. Allan is doing very well otherwise though. The MRI of his brain came back totally normal. His hearing tests show some loss of hearing in his left ear (this can be from prematurity, from having been on antibiotics for a long time, or from being on one of the diuretics for a long time.) His right ear is just fine, though, and he does have hearing in the left so we aren't too wound up about that. This just gives him a ready made excuse for ignoring us. He is also getting the hang of bottle-feeding. He has been taking the bottle every time since Friday. He still doesn't have enough energy to get his whole bottle down every time, but every time he gets at least some and, today, more of it than not. He just needed to be left alone. The trick(s) with him seem to be that he can not be pushed to eat (by applying chin pressure or twisting the bottle) but has to do it his way and in his own sweet time. He is his father's child in that respect. He also does better if there is conversation going on around him and people aren't paying strict attention to him. He freezes if he is the center of attention and will play possum until you leave him alone. He continues to be the vain one of the pair. According to Jennifer, he spent several hours today gazing lovingly at himself in the mirror. He had a really good weekend, though, so we can't complain.
Griffith, on the other hand, turned in to a bit of a pain last night. I had been bragging about how he was a very good sleeper except when he was wet, dirty or hungry. Guess I jinxed us. We aren't sure why -- maybe because he had too much excitement with all the company but he was a regular little tool last night. He was up and fussy most of the night. And so was I. He fed really well at 3 and I was sure that we were going to get right back to sleep, but he refused to cooperate. He would let me put him in the bassinet. I would fire up the vibrate mode and it would seem like we were making progress, but after about 10 minutes he would start to fuss. So I would rock the bassinet in addition to the vibrations. I don't know how he did it because he couldn't see out of the bassinet, but every time I was about ready to drop off to sleep, he would start fussing again. I would look over and see one hand or the other of waving in the air -- kind of like a swimmer going under for the third time. We did that for about a half hour or so and then we relocated to the living room where I was sure that the magic swing would take care of our issues. Didn't. He would stay satisfied about long enough for me to start dorpping off and then he would fuss. The only position that would satisfy was laying on my chest with me jammed at an uncomfortable angle to the side. Any other position would just result in fussiness. This lasted until I was able to pass him off to his father for the 6 a.m. feed. He has continued to be fussy most all day. If this is how company affects him, then we are going to have to remain isolated for a while longer.
Cheryl came over Friday to look after Griffith in the afternoon while I went over to visit with Allan. When I left they were watching Paula Deen and her boys. I approve. Those boys sure do love their momma. She swears that she didn't hold him the entire time that she was here and, when I walked in, he was sleeping in his pack and play, but I'm not sure she didn't toss him in there when she heard my car in the driveway....
Saturday was a very big day. We are beginnning to introduce Griffith to some of his family. Stephanie and Bailey brought Aunt Evelyn up for a visit and Aunt Kathy came, too. Although Evelyn had seen Griffith before, she hadn't been able to hold him. The last time she was here was the day before his surgery and he was a little puny that day. Needless to say, she was very impressed with him. Bailey also found him to be quite neat -- although she pronounced him "fussy" and kept calling him "Allan." After being corrected several times, she just took to calling him "the baby" and referring to Allan as "that other baby." After lunch, we went over to the hospital so that Evelyn could hold Allan. We also arranged it so that we could put Allan on a portable tank and take him out to the window where Steph and Bailey could get a good look at him. Bailey didn't quite understand why he couldn't come out or they couldn't come in and Steph explained about germs and the other babies and all. As soon as she saw Allan, though, she said "we've got to get him out of there!" Amen. Allan wasn't very cooperative, though. Little twerp kept his eyes closed the whole time we were there only to turn wide-eyed and precious just as it was time for us to leave.
As part of his diet, they have taken Allan off of the high-calorie formula and they have stopped supplementing the breast milk with extra calories. That seems to be accomplishing the goal of slowing his weight gain. We had thought that his diapers were particularly smelly because of the supplements, but we were apparently wrong. Our child's poop just stinks. Really. The funk hangs around him like a dark cloud. To the point that Jennifer was taking his diapers and putting them in the trash in other nurseries so that she wouldn't be trapped in with his stink. Sort of like the Easter Bunny of dirty diapers. Allan is doing very well otherwise though. The MRI of his brain came back totally normal. His hearing tests show some loss of hearing in his left ear (this can be from prematurity, from having been on antibiotics for a long time, or from being on one of the diuretics for a long time.) His right ear is just fine, though, and he does have hearing in the left so we aren't too wound up about that. This just gives him a ready made excuse for ignoring us. He is also getting the hang of bottle-feeding. He has been taking the bottle every time since Friday. He still doesn't have enough energy to get his whole bottle down every time, but every time he gets at least some and, today, more of it than not. He just needed to be left alone. The trick(s) with him seem to be that he can not be pushed to eat (by applying chin pressure or twisting the bottle) but has to do it his way and in his own sweet time. He is his father's child in that respect. He also does better if there is conversation going on around him and people aren't paying strict attention to him. He freezes if he is the center of attention and will play possum until you leave him alone. He continues to be the vain one of the pair. According to Jennifer, he spent several hours today gazing lovingly at himself in the mirror. He had a really good weekend, though, so we can't complain.
Griffith, on the other hand, turned in to a bit of a pain last night. I had been bragging about how he was a very good sleeper except when he was wet, dirty or hungry. Guess I jinxed us. We aren't sure why -- maybe because he had too much excitement with all the company but he was a regular little tool last night. He was up and fussy most of the night. And so was I. He fed really well at 3 and I was sure that we were going to get right back to sleep, but he refused to cooperate. He would let me put him in the bassinet. I would fire up the vibrate mode and it would seem like we were making progress, but after about 10 minutes he would start to fuss. So I would rock the bassinet in addition to the vibrations. I don't know how he did it because he couldn't see out of the bassinet, but every time I was about ready to drop off to sleep, he would start fussing again. I would look over and see one hand or the other of waving in the air -- kind of like a swimmer going under for the third time. We did that for about a half hour or so and then we relocated to the living room where I was sure that the magic swing would take care of our issues. Didn't. He would stay satisfied about long enough for me to start dorpping off and then he would fuss. The only position that would satisfy was laying on my chest with me jammed at an uncomfortable angle to the side. Any other position would just result in fussiness. This lasted until I was able to pass him off to his father for the 6 a.m. feed. He has continued to be fussy most all day. If this is how company affects him, then we are going to have to remain isolated for a while longer.
Equal time for Griffith
Griffith got equal time with Aunt Evelyn. This was the first time she got to hold him.
Great-great Aunt Evelyn with Allan
Aunt Evelyn came for a visit yesterday and spent some time with Big Allan.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Thursday August 17th
Sweet baby Griffith had a follow-up visit with the pediatrician. He is gaining weight -- 5 pounds 6.5 ounces today. That was the good news. The bad news is that he had to get vaccinated -- 3 shots in his little, bitty thighs. He was absolutely furious at the ugly turn that events took and has yet another nurse to add to his list of people who will receive their comeuppance some day. Fortunately for her there are a lot of folks on the list ahead of her. He's done pretty well with it. We dosed him with Tylenol before and after and he has slept most of the day. Gathering strength for being up all night unless I miss my guess.
They continue to pester poor Allan. And then complain because he is too worn out to eat. Honestly, it is enough to make me want to scream. So far we have had a barium swallow, vaccines (3), hearing tests (3), an IV stick, an eye exam and an MRI. I'm not entirely sure when he is supposed to be gathering his strength but it seems to me that that's all a bit much. The only silver lining that I can identify is that after all of this there really isn't any reason to continue to bother my son. So maybe he'll get a few days to rest, recuperate and reconsider bottle-feeding.
They continue to pester poor Allan. And then complain because he is too worn out to eat. Honestly, it is enough to make me want to scream. So far we have had a barium swallow, vaccines (3), hearing tests (3), an IV stick, an eye exam and an MRI. I'm not entirely sure when he is supposed to be gathering his strength but it seems to me that that's all a bit much. The only silver lining that I can identify is that after all of this there really isn't any reason to continue to bother my son. So maybe he'll get a few days to rest, recuperate and reconsider bottle-feeding.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Another day older
Another big day all around. Allan is having a hearing test. Don't ask me how they test hearing in a baby (raise your hand if you hear a sound?), but that's what they are doing apparently. He is feeling better since his vaccinations and has eaten some from the bottle since then. Honestly, I think that the poor little fellow just doesn't have the strength yet to eat from the bottle every time. Some times it is just easier to let someone else do it.
Griffith continues his streak of sleeping through his walks. We went this morning since I thought he might be a little more alert then. No dice. It was loud and bright outside and we were bumping along rough sidewalk (the umbrella stroller has no shocks on it), but it didn't matter. He didn't stir for the hour that we walked. We did go out on the back deck after lunch because he was so wide awake and he seemed to think that was pretty cool. He was especially interested in the sunlight/shadows made by the light through the leaves. We go back to the pediatrician tomorrow to get his 4 month shots and to check on how he is growing. I don't know about the rest of him but his fingernails have gotten quite long and he has scratched himself twice on the face. I am hesitant to trim them but he's going to turn in to Howard Hughes if I don't. This is definitely a project to be tackled while he is asleep.
Griffith continues his streak of sleeping through his walks. We went this morning since I thought he might be a little more alert then. No dice. It was loud and bright outside and we were bumping along rough sidewalk (the umbrella stroller has no shocks on it), but it didn't matter. He didn't stir for the hour that we walked. We did go out on the back deck after lunch because he was so wide awake and he seemed to think that was pretty cool. He was especially interested in the sunlight/shadows made by the light through the leaves. We go back to the pediatrician tomorrow to get his 4 month shots and to check on how he is growing. I don't know about the rest of him but his fingernails have gotten quite long and he has scratched himself twice on the face. I am hesitant to trim them but he's going to turn in to Howard Hughes if I don't. This is definitely a project to be tackled while he is asleep.
Hello, Alissa!
Allan on Sunday with Alissa. He was playing possum with Jennifer and me, but as soon as Alissa came over and started talking to him, he only had eyes for her.
Griffith - back from the big walk
Griffith in the baby blue stroller after our long walk this morning. He slept through it. Again.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Poor Allan got his 4 month vaccines yesterday and felt puny all night long. There had been some talk of using "tough love" to try to get him to start taking the bottle regularly, but no one had the heart to start that with him feeling poorly. So he had another pretty good day. He's a big boy these days -- 8 pounds 4 ounces. I took in his bouncey seat tonight. He may well decide that now is the time to take an interest in the outside world just like his brother.
Griffith seems to be adapting to life on the outside. He kept his dad up from a little before three until about 4 or so. The middle of the night continues to be his happy time. Not so much for Jay. He should sleep well tonight because we had a pretty busy day. In addition to his customary supervision of my cleaning of bottles, loading of dishwasher, doing and folding of laundry, Griffith and I took a walk in his baby blue umbrella stroller. He's as cute as a button and made even more so by the fact that I have to pile up receiving blankets in the bottom of the stroller to keep him from sliding out of it. Once again I was excited about how interesting he would fine the great out of doors. Once again he fell asleep immediately and didn't see any thing other than the inside of his eyelids. He sat in the stroller and watched as I did some gardening. Then we came in and took a bath and did our stretching exercises. Then, in order to make sure that he is well-rounded, we watched part of The Sting. This is designed to balance out The Gilmore Girls and Project Runway. We may start watching Sportscenter in the mornings just to get our fill of testosterone.
Griffith seems to be adapting to life on the outside. He kept his dad up from a little before three until about 4 or so. The middle of the night continues to be his happy time. Not so much for Jay. He should sleep well tonight because we had a pretty busy day. In addition to his customary supervision of my cleaning of bottles, loading of dishwasher, doing and folding of laundry, Griffith and I took a walk in his baby blue umbrella stroller. He's as cute as a button and made even more so by the fact that I have to pile up receiving blankets in the bottom of the stroller to keep him from sliding out of it. Once again I was excited about how interesting he would fine the great out of doors. Once again he fell asleep immediately and didn't see any thing other than the inside of his eyelids. He sat in the stroller and watched as I did some gardening. Then we came in and took a bath and did our stretching exercises. Then, in order to make sure that he is well-rounded, we watched part of The Sting. This is designed to balance out The Gilmore Girls and Project Runway. We may start watching Sportscenter in the mornings just to get our fill of testosterone.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Happy birthday, boys!
Sorry for the late post. Things have been a little hectic around here. (Don't laugh! Griffith requires an amount of attention that is completely out of proportion to his size.) He had a good weekend. Since this was the end of Grandma and Grampy's trip, there was quite a lot of holding and picture-taking going on. We had our first trip in the big double stroller on Saturday afternoon. I would like to say that he was very impressed with the trip around the neighborhood, but he mostly slept. A feat he repeated when I took him for his second walk this afternoon. The down side is that he really doesn't seem to be taking advantage of the lovely expensive stroller. The up side is that we know what to do when he won't quit crying. He's working really hard to get his fingers in his mouth and I am looking forward to the day that he does because that will totally solve the middle of the night search for the lost pacifier. (Okay, maybe not, but a girl has to dream.)
Allan is still hit-or-miss on the bottle-feedings and there really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why he will suck it dry one time and then refuse to do it the next. They did a barium swallow on him today to see if he has reflux that may be causing him difficulty eating but it doesn't look like that is the source of the problem. If he doesn't have any physical impediment to eating, then it looks like they are going to do a little "tough love" and let him get hungry and see if that won't pique his interest in the bottles. I hate to think of it, but it may be the way to get him to step up to the plate.
Today after a nice visit with both boys (who are four months old today!), Grandma and Grampy have headed off for home. It has been really nice to have extra hands for holding babies, but it is going to take me weeks to straighten the boys out (parking lot NOT car park! Momma NOT Mum!) but I have high hopes that I am up to the task.
Allan is still hit-or-miss on the bottle-feedings and there really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why he will suck it dry one time and then refuse to do it the next. They did a barium swallow on him today to see if he has reflux that may be causing him difficulty eating but it doesn't look like that is the source of the problem. If he doesn't have any physical impediment to eating, then it looks like they are going to do a little "tough love" and let him get hungry and see if that won't pique his interest in the bottles. I hate to think of it, but it may be the way to get him to step up to the plate.
Today after a nice visit with both boys (who are four months old today!), Grandma and Grampy have headed off for home. It has been really nice to have extra hands for holding babies, but it is going to take me weeks to straighten the boys out (parking lot NOT car park! Momma NOT Mum!) but I have high hopes that I am up to the task.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Allan is sitting on the verge of 8 pounds. He is at 7 pounds 15 ounces and will probably tip the scales tonight at 8 tonight. He's cute as he can be -- all dark-hair, big eyes, long lashes and rosy cheeks. He's still not overly interested in the bottle, though. It isn't that he doesn't know how to operate it - about once a day he will suck a whole bottle down with no problem. The rest of the time, though, he really isn't all that interested. He may do half or a quarter or none at all. One of his favorite feed times is (unfortunately) the 3 a.m. slot. And usually for Caitlyn. You may remember Caitlyn. She's the one who got Griffith on the night shift. (Thanks, Caitlyn! There is such a thing as karma. Remember where you heard that.) I told her that the other night when Griffith was doing his up-all-night routine I started to give her a call. If I had had a second set of hands I would have. Anyway, they are still talking about Allan coming home late next week, but unless someone has a "come to Jesus" with him about his eating, it isn't going to happen that soon. Still he will be coming home sooner rather than later.
Griffith is doing very well at home. We've had a lot of firsts. Today we took our first ride in the stroller. We thought he would be all eyes, but he mostly slept. Yesterday we watched our first episodes of The X-Files (he thinks Mulder is funny) and Project Runway (neither one of us thought that Bonnie should have been voted out - it should have been Keith.) Grandma and Grampy head back on Monday so he's been spending quite a lot of time with them, too. Every one keeps asking how he's sleeping. The short answer is that he sleeps a lot better than Jay and I do. He really loves the vibrate function on the bassinet, but someone needs to explain to me why the vibration cuts off after 15 minutes. That is just long enough for Griffith to begin to relax and drift off -- only to be jarred awake when it stops. And we feel his pain. It isn't as if the vibrating hurts him (does it?) because, God knows, I just hit the button again when he cries. He has also taken to peeing out of his diaper in the night and soaking his gown and blankets, etc. He finds this beyond annoying. I think he secretly believes that one of us is responsible for this negative turn of events. Other than that, he sleeps great. Just great.
Okay, my CD drive is stuck and Gateway is sending me a new one. The upshot of it is though that I erased the pictures on the compactflash card and can't get the ones on the CD on the site. Sorry about that but I should have more photos soon.
Griffith is doing very well at home. We've had a lot of firsts. Today we took our first ride in the stroller. We thought he would be all eyes, but he mostly slept. Yesterday we watched our first episodes of The X-Files (he thinks Mulder is funny) and Project Runway (neither one of us thought that Bonnie should have been voted out - it should have been Keith.) Grandma and Grampy head back on Monday so he's been spending quite a lot of time with them, too. Every one keeps asking how he's sleeping. The short answer is that he sleeps a lot better than Jay and I do. He really loves the vibrate function on the bassinet, but someone needs to explain to me why the vibration cuts off after 15 minutes. That is just long enough for Griffith to begin to relax and drift off -- only to be jarred awake when it stops. And we feel his pain. It isn't as if the vibrating hurts him (does it?) because, God knows, I just hit the button again when he cries. He has also taken to peeing out of his diaper in the night and soaking his gown and blankets, etc. He finds this beyond annoying. I think he secretly believes that one of us is responsible for this negative turn of events. Other than that, he sleeps great. Just great.
Okay, my CD drive is stuck and Gateway is sending me a new one. The upshot of it is though that I erased the pictures on the compactflash card and can't get the ones on the CD on the site. Sorry about that but I should have more photos soon.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Alissa and Allan
Alissa with Allan. She started off as Griffith's girlfriend, but sweet Allan won her over. Although no one is keeping score, I'm sure.
The source of the problem
Caitlyn with Allan. Caitlyn is the one who is going to come over every night to play with Griffith at 3 a..m.
Thursday August 10th.
Allan is faring very well on his diet. He has lost weight (25 grams total) for the past two days. He's still quite a big fellow but now that he is on the lower calorie breast milk he should slim down a bit. We are working on his bottle-feeding every day because that is the only thing holding him back at the moment. He has the whole suck, swallow, breath thing down, but it just takes so much energy that he gets tuckered out before he eats much more than an ounce. It really is all a matter of building up enough strength to eat enough eight times a day. Once he gets that down, Dr. DeSai is kicking him to the curb.
Griffith had another big day. We went to the pediatrician this morning. He was wide awake for his ride to the doctor's office -- he literally stared out the window and didn't make a peep unless the car stopped. Then he would cry. His exam went very well -- he has gained about 4 ounces since Monday. He is now 5 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long. Compared to all kids his age (literal age, not adjusted) he is in the 3rd percentile, meaning that he is as big or bigger than 3 % of the kids his age. He's got some growing to do.
Grandma and Grampy made it back in yesterday from their trip and are getting in lots of hold time with both boys.
Griffith had another big day. We went to the pediatrician this morning. He was wide awake for his ride to the doctor's office -- he literally stared out the window and didn't make a peep unless the car stopped. Then he would cry. His exam went very well -- he has gained about 4 ounces since Monday. He is now 5 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long. Compared to all kids his age (literal age, not adjusted) he is in the 3rd percentile, meaning that he is as big or bigger than 3 % of the kids his age. He's got some growing to do.
Grandma and Grampy made it back in yesterday from their trip and are getting in lots of hold time with both boys.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Message from Griffith
Hi, everybody! I'm helping Momma blog today so don't be surprised if this message cuts off in the middle. Sometimes I hit the wrong buttons and sometimes I just lose interest and make Momma stop. I just wanted you to know that, so far, I like the outside world pretty well. I do miss all of my nurses and friends at the hospital, especially the ones who worked at night. Momma and Dad aren't nearly as energetic and fun at 3 a.m. as Sarah, Caitlyn and Krista. Mom and Dad keep trying to get me to go to sleep, but I keep trying to get them to pick me up. So far I'm winning but it takes some work to get them to cooperate. My new nursery is pretty bright but I haven't spent much time in there. Mom and Dad keep me in a bassinet next to their bed at night. The rest of the time one or the other is usually holding me. I do have some cool new stuff -- my swing is very cool -- it plays under the sea music and rocks me back and forth. And I really like all of the ceiling fans here. Maybe you should put some of them in the NICU. I could watch them for hours. Mom and I sat on the porch for a little while today and she tried to show me the rain storm, but I was too tired and not able to keep my eyes open. I'm sure I'll be suitably impressed later. I have my first pediatrician visit tomorrow morning. So that will be my first big trip out in to the real world. I'll give you a full report tomorrow. Time to take a nap.
Settling in
Yesterday went very well. We are all beginning to settle in. Griffith was having a bit of a tummy ache. In order to make sure that he is getting enough minerals, etc., they put him on 4 bottles of formula a day. The rest are breast milk fortified with formula. He isn't a big fan of the pure formula and it does seem to make him a little gassy. We've been giving him Mylicon drops, though and that seems to help some. Or did until 3 o'clock this morning. We did very well sticking to his hospital schedule of 3, 6, 9, and 12 feedings. He didn't give us much choice -- when he's ready to eat, he lets you know. We had a big night last night. When Dad went to visit Allan, wE played in the swing, we sang, we danced, we did exercises. I sang every song I know and made up verses to others and created some to describe whatever we happened to be doing at the moment. I need to pull out the 4H songbook and brush up on some lyrics,though because Bottle of Wine, Fruit of the Vine is probably not an appropriate lullabye. Griff also discovered t.v., both good (Jon Stewart and Keith Olbeman) and bad (Bring It On).
Allan had a good day, too. They've taken him down on the fortifier so that he isn't getting so many extra calories and (although they claim it is unrelated) given him an exercise routine. My. Poor.Baby. The exercises aren't for weight loss -- they are for flexibility, but the timing couldn't be more perfect, following so quickly on the heels of the diet. There was an unnecessary comment made about his weight and flexibility -- he's doing fine with his arms but needs to work on the flexibility of his legs. You know he really can't move them as freely because he is so fat. All right now, people, back off of my baby. It isn't as if he is making poor nutritional choices or raiding the frig in the middle of the night. You all decided it would be a grand idea to pump him full of the baby equivalent of milk shakes eight times a day -- you can not now blame him for being husky! Anyway, he was still doing well with his lower oxygen and the regular wall cannula. Now he needs to work on bottle-feeding. He'll do it some but not all he needs and not every time. It is just easier to have someone put it in your belly than suck it out of a bottle. No parole until he's doing that.
Another big day awaits us...Dad and Griff are still snoozing after the 6 o'clock. I'll get ready to go visit Allan while they hang out here to wait for the dryer repair guy (couldn't have happened at a better time). Grandma and Grampy arrive back sometime this afternoon so there will be a bunch of loving to be had.
Allan had a good day, too. They've taken him down on the fortifier so that he isn't getting so many extra calories and (although they claim it is unrelated) given him an exercise routine. My. Poor.Baby. The exercises aren't for weight loss -- they are for flexibility, but the timing couldn't be more perfect, following so quickly on the heels of the diet. There was an unnecessary comment made about his weight and flexibility -- he's doing fine with his arms but needs to work on the flexibility of his legs. You know he really can't move them as freely because he is so fat. All right now, people, back off of my baby. It isn't as if he is making poor nutritional choices or raiding the frig in the middle of the night. You all decided it would be a grand idea to pump him full of the baby equivalent of milk shakes eight times a day -- you can not now blame him for being husky! Anyway, he was still doing well with his lower oxygen and the regular wall cannula. Now he needs to work on bottle-feeding. He'll do it some but not all he needs and not every time. It is just easier to have someone put it in your belly than suck it out of a bottle. No parole until he's doing that.
Another big day awaits us...Dad and Griff are still snoozing after the 6 o'clock. I'll get ready to go visit Allan while they hang out here to wait for the dryer repair guy (couldn't have happened at a better time). Grandma and Grampy arrive back sometime this afternoon so there will be a bunch of loving to be had.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
It was a very big day
Griffith's "transfer" went very smoothly and we seem to have made it through the night. One down and however many thousands left to go. Yesterday was kind of a long day for all of us and it will be nice to settle in to a routine. The question is who sets the routine, but I think we already have a pretty good idea of the answer.
It took until the middle of the afternoon until we were discharged so we didn't get home until about 3:30. (This was partly due to the fact that we hit the Sonic drive-through on the way home! ) Griffith really wasn't all that interested - he did not want an order of Ched 'r' peppers with that, thank you very much. Once he ate and got settled, we all took naps. Then it was time to feed him (and ourselves) again. Griffith was doing great. Of course, he hadn't been put down from 3:30 until 7:00. Griffith seems to like our swing and hung out in it while we were eating. Of course, we didn't have it adjusted correctly and, at the beginning, he was swinging a little higher and faster than strictly necessary. He probably thought he was on The Whip at the county fair! Once we got that straightened out, Dad headed back to the hospital to visit with Allan and we settled in here. We are supposed to stick to the hospital feeding schedule so we are on a 3, 6, 9, 12 treadmill. Griffith is in a bassinet by the bed and I would love to report that, between feedings, he was quiet as a lamb but, Lord, he's a noisy little thing -- sucking on the pacifier, rooting around for it,wriggling, groaning, stretching. He was a bit of a night owl. Three o'clock and he was ready to play. I suppose we'll get used to it, but right now we are all ears. He sneezed around 2 and we both bolted upright. He likes the bassinet. It has a vibrate mode and he's all in to the thousand fingers massage.
Allan had a good day yesterday, too. He is off the high-flow cannula and on to the regular wall cannula which is a big step for going home. He seems to be doing very well. Now we just have to convince him that bottle-feeding is something he wants to do full-time. Dr. DeSai examined him yesterday because he had had a big weight gain the day before and she wanted to make sure that he wasn't getting too much fluid. He's not. She pronounced him "fat" and is taking him off of the special high-calorie formula. That's right, she's putting my baby, my one pound nine ounce baby, on a diet. He is doing well, but is probably a couple of weeks from going home. Fortunately he isn't lonely -- he is now roommates with Makenze, Griffith's former girlfriend. Little hussy is determined to get herself one of my boys.
We aren't sure what today holds. We are just going to play it by ear and, every time Griffith howls, one of us will jump to figure out what caused it and, more importantly, how to make it stop.
It took until the middle of the afternoon until we were discharged so we didn't get home until about 3:30. (This was partly due to the fact that we hit the Sonic drive-through on the way home! ) Griffith really wasn't all that interested - he did not want an order of Ched 'r' peppers with that, thank you very much. Once he ate and got settled, we all took naps. Then it was time to feed him (and ourselves) again. Griffith was doing great. Of course, he hadn't been put down from 3:30 until 7:00. Griffith seems to like our swing and hung out in it while we were eating. Of course, we didn't have it adjusted correctly and, at the beginning, he was swinging a little higher and faster than strictly necessary. He probably thought he was on The Whip at the county fair! Once we got that straightened out, Dad headed back to the hospital to visit with Allan and we settled in here. We are supposed to stick to the hospital feeding schedule so we are on a 3, 6, 9, 12 treadmill. Griffith is in a bassinet by the bed and I would love to report that, between feedings, he was quiet as a lamb but, Lord, he's a noisy little thing -- sucking on the pacifier, rooting around for it,wriggling, groaning, stretching. He was a bit of a night owl. Three o'clock and he was ready to play. I suppose we'll get used to it, but right now we are all ears. He sneezed around 2 and we both bolted upright. He likes the bassinet. It has a vibrate mode and he's all in to the thousand fingers massage.
Allan had a good day yesterday, too. He is off the high-flow cannula and on to the regular wall cannula which is a big step for going home. He seems to be doing very well. Now we just have to convince him that bottle-feeding is something he wants to do full-time. Dr. DeSai examined him yesterday because he had had a big weight gain the day before and she wanted to make sure that he wasn't getting too much fluid. He's not. She pronounced him "fat" and is taking him off of the special high-calorie formula. That's right, she's putting my baby, my one pound nine ounce baby, on a diet. He is doing well, but is probably a couple of weeks from going home. Fortunately he isn't lonely -- he is now roommates with Makenze, Griffith's former girlfriend. Little hussy is determined to get herself one of my boys.
We aren't sure what today holds. We are just going to play it by ear and, every time Griffith howls, one of us will jump to figure out what caused it and, more importantly, how to make it stop.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Geri and her boys
She's sorry to see Griffith go, but will be keeping her noon and six dates with Allan for a while.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
So far so good
We've just come from the boys and things are still looking good. As you can see from the photos, we had a big night in the NICU. Both boys got baths and we took photos and got ready for what we are calling Griffith's "transfer." The word "home" seems to be a bit of a jinx so we aren't telling him where he's going exactly. We had a big time. They both got cleaned up and, as you can see, we took a bunch of photos. We also took the "official" photo of the two of them which was hilarious. They stick your kid in a trough with a camera above it and take photos. Which would work fine if we had two kids who were the size of Griffith or one kid the size of Allan. As it was we had to cram Griff in beside Allan which didn't bother Allan at all -- he seemed to think it was nice to have someone to prop him up -- but irritated Griffith immensely. Then, of course, we had to get them to: 1) open both eyes at the same time; 2) put their arms down so you could see their faces; and 3) not look as if you had just been goosed (Allan) or as if someone had just pinched you (Griffith). It was all a great deal of fun. For us anyway.
So tomorrow Griffith gets his final inspection from the docs. They check the oil, kick the tires, fill up the tank and say bon voyage. We aren't real sure when we'll get out, but some time tomorrow afternoon is a good bet. It is going to be hard to leave Allan, but it isn't as if he isn't in good hands -- without Griffith there to distract the nurses, Allan is going to be the center of attention in Nursery 9. As he should be. There are no guarantees on his release, but we are hopeful that he will get home within a couple of weeks. We figure that they want to make sure that we don't break Griffith and then they'll send Allan home.
We are really excited about getting Griffith home and we know that a lot of you are excited, too. We are very grateful for all of the love, encouragement and prayers and we will continue to need all of them. Griffith is doing great and has come a long, long, LONG way. We can't wait to introduce him to every one, but coming home is going to be an enormous, stressful change for him (not to mention us) and it is really important that he has a chance to adjust. As they keep telling us at the hospital, he doesn't have a lot of reserve -- just being held and passed around takes a lot more out of him than it would a full-term baby. Plus his immune system isn't as robust as that of a full-term baby and we have to make sure that he doesn't get exposed to any more germs than already reside in our (very clean, nearly spotlesss) home. So, for the time being we aren't receiving visitors. We will be keeping up the blog and will let you know when we are all able to party like (very small) rock stars.
So tomorrow Griffith gets his final inspection from the docs. They check the oil, kick the tires, fill up the tank and say bon voyage. We aren't real sure when we'll get out, but some time tomorrow afternoon is a good bet. It is going to be hard to leave Allan, but it isn't as if he isn't in good hands -- without Griffith there to distract the nurses, Allan is going to be the center of attention in Nursery 9. As he should be. There are no guarantees on his release, but we are hopeful that he will get home within a couple of weeks. We figure that they want to make sure that we don't break Griffith and then they'll send Allan home.
We are really excited about getting Griffith home and we know that a lot of you are excited, too. We are very grateful for all of the love, encouragement and prayers and we will continue to need all of them. Griffith is doing great and has come a long, long, LONG way. We can't wait to introduce him to every one, but coming home is going to be an enormous, stressful change for him (not to mention us) and it is really important that he has a chance to adjust. As they keep telling us at the hospital, he doesn't have a lot of reserve -- just being held and passed around takes a lot more out of him than it would a full-term baby. Plus his immune system isn't as robust as that of a full-term baby and we have to make sure that he doesn't get exposed to any more germs than already reside in our (very clean, nearly spotlesss) home. So, for the time being we aren't receiving visitors. We will be keeping up the blog and will let you know when we are all able to party like (very small) rock stars.
Cheryl and her boys
Cheryl may be the only person Griffith will listen to and obey. I am going to have to get her on tape saying "No." "Stop." "Put that down." I'm going to need all the help that I can get.
Griffith and Sarah
This is Sarah who has decided that keeping my baby up all night is a good idea. She won't think it is nearly as funny when I start calling her at 3 a.m. so that the two of them can chat.
Jennifer and the boys
Jennifer with Griffith and Allan after their baths. Griffith seems to be trying to get away while Allan is afraid to look away.....
Jennifer and Allan
Jennifer helped out with Allan's bath tonight. The woman is obsessed with our baby and water. As long as she is under constant supervision, though, it should be okay.
100% little and loud
reads the shirt that Grampy and Grandma brought with them. You can see that it fits perfectly!
Allan and Rosa
Rosa is off right now, but came back in to see the boys and to say farewell to Griffith.
We are set for an on-time departure
Well, it looks like Griffith is going to be shown the door of the NICU tomorrow. They've had enough of his demanding ways. Time for him to hit the bricks. Nevermind that they are the ones who spoiled him to begin with. He's our problem now. He passed his hearing screen (again), got checked out in his carseat (he looks so impossibly small in there!), and Jay and I finally watched the shaken baby video. Much to the relief of the doctors and nurses, we have now ruled shaking out as a means of discipline. (That's what they make closets for, right?) Griffith must have been excited about the prospect of getting out because he was awake ALL NIGHT last night. Every time Sarah would put him down, he would howl. As soon as she picked him up, he would stop. She finally stuck him in his swing and that's how he greeted Cheryl this morning. She was going to have to give him a talking to today and get him back in to his day/night routine. I was kind of surprised that he didn't sleep better. He spent most of yesterday up and helping Jenny play solitaire. Not knowing his colors or numbers yet was a bit of a handicap, but he really enjoy watched the cards move across the screen. I told her that they needed to investigate on-line poker. Little slacker has been here nearly four months and hasn't contributed to the household finances at all. Going to have to earn his way somehow.
Allan has been doing great as well. He is back on the nasal cannula and doing very well with it. They've stopped his diuretics and, so far, he really hasn't gained any significant fluid. Plus you can just tell that he is feeling better -- he's more alert and wide-eyed now that he isn't having to work so hard to breath. They have continued feeding him the extra calorie formula in his milk so he is now 7 pounds 3 ounces. He has outgrown all the "preemie" clothes, as well as the "newborn." He is now solidly in the 0-3 months. He and his brother have done very well with the cobedding. As far as I know, Griffith hasn't smacked his brother since that initial incident. We have noticed that Allan has picked up how to howl from Griffith and Griffith has learned how to stick out his lower lip and pout like Allan. This wasn't exactly what we had in mind when they told us that this would aid in their development.
Allan has been doing great as well. He is back on the nasal cannula and doing very well with it. They've stopped his diuretics and, so far, he really hasn't gained any significant fluid. Plus you can just tell that he is feeling better -- he's more alert and wide-eyed now that he isn't having to work so hard to breath. They have continued feeding him the extra calorie formula in his milk so he is now 7 pounds 3 ounces. He has outgrown all the "preemie" clothes, as well as the "newborn." He is now solidly in the 0-3 months. He and his brother have done very well with the cobedding. As far as I know, Griffith hasn't smacked his brother since that initial incident. We have noticed that Allan has picked up how to howl from Griffith and Griffith has learned how to stick out his lower lip and pout like Allan. This wasn't exactly what we had in mind when they told us that this would aid in their development.
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