Monday, October 16, 2006
Friday, October 13, 2006
Eight days and counting....
Another good day for all of us. Allan is still home and doing well. He looks good, he is alert and interested in his surroundings (the ceiling fans anyway). The end of Day Eight. Sorry for the delays in blogging but Dad has been out of town and that makes it a little hectic around here. Kim came last night and she and Griffith partied like rock stars until late in the night. (Actually he slept like a lamb. Kim, on the other hand, slept fully dressed and on top of the covers with her hand on the bassinet in case she needed to leap in to action.)
Today was a Very Big Day in our household. Griffith has learned to roll from his belly to his back. Tummy Time is the Holy Grail of parenting these days. If your kid doesn't get sufficient Tummy Time, then you can forget about early admission to Harvard and you may as well sign your kid up for Advanced Ditch Digging. As per his usual, Griff hates Tummy Time with a white hot firey passion. Is certain that it was designed especially to irritate him. Not wishing to antagonize him unnecessarily, we have been doing modified Tummy Time - his chest to ours, etc. Yesterday, I decided to put him down on his belly just to see how he would react. Lord in Heaven was he mad -- arms and head down as if he were getting ready to do push ups, one leg and his hind end up in the air, squawling. He rocked back and forth and Flora and I both thought that he might flip then, but he lost momentum. Today, though, he was completely irritated by the second time that we put him on his belly and he cried as if we were scalding him before he gave an almighty heave and flipped himself on to his back, thumping his little noggin on the floor. We were all stunned that he had managed to do it. I tried to take a picture, but the batteries were dead. We'll stage a photo later.
Allan is a little behind his brother, but making progress every day. Aunt Stephanie came to assist while Dad was away tonight. Allan is still not setting any records with the bottle feeding, but he has learned to suck his hand and he bats at his bouncy seat toys. Mostly, though, he likes to look at the very bright paintings on the walls. And the ceiling fan. Best $60 we ever spent.
Today was a Very Big Day in our household. Griffith has learned to roll from his belly to his back. Tummy Time is the Holy Grail of parenting these days. If your kid doesn't get sufficient Tummy Time, then you can forget about early admission to Harvard and you may as well sign your kid up for Advanced Ditch Digging. As per his usual, Griff hates Tummy Time with a white hot firey passion. Is certain that it was designed especially to irritate him. Not wishing to antagonize him unnecessarily, we have been doing modified Tummy Time - his chest to ours, etc. Yesterday, I decided to put him down on his belly just to see how he would react. Lord in Heaven was he mad -- arms and head down as if he were getting ready to do push ups, one leg and his hind end up in the air, squawling. He rocked back and forth and Flora and I both thought that he might flip then, but he lost momentum. Today, though, he was completely irritated by the second time that we put him on his belly and he cried as if we were scalding him before he gave an almighty heave and flipped himself on to his back, thumping his little noggin on the floor. We were all stunned that he had managed to do it. I tried to take a picture, but the batteries were dead. We'll stage a photo later.
Allan is a little behind his brother, but making progress every day. Aunt Stephanie came to assist while Dad was away tonight. Allan is still not setting any records with the bottle feeding, but he has learned to suck his hand and he bats at his bouncy seat toys. Mostly, though, he likes to look at the very bright paintings on the walls. And the ceiling fan. Best $60 we ever spent.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Well, we've made it through Day Six and are starting Day Seven. At the moment, the Butter Bean and I are hanging out in the bedroom ostensibly watching Baby Einstein about body parts. In reality, I am typing and the bean is watching the ceiling fan. I could have saved myself $45 in BE videos apparently and just turned on the fan that we already own. Live and learn. Still, he seems satisfied and God knows as long as someone isn't crying, I'm good with it. He really seems to be taking more of an interest in everything that is going on around him. Tonight he played with the same ball that Griffith loves to swat. He isn't quite as coordinated as Griffith at the moment, but he is definitely working on it.
Griffith has fallen asleep in his swing downstairs and neither Jay nor I have what it takes to wake him. As my friend Diane observed to Lee, Griffith has quite a temper. Personally I think he just has really deeply felt beliefs about boundaries. Unfortunately, people just keep messing with him and until they learn to quit it, he is going to have to straighten them out continually.
We have no place to go and nothing to do until Monday morning so, with a little luck, we will hang out, read, sing, play and not watch exorbitantly priced videos and grow for a few more days.
Griffith has fallen asleep in his swing downstairs and neither Jay nor I have what it takes to wake him. As my friend Diane observed to Lee, Griffith has quite a temper. Personally I think he just has really deeply felt beliefs about boundaries. Unfortunately, people just keep messing with him and until they learn to quit it, he is going to have to straighten them out continually.
We have no place to go and nothing to do until Monday morning so, with a little luck, we will hang out, read, sing, play and not watch exorbitantly priced videos and grow for a few more days.
Day Six
Well, we've made it to Day Six of the Return of the Butter Bean (Part III). He had a good night and really hasn't desated more than a handful of times since we've come home. He seems to like the new accomodations. Since the last time he came home, we've rearranged and moved a crib in to the upstairs master suite. Allan takes the crib and Griffith sleeps in the bassinet. We hope that by the time Griffith is too big for it that we will be able to put them both in the crib.
Flora has finally witnessed Griffith having a genuine tantrum - back stiff, arched and screaming like a banshee. She said "I think he's going to have a temper." I don't want to argue with her, but it looks to me like he already has one.
Allan and I had a mother/son outing yesterday. We were very brave and took a walk all by ourselves yesterday afternoon. He fell asleep before we were out the back door, but we went any way. The weather was nice and it was supposed to (and indeed is) rain today and turn cold and the boy needs some fresh air. Griffith looks positively tan compared to his brother so we have to try to even them up.
I fell victim to marketing yesterday -- I went to pick up shampoo for Allan (who has cradle cap in his eyebrows)(eleven dollars a bottle, thank you very much) and as I was checking out, I spotted the strategically located UK baseball caps. Worse than a child in the check out lane. Anyway, we are washing them up and should have photos to post soonn.
Flora has finally witnessed Griffith having a genuine tantrum - back stiff, arched and screaming like a banshee. She said "I think he's going to have a temper." I don't want to argue with her, but it looks to me like he already has one.
Allan and I had a mother/son outing yesterday. We were very brave and took a walk all by ourselves yesterday afternoon. He fell asleep before we were out the back door, but we went any way. The weather was nice and it was supposed to (and indeed is) rain today and turn cold and the boy needs some fresh air. Griffith looks positively tan compared to his brother so we have to try to even them up.
I fell victim to marketing yesterday -- I went to pick up shampoo for Allan (who has cradle cap in his eyebrows)(eleven dollars a bottle, thank you very much) and as I was checking out, I spotted the strategically located UK baseball caps. Worse than a child in the check out lane. Anyway, we are washing them up and should have photos to post soonn.
Monday, October 09, 2006
All's well
Both boys are doing just fine.
Allan went to the doctor today and he looks good, feels good and is gaining the proper amount of weight. He is now a whopping 11 pounds 1 ounces. He still is having issues with eating enough via the bottle and we may have to investigate other options (remove the NG tube and have a tube in to the belly) but we are letting that go for the moment. Allan feels so good that he actually has started to fuss when things don't go his way. Heather was dropping off some stuff and got to witness a good old-fashioned pout. I was feeding Griffith and that didn't suit Allan (to be fair, it didn't suit Griffith when I was feeding Allan earlier.) Heather agrees that someone is going to have to cross-stitch "Suck it up, Richardson." in to a sampler for me. It will save a lot of time and repitition.
Griffith is about 8.5 pounds these days and his little cheeks are getting full. Not to mention the tan he has from the walks we take (yes, yes, we realize that the sun is bad for you and he wears a hat and has a shade over him. He gets a little sun nonetheless.) Griffith has learned to laugh which is the most magical sound you can imagine. Without exaggeration, he chuckles at the things that he thinks are funny. He still has the most incredible temper and will go from absolutely asleep to wide awake, arching his back and screaming. Jay says that it is 10 percent hunger and 90 percent mad that you aren't doing what he wants.
We long walk on Sunday with both boys in the stroller. We ate danishes outside at Magee's and toured the entire neighborhood. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Yesterday Allan and I listened to the old bad blue jay for about 20 minutes. The world is truly a fascinating place.
Allan went to the doctor today and he looks good, feels good and is gaining the proper amount of weight. He is now a whopping 11 pounds 1 ounces. He still is having issues with eating enough via the bottle and we may have to investigate other options (remove the NG tube and have a tube in to the belly) but we are letting that go for the moment. Allan feels so good that he actually has started to fuss when things don't go his way. Heather was dropping off some stuff and got to witness a good old-fashioned pout. I was feeding Griffith and that didn't suit Allan (to be fair, it didn't suit Griffith when I was feeding Allan earlier.) Heather agrees that someone is going to have to cross-stitch "Suck it up, Richardson." in to a sampler for me. It will save a lot of time and repitition.
Griffith is about 8.5 pounds these days and his little cheeks are getting full. Not to mention the tan he has from the walks we take (yes, yes, we realize that the sun is bad for you and he wears a hat and has a shade over him. He gets a little sun nonetheless.) Griffith has learned to laugh which is the most magical sound you can imagine. Without exaggeration, he chuckles at the things that he thinks are funny. He still has the most incredible temper and will go from absolutely asleep to wide awake, arching his back and screaming. Jay says that it is 10 percent hunger and 90 percent mad that you aren't doing what he wants.
We long walk on Sunday with both boys in the stroller. We ate danishes outside at Magee's and toured the entire neighborhood. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Yesterday Allan and I listened to the old bad blue jay for about 20 minutes. The world is truly a fascinating place.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Third time is the charm
Well, we made it home again late yesterday afternoon. Here's hoping that it sticks this time. Allan looks really good, as you can see. This time, we had three days of stability at the hospital -- no changes in meds or treatments - before we left so we hope that they hit upon a cocktail of medicines that works. Now we just have to keep Allan properly entertained so that he doesn't decide that he has to go back to see his girlfriends in the NICU, PICU and on the floor. For his homecoming, I found denim overalls and a plaid shirt (Griffith got some similar ones). He looks like a little boy in them. Dad was just a little concerned. I think he is going to try to find a tweed jacket and a bowler to even the score (wait until he gets a load of the camo. We'll see how that stiff upper lip holds.)
Griffith didn't fuss too much about us bringing Allan home again. We don't know whether he's decided that he just can't win because we keep bringing him back or if he is just biding his time and waiting for him to leave again. As I have said before, we have two perfect only children.
No big plans for today. Flora is in her element taking care of multiples. and she has banished me to the upstairs so that they can all get used to each other. Of course, I already caught her calling Griffith Allan. That will not go over well. Looks like it is going to be a pretty day. When it warms up, I am going to take Griffith out back for a while and then switch off and get Allan out there, too. Time for him to get a little fresh air and sunshine.
Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well this time.
Griffith didn't fuss too much about us bringing Allan home again. We don't know whether he's decided that he just can't win because we keep bringing him back or if he is just biding his time and waiting for him to leave again. As I have said before, we have two perfect only children.
No big plans for today. Flora is in her element taking care of multiples. and she has banished me to the upstairs so that they can all get used to each other. Of course, I already caught her calling Griffith Allan. That will not go over well. Looks like it is going to be a pretty day. When it warms up, I am going to take Griffith out back for a while and then switch off and get Allan out there, too. Time for him to get a little fresh air and sunshine.
Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well this time.
Allan in his overalls (II)
Allan in his going home outfit. Big boy coveralls and a plaid flannel shirt.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Griffith kept me a little busy yesterday so I didn't get back to update about Allan. Allan is doing very well and, if all continues to go well, we may get him home (again) tomorrow. We hope that the third time is the charm with him. In the month since we left the NICU, we have spent only 8 days at home. Not a very good record.
Flora spent Monday afternoon with Allan and all day Tuesday. She's supposed to be back here this afternoon so that she can get a head start on spoiling him. She came in and told Allan that Griffith said hello and he curled his little lip up in distaste. We have 2 perfect only children. Allan has learned to whack the beads on one of his dangly toys and yesterday was trying to reach up and grab the mouse that runs around on his elephant/mirror thingy. He is also trying (occasionally) to get his hand or finger in his mouth, but his success with (and interest in) that has been limited. We are still trying to get him rolling on the bottle-feeding thing and have had another OT (occupational therapy) consult and a visit by the Swallow Team. The bottom line seems to be that there isn't any thing wrong with his suck -- he just doesn't have the endurance for all the eating that someone of his age and girth needs to do.
He has made himself very popular in the PICU and, by all reports, is never alone for long.
Flora spent Monday afternoon with Allan and all day Tuesday. She's supposed to be back here this afternoon so that she can get a head start on spoiling him. She came in and told Allan that Griffith said hello and he curled his little lip up in distaste. We have 2 perfect only children. Allan has learned to whack the beads on one of his dangly toys and yesterday was trying to reach up and grab the mouse that runs around on his elephant/mirror thingy. He is also trying (occasionally) to get his hand or finger in his mouth, but his success with (and interest in) that has been limited. We are still trying to get him rolling on the bottle-feeding thing and have had another OT (occupational therapy) consult and a visit by the Swallow Team. The bottom line seems to be that there isn't any thing wrong with his suck -- he just doesn't have the endurance for all the eating that someone of his age and girth needs to do.
He has made himself very popular in the PICU and, by all reports, is never alone for long.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The boys both seem to be doing very well. Griffith had a big couple of days as you can see from the photos. Caitlin came over Sunday night to spoil him. She hadn't seen him in a while and might not have recognized him had he not decided to howl at the top of his lungs about -- something -- who knows what? -- that irritated him. Ah, yes, THAT'S Griffith all right. Clearly he remembered her and was completely, comfortably racked out when we got home. Yesterday afternoon, Cheryl stopped by for a visit. Of course, Griffith had been playing and kicking and cooing and grinning all over himself, right up until about 20 or 30 minutes before she got here, at which point he passed out completely and stayed that way through her entire visit. Contrary little twerp. I can't really blame him, though, we had a big afternoon. He helped Momma in the garden all afternoon long. First he supervised from the bouncy seat, but got tired of that and started squawling. So then we tried putting him in the Snugli. He was pretty sure he was going to hate it, but after we put a blanket under his no-bottom so that he had a better view, he was just fine. We swept the deck, trimmed the roses and raked up leaves. Late yesterday afternoon, we listened to All Things Considered and repotted mums. That worked very well so long as he could see me. If I got out of his sight to put a pot somewhere or retrieve something, he immediately tuned up. Still and all, he's a great little guy and lots of fun. He wakes up with a big smile on his face and is starting to grin AT you and makes a little sound that sounds a lot like a chuckle. He usually does both in response to Word Up (since he often waves his hands in the air, like he doesn't care.....)
Speaking of tuned up, he's getting there now. It is lunch time. I'll update later with news of Allan.
Speaking of tuned up, he's getting there now. It is lunch time. I'll update later with news of Allan.
Cheryl and Griffith on the deck
After being all wide awke, cooing and cute all afternoon, Griffith fell asleep 30 mintes before Cheryl arrived and stayed that way until 20 minutes after she left. She didn't seem to mind.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Sunday 10/1
Big Al and I are hanging out this afternoon. We've just finished our baby yoga and are listening to Baby Beethoven. We have a new bouncy seat to try out later and Cheryl brought a couple of new books (The Poky Little Puppy and The Saggy Baggy Elephant) so it is going to be a big day all around. Tio Luis may be stopping by later so really, it is an action-packed Sunday. Allan seems to be doing pretty well and they are talking about discharge (again) some time next week. (He has won over the doctors and nurses in the PICU so his work here is done.) Keep your fingers crossed that we go home and stay there for more than a few days this time. Anyway, he's looking good (naturally) and weighs in at about 10 and a half pounds. He is working on getting his fingers in his mouth, but frequently loses interest after the first misstep or two. It just seems like rather a lot of effort. He has taken to winking this week as well. I can't say that it is purely volitional, but it does seem to happen a lot when a pretty girl is sweet-talking.
Dad has had to work all weekend so we have had to get some folks in to pinch-hit on the childcare. Yesterday Aunt Kathy came up. She and Griffith got along famously. They spent a fair amount of time learning about laminate flooring, apparently. (For the record, he is not opposed to it and thinks that it wears well, especially in high-traffic areas.) Then we spent a fair amount of time rearranging the pictures in the house while listening to Paula Deen and her boys talk about her cooking school. Griffith is hanging out with Cousin Jennifer this afternoon. When I called to check in they were getting along pretty well -- he's already got her dancing to his tune. They ate, walked around the back yard, and played in the bouncy seat. Just when she thought she had him settled down and pulled out some work to do, he began howling. He really does have radar for when you are trying to get things done. His latest tricks include howling as if you have stuck him with a hot poker when you try to burp him. And it comes as a complete shock to him every time we do it. As if we don't burp about 3 times every feeding, eight times a day, every day. I guess he's just an eternal optimist and always thinks that maybe, just maybe, this time will be different.
Dad has had to work all weekend so we have had to get some folks in to pinch-hit on the childcare. Yesterday Aunt Kathy came up. She and Griffith got along famously. They spent a fair amount of time learning about laminate flooring, apparently. (For the record, he is not opposed to it and thinks that it wears well, especially in high-traffic areas.) Then we spent a fair amount of time rearranging the pictures in the house while listening to Paula Deen and her boys talk about her cooking school. Griffith is hanging out with Cousin Jennifer this afternoon. When I called to check in they were getting along pretty well -- he's already got her dancing to his tune. They ate, walked around the back yard, and played in the bouncy seat. Just when she thought she had him settled down and pulled out some work to do, he began howling. He really does have radar for when you are trying to get things done. His latest tricks include howling as if you have stuck him with a hot poker when you try to burp him. And it comes as a complete shock to him every time we do it. As if we don't burp about 3 times every feeding, eight times a day, every day. I guess he's just an eternal optimist and always thinks that maybe, just maybe, this time will be different.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
We've had a busy couple of days. Sorry for the delay in posting. Allan and I are hanging out in the PICU. Griff and Flora are hanging out at home. Another day older and deeper in debt.
Allan seems to be doing better since Saturday. His color is good, he's very alert, and he's been maintaining his sats very well. He's had a couple of times when he's dropped them, but very low and not for very long. They've tweaked a number of things and run a number of tests -- echocardiogram, EKG, upper GI. They tried to do a bronchoscopy (putting a flexible tube down his airway to see whether there is something constricting the airway) but he dropped his heartrate when they started the sedation so they stopped. They don't really think he has an airway problem, but they were trying to rule it out. They were also hoping to suck some stuff out of his lung so they could look at it to see if he is aspirating. The upper GI showed that he isn't refluxing and that, as far as they can tell, what he sucks down is going in the right places. The heart studies show that he has a thickening of the walls of the right ventricle which is the part of the heart that pushes blood in to the lungs. Since his lungs are crappy, the heart has to work harder to push the blood through. So they have started him on Viagra (no joke) to help lower the pressure necessary to push the blood through. What else have they done? He's had steroids and antibiotics and no one knows which tweak or which combinations of tweaks have helped, but long may it last. He has established himself as a very popular fellow in the PICU and is collecting new girlfriends left, right and center.
Griffith is doing great. He eats at least 3 ounces at a go and sometimes more. We haven't weighed him lately, but he is certainly a more than 8 pound baby. Eight pounds of pure contrary. Yesterday he was so tired, and so was I, but he would not go to sleep. Every time I put him down, his eyes would fly open and he would fuss. So I decided to take advantage of the sunny day and we went for a stroll -- he lasted about 20 minutes and passed out. When I was too far from home to zip back and catch my own nap. Oh well. Then Rosa came over for a visit and we all sat out on the deck and watched the birds and listened to the yippy dogs next door. Good times. He's getting to be a very big boy -- he slept from 10 until 2 and then from 2:30 or so until 6. We had a good time this morning. When he finished breakfast, he was all wide awake and smiley. We laid in bed for 45 minutes listening to the rain on the roof and watching the ceiling fan.
Allan seems to be doing better since Saturday. His color is good, he's very alert, and he's been maintaining his sats very well. He's had a couple of times when he's dropped them, but very low and not for very long. They've tweaked a number of things and run a number of tests -- echocardiogram, EKG, upper GI. They tried to do a bronchoscopy (putting a flexible tube down his airway to see whether there is something constricting the airway) but he dropped his heartrate when they started the sedation so they stopped. They don't really think he has an airway problem, but they were trying to rule it out. They were also hoping to suck some stuff out of his lung so they could look at it to see if he is aspirating. The upper GI showed that he isn't refluxing and that, as far as they can tell, what he sucks down is going in the right places. The heart studies show that he has a thickening of the walls of the right ventricle which is the part of the heart that pushes blood in to the lungs. Since his lungs are crappy, the heart has to work harder to push the blood through. So they have started him on Viagra (no joke) to help lower the pressure necessary to push the blood through. What else have they done? He's had steroids and antibiotics and no one knows which tweak or which combinations of tweaks have helped, but long may it last. He has established himself as a very popular fellow in the PICU and is collecting new girlfriends left, right and center.
Griffith is doing great. He eats at least 3 ounces at a go and sometimes more. We haven't weighed him lately, but he is certainly a more than 8 pound baby. Eight pounds of pure contrary. Yesterday he was so tired, and so was I, but he would not go to sleep. Every time I put him down, his eyes would fly open and he would fuss. So I decided to take advantage of the sunny day and we went for a stroll -- he lasted about 20 minutes and passed out. When I was too far from home to zip back and catch my own nap. Oh well. Then Rosa came over for a visit and we all sat out on the deck and watched the birds and listened to the yippy dogs next door. Good times. He's getting to be a very big boy -- he slept from 10 until 2 and then from 2:30 or so until 6. We had a good time this morning. When he finished breakfast, he was all wide awake and smiley. We laid in bed for 45 minutes listening to the rain on the roof and watching the ceiling fan.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Sorry for the delay...
Let's start off with the idea that "it is all okay." We have had an up-and-down kind of weekend. Followed closely by an up-an-down sort of Monday. ANY-hoodle......so, where did we leave off? Oh, yes, Jay came home for dinner on Thursday leaving our very small, very medically fragile child in the sophisticated medical care provided by the high-level children's hospital. In the (no joke) two hours that neither parent is there, our child manages to desat. In such a significant way that there are nurses (several), resp techs (ditto) and residents responding to the room. By the time Jay gets there to spend the night, the dust is settling and all is well (ish). So Friday, they start our pride and joy on steroids (inhaled and oral) in order to cure up his lungs. Friday and Saturday (A.M.), he is just fine. Saturday afternoon, his girlfriend Rosa comes to hang out for a while (I came back to find him with his hand down the front of her shirt. He and his brother are very similar in many ways.) By the time I arrive on Saturday, though, things are not going in the right direction -- he's very tired and desating alot. Long story short, his blood gases (think how much oxygen and how much carbon dioxide) are all wrong and they end up putting him in the pediatric ICU to monitor him. Which is where we still are at the moment. Of course, we have, once again, a new attending with a new approach. Once again, Jay and I have to establish that we are not crack heads and don't have a meth lab in the basement and that we actually are concerned and involved in the care of our children. The upshot of the situation is that Allan is doing fine again and that he is beautiful and sweet and wonderful.
Don't even begin to get me started on the bureaucratic b.s. that envelopes the care of our precious baby. We have endured much in the past 6 months. We have responded to misguided, callous and just plan repetitive questions. Still and all, the suggestion that we should be glad if our child was on the peds floor (where the care is not, IMHO, equal to that demanded by my child's condition) because it gave us the opportunity to become familiar with his care -- You. Must. Be.Kidding.Me. (Someone should have told him to buy a lottery ticket because it was, apparently, his lucky day. Even odds are the next time he makes such an asinine observation, I will take him apart with my bare hands.) What I did manage to convey, which was somewhat less satisfying than making his head explode with the power of my mind, was that we have returned to the hospital twice thinking that our child needed more care than we could give him. And we were right. Twice. They, on the other hand, have managed to allow him to crash -- twice -- with 24-hour professional medical care. Thirty-love. Send me home with a baby who is medically stable and we won't be back. Still and all, we don't (yet) have a coherent plan with respect to his care. We believe, however, that we have managed to put the kibosh on the suggestion that there is any "parental care" issue. The truth of the matter is that we were sent home in the "hope" that Allan's lung and feeding issues would resolve themselves. (I don't remember who said it, but there is a quote to the effect that hope is not a plan of action. Perhaps should stitch that in to a sampler. ) Regardless, that doesn't change where we are. We have a new attending who is revisiting all previous determinations regarding care and a pediatrician who descended upon the PICU like an avenging angel. So we got that going for us. Which is nice. We'll see how things go in the next few days.
Don't even begin to get me started on the bureaucratic b.s. that envelopes the care of our precious baby. We have endured much in the past 6 months. We have responded to misguided, callous and just plan repetitive questions. Still and all, the suggestion that we should be glad if our child was on the peds floor (where the care is not, IMHO, equal to that demanded by my child's condition) because it gave us the opportunity to become familiar with his care -- You. Must. Be.Kidding.Me. (Someone should have told him to buy a lottery ticket because it was, apparently, his lucky day. Even odds are the next time he makes such an asinine observation, I will take him apart with my bare hands.) What I did manage to convey, which was somewhat less satisfying than making his head explode with the power of my mind, was that we have returned to the hospital twice thinking that our child needed more care than we could give him. And we were right. Twice. They, on the other hand, have managed to allow him to crash -- twice -- with 24-hour professional medical care. Thirty-love. Send me home with a baby who is medically stable and we won't be back. Still and all, we don't (yet) have a coherent plan with respect to his care. We believe, however, that we have managed to put the kibosh on the suggestion that there is any "parental care" issue. The truth of the matter is that we were sent home in the "hope" that Allan's lung and feeding issues would resolve themselves. (I don't remember who said it, but there is a quote to the effect that hope is not a plan of action. Perhaps should stitch that in to a sampler. ) Regardless, that doesn't change where we are. We have a new attending who is revisiting all previous determinations regarding care and a pediatrician who descended upon the PICU like an avenging angel. So we got that going for us. Which is nice. We'll see how things go in the next few days.
Beach blanket bingo
Griffith preparing for when the nurses (and student nurses) come over for volleyball.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Here we remain
Allan is still in the hospital and will be for a few more days at least. He has been doing better today -- breathing easier and generally acting more like himself. The pulmonologist examined him today and reviewed his records, etc., and came in and had a heart-to-heart with Big Al about staying home. It would be nice to be able to say that the doctor immediately identified Allan's problem and the fix for it. Unfortunately, he can't really explain why he seems to be having the trouble that he is having. There are 3 theories: 1) that he is micro-aspirating (getting formula down the wrong pipe); 2) that he is just getting overloaded with fluid; and/or 3) that he just has crappy little lungs that he is going to have to outgrow. Since we can't really do anything about no. 3 we are working on the other two. With respect to no. 1, they are going to do x-rays of him while he bottle feeds to see if he is getting some of it in his lungs. With respect to no. 2, they are going to start him back on inhaled steroids, start a 5 day course of oral steroids and adjust some of his other medicines slightly. The goal being, of course, to get him home for longer than 5 days. The only good that has come of this whole mess has been that the opthamologist came over to do his follow-up eye exam and we are discharged for 3 months. As a result of the eye exam, though, Allan has been worn out and sleeping all afternoon. This effectively means that there will be no bottle-feeding this afternoon so the microaspirate issue will simply have to wait for another day. Allan's girlfriend Phyllis has managed to secure one of the coveted bird mobiles and brought that to him this afternoon so he'll have that to look forward to tonight. Allan has once again made himself the center of attention. His girlfriends from the NICU (Sarah, Cheryl, Alissa, and Jennie) have been to visit and fawn over him which he loves. The opthamologist was glad to see him and said he was the sweetest, best-natured baby (She also asked immediately how Griffith was doing and commented that it always surprised her that they reacted so differently to her. She says Griffith really got the Aries personality.)
Griffith is doing great. He is taking nearly 3 ounces of formula per feeding and is sleeping for longer periods of time. He is dropping a feeding, but last night it was the 9 p.m. one. For whatever reason, he really isn't inclined to stop the 3 a.m. one. He has one of those mats that lays on the floor and has toys hanging from it. Flora hit upon the idea of putting him underneath it on his sleeping wedge and that was a big success. He swatted the inflated ball within a ball over and over again. He found it pretty startling when it bounced back but that really didn't deter him. He was a little like Rocky (the boxer, not the flying squirrel) working the punching bag.
Griffith is doing great. He is taking nearly 3 ounces of formula per feeding and is sleeping for longer periods of time. He is dropping a feeding, but last night it was the 9 p.m. one. For whatever reason, he really isn't inclined to stop the 3 a.m. one. He has one of those mats that lays on the floor and has toys hanging from it. Flora hit upon the idea of putting him underneath it on his sleeping wedge and that was a big success. He swatted the inflated ball within a ball over and over again. He found it pretty startling when it bounced back but that really didn't deter him. He was a little like Rocky (the boxer, not the flying squirrel) working the punching bag.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Return of the Butter Bean (part II)
Well, here we are back in the hospital. Again. Allan has built up too much fluid. Again. We had to make an ER run at 3 a.m. (It was 10 or 11 the first time.) He's doing fine, but will likely be here for a couple of days while they work on his medicine cocktail. Again.
I will try to blog tonight once I am home, but that will depend on how cooperative Griffith is and there is really no predicting that.
I will try to blog tonight once I am home, but that will depend on how cooperative Griffith is and there is really no predicting that.
Monday, September 18, 2006
The Return of the Butter Bean
Two and a half days in to the return of Allan to the homeplace. So far, so good. He has had a couple of good nights with only a few alarms. He seems to be eating better, too. He's still not rocking it out or anything but he's eating about 2 ounces at a go during the days. He's still on the continuous feeds at night. His weight gain is steady and he is up to a solid 10 pounds and 5 ounces as of today. We made it to the pediatrician's office today and the doc says he looks good. We go back on Thursday to make sure that we keep a handle on this fluid thing. We also have an opthalmologist's appointment on Friday. With any luck we will be discharged from her care until February.
We took our first big family stroll last night in the great big double stroller. We didn't go too far afield -- just around the neighborhood, but a good time was had by all. Allan slept most of the time. Griffith was wide awake and taking it all in. (He's helping type right now, so forgive the misspellings. I would put him down but a) he cries and b) I hardly get to hold him when Flora is here. Basically I have to wait for her to put him down to go to the bathroom to even have a shot.)
Griffith's major recent accomplishments are that he is learning to blow spit bubbles and also to coo. (Not at the same time. Yet.) He doesn't seem to have control of either, really and the cooing sometimes comes as a complete shock to him. He has also managed to master peeing out the back of his diaper. Neither Flora nor I are sure how he's doing it but he's done it to both of us. His front will be completely dry and his back will be utterly soaked.
Allan's major accomplishments include doing little, bitty baby push-ups while on his stomach. He has also taken to waving his arms around. Not nearly as much as Griffith does, but he is doing it more all the time and he definitely does it more when the two of them are lying next to each other. They still seem pretty unimpressed with each other. They are both very interested in the elephant/mirror/mobile-thingy that plays songs and lights up when it picks up vibrations. Dad is going to have to replace the batteries in the bassinet. It plays music and vibrates, but, of late, it sounds like a drunken gypsy or a broken calliope. And the vibration seems to have slowed to a jiggle. We certainly don't want to have a break down in the middle of the night. That would be a Major Disaster.
We are now looking forward to a couple of days of just being home and getting settled down and settled in. We'll see how Flora manages with two. She was telling me today just how spoiled Griffith is. As if she is part of how he got that way. She and Allan had a good long snuggle this afternoon while Griffith took a nap, but there will come a day when he is awake and realizes that someone else is sitting in his Flora's lap and I'm not sure any of us are prepared for what will follow.
We took our first big family stroll last night in the great big double stroller. We didn't go too far afield -- just around the neighborhood, but a good time was had by all. Allan slept most of the time. Griffith was wide awake and taking it all in. (He's helping type right now, so forgive the misspellings. I would put him down but a) he cries and b) I hardly get to hold him when Flora is here. Basically I have to wait for her to put him down to go to the bathroom to even have a shot.)
Griffith's major recent accomplishments are that he is learning to blow spit bubbles and also to coo. (Not at the same time. Yet.) He doesn't seem to have control of either, really and the cooing sometimes comes as a complete shock to him. He has also managed to master peeing out the back of his diaper. Neither Flora nor I are sure how he's doing it but he's done it to both of us. His front will be completely dry and his back will be utterly soaked.
Allan's major accomplishments include doing little, bitty baby push-ups while on his stomach. He has also taken to waving his arms around. Not nearly as much as Griffith does, but he is doing it more all the time and he definitely does it more when the two of them are lying next to each other. They still seem pretty unimpressed with each other. They are both very interested in the elephant/mirror/mobile-thingy that plays songs and lights up when it picks up vibrations. Dad is going to have to replace the batteries in the bassinet. It plays music and vibrates, but, of late, it sounds like a drunken gypsy or a broken calliope. And the vibration seems to have slowed to a jiggle. We certainly don't want to have a break down in the middle of the night. That would be a Major Disaster.
We are now looking forward to a couple of days of just being home and getting settled down and settled in. We'll see how Flora manages with two. She was telling me today just how spoiled Griffith is. As if she is part of how he got that way. She and Allan had a good long snuggle this afternoon while Griffith took a nap, but there will come a day when he is awake and realizes that someone else is sitting in his Flora's lap and I'm not sure any of us are prepared for what will follow.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Home again (part II)
Allan made it home (again) today. So far, so good. His doc says he "believes" we can "probably" manage his fluid overload on an outpatient basis. No word on whether we are talking a 51/49 probability or a 90/10. Not sure we really want to know or if it would make a bit of difference. The longer we stayed, the more paranoid we were that we were going to catch something worse by being in the hospital. By the end of the week, we were willing to take our chances at home.
Allan has done very well since he got home. He stayed wide awake most of the day which is unusual for him.
Right now, Allan is sleeping in the crib, Griffith is sleeping in his car seat and we are all hanging out in the nursery having listened to UK win the first SEC opener since 1987. Big night all around.
Time to feed Griff and listen to Wildcat round-up. We will post more later.
Enjoy all of the photos!
Allan has done very well since he got home. He stayed wide awake most of the day which is unusual for him.
Right now, Allan is sleeping in the crib, Griffith is sleeping in his car seat and we are all hanging out in the nursery having listened to UK win the first SEC opener since 1987. Big night all around.
Time to feed Griff and listen to Wildcat round-up. We will post more later.
Enjoy all of the photos!
Griffith - shocked that Allan is back
Griffith, hardly able to believe that we have brought that other kid back in again.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Baby steps
We are still here. Allan's lungs sound better but his potassium is still high and so they have decided to hold off on starting him back on one of the diuretics. They'll check him again in the morning and decide what to do about that. I suspect that means that we will be here through the weekend. We would love to be able to go home, but we want to make sure that we go home and stay there.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Holding pattern -- part iii
Well, it seems like a little more of the same today. Allan had lost a little (water) weight last night, but his potassium levels kept coming back high which apparently is a bit of a mystery. So they were going to do a "deep vein stick" to try to make sure that the results they were getting were accurate. And they were going to hold the diuretics until they got that result back. This was the plan at 10 a.m. What with one thing and another, they didn't do the stick until nearly 5 so I'm pretty sure that we have not advanced the ball much (if at all) today. My guess is that nothing much will come of the results until tomorrow -- at which time they will start tinkering with the meds and the feeds again. We don't have an ETA for Allan, but we aren't thinking that he's getting home for several days at least. The silver lining is that they have done an echo on Allan's heart (again) and it is fine (still). So we've got that going for us, which is nice. We watched the Man United versus Celtic soccer match today so we have our cultural fix for the day.
Griffith had a good day with Miss Flora. He missed her yesterday and was awfully glad to see her this morning. We took a big walk this afternoon and he stayed wide awake for all of it. Then we got home and watched the BBC World News because those people talk funny like Daddy. He is starting to make noises that are more than just grunts and managed to surprise himself with a coo or two this evening. We are thinking about watching Project Runway tonight, but Mama thinks that it is probably on too late. We may just have to see who is auf'd tomorrow on reruns.
Griffith had a good day with Miss Flora. He missed her yesterday and was awfully glad to see her this morning. We took a big walk this afternoon and he stayed wide awake for all of it. Then we got home and watched the BBC World News because those people talk funny like Daddy. He is starting to make noises that are more than just grunts and managed to surprise himself with a coo or two this evening. We are thinking about watching Project Runway tonight, but Mama thinks that it is probably on too late. We may just have to see who is auf'd tomorrow on reruns.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Holding pattern (part II)
Not much to report one way or another today. Allan is still in the hospital. It seems that the doctors are tweaking his medicines and formula. As someone said, this is all more art than science. They've changed up his diuretics and are adding canola oil to his formula (to add calories without adding much additional fluid). We'll see how that works and probably change it all again tomorrow. Still, Allan is working on charming the peds ward now. He feels fine and has been very awake and alert. Jennifer came and loved on him for about 3 hours today. Dr. Desai came for a visit, too. Then, late in the afternoon, two student nurses (Whitney and Kristen) came for a visit. (The only thing that may be better than nurses is student nurses. Griffith would be jealous if he knew.) Everyone agrees that he is beautiful, sweet and charming. He is doing better with his bottle feeding and, given enough time and proper distraction, manages about 2 ounces at a go.
Griffith had a good day, too. Aunt Kathy came up for a visit and fell in line with Caitlin, Angie, Cheryl, etc. etc. I'm not sure that she did any thing other than hold him all day. Unfortunately, we are going to have to limit her exposure to him because when I got home they were watching Kato Kaelin's show An Eye for an Eye. This is not exactly the mental stimulation we were looking for. Even Dr. Phil would have been an improvement. It was too cool and rainy to go for a walk but we sat on the front porch in the swing and watched the rain while singing camp songs. We had a pretty good time but I'm not sure the neighbors appreciated my tuneless rendition of Rise and Shine and Boom, Boom. Last night we tried the skip-the-three-o'clock again. It is a slow process. He had his nine and then didn't go to sleep until nearly 11. I didn't get him up for midnight and, when I awoke at 3 and he hadn't stirred, I was convinced that he had died in the night and woke him (abruptly). We'll give it another crack tonight.
Griffith had a good day, too. Aunt Kathy came up for a visit and fell in line with Caitlin, Angie, Cheryl, etc. etc. I'm not sure that she did any thing other than hold him all day. Unfortunately, we are going to have to limit her exposure to him because when I got home they were watching Kato Kaelin's show An Eye for an Eye. This is not exactly the mental stimulation we were looking for. Even Dr. Phil would have been an improvement. It was too cool and rainy to go for a walk but we sat on the front porch in the swing and watched the rain while singing camp songs. We had a pretty good time but I'm not sure the neighbors appreciated my tuneless rendition of Rise and Shine and Boom, Boom. Last night we tried the skip-the-three-o'clock again. It is a slow process. He had his nine and then didn't go to sleep until nearly 11. I didn't get him up for midnight and, when I awoke at 3 and he hadn't stirred, I was convinced that he had died in the night and woke him (abruptly). We'll give it another crack tonight.
Monday, September 11, 2006
A, B,C....
Dad and Griffith and Dr. Seuss's ABC's.... Silly Sam sipped 26 sodas and got sick, sick, sick....
In a holding pattern...
For starters, Allan is doing fine. Not great or fabulous but fine. We got a new doctor today -- once you are out of the NICU, you can't go back. So Allan is on a regular peds ward in a very big, metal crib (it really looks like a monkey baby ought to be in it). The educated guess seems to be that he overloaded on fluids (although they are doing a few tests to rule out some other possibilitites) and that they need to adjust his meds to get him back to where he ought to be. Then they need to figure out how to keep him there. The truth of the matter is that it is going to be a delicate balance with him. Very small changes make a big difference and it is going to be like that for a while. It is going to take a day or two to get this sorted out and then we'll be homeward bound again. He has had a steady stream of visitors. Caitlin came by last night. Then Jenny and Sarah came by this morning before Dad left for work. Gerry came in the early morning hours. Then Alissa came by before lunch. And then they came back by in the afternoon. Cheryl and Jennifer both called in to check on him, too. If TLC makes any difference at all, he is going to be better in no time.
Since Griffith hasn't been eating a whole lot at his 3 a.m. feeding, we got the go ahead from the pediatrician to see if we could back off of that one. If he wakes up for it, fine, but otherwise, just let it ride. Sounds great in theory. Last night, I put him to bed after his nine and decided to let him wake me for the midnight feed. He didn't get up until nearly 1:30 (and he was in NO mood to wait for his dinner). As I put him back down about 2 a.m. I was congratulating myself thinking that we would make it to 5:30 or nearly 6 a.m. before he woke again. No dice. He was still determined to get in 3 night feeds regardless of how I felt about it. We were up again at 4 and then again at 6. I'm not really sure what I think I accomplished. We'll give it another go tonight and then decide whether this is worth it or not. Miss Flora arrived at her usual time this morning, but Griffith was still asleep. I guess he wanted her to be sure that she knew that he was well and truly over her. He had waited Saturday and Sunday and his patience (what little he has) was at an end. When I left this morning she swore that she had decided this weekend that she would make a concerted effort to put him down. Of course, when I stopped by at lunch, she and Griffith were where I had left them at 8 a.m. And that's where Jay found them at 6, too. She had charted when she laid him down, though, just to prove that she did (on occasion) put him in his pack 'n' play. As if we really care. Once I got home and Dad headed back to the hospital (after putting Griffith in charge as the man of the house), all I did was hold him, too. We watche a little Dirty Dancing, ate 2nd dinner, burped (him, not me)(much) and went to bed (him, not me)(but soon). Dad just checked in and he and Allan have read The Foot Book (thanks, Cheryl!) and Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? (ditto -- dibble, dibble, dopp, dopp). I have abandoned the kids' lit for the moment and have been doing the best I can with The Memory Keepers' Daughter with both of the boys (only so much rhyming one can do before one loses one's mind, after all.)
Miss Flora has to go with her husband tomorrow for some tests so Aunt Kathy is coming to hang out with Griffith so that Mom can go and be with Allan.
Since Griffith hasn't been eating a whole lot at his 3 a.m. feeding, we got the go ahead from the pediatrician to see if we could back off of that one. If he wakes up for it, fine, but otherwise, just let it ride. Sounds great in theory. Last night, I put him to bed after his nine and decided to let him wake me for the midnight feed. He didn't get up until nearly 1:30 (and he was in NO mood to wait for his dinner). As I put him back down about 2 a.m. I was congratulating myself thinking that we would make it to 5:30 or nearly 6 a.m. before he woke again. No dice. He was still determined to get in 3 night feeds regardless of how I felt about it. We were up again at 4 and then again at 6. I'm not really sure what I think I accomplished. We'll give it another go tonight and then decide whether this is worth it or not. Miss Flora arrived at her usual time this morning, but Griffith was still asleep. I guess he wanted her to be sure that she knew that he was well and truly over her. He had waited Saturday and Sunday and his patience (what little he has) was at an end. When I left this morning she swore that she had decided this weekend that she would make a concerted effort to put him down. Of course, when I stopped by at lunch, she and Griffith were where I had left them at 8 a.m. And that's where Jay found them at 6, too. She had charted when she laid him down, though, just to prove that she did (on occasion) put him in his pack 'n' play. As if we really care. Once I got home and Dad headed back to the hospital (after putting Griffith in charge as the man of the house), all I did was hold him, too. We watche a little Dirty Dancing, ate 2nd dinner, burped (him, not me)(much) and went to bed (him, not me)(but soon). Dad just checked in and he and Allan have read The Foot Book (thanks, Cheryl!) and Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? (ditto -- dibble, dibble, dopp, dopp). I have abandoned the kids' lit for the moment and have been doing the best I can with The Memory Keepers' Daughter with both of the boys (only so much rhyming one can do before one loses one's mind, after all.)
Miss Flora has to go with her husband tomorrow for some tests so Aunt Kathy is coming to hang out with Griffith so that Mom can go and be with Allan.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Saturday night on the town
Let's start off by saying that everything and everyone is all right. That said, we had our first trip to the hospital last night. I'm sure it won't be the last. Something tells me that we'll be frequent flyers over the years with this one having fallen off (or having been pushed) off of the roof and that one having shoved a peanut up his nose or some such nonsense. Last night it was Allan (Griffith gets a bad rap for being the problem child). Allan hasn't quite settled down with his oxygen since we got home, but he's been doing all right. Yesterday, though, he kept dropping his sats -- the oxygen level in his blood was lower than it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be at 92% or so and his kept dipping in to the mid-to-low 80's, some times in to the 70s and, once, in to the high 60s. We kept having to turn up his oxygen and hold him upright on our chests to get him back in to the range that he needed to be in. About 7:30 or so (after I had just told Cheryl that he was doing great and seemed to have settled down), he started doing it again. Although he wasn't in any distress, he was outside of the numbers that the pediatrician had set for us as acceptable without letting him know. Just to be on the safe side (and because he knew we would drive ourselves nuts watching the monitor all night), he sent us to the ER -- who knew such mayhem was going on in our little town? Fortunately for us, Angie had brought dinner over so we could just leave Griffith with her while we headed out. Allan seemed to enjoy all of the attention -- a whole new set of doctors and nurses to pet him and tell him what a pretty boy he is. And, of course, as soon as we arrived at the hospital, his heart rate had returned to normal and he began satting exactly as he was supposed to (still on too much oxygen though.) They admitted him to the hospital and he is probably there until tomorrow. Dad spent the night and just talked to the doctor. They think that Allan may be a little "wet" and are restricting his fluids to see if that helps. They are also going to talk about adjusting his medications for reflux as well because that could be causing some problems, too. At any rate, he's where he needs to be and with any luck he will be home in a day or two, good as new. Allan is getting good care. Jay likes the peds nurses and some of the folks in the NICU already have been over to check as well (the transport team spotted us in the ER about 20 minutes after we got there). So far Cheryl has stopped by twice and Jennifer came by early. Allan is very popular for someone who has not mastered speech yet.
As far as our other boy, he has been the golden boy. When I got home Angie had been in charge of Griffith for about 3 hours. Although she is an otherwise competent, professional, modern woman, he had defeated her utterly. She reported that she was unable to get any thing done other than hold him (continuing the pattern set by Cheryl, Caitlin and Flora). She tried to clear the table and load the dishwasher, but he became enraged and she had to pick him up. Every time she tried to put him down it was the same thing, so she gave up. Smart girl. Resistance is futile. We had a pretty good night on our own -- he did manage to pee through one outfit and spit up on 3 more. And then he screamed at me as if my changing him was causing him actual physical pain. Still, golden.
As far as our other boy, he has been the golden boy. When I got home Angie had been in charge of Griffith for about 3 hours. Although she is an otherwise competent, professional, modern woman, he had defeated her utterly. She reported that she was unable to get any thing done other than hold him (continuing the pattern set by Cheryl, Caitlin and Flora). She tried to clear the table and load the dishwasher, but he became enraged and she had to pick him up. Every time she tried to put him down it was the same thing, so she gave up. Smart girl. Resistance is futile. We had a pretty good night on our own -- he did manage to pee through one outfit and spit up on 3 more. And then he screamed at me as if my changing him was causing him actual physical pain. Still, golden.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
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.
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.
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
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