January 31. Brain Ultrasound

Gerard Weight - 4 lbs. 14 oz.
Can you believe this guy? He loves to gain weight. He's certainly born into the right family! Here's his paparazzi shots - don't you think he's ready to do the Hollywood circuit?
















Tonight we met with one of the doctors (who worked at Tampa General) who showed us the most recent one-month brain ultrasound. To our relief, he said it's the kind of news he loves sharing. Everything looks "normal" as far as no major lesions or hemmoraging going on. He has a cyst in the right frontal lobe, but it's small (the size of a pin point) and doesn't pose any kind of threat. It was there on the first scan. Because the scan looks so good, they won't be repeating it. The doctor predicts a 160 IQ. He actually made us laugh at that. According to the doctor, his head isn't too small, and it's not too big. Like the nursery rhyme goes, it's just right!

Before meeting with the doctor, we got to change him and I got to feed him. Let's just say it's a good thing we don't have "smell-o-vision" because he was a smelly boy tonight! He's taking feedings well. No reflux with me. The doctor asked me to start twice a day feedings. That will be interesting to try to fit in another trip to the hospital with the constant snowy weather conditions. I'll try this weekend.

Here's video after we weighed him on the scale. For those of you who think he looks "big" - take a look at our hands (mine are not large) in comparison to his little body. Gerard is still smaller than our kitty Sophie (who is 7 lbs.).


Here are some other pics. I'm holding him after feeding and then he's just tucked in for the next couple of hours. Our nurse tonight was wonderful. Great shift and it was busy, but she handled it well. Gerard didn't get his bath the other night after I visited, and I wasn't happy about that, but he got a bath yesterday. That means that bath night is tomorrow. I'll try to get video tomorrow night. It's my turn!





























As for my health, I'm still battling the ear infection and fatigue. Some hearing is coming back, but it's affecting my balance. I see the doctor late Friday afternoon. My blood pressure is so good it's amazing! Tonight it is 117/70. I've reduced my meds by 75%. I imagine I'll be off the BP meds in a month or less. It will be good because those meds make feel tired all the time.

I had a wonderful lunch today, courtesy of my friend and former work colleague, Paula, who I worked with in Salt Lake before we moved to Missouri. It was my very first "lunch" outing since having the baby. Come to think of it, it was my very first outing that didn't revolve around the baby and "having" to eat. Thank you Paula for coming up to Ogden! Paula is fantastic, always knows how to make me laugh, and calls Michael "Michael Mike" - which is fun since we know way too many Mikes. She surprised me with a package from Babinski's that contained a cool cover for the car seat when little Gerard finally comes home and a warm sleeper that will make him look so handsome. Thanks again Paula! Yes, we just love the cool things at Babinski's. We will add this to all the other many wonderful, wonderful gifts we've received from friends and family. We've been overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and caring gestures. We are truly blessed and fortunate. Gerard will have a stylish wardrobe and some cool gadgets for mom and dad to enjoy(not including the breast pump).


Paula's getting ready to have her third grandchild, the first little girl grandchild.

January 29. Back to work

Gerard weight - 4 lbs. 10 oz.

Yesterday, I went back to work. I'm giving it a go...but finding it a great challenge running back and forth to the hospital. My brain isn't working like it was. I'm hoping time will help with that. I'm still physically really weak. That's frustrating. Helpful comments from co-workers - "You look great!" Not-so-helpful comments from co-workers - "You look so skinny!" First, I am not to ever be confused with skinny. Yes, I lost a little weight, but I don't feel good about it. And considering the entire ordeal, not what I want to hear. I was starved on magnesium sulfate for three days. Supervised by the doctors, and supposedly good for my brain and the baby's, but not an experience I recommend. It's not like going to Club Med or even Green Valley Spa for a few days. For those three days I really didn't know who or where I was or what I was saying. For goodness sakes, I almost didn't make it! Days lost: at least 5. Scary stuff!!! I don't even remember Christmas. Not one bit. Enough of the nightmare. Here's a photo of my office from the hospital. Pretty day. Funny how this non-attractive building looks quite lovely with the snow on the mountains. And yes...it snowed again today. Just in case you Southerners didn't see the national radar. See Bennett - no boats in sight! Just mountains and snow.

Here's a fun photo of my sister (she's second from the left) on her Krewe's Mardi Gras Float in Prattville, AL. Whoooohooo! Throw me somethin' misses! I so miss carnival time. Especially rural or small town carnival. Makes me miss Mamou. (LA). What's funny about this photo is how warm it looks. Seeing that they have gloves on lets me know it was cold last Saturday.


And...little Gerard is doing OK.
We haven't been real happy with Room 4 the last two days, and I suspect it's because the nurses that are best work in Rooms 1 and 2 - higher levels of critical care. His monitors were ringing and dinging for 10 minutes and we waited and waited for a nurse to come and check, or even say hello to us tonight and...no nurse! No one even greeted us - so we were not pleased. Guess it's time to get more assertive and visit the doctor and nurses on rounds. We've been discouraged in the past from doing that, but now we're going to have to do it. Lots of updates need to be reported. Today I also got conflicting information about feeding, and the nurses today said Gerard was ready for me to feed him. Just a day ago the lactation nurse said to wait another week or two, and now they're wanting me to feed him? Today? Now? It's so confusing! So we went for it and Gerard did just fine. He actually fed for 15 full minutes before falling asleep, which I was told was excellent. That was great, but again...no nurse supervision! And it's not like I have three children at home that I've already learned how to practice on. Yes, I'm frustrated with the lack of communication and the way the staff today acted like I should know what to do. Lucky for me that Michael was with me experiencing all of this. I think he's finally starting to get it. I stayed calm throughout for Gerard and he took a nice long snooze on me, but I really want to talk to a doctor stat! (no - they don't really say stat, I just said that for effect).


Here's the cutie-pie snuggly boy.
Mommy wore me out! (and I'm covering my ears because those nurses are talking way, way too loud) - Use your quiet voices, please...it is a NICU!!!! There's enough racket coming from all the machines.

Here's a chance for you to hear how loud it gets! (listen to the background). And only one baby is crying during these few seconds...

January 27 - Good Weekend

Gerard Weight - 4 lbs. 9 oz.
As you can see, Gerard is growing, growing, growing! He's taking feedings really well and is just starting to signal that he's ready to eat! (see the second photo)
Saturday (last) night we had a fun visit after an odd dinner experience of our own. Everything was going so well until a table of 21 showed up for a birthday gathering next to us. Yes, you read right, 21 people at a table. Why is that even allowed? That just about put us off our schedule since we were neglected. Good thing I didn't want dessert. Dinner was OK, but Michael and I were more interested in getting to the hospital to check out the little guy. Here are some photos from Saturday night and this afternoon (in random order).

And for those of you wondering - no...I still can't hear out of my right ear! It made watching the "two thumbs down" film we saw at Sundance a little difficult. It was not our best year for selecting films. If it makes distribution, I'll be surprised. Great cast, but "Transiberian" was a miss. Before the movie started, I saw someone from work who offered me some "non-nutritive" food of my own (chocolate covered raisins). Such an odd thing that I'm still not crazy about chocolate. Now what would life be like without loving wine and chocolate? I'm practicing liking it again...but I'm just not taking to it. All in all, a good weekend.

January 25. More ear pain!

Gerard weight PM 4 lbs. 6 oz.

Sorry I don't have a photo today. Today has been one of those days I just as soon write off. I woke up with severe ear pain, so of course...back to the doctor. My doctor said it looked worse, so he sent me to an ENT (Ear, Nose Throat) specialist. Lucky, we got an apt. for 3 PM. After we drove home (30 minutes) we had a message stating to get to the specialist's office ASAP. It was 10:30. Michael had a whopper of a schedule that got really messed up (sorry Michael). So back to the other side of town we drove. The good thing about this specialist is that he's located in the hospital on the second floor. After waiting for 90 minutes, I had an evaluation by the audiologist, which revealed that I can't hear out of my right ear. (I'd been saying that all week). But her big test proved that to be true. My left ear is remarkably "perfect" and good thing, since I need at least one ear to hear! OK, this is the bad part. I met with the specialist, who my doctor had de-briefed ahead of time, and he was wonderfully sympathetic to my situation with the baby, being sick, bla, bla, bla. He then said it was good - my ear was plugged with infection (surprise?) and he would insert a needle into my ear drum to drain the fluid faster and it would make me feel much better sooner. What the heck? A needle in my ear? That's going to hurt, right? Well...yes...it hurt. It hurt really bad, and the fluid sounded like the loudest bubbling scream I've ever heard. And my ear still hurts. We talked about my returning in a week to make sure things are better, but it can take up to 4 weeks to completely get better. All that and I'm on the "cadillac" of antibiotics, which isn't really helping all that much. Of course I had to ask how I could possibly have this ear infection business since I don't ever recall having anything like this before. Guess what? It's common in women who have had babies and have held onto a lot of fluid (that would be me with the pre-eclampsia). The fluid builds up and doesn't have anyplace to go, creating pressure. Again - why isn't this commonly known information? Whatever! To top it off, today when I got home I had a lovely reminder from the same hospital that my annual mammogram is due. Isn't that just ducky?

Now for the good stuff. Gerard stuff. Since I was in the hospital already, I just headed over to the NICU to pump (I was way, way overdue with all the running around). They wanted to charge me for another kit! I was a bit surprised by that, so we compromised with a 'recycled' kit. Learned my lesson - I'm keeping a kit there in the room from now on. So Gerard got his feeding along with me getting to hold him and giving latching practice a try again. He did better today! He's doing really well the first 10 minutes, then gets tired. He's also doing well with his feedings, and is even spitting up a little bit. Of course, I had the pleasure of changing his diaper again... He looked good today, but slept through most everything. His photo from yesterday makes him look full and double-chinned, but that's just him tucking his neck down. He still looks a little bit scrawny - but his weight is up again!


Tomorrow night is "date night" which we haven't had in a long time. Dinner at Rickenbacker's to officially celebrate my birthday, a trip to the NICU for feeding Gerard, and then a late 9:30 Sundance film. Doesn't that sound like fun? I can hardly wait! I'm just glad today is over and tomorrow is another day-

January 24 Sky

Gerard weight - 4 lbs. 5 oz.

No, Gerard didn't suddenly get furry. This is a photo of Sky, who I finally got to meet tonight. Sky is the cute new puppy of some friends who have been very kind to us through this whole ordeal. Man, that Rosemary can cook! Rosemary is the proud new mamma of Sky. Sky and big sister Roxy helped to entertain me for a little while after visiting Gerard tonight. I like to call it "puppy therapy." Much needed...much needed diversion from NICU moms and hospital-speak. See blog for more at Roxy Log.
Now for photos of the "G Man" - He looks rounder to me. And he sticks his tongue out a lot when I'm around. Not like a bratty child, but like an infant child. They say that's a good sign. So...more "non-nutritive" feeding tonight! Let's just say he got luckier than the other night. The nurse on duty was the same enthusiastic lactation specialist as eleven days ago before I got sick. She actually helps me feel more confident - a little bit, anyway. During our little visit today we got to change 3 diapers. Yes, three! I'll just say the first two were expected. I went to change him the first time and voila - waterworks. Then after holding him and feeding you know what happened... Michael said it sounded like a cork popping. So you know what he was drinking tonight.
Gosh, he sure is a cute little thing!
Last night, someone asked me my age, and when I told her she said, "You sure are brave to have a baby at 42." Hmmm... how am I supposed to respond to that!?! I almost wanted to tell her that she sure was brave to make that kind of comment to me. Ah well, I didn't say anything. Why bother? It falls into the category of a similar comment made to me when I first moved to Utah... and my very favorite question that perfect strangers love to ask me here is, "So...how many children do you have?" Makes me want a cocktail.

January 23 - Happy Birthday to Me!

Gerard weight 4 lbs. 3 oz.
Yes - today is my birthday and I got my present!
I finally got to hold the little guy again after a 10-day wait and he looks so much bigger! Well, bigger for a 4-pounder. He looks so funny under the humidifier-oxygen hat. Even the doctor had to laugh at my "boy in the bubble" joke and he remembered John Travolta! Even I didn't remember that part. Now if Gerard grows up to dance like John Travolta I'm all for those kinds of references.

A surprise today for Michael and I was that Gerard was moved into NICU Room 4, which is...closest to the door! I'm not sure he deserved that promotion, but he's there. It's an extremely busy room with lots of noise and lots of babies who look HUGE in comparison. That's the trouble with comparisons. Little girl next to him born December 28 has a full pound on him and she's already nursing, and she was born 10 weeks early as well. Good grief! She never needed intubation and never needed oxygen. Just a big old baby ready to be born. Her mamma's water broke. Hmmm...not sure I'd like that either.
Anyway, I got to hold him after changing his diaper (another promotion - out of the preemies because his output is too big now) and the nurse who helped me said she has 5 boys. Wow! I was wondering if she thought that would impress me? It only made me a little afraid of her.

I'm still dealing with the ear infection and it's causing a lot of pain. To get my mind off of it Michael took me out to lunch for my birthday to one of my favorite new places, Goodwood Barbeque. It's actually decent food for here. The best part is that the service is excellent and the brisket is killer. Tonight Michael teaches, so I'm going to see a Sundance film with my good friend Heather. She's one of several friends who have really stepped up and helped us so much through this ordeal. Thank you Heather! (and Casey) And happy birthday yesterday to her hubbie Casey. He was kind enough to let Michael and I watch the LSU/Ohio game that he TIVO'd. Geaux Tigers!

To finish this off, here's a picture of me sitting in my OB's office in my favorite sweater today waiting...Happy Birthday. This is for when I'm 75 to remember how fabulous (haha) I looked when I was first a mommy. I'm officially discharged until my annual exam. Cheers! As always...Time to pump!















42nd birthday...

Look - no oxygen tube! Gerard weighs in at 4 pounds!!! And...Daddy breaks a tooth.

Gerard weight =
4 lbs. 1 oz.
Yes...we are CELEBRATING!!!!!
Just when you think it can't get much more exciting at the homestead, Michael goes and breaks a tooth during dinner last night. I won't get into specifics, but he thought there was a "bone" in his dinner. (What we were eating was soft and could not have possibly had a bone in it) - So I said, "That's impossible! You sure that wasn't your own tooth?" He goes into the bathroom to check and I hear a comment that I won't write here. Yup...broke a tooth. After retrieving the mysterious "bone" from the trash can, I told him to call sweet Dr. Petty at home. He asked Michael a couple of questions and confirming there was no pain told him to call the office first thing this morning. By Noon today, he'll be getting his tooth repaired. Fabulous. Case closed. Thanks Dr. Petty!

Gerard is surprising all of us. I swear it's all the prayers and good wishes and yogis out there sending good vibes. Whatever the case, please keep it up. When I asked about how he could be out "in the open" the nurse informed us that he was "out of the isolette because he has fat on his body now." Huh? Come again? He weighs 4 lbs.!?! That constitutes enough fat on his body. OK, so he's out of the isolette and has become the "boy in the bubble." You'll notice from his photos and video no oxygen tube. That's because now he gets to reside under the hat/bubble contraption that feeds him oxygen combined with humidity, but not in his nose, proper. The tubing was irritating him quite a bit and kept producing blockages (boogies) that was impeding his breathing. It looks funny but it should help him out. I'll be calling the nurse later this morning.

I'm still don't have much of a voice, but I feel better today. Ear's still under water. I get to visit my doctor again tomorrow and then our first meeting the pediatrician. That should be interesting...I haven't been to a pediatrician's office in over 20 years. Don't forget to click on the video to see the little guy trying to focus on his Daddy. The tube in his nose is his feeding tube. Well, gotta go. It's time to pump!

Jan. 21 Earache Schmearache + Lactation Specialists

Gerard weight - 3 lbs. 15-1/2 oz.
This morning we went to the Instacare and the doctor looks into my ear and says, "Oh, that mustn't feel very good." I know! I know! I still have no voice, so a whisper of "NO, it doesn't feel good (after self-medicating with lortab this morning at 6 a.m after pumping). Is there anything that will help?" She looks at me and says she can give me something for the pain, but gathers it's a virus and I'll have to wait it out. ARGH!!!!! When I asked if other folks are coming in with this she just looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Yes, you're part of the in crowd." How fabulous. Just what I want to be at this stage of my life. After discussing new med options and a call to the lactation specialist in the NICU to make sure the new drugs are "safe" we changed my meds yet again. I'm now on the third antibiotic and an antiviral medication that should have been given to me last week to begin with. I know people love to give the lactation specialists a hard time (they are a militant bunch), but the ones I've dealt with have been marvelous. In fact, I typically get a couple of calls a week checking in to make sure I'm "doin' OK" and asking "if I need help with anything." Yes, if any of the pregnancy books would have warned me that pumping was going to take over my life, I wouldn't be so surprised by the time it takes now! Right when I get settled into a nap or some other pleasureable activity (like reading or watching a movie), wouldn't you know it, it's that time again... Poor Michael probably thinks it's my new mantra. Every time he asks me what I'm doing, or if he can get me anything I just say, "time to pump!" I wish I could contract someone else for the task, especially when I can't even see the baby (just kidding). It must be easier when there's someone to actually feed on the other end. Hopefully, I can keep the production going, but the horror stories I read and hear about moms whose milk dries up when she goes home because baby is in the NICU or some other issue just makes me grateful that I can do this one thing for Gerard. And I should probably thank my parents for not allowing me to have breast augmentation when I was younger. I was the subject of much teasing, but ya know what? While I don't have much to speak of, at least they are extremely productive!

Oh yeah, at least another foot of snow fell this morning...Do you see the recurring theme?

Here's a sweet picture that Michael took of Gerard last night in his little sleeping cap. Too cute.

January 20 - Out of Isolette

Weight - 3 lbs. 15 oz.

Like Auntie Angela says, he's just cruising along...
Today when Michael visited Gerard he was moved out of the isolette and into an uncovered bed. Wow! Almost a big-boy crib! They have him on an incline so he can breathe easier. Here's a pic of him napping with his little Wildcat. The stuffed toy is about 9" long for reference.

In today's video, he's trying to get comfortable. He doesn't care for sleeping on his back, which is really funny, because that's how he slept while he was incubating. I know they say you shouldn't lie on your back when you're pregnant after the first trimester, but that's how I slept best, and that's what he liked as well. I guess not so much now -


As for me, my right ear is still plugged and weepy and rings constantly. We'll be hitting the Instacare again tomorrow. My eyes have cleared up. Hooray! Some progress. Since my birthday is Wednesday, I'd really like my gift to be to be able to see my son. So I need to get well ASAP!

January 19 - great video - 3 lbs. 13-1/2 oz.

The little guy just doesn't like the oxygen tube and it's irritating his nasal passages. He keeps getting the boogy-nose and when they pull the plugs out he can breathe much better.

The nursing staff has been so wonderful. Today I got a sheet of updated pictures of Gerard from Nurse Rose, which helps. I think he looks so much like Michael in today's photos, and it's nice to see his little cheeks looking fuller. He was awake for a full 30 minutes this morning and has been a good boy today. Michael got to hold him chest to chest, which helps with his breathing.

Photos of the boys:


I love this photo of him just sacked out. Not terribly interesting, but I love seeing that he's sleeping. Many of the little ones in the NICU don't sleep so well.

As for me, I've had three naps today. Still not feeling great, but it's 5:00 and I'm feeling like posting, which is a good sign. When i woke up, I started reading a funny book that my friend Paula sent me called "Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay and other things I had to learn as a new mom," by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. I've already had a few good chuckles and I'm only to page 9, but she had a lot of pages in her introduction.

I actually can't hear out of my right ear today. It's like my ear's under water. But I can see out of both eyes again...so that's significant improvement! Sure hope the new antiboitics hit this ear business by tomorrow or it's back to the doctor on Tuesday. Because I still have no voice, Michael decided to utilize his new Christmas gadget - the walkie-talkies. I can hit the "call" button and it rings so he can hear me downstairs. Last night I scared him to death when I knocked on the wall to get his attention. He couldn't imagine who would be out at our door at 9:30 PM in this frigid weather. That was fun.

January 18 - Pink Eye and Ear Infection = Frustration

Gerard's weight last night was 3 lbs. 12 oz. Isn't he amazing? The nurse was kind enough to tell Michael that I'm doing the right thing, as hard as it seems, by staying home and not going in while I'm sick. They wish everyone would follow instructions. Honestly, I know he wouldn't make it if he had what I have. All I can do is continue to provide milk that has tons of antibodies to this horrible sickness.

The nursing staff has given Michael the OK to visit, but he won't be holding him tonight. He has to scrub in real good and wear a gown, so that should be OK.

As for me, the doctor thinks I have a combo of both a viral and bacterial infection. Today my ears have been weeping with infection - talk about gross! Trying a new antibiotic tonight that's a bit stronger. My eyes are responding to the drops, which means bacterial pink eye. I'm still running a temperature around 100, which just makes me feel yucky. If my ears don't get better, it's back to the doctor again on Tuesday. I'm thinking positive, but feel like I've been hit by a truck. I've felt so bad that I haven't been able to read the many books so many friends have given me.

Jan. 17 - Still Sick

Gerard weight last night - 3 lbs. 11 oz. Still stable.

For those of you who have been trying to contact me, sorry for the slow-to-no response but I've been feeling horrible. I've got the crud - plus last night I developed pink eye. I honestly don't remember ever having my eye sealed shut with infection before, but there you have it... I'm going to see the doctor, yet again.

As for the little guy, this post is for Bennett, my cute nephew. This is a photo of Gerard's little isolette in the NICU. I guess it could be a "boat" on it's own... (?) And here's a photo of Gerard "almost" smiling from the other day. Uncle Michael took some photos yesterday that weren't very good (not in focus), so you'll have to wait until Aunt Becky's back in commission.

Jan.15 - Not feeling well

I'm going through another spell of "illness" and we're not sure what it is. BP is finally going down slowly, but I have a temperature, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. It's frustrating that I'm feeling so crummy for so long. I want to be well!

Michael will visit the hospital alone today since I can't until my fever drops and I've been on antibiotics for 24 hours. When I feel up to it I'll post some photos.

All checks on Gerard indicate that he's doing well and has been stable. It's killing me to not see him today.

Jan 13. Tiny Tub Bath

Weight 3 lbs. 8-1/2 oz.
Today was tub time with Mamma and Daddy. The tub looks like a clear shoe box and the label on it says "tiny tub" - no kidding. Daddy did most of the work tonight and baby Gerard just loved it! He looks a bit distressed in some of the photos, but that's the red light on the camera causing that problem. He was wide-eyed and calm throughout the process. No fussing or crying tonight at all. His heartrate was lower tonight, but respirations still erratic. Getting even less oxygen support, which is good.

We also tried some "non-nutritive" feeding tonight, which came as a surprise to me. The nurse on staff is one of the lactation specialists, so she was eager. I just got thrown in to that one blindsighted, but both he and I did OK for the first time. He fell asleep, of course... Next week we try the real deal.

Daddy finally holds son and we go shopping at Babinskis

Weight - 3 lbs. 7-1/2 oz. (up 1/2 oz.)
Gerard had a good day today.

Here are my boys... Daddy finally knows what it feels like to hold his little guy. He kept saying, "this is awesome!" - and of course, he's right.

Be sure to scroll down to previous posts to see videos of the little guy. I finally figured it out. Great footage of "working the binkie" with mom assisting. For you Cajuns out there, a binkie is the same thing as a noonie.

We got some quality "skin-to-skin" time in last night. I'm convinced it helps with his weight gain and respiratory efforts.

For those of you who continue to ask, today Michael and I finally went to Salt Lake (my first outing since before Christmas)and registered at Babinski http://www.babinskis.com/ for some baby things we'd like and need. It's a great local store, so no on-line ordering, but you can call. We didn't register for baby clothes. We like anything they carry. We'll try to get to Babies R Us some time this week for those of you out of town. We're still overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done, and I'm still not feeling great, so this will take time.

Binkie

Working on the signal of binkie = food going in...it's all so complicated when you're so tiny.

I'm Published!

With all the baby news going on, I completely forgot to share some great news that happened right before Christmas. I'm officially published. Not terribly sexy, but I do have a chapter in a book as well as my own authorship in the Journal of Housing for the Elderly. Check it out!
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?ID=107684
Now we need daddy to get his work published so he can
make tenure. (hint-hint)

January 10 - Maintaining...

Weight - 3 lbs. 6 oz.

We were surprised to find the little guy wearing clothing last night! He was in a little navy velveteen outfit that was huge on him, but he seems to like the boundaries. Gerard is maintaining his weight right now. That's a good sign, but I'd like him to gain an ounce. He's down to 30% of a L of oxygen, which is good. Here's a photo of me holding him and one of him sleeping. Tonight we'll get to give him a bath and Michael would like to try to hold him. It's time.

Snow, snow, snow!

It's a sea of white everywhere.
Michael's shoveling...

Michael's stuck!

January 9 - Lots of Snow and Less Oxygen

Weight - 3 lbs. 6-1/2 oz. (up 1/2 oz.)

Today it snowed so much I was afraid we wouldn't make it to the hospital. The car got stuck twice, but Michael dug it out. I think we got over 12 inches today, but I haven't confirmed that with the news yet. There's at least that much piled up on the birdbath. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Gerard did well today. The doctor said he's down to 1L of oxygen (he was up to 3L at one point), but he's still learning how to breathe. The night nurse thinks he's got his days and nights mixed up (Mom used to say that about me as a teenager) - but he was most active at night before birth. I got to hold him around Noon, and he lifted his head up a few times and moved around a bit - getting stronger! Michael had the pleasure of changing his very dirty diaper and after that we were surprised he gained any weight at all today. He didn't cry or make noise while we were there, but he did open his eyes when daddy talked to him.

I'm very tired today, but it was a good day overall. Docs weaning me slowly off the meds to experiment with what happens. BP is still extremely high at night.

January 8 - Gerard Moves to Room 2

Weight today - 3lbs. 6 oz. (down 1 oz. from yesterday).

Today was a wonderful day for Gerard! He got to move from the most critical care unit Room #1, to Room #2 (there are 4 rooms). From what I understand, Room 3 is not good. They call it the dungeon. That doesn't even sound good. But Room 4 is nearest to "out the door" - so that's the goal. Back to Room 2 - He's still off the vent, so he got to move to Room 2 based on jumping that hurdle. Next hurdle is learning to breathe. Gerard likes to hold his breath, so respirations are unstable and he's still on oxygen to aid him with that issue. The one little glitch is that the little guy loves to pull the tube out of his nose and he sets off the alarm several times a day. While I visited tonight, he pulled the oxygen out of his nose three times...which is a little bit scary.

Here's our first "happy" photo taken today. I'm happy because I finally got my hair done and Gerard is happy because he loves being "skin to skin" with mommy. It's also called "kanga care" for obvious reasons. Isn't that just adorable? We're hoping that daddy gives this a try on Friday. So far, he's been hesitant because the guy is so, so tiny and fragile. I'm sure once he tries, he'll be hooked just like mommy. Have I said this feels like heaven before?

Gerard is off the ventilator!

Today we hit another milestone. Yesterday, the doctors challenged Gerard by pulling him off the vent. It's official. He's gone 24 hous + without it, which is a wonderful accomplishment. Today I got to watch him throw a little fit while he was changed and yes...the waterfountain immediately after the diaper came off. Pretty darned cute. Then I got to hold him. Ahhhhhh... the feeling is simply wonderful and he likes it, too. Nice response in him actually lifting his little head and turning it from the left to the right side, right into the nook in my neck. He's still on oxygen, but it goes up so high when I hold him we have all the buzzers and ringers going off. Then I just hum and sing to him for a half hour into blissfulness. Here's a few photos from before the vent was removed. I'll have better photos tomorrow with fuzzy hair since he had a bath tonight. The nurse said he just loved it. Can't wait to see him.