Eight weeks 4 days old

Evan's hernia surgery was a success! But, let's start at the beginning of the day.

When we got to the hospital, Evan was just starting to realize that he was several meals behind. He got his last meal at 3 am. He squeaked a little bit, but took right to his paci when we gave it to him. He sucked on that on and off right up until his surgery. He was pretty tolerant of the fact that he wasn't eating. I know I would have been suuuuper cranky.

Nom, nom, nom.

We gave him a bath around 10 am since he'll just have sponge baths for a little while as the incision site heals. We had hoped the bath would kind of distract him from the fact that he wasn't getting fed. It worked and he soon fell back to sleep.

Distracting me with a bath does not make up for the fact that I have STILL not been fed!

We took him down to surgery around 2:30 (right on time!!). After talking with the anesthesiologists  it was determined that they would really prefer to put him under general anesthesia. This would allow them to give him fentanyl for the pain. It would also mean that he would be intubated. Bummer. 

Once the surgery was over, the doctor came out to talk about the procedure. He had a very large hernia so it did take them a few extra minutes. Thankfully, Evan won't have any long term side effects from the surgery or hernia. He only had the hernia on his left side.

The doctors wheeled Evan back up to his room. He's under yet another type of bed (bed number 4 in his short life!) that has a heater above it to keep Evan warm. He looks gigantic in this bed!

I'm really happy Evan was able to have the hernia surgery so soon. The surgeon explained that she normally likes to wait until they're closer to going home before performing hernia repair. As Evan's comfort level may have been tied to the hernia, she was more open to operating sooner rather than later (and how lucky Evan was that they had a time slot for him today!). I think that we're going to see a big change in Evan. The doctor mentioned that we may see him much more happy now that the hernia is gone. Evan's already pretty happy so I can't wait to see that!

Evan was awake for a little bit after he came back upstairs. He even started moving around a little bit. We could see him trying to cry and maybe even cough out the tube in his throat. Thankfully he soon went back to sleep. We didn't want him fighting the ventilator too much yet since he's still under some pretty powerful drugs.

Momma? Is there a unicorn next to you or am I just on drugs?

When we left, the NICU doctor's had already started weaning Evan from the ventilator. Hopefully he'll be back on his wall oxygen in the next day or so. He's already down to room air but still needs the machine to help him to breathe. The fentanyl kind of acts as a respiratory depressant so they'll wait until it's fully through his system before they aggressively wean him. We're also hopeful that Evan will go back to eating tomorrow. They won't start him at full feeds just yet, but will slowly work him back up to the 37 mL that he was at.

It was a long day at the hospital, but still not as bad as some of the days that we've had. I missed snuggling him this afternoon and evening. Maybe we'll be able to snuggle tomorrow though!

Eight weeks 3 days old

Evan was a nursing master today. He nursed three times and was a champ each time. I'm so proud of him. I was really frustrated with myself after last night's feeding try. I know Evan was probably tired from all the action he had last night, but I was still feeling pretty sorry for myself since he couldn't nurse.

Evan is now large enough for his hernia surgery. With no time to think about it, the surgeons were in this morning to talk about operating TOMORROW! Holy cats, I didn't think they'd get to him that fast. Today was a busy day of labs and a transfusion (to beef Evan up). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they can to a spinal as this would not require Evan to be intubated for the surgery. Obviously, I want what is best for Evan, but I'm hoping the anesthesiologist is comfortable with a spinal. With intubation, they'll have to wean him off it and he'll go back to 100% tube feedings. 

I'm really hoping that once the hernia is repaired, Evan won't have so much trouble when he's pushing. It seems as though a lot of his spells are tied to pushing. It would be awesome if we could eliminate that variable.

Where is my thumb?!

Pre milk coma snuggle with Daddy.

Eight weeks 2 days old

Evan was good off the oxygen until about 5 am this morning. He started to desat into the low 80's so he was put back on the wall oxygen. He's receiving very minimal support (basically just tickling his nose).

Evan will now be bottled or nursed twice a shift! The doctors asked me if I thought he was getting enough when he nursed or if he needed to supplement with a bottle. I told them that it seems like he gets enough and is usually disinterested in the bottle when I offer it to him. Of course I don't want him to lose weight, so we'll just keep an eye on him when he's eating.

I'm ready for story time!
What adventure is Curious George going to get into today?

The surgeons came to check on Evan's hernia. He's getting close to the 2,000 g mark that is required to operate. Unfortunately, they spent a lot of time poking and prodding so he was not a happy camper. His nurse did up his oxygen after they left since he was so agitated. Poor little guy. I can't relate, but I can only imagine I'd be pretty ticked off if someone was manhandling my tender bits. I guess the surgery is pretty simple. As long as Evan continues to gain weight, they may be able to do it sooner rather than later.

Eight weeks 1 day old

Oh hi! Look at my new mustache!

Mr. Pants had an awesome day! We had a little struggle with breakfast this morning. Evan ended up taking it via his nose tube. I was nursing (or rather trying to) while the doctors rounded on Evan. His nurse spoke right up and asked if they could take him off the high flow cannula and move him to a regular nose cannula (what you or I would use if we needed some oxygen). He was switched off the high flow this morning!! They set the oxygen below room air and he was really holding his own. It was so nice to see him without a huge tape mustache. Evan's nurse was hoping that maybe by this weekend he could come off the oxygen support all together. Yesterday when we bathed him, he was off oxygen and he was completely fine. The nose prongs are out of his nose more than they're in so I think he's ready.

It's Measurement Monday. Evan's new stats are: length 42 cm (from 40 cm last week) and head 31 cm (from 29.5 cm). Woohoo! He is really filling out his clothes and we put him in a newborn size when he was changed this evening. We were able to pass on some of the snap t-shirts (that he only wore one out of the 5 pack) onto a neighbor today.

Erhmergerd! Fingerrrrrs!

After a hugely successful night time feeding, Evan didn't need/take any of the supplemental bottle. I was so proud of him. He's still refluxing quite a bit, but his nurse said that it's mostly due to the fact that the tube is there for the food to come back out. Once he's done with tube feedings, he should be better with the reflux. 

I don't need no stinkin feeding tube!

Oh, AND! Evan is completely off respiratory support. He is breathing just like you and I. Apparently, he was doing such a great job on the minimal support, the night doctors wanted to try him out on nothing. We stayed with Evan for about an hour after they took him off the oxygen and he was perfect. His stats never dropped (well due to lack of breathing at least). We were warned that sometimes the babies have to go back on support because they get tired out. I won't be upset if Evan's back on oxygen tomorrow morning. I know that he's getting stronger every day and that he can breathe without it.

When do I get to eat!? I know I'm big, but geesh! Feed me!

Ugh Batteries!

Because Evan is so amazing, we wore out the battery today. He's got a big update for tomorrow but I want to put his pictures to it. Sooooo, that means you'll just have to check back tomorrow morning. :)

Eight weeks old

Our favorite little stinky man is eight weeks old today (34 weeks GA). He continues to take 36 mL via his NG tube. We're breast feeding/bottle once a shift. Evan was quite the champ today while nursing. I'm still freaked out that he's not getting enough, but he still gets his milk (with fortifier) down his nose tube. 

I'm a growin' boy! Someone feed me!

Where are my hands!?
Why did Dad have to discover the mittens on my onzie today!?

Little man continues to impress (disgust?) us with his farts. He is definitely all Andrew's son. :) I helped give Evan a tub bath today (a first for me). I expected him to let us know how much he hated it, but he seemed really happy. Actually, thinking about it now he was way too happy about the bath. Now that I'm reflecting on it, I think his little grin was due to the fact that he could pee in the water. Boys.

Do I like this? I think I do, but I don't want to let on just in case.

Okay, I think I'm clean enough!

Evan's respiratory support continues to hold steady at 2 litres (for pressure) and about 30% O2. I would really like to see him move off the high flow cannula and onto regular oxygen. I think this would help with bottling/nursing and just be more comfortable for him. He's constantly pulling the cannula out of his nose. It has to be uncomfortable to have constant air blowing up his nose. While he was taking his bath and getting weighed, he wasn't hooked up to the oxygen and he did perfect. I think he may be faking his dependency on the oxygen juuuuust a little.

What? You smelt it, you dealt it!

(Yes, he did go through two outfits today. Evan also takes after his grandfather in that he can't eat without spilling on his shirt!)

Seven weeks 6 days old

I have to say, we were a little prepared to see Evan back in the isolette when we got to his room today. The nurse will typically leave the isolette next to the open crib for 24 hours to make sure the baby can maintain body heat. Apparently Evan is a little toaster because the isolette was gone from the room. 

Where's Evan!? Guess this hat is still a little too big.

Evan did a little better nursing today. I'm still freaking out about knowing how much he's eating. The nurses just seem so nonchalant about it! Right now, everything is measured and tracked: amount of milk (36 mL every 3 hours at 24 calories), weight of diapers, amount of aspirates (give back on undigested food). When I asked the nurse today about how to tell when Evan has had enough, she laughed and said that every mother that nurses has the same question. But not every mother is breast feeding a preemie!! I think I just have to trust that he will stop eating when he's full (or he'll just have really pudgy kissy cheeks!)

Yo! You with the milk bags. I'll take some of that please.

The doctor also weaned Evan on his respiratory support to 2 litres (he was previously on 3). The litres help give a little pressure to his preemie lungs. Previously, Evan did not tolerate the lowered pressure, but since he started the pulmicort, it seems to have helped. It does seem like he has spells around his eating times. The nurses are quick to say that he spells due to refluxing and that he'll grow out of it. 

I love my anchor hat and I can still grow into it!

Seven weeks 5 days old

Evan had baby yoga with the physical therapist today. She said that he's developing well. He's exploring by touching his face and head. He's making nice fluid moves with his arms and legs as well. She's looking for signs of cerebral palsy when she's stretching him and moving his limbs. So far, he's developing perfectly!

I'm ready for a new apartment!

Since Evan has been keeping his body temperature he was moved into a big boy crib!! This is dangerous for Evan as I know have full access to touch his soft little head or hold his hands. :) (Also, his pictures will be so much clearer!) We will really need to keep our guard up when changing him since we don't have a nice plastic shield anymore. It will take some getting used to as we won't be able to put a blanket over his isolette to keep him in the dark. Now that he's really in the open, he'll have to learn to sleep through all the bells and noises his roommates set off! This will help when he goes to the zoo since Layla and Stella like to bark at everything.

Hey! What'd I do to end up in jail?!

Evan had another try at nursing today. He's starting to put it together. We tried for about 10 minutes, then bottled and then put the rest down his NG tube. I think he'll have a much easier time at nursing once he loses some of the face stuff. 

Hm, not so sure I feel like working for this.

Daddy is happy Evan is out in the open too!

Seven weeks 4 days old

Well our little man had a big day today! His new "lot" is really nice. It feels a bit cramped, but I like being cozy. The doctor would like to challenge Evan to try to breathe at room air. He typically requires about 30% oxygen. Today, he was dropped to about 27%. His saturation was okay, but Evan will get used to it. They're really trying to wean him on the respiratory support.

(Heads up - boobie talk ahead...)

I'll be with you in just a sec. I'm busy bottling!

In super awesome news, Evan went straight to the tap today! We had our first breast feeding experience. (For the non-moms or men that have that fleeting "Hm, wonder what that feels like" question: It feels like a titty twister. You would think since Evan is small he would be gentle, but NO! That little boy is persistent and hungry!) We only tried for about 10 minutes because I didn't want to tire him out too much. He definitely knows what he needs to do, but wasn't quite sure he felt like putting forth the effort. He ended up taking about 16 mL via bottle and then the remaining went down his NG (nose) tube. We also bottled him again tonight. I was holding him a bit squnched so that delayed us a little bit before I realized I was the problem. Evan took about 11 mL this evening. (Up from the 5 he took the other day!) He can bottle twice a day, once for each shift. During the day shift, I can try to breast feed for his bottle time.

Evan had a repeat eye exam this morning. Thankfully I had stepped out to pump so I missed the whole ordeal. With this exam, the doctor noticed that Evan may be developing ROP. Here's a great "normal" person explanation of ROP (taken from the eye exam sheet):

The retina is the inner lining of the eye that receives light and turns it into visual messages that are sent to the brain. If one thinks of the eye like a camera, the retina functions as the film. Blood vessels that supply the retina are one f the last structures of the eye to mature; they have barely completed growing when a full-term baby is born. This means that a premature infant's retina is not yet completely developed. For reasons not yet fully understood, the blood vessels in the immature part of the retina may develop abnormally in some premature infants. This is called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Do not google ROP (mom :)). Just chalk this up to a "preemie thing". The doctor is going to repeat the exam in another 2 weeks. I'll try to ask for a little clarification during rounds tomorrow. From what I can tell, this is to be expected.

All in all, a great day for our Mr. Pants.

I look fabulous!

Seven weeks 3 days old

Evan is getting bigger so his feed was increased to 34 mL. He took down a full bottle at noon today. He and I are still learning what works best for us. I haven't quite figured out how I'm comfortable holding him. Even though I'm left handed, I still do a lot of things right handed. So far I seem to be more comfortable holding him with my left hand and bottling with my right. (Today at least!)

Happy Hump Day!!

Evan was started on pulmicort today. It is like an inhaler in that it will go through his nose cannula to try to help open up his lungs a little bit. I think I mentioned previously that his respiratory support seems stuck at 3 litres. The doctors are hoping this aerosol will help the lungs so they can wean.

Hm, shall I poop on my nurse now or later?

Evan's house location was changed today as one of his roommates has gone to the zoo. We have an awesome window location, but it is extremely drafty. I was really worried about Evan's temperature once he was moved out of his isolette and into an open crib. This new location is still in the same room. Hopefully it's a bit warmer. (I was really dreading pulling the "girls" out to breast feed in the old spot!! So the move is a little bit for me too!)

Chef-Boyardee - I can make you anything with milk!

Seven weeks 2 days old

Petey the Penguin and I hangin' out.

Evan's respiratory requirement needed to be adjusted back up to 3 litres today. When we got to the hospital for the night visit, it was actually bumped up to 3.5 litres. They did take a CBC (complete blood count) and an X-ray today to see if Evan is fighting an infection or if there's a problem with his lungs. The CBC came back clear - no infection. The X-ray was also clear. It just seems that Evan's preemie lungs are getting the best of him right now.

Evan took down all 33 mL of his bottle today. He finished in record time of about 15 minutes. He is definitely starting to recognize hunger signs. He started crying when he came out of his apartment and stopped as soon as he realized he was out to eat, not to snuggle. We bumped his O2 to 40% while he bottled and he did awesome. Since he did such a great job on the day feed, we tried a night feed as well. Evan was pretty tired and took about 5 mL. Still, he took down 38 mL today. We are so proud of him. 

Gimmie the goods Daddy!

Evan looked so stinkin' cute today. He was in footie pjs and just looked so big. I think he's only going to be able to wear his preemie clothes once! He was so comfortable looking. I just couldn't stop staring at his cuteness!

Snug as a bug!

Peeu! I think someone tooted in here!

Zonked out after snuggling.

We also weighed Evan tonight. No change from the day before though. He's still tipping the scales at 1,790 grams (3 pounds 13 ounces).

Hey! Excuuuuse me! I'm not decent!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Evan would like to remind all the ladies to keep an eye on your milkers. As a recent member of the nipple club (yep, his finally grew in!), he wants to make sure everyone is going for their yearly mammos. :)

Seven weeks 1 day old

Came in to find Evan all snugged in on his tummy (still his favorite position). The doctors increased his feed to 33 mL (up by one) and decreased his respiratory support to 2 litres. Due to the decrease in support, Evan did have a few more spells today. He did bring himself out of them though. 

Big head to hold in all my brains!

Monday's are measurement days. Evan had another growth spurt - his head circumference is 29 1/2 cm (11.6 inches) and he measures 40 cm (15.7 inches) long. Last week, Evan measured in at 28.5 cm for his head and 39 cm for length. He does look long when he stretches out. When I got the word that Evan cold wear clothes, I went a little crazy buying him outfits. I'm not so sure he's even going to get a chance to wear them all! The outfit he's wearing today is actually a newborn size. (For those wondering, he weighed in yesterday at 1,740 grams (3 pounds 13 ounces).) There was a whisper of talk that he might be moved to an open crib by this weekend. Again, he has to hit the target weight of 1,800 grams and keep his temperature up on his own.

Bottling went pretty well today. Evan took down about 12 mL of his 33 mL. He did seem to tire out a little faster so I didn't want to push him to take more. Seeing as he was already working harder to breathe, I didn't want to cause him to brady (drop heart rate) just to help him with his coordination. 

We read a Curious George story tonight. Evan was awake and smiling throughout it. Hopefully he wasn't getting any ideas for making mischief!

Telling Daddy all about his day.

Momma, this is guy time. How about a little privacy?!

Tuckered out after story time - Andrew that is. :)

Suckas! When are you going to learn to change me after we snuggle?!

Seven weeks old

33 weeks!

When we got to the hospital this morning, Evan had a whole outfit on. (Pardon the glare on the picture, I didn't want to turn the lights on and wake him up.) He looked like he was ready to shuffle down to play cards with his cronies! 

Look! I'm in pants!

Evan was amazing during bottle time today. He slurped down 20 mL and left 12 behind for the tube. He is doing such a great job of sucking and breathing. He kept his stats up the whole time. Evan also seems to be speeding up the bottling process. The first few bottles took about a half hour or so (and that was for small amounts). Today, he took 20 mL in about a half hour. He is really associating sucking with food. Whenever I pulled the bottle out to give him a break, he'd open his mouth and stick his tongue out. Evan still needs to work on one thing at a time though. He did fill his pants (as usual) so he was not comfortable for snuggle time after he was done with the bottle. He only stayed out for a little bit before we put him back to relax in his house.

Evan tried to launch on Daddy today, but thankfully Andrew was prepared for him. (I somehow managed to "miss" the diaper change - thankfully I had to milk. I think I was up for diaper duty and I'm still a little traumatized from yesterday...)

During our visit tonight, Evan got his thumb in his mouth and was happily sucking away. I hadn't seen him actually suck his thumb. All other attempts have been kind of clumsy, with Evan sucking the side of his thumb or the back of his hand. I knew it was only a matter of time before he got the coordination down. It was so adorable to watch him suck away.

Mm, thumb!

I'm waiting for a video to upload of Evan snuggling with Andrew. He was pretty alert and starting to get hungry. (He was snuggling before his 9 pm snack.) Check back tomorrow for the video. :) Update as promised: http://vimeo.com/77374161

My boys hanging out.

Six weeks 6 days old

When we arrived at the hospital today, we noticed Evan had a new feeding tube that goes down his nose. This will allow him to bottle without having to take out the feeding tube each time. (Taking out the feeding tube and putting it back in every day could have irritated his throat.) I love seeing his little lips and he DOES know how to close his mouth. After a month and a half of having stuff in his mouth, I was a little worried he'd always have it open catching flies. :) 

Andrew had his first bottling attempt today. I have to admit, I thought he was going to be too nervous and gentle (like I was), but he was AWESOME! Evan even managed to stay awake a little longer too. Evan took down a record 12 mL today! He still gets a little too sleepy so he ended up out of the blankets for a bit. Thankfully, he's a little toaster oven so he still stays nice and warm.

Evan got a brand new house today. Not because he outgrew the old one but because he launched one on his Momma. After all the warnings I've given to the nurses, I didn't listen to my own advice and wasn't prepared while changing Evan. He managed to make such a mess that he needed a whole new isolette today. It was super gross, but I got through it. I can cross "Get pooped on by my child" off my bucket list (that means it won't happen again right?!).

We didn't end up going down to the hospital to tuck Evan in. It was the hardest decision we've made yet. I haven't missed a single shift since Evan was born. Andrew and I needed our sleep, but it was still hard not meeting his nurse or tucking him in. I know Evan is receiving awesome care, but it's still nice to meet the nurse and give her the run down of his antics (even though I'm sure it's part of the debriefing each shift does for the new shift coming on). Hopefully we're about halfway through our stay in the NICU. I don't think I want to miss another shift again. I can only do so much for Evan that I felt like I was letting him down. (Thankfully, I don't think he'll hold it against us.)

Stretching out after flipping onto my back.

Helping Daddy feed me.

Hi! Keep it comin!

Heehee, I had to get a new house cuz I pooped all over my old one. Heehee

Wide awake and ready to cause a ruckus.
Should I pull out my O2 or wiggle over to the portholes?

Six weeks 5 days old

Mr. Evan had a very happy Friday. Today, he slurped down 13 mL (of his 31 mL). I really think he's getting the whole bottling thing down. He was doing a great job of slurping and breathing. I was so proud of him.

Sucking up to Momma - I know she has the goods.

We met the new team of doctors that will be working with Evan for the next month. It was reassuring to hear their plan for Evan: Grow, grow, GROW!! They did try to decrease his respiratory requirement last night, but it proved to be a little too difficult for Evan. Evan was periodically breathing while the doctors were rounding on him this morning so they bumped him back up. This is completely fine as he is on very low requirements anyway.

My Daddy is getting to be quite the diaper pro.

For some reason I have taken to calling Evan Mr. Pants. Not quite sure how that one came to be. This morning, I was warning his day nurse about his behind and she said, "Oh, don't worry, I made a note on my sheet. It says "Launcher"." So Evan and his keister have earned the new nickname of Launcher. Doesn't quite roll of the tongue like Mr. Pants though. Andrew made it through the change above unscathed. Wish I could say the same for the nurse that changed him about an hour after this picture was snapped. She was not so lucky. I'm seriously considering buying an incubator to change Evan in at home. Maybe we'll just do diaper changes in the bathtub...

Happy Friday and Woohoo Weekend!