Sunday's the Day!

It looks like our journey in the NICU will end on Sunday!!  Noah is coming home!!  HOORAY!   Here's our big boy!  5 lbs. 9 oz. today and ready to come home!  

It's been a long month, but we are so incredibly thankful for all the help, blessings, and prayers we've received.  Here Ethan is enjoying a gift we received in the mail from our dear Sugar Land friends the Armendarizes.

When Phil's parents were here they blessed us with a kitchen re-organization, complete with some much needed Elfa shelving.  Here is the work in progress.  HUGE difference in the functionality of our kitchen.  Everything is so easy to access!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but in the midst of this I had to complete defensive driving online.  I got a speeding ticket last November for going 35 in a 25 in our neighborhood.  :(  I would like to note this was my first speeding ticket in 12 years, if that excuses my lawlessness.  While taking the course, I finished knitting Ethan a hat and knit Noah's hat.  Unfortunately Noah's hat fit more like a yarmulke (yamaka).  

Phil and I had to kick in it gear to get his nursery ready.  We still need to replace the E's with N's, but Ethan is now in his new big boy room, so we've been spending our nights in here getting things ready.  BIG thanks to my mom for making the bumper to match the crib skirt.  It helps having a great seamstress for a mom!

So anxious for Sunday!  We're trying to prepare ourselves in case there is any reason he can't come home on Sunday.  It almost seems too good to be true!!!

The Countdown

It's like the NICU nurses told me, once you settle into a routine, it will be time to prepare to go home.  I arrived on Monday to a 5 lb. 2 oz. big boy!  Look at those chubby cheeks!  He's taking bottles like a champ - 4 feedings a day he'll take the full bottle and then the other 4 he eats over half and then poops out and gets the rest by tube.  He's 34 weeks now, and his maturity is still wowing the nurses.  We are so proud of Noah for working so hard so that he can come home.

The NICU is now estimating he'll be home in less than 2 weeks!  There are a number of things we need to do to prepare...I bought his new sheets for the crib, borrowed newborn clothing from friends (and got some cute warm pjs from his Gram), and secured a car seat.  Now we need a double stroller and a new monitor.  Anyone have a double stroller we can borrow?  Preferably one that works with a Graco car seat?

I'm trying not to get to fixated on a coming home date.  I won't know the exact day until 24-48 hours ahead of time.  So many things have to align perfectly before he is released.  Please pray he doesn't have any more apnea episodes; his last one was Jan. 30, so five days from Feb. 1 he is considered safe to be released, but he still has to take every feeding fully by bottle, and still not have any new apnea episodes which will incur another 5 days in the NICU.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  Phil went out of town this weekend on a pre-paid trip to Dallas.  We had booked it on Hotwire, non-refundable, thinking, of course, I'd still be pregnant and I'd be able to go.  He found a friend to go in my place.  Anyway, he came back from the trip with the flu and today returned to work.

I'll take another picture of Noah tomorrow.  By then, he would have gained a few more ounces.  Maybe I'll try to take one so you can see his little fat rolls developing on his legs.  ;)

Uncle Brian and Daddy gives him a bottle

Ethan loved having Uncle Brian here.  At first he didn't understand why Chloe and Molly and Aunt Ange weren't coming too, but he quickly settled into demanding Uncle Brian's attention every waking minute.

Brian meeting Noah for the first time.

I like that his hand shows perspective of Noah's size.  As of yesterday, he is 4 lbs. 7 oz., though Phil and I will get conflicting gram conversions at our separate visits during the day.  Hm.

Our sweet boy sleeping.  He no longer requires the canula you saw in earlier pictures.  He has very few instances of breathing apnea, so they removed it a few days ago.  Notice that beautiful blanket?  Volunteers at the hospital knitted/crocheted (I can't tell which) it and gave it to us.  It is so beautiful and cheery to see and keeps him warm.

Last night we took Ethan up to see Noah again.  This was only his second time because he had a runny nose for the past few weeks.  Daddy had never bottle fed Noah before.  Noah took half the bottle.  He is taking a full feeding by bottle up to 3 x a day, and then sometimes a half feeding and then sometimes not at all.  Huge progress!!  They still project 2-3 weeks until he comes home.

I am asked a lot what he needs to do to come home.  I realized I might not have posted that here.  There are three main criteria for him: 1) get all of his feedings through a nipple, either breastfed or bottle 2) no instances of breathing apnea plus 5 days and 3) there are some physiological things he just has to mature through before he is safe to be home with us without the constant monitoring.  Like right now he doesn't know how to suck, swallow and breath at the same time.  He is only 33 weeks - so that really doesn't develop until 35 weeks, so just waiting on that and then he should easily be able to take all of his feedings efficiently by a combination of bottle and breast feeding.  He does not have to master breast feeding at every feeding in order to come home.  We'll transition to that on our own once he's home.

Taking a bottle

Surprise!  This is what I saw when I arrived for the 3pm feeding today!  What a big boy!  He took a little over half of his feeding through a bottle.   (He's eating 42 ML each feeding with none left over in his tummy by the next feeding.  That is encouraging, signs that his body is functioning very efficiently and he's able to thrive on this schedule.)  I greatly appreciate his nurses.  She quickly showed me what to do and I got to feed him the rest.

 Here I am holding my 4 lb. 6 oz boy!  He's gaining weight every day.

 Here is a better shot of his face and him holding his paci.

Super sweetie.  He was so alert and active this afternoon.  He was awake my entire visit, which has never happened before.  When I laid him back down he immediately passed out.  Bottle feeding and mommy time requires a lot of energy and burns a lot of precious calories.

Today was a great day.  We've enjoyed our visit with Phil's brother Brian and are looking forward to our upcoming weekend when my in-laws will be here.  Having things to look forward to on the weekend (and throughout the week) helps the time fly by and makes the day to day routine more bearable.

Thank you to all our friends who have brought us meals and cared for Ethan last week.  He is having a blast playing with friends and asks now more than ever when he is going to play with friends again.  He and I have wonderful afternoons together - mostly staying home and playing toys and occasionally a trip to the park.  It is a time for me to recoup and also for Ethan to have some mommy time.  We seem to be doing well, settling into this routine.

4 lbs.

Noah is slowly gaining back to his birth weight.  As of today, he is 4 lbs. 3 oz.  He ended up losing 11% of his birth weight, but he is really thriving on his fortified breast milk.

Phil is on his way to Homer, LA to join his family and attend the burial of his grandpa, who went to Heaven Wednesday morning.  Hudson had been in hospice care for a few weeks, so this did not come as a surprise.  He is a very strong Godly man who suffered from Parkinson's and is now able to dance and rejoice freely in Heaven.  Our community here made it possible for Phil to travel up there.  With sweet friends signed up to bring us meals, and other friends volunteering to watch Ethan, our family routine is continuing on as usual.  We do get the added bonus of Phil's brother, Brian, from Calgary coming to see Noah for the first time.  We are very excited for him to come here.  As you pray for Noah, please pray for Phil - that he would have a safe journey there and back.

Ounce by ounce

Today we found out Noah has gained an ounce.  I'm still learning what exactly I should be getting excited about every day he's in there.  Apparently that is a really big deal, so yeah!  He's keeping down his full feeding of 38 ML.  Every NP and Pediatrician I see comments on what a strong little 32 weeker he is.  They are all so very encouraging and encouraged by his progress.  I was told today that this week will be somewhat boring, in that he'll just be sleeping and hopefully gaining weight at this same rate.  Boring is a great thing, they said.

We think we've got our schedule worked out so that I can go see Noah twice a day with Phil taking the 'after Ethan goes to bed' shift.  Phil is a night person, so being out doesn't bother him.  Here it is 8:20pm and I'm ready for bed.

People keep asking me how I am doing and it is so hard to articulate.  I've been thinking about that question more today.  Physically I am completely healed.  My body is quickly getting back to normal, mostly because I skipped the last two months where he and I would have really packed on the pounds.  Emotionally I'm spent.  I still cry every day wanting my baby home.  Tonight I broke down at the dinner table and Ethan said, "Mommy why you crying?" I replied, "Mommy wants Noah to come home."  and he said, "Don't cry mama, Noah coming home one day."  Then Phil said some comforting words and Ethan said, "Daddy makes mama soooooo happy."

Please pray for endurance and emotional clarity.  I'm sure some of this is post-delivery hormones.  Some is maternal feelings, and some is pure exhaustion.  We would like to not only survive, but thrive as a family during this time.  I can already see how this is taking a little toll on Ethan's behavior.  Little testing toddler, he is.  Please pray for him.  I don't know specifically what - I'll leave that up to the Holy Spirit to lead.

Thank you all.  Good night!

Clothes!

Ethan met Noah for the first time Friday afternoon.  He thought it was so cool Noah had his own computer.  We encouraged him to talk to Noah - he asked if he wanted to play trains and see the elephants in the circus.  Noah made a little sound and Ethan thought that was so funny!

Mimi (my mom) got to hold him for the first time.  Without an IV, it is easier for him to be held more often.  We were surprised to learn that he is now back to 4 lbs. and is able to wear clothes!  Here the nurse is putting on his first outfit.  He looks like such a big boy with clothes on.

He was grabbing at his oxygen tubing until Mimi offered her finger.  A huge milestone - being swaddled!  Now we can hold him more often!