Halloween!

Please check back later because I will update with more and better pictures...I just had to share this:

I got to the hospital this morning to feed Jacob and noticed he had a new hat in his crib, along with a costume! One of the nurses made little pumpkin costumes for all the babies in her care. I didn't have my camera with me, so I slipped the outfit over his sleeper and snapped a couple of pictures via cell-phone...

Jacob had a banner day!

Lots of progress for Jacob today.
--He hit 4lbs 1oz
--He graduated from a temperature controlled isollette into a regular basinette
--He moved from 3 or 4 feeds by mouth to 6 of 8 feeds by mouth
--He increased his feedings from 37cc to 40cc per feeding

His doctor is very impressed with the rate of progress he is making, and even (cautiously) predicted that we could possibly have Jacob home as early as the end of next week if he continues at his current rate.

He'll get to sport his first real clothing now that he's out of the isolette. Since he prefers to be "free" to wiggle when he's being held and fed, I'm allowed to put some actual clothes on him to help him stay warm when he'd otherwise be wrapped up in a nice cozy bundle.

Guess that means I should go find him something to wear....I planned on having a big baby so we didn't get much in the way of NEWBORN or PREEMIE sized clothes!

Jonathan earned his Bobcat badge

Tuesday during his pack meeting, Jonathan was awarded his Bobcat badge in cub scouts. He has worked through a huge portion of his Tiger Scout book already, and earned 2 beads as well. Zach has been handling most of his activities in light of things, but I know he was very excited to earn his first patch.

No work for me...yet.

Well, Monday morning I called my doctor, and Zach took me to my appointment later that day. He was out delivering a baby, so I saw Angela, the nurse-practitioner who had seen me the day I delivered and sent me promptly to the hospital. She's also a labor and delivery nurse so she's seen the gammut of scenarios, and she's pretty understanding, yet very straight forward when it comes to what she sees.

No infections or anything which is good, but she basically told me I was trying to do too much and my body was "revolting" so I am not released to drive, and not released to work. Pretty much all I'm doing is working on a blanket from the confines of the couch, and going to the hospital to feed Jacob. It is frustrating when your mind tells you that you are fine, get up and take care of what needs to be taken care of, but your body tells you to park it, and let it go. The body wins because I have little tolerance for pain, and even the narcotics dont make it go away, they just make me sleep through alarms. :)

Jacob will likely hit the 4lb threshold in the next day or two. He was up to 3lbs 15oz at last weigh in. He lost an ounce which they attributed to a rather high number of dirty diapers :P He was observed by a therapist today during one of his bottle feedings and he did really well, taking the entire feeding by bottle without showing signs of stress or fatigue that were out of the norm. He's got the nursing "latching on" down, but if he's tired and sleepy, he just sits there and snoozes. Comfy for him, I'm sure, but for me-not so much. He's got to get up to 8 feedings per day in full by bottle or breast before he can lose the tube and he's hovering around 3-4 so he's about halfway there.

The nurse did talk to me today about preparing to "room-in" for him. Prior to his discharge from the hospital we will do a 2 night/day rooming in just as I would have done with him had he been full term. This way they can monitor his stats with me round-the-clock feeding him, etc. for a brief period before he comes home.

I forgot the camera today so I'll try to remember it tomorrow.

Bring on the milk!

Friday was Jacob's first experience in taste. He got his first bottle feeding Friday morning. The nurse spent extra time with him, showing me how to hold him, and check his progress from time to time. They had seen him exhibiting normal signs of being ready (hands up at his mouth, able to hold in the pacifier, etc) so they figured they'd see how he did. He took about 2/3 of his normal feeding before he fell into a deep sleep. He'd had enough but he impressed the nurse and doctors enough that they wanted to continue it. He's up to 3 bottle feedings a day now, and I got to try to nurse him for the first time yesterday.

He took awhile to catch on to nursing the first time, but he did manage to latch on, even if it was only for a few minutes. Today he was too sleepy to really be bothered with feeding at all, so after about 15 minutes I let him just sleep instead.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to go back to work. That still remains to be seen I suppose. I had a bit of an "episode" today and Zach isn't so sure that I need to be working just yet. I woke up with alot of pain on one side of my incision, making it rather uncomfortable to walk. When I was leaving the NICU area a nurse stopped to ask me if I was ok, and I got really faint and dizzy at about the same time. They called Zach to come carry me back down in a wheelchair and not let me walk. He got me home and put me straight to bed. I'm feeling a little better. Very weak but not in as much pain. I hate having the desire to get up and do stuff around the house but not the energy. I'm going to be trying to figure out a way to make it up to him for all the extra work he's had to take on these last few weeks.

Still chuggin' along...

Jacob is continuing to make more progress each and every day. Yesterday they removed the IV from his arm, so he is down to just the feeding tube and monitors on his breathing, heartrate, and body temp.

Today they moved his feeding tube from his mouth and it is now through his nose. Apparently this will enable him to work on his ability to suck/swallow while maintaining his breathing. He's up to 31ccs per feeding and weighed in at 3lbs 9oz today.

They had him in one of the hats my step-dad made for him tonight, which is still a little big on him, but it reminded me of that character in Fat Albert where the hat is completely covering his head :)

lots of pics....

Here's a whole crop of photos, from the beginning up through today. Enjoy!