We have been home approximately 4 weeks and we are now already experiencing allergy issues with Kadin. I called his Dr. and am giving him benedryl now every 4 hours to treat the symptoms, but have to watch him for signs of infection, i.e. tugging of ears, crankiness, not eating or wet diapers, etc ...
I laughed on the phone with the nurse earlier because she had told me to give him children's benedryl and I said ok, I have some. When I checked the bottle, it said DO NOT GIVE for children under 2. Above that, in the children 2-4 it instructed to consult a physician for dispensing. Alright, so in my mind I needed a different medication for him. The nurse assured me that he could have it cuz the Dr. said so ... and that's where I laughed ... I'm 39 years old with my 4th child and STILL asking! lol I justified it by saying I didn't wanna poison him! And it's true ... but mostly because I am scared to death still with a preemie who's adjusted age is only 5 weeks.
I suctioned him out all night and got virtually NO SLEEP. Not good for me but even worse for Kadin since he didn't sleep much. At 8 this morning, I put him next to me in the bed and he slept solid for 2.5 hours ... until he woke up because he couldn't breathe. He is now sitting semi-upright in his swing to help with the drainage. And me ... with my 7 year old home early today (release at noon for track meet that our daughter is in!) wanting to help him color and play video games and this and that, I'm running low on energy! :) Not to even mention trying to work for my dad in between all of that and pay my own bills that have to be taken care of today ....
On a brighter note, my husband came home today telling me that he had a message for me. He said his niece had contacted him and told him that I needed to pick a date in April (other than one weekend she designated) for a baby shower she is putting together. She said to tell me that my "favorite niece" was getting the ball rolling, lol .... and I needed to make her a list of my friends that wanted to help with it. So, I'm really excited about that .... And Kadin will be bigger and able to handle being at the big par-tay !!!
Guess I better get more things done around here ... Robbi is running after 5 today and Kota has TWO ball games tonight - back to back - and I have to get everything ready for all of that as well. I have TONS of pictures of the ball games that we played the other day at the season opener, so I'll be posting those also when I can!
Have a great day!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Our 10 pound 2 ounce baby!
He just keeps getting bigger and bigger, stronger and stronger...
We traveled to FW on Sunday so that we could be there for his appointments on Monday. It was FULL day with having 3 appointments to make it attend. We barely had enough time to grab lunch.
The first appointment was with the eye specialist, Dr. Norman. Great guy, by the way. He always welcomes us with a handshake and a "Great to see you" ... They prepared Kadin's eyes before he came in with some eye drops to dilate the eyes, so when Dr. Norman came in, I exited. I saw a little bit of the eye exam while Kadin was still in the hospital and I really don't care to watch those. I could hear him screaming down the hallway but when it was over I went in and held him. Dr. Norman was very optimistic in his assessment of Kadin's eyes and how they have progressed. He had the laser surgery in the left eye and he said it has totally regressed in the "wrong" way that it was growing and is not growing properly and that his right eye is completely matured. His exact words were he expected him to have no vision problems ... perfect vision - unless he gets the genes we all got that have required corrective lenses in grade school. Other than that ... no problems! YAY!
The second stop we made was to the pulmonologist, Dr. Schultz ... She is also great. The nurse asked us most of the questions about how his oxygen is etc. and how often he is desatting ... long story short, we went for an xray since he hasn't had one after being released from the hospital. Dr. Schultz said that you would never know he was a 24-weeker, his lungs look perfect and are growing well! YAY AGAIN! She said we could take off the monitors, but if we are asleep or he is napping in another room we need to have at least one of the monitors on him. We have opted to leave the pulse oximeter on him instead of that big old bulky band around his chest. He seems to really like that thing being gone! He is doing well with the oxygen and will require it for a little while longer ...
As far as visiting the pediatric surgeon, everything went well there. He checked his hernia sites and they look wonderful. He will need to be circumsized in about 4 months or so and we will return to him for that and another small minor surgery in the area. It all looks wonderful tho, he said, and we're on the right road!
We made it home around 2AM. It was a long drive. It is hard to travel with Kadin when he needs to stop every little while and be taken out of the carseat to stretch, rest, be changed or fed ... whatever. So our trip took us longer than it normally would and we are exhausted today, but doing well.
When we were in the motel room in FW Sunday night, I made Kadin a bottle and put him in the feeding position so I could feed him. He was looking right at me ... made my tummy flip flop, ya know? But the sweet thing is I put the bottle in front of his face and he looked at it, and then I said "What is that Kadin?" and he GRINNED really really big !!!!! We repeated this a few times and every time he grinned really big. It was so sweet .... I tried it again today with my sister here and yep, he smiled REALLY big for me ... he knows that it's grocery time, lol. And he took it ALL!
So we are most pleased with his progress at this point. Kadin is technically almost 5 months old, but his adjusted age is about 4 weeks. He is a newborn really and developmentally, that is how we have to look at it. It's not difficult, and actually, if we tried to make him 5 months old we would only be frustrated. So to us, his adjusted age is all that matters ... they say by the time children hit 2 years of age, they are "caught up" so to speak with their peers. Guess we will see.
We are all loving having this baby here with us. He makes our worlds go around. The kids are fantastic with him. They all call him their PRINCE. (may have mentioned that before) Robbi will just pick him up without even asking. She loves to take care of him and love on him. She is very helpful and at times, I take the opportunity to let her know that "this is what kissing gets you!" ha ha ha ha And when it's YOURS ... it's serious time. She realizes what I mean and says "EEWWWW!" Thank goodness ....
Kota is so in love with his baby brother. He just beams when he is with him. He loves to hold him and feed him. He hasn't asked to help change him yet, lol ... but everything else he is more than happy to help with, even playing with the toys, etc. Kadin is the first one Kota wants to see in the morning and the last one at night ... He is already the best big bubba.
And then there's JT ... He came to visit us this past week but had to stay away from Kadin for the most part because he had strep throat. Of course, we didn't know he had that when he came, we just knew he wasn't feeling very well and he rested a lot while he was here, but then he got to feeling really horrible so we got him to the Dr. and got some tests done and BAM! Strep throat ... Bless his heart, he was so worried that he was going to give it to Kadin, but I called the pediatrician and they said it is very uncommon for babies to get it because you basically have to swap spit or some bodily fluid to get it and he had never even gotten close enough to Kadin's face to do so. He is also the best big bubba ... I think Kota learned from him because he is wonderful with Kota. JT wanted to badly to hold Kadin so I did put him in his arms for about 20 seconds but JT refused to breathe the whole time so I then took him back, lol .... He apologized so many times for not feeling well the entire time he was here, but it didn't make a difference to me, I want my children with me at all times, not just the good times. We so enjoyed him being here with us.
So I guess that's it until I can make time to blog again. As you may have realized, times for blogging are coming fewer and further in between! I pray you are all well and enjoying our new Spring that is upon us!
We traveled to FW on Sunday so that we could be there for his appointments on Monday. It was FULL day with having 3 appointments to make it attend. We barely had enough time to grab lunch.
The first appointment was with the eye specialist, Dr. Norman. Great guy, by the way. He always welcomes us with a handshake and a "Great to see you" ... They prepared Kadin's eyes before he came in with some eye drops to dilate the eyes, so when Dr. Norman came in, I exited. I saw a little bit of the eye exam while Kadin was still in the hospital and I really don't care to watch those. I could hear him screaming down the hallway but when it was over I went in and held him. Dr. Norman was very optimistic in his assessment of Kadin's eyes and how they have progressed. He had the laser surgery in the left eye and he said it has totally regressed in the "wrong" way that it was growing and is not growing properly and that his right eye is completely matured. His exact words were he expected him to have no vision problems ... perfect vision - unless he gets the genes we all got that have required corrective lenses in grade school. Other than that ... no problems! YAY!
The second stop we made was to the pulmonologist, Dr. Schultz ... She is also great. The nurse asked us most of the questions about how his oxygen is etc. and how often he is desatting ... long story short, we went for an xray since he hasn't had one after being released from the hospital. Dr. Schultz said that you would never know he was a 24-weeker, his lungs look perfect and are growing well! YAY AGAIN! She said we could take off the monitors, but if we are asleep or he is napping in another room we need to have at least one of the monitors on him. We have opted to leave the pulse oximeter on him instead of that big old bulky band around his chest. He seems to really like that thing being gone! He is doing well with the oxygen and will require it for a little while longer ...
As far as visiting the pediatric surgeon, everything went well there. He checked his hernia sites and they look wonderful. He will need to be circumsized in about 4 months or so and we will return to him for that and another small minor surgery in the area. It all looks wonderful tho, he said, and we're on the right road!
We made it home around 2AM. It was a long drive. It is hard to travel with Kadin when he needs to stop every little while and be taken out of the carseat to stretch, rest, be changed or fed ... whatever. So our trip took us longer than it normally would and we are exhausted today, but doing well.
When we were in the motel room in FW Sunday night, I made Kadin a bottle and put him in the feeding position so I could feed him. He was looking right at me ... made my tummy flip flop, ya know? But the sweet thing is I put the bottle in front of his face and he looked at it, and then I said "What is that Kadin?" and he GRINNED really really big !!!!! We repeated this a few times and every time he grinned really big. It was so sweet .... I tried it again today with my sister here and yep, he smiled REALLY big for me ... he knows that it's grocery time, lol. And he took it ALL!
So we are most pleased with his progress at this point. Kadin is technically almost 5 months old, but his adjusted age is about 4 weeks. He is a newborn really and developmentally, that is how we have to look at it. It's not difficult, and actually, if we tried to make him 5 months old we would only be frustrated. So to us, his adjusted age is all that matters ... they say by the time children hit 2 years of age, they are "caught up" so to speak with their peers. Guess we will see.
We are all loving having this baby here with us. He makes our worlds go around. The kids are fantastic with him. They all call him their PRINCE. (may have mentioned that before) Robbi will just pick him up without even asking. She loves to take care of him and love on him. She is very helpful and at times, I take the opportunity to let her know that "this is what kissing gets you!" ha ha ha ha And when it's YOURS ... it's serious time. She realizes what I mean and says "EEWWWW!" Thank goodness ....
Kota is so in love with his baby brother. He just beams when he is with him. He loves to hold him and feed him. He hasn't asked to help change him yet, lol ... but everything else he is more than happy to help with, even playing with the toys, etc. Kadin is the first one Kota wants to see in the morning and the last one at night ... He is already the best big bubba.
And then there's JT ... He came to visit us this past week but had to stay away from Kadin for the most part because he had strep throat. Of course, we didn't know he had that when he came, we just knew he wasn't feeling very well and he rested a lot while he was here, but then he got to feeling really horrible so we got him to the Dr. and got some tests done and BAM! Strep throat ... Bless his heart, he was so worried that he was going to give it to Kadin, but I called the pediatrician and they said it is very uncommon for babies to get it because you basically have to swap spit or some bodily fluid to get it and he had never even gotten close enough to Kadin's face to do so. He is also the best big bubba ... I think Kota learned from him because he is wonderful with Kota. JT wanted to badly to hold Kadin so I did put him in his arms for about 20 seconds but JT refused to breathe the whole time so I then took him back, lol .... He apologized so many times for not feeling well the entire time he was here, but it didn't make a difference to me, I want my children with me at all times, not just the good times. We so enjoyed him being here with us.
So I guess that's it until I can make time to blog again. As you may have realized, times for blogging are coming fewer and further in between! I pray you are all well and enjoying our new Spring that is upon us!
Friday, March 20, 2009
So Worth Reading!
I found this on Kristen's site and she found it on another lady's site ... for those of you who don't know Kirsten, she is AMAZING! She and her husband Joshua have a special needs son, Layne, who is just PRECIOUS! I just could never say enough about them and what wonderful parents they are. Anyway, here's the entry she had, and even tho it is unknown at this time whether or not Kadin will have any special needs, it still touched my heart ..... I pray it touches yours.
Many of you I have never even met face to face, but I've searched you out every day.I've looked for you on the Internet, on playgrounds and in grocery stores.I've become an expert at identifying you.You are well worn.You are stronger than you ever wanted to be.Your words ring experience, experience you culled with your very heart and soul.You are compassionate beyond the expectations of this world.You are my "sisters."Yes, you and I, my friend, are sisters in a sorority.A very elite sorority.We are special.Just like any other sorority, we were chosen to be members.Some of us were invited to join immediately, some not for months or even years.Some of us even tried to refuse membership, but to no avail.We were initiated in neurologist's offices and NICU units, in obstetrician's offices, in emergency rooms and during ultrasounds.We were initiated with somber telephone calls, consultations, evaluations, blood tests, x-rays, MRI films and heart surgeries.All of us have one thing in common.One day things were fine.We were pregnant or we had just given birth or we were nursing our newborn or we were playing with our toddler.Yes, one minute everything was fine.Then, whether it happened in an instant, as it often does, or over the course of a few weeks or months, our entire lives changed.Something wasn't quite right.Then we found ourselves mothers of children with special needs.We are united, we sisters, regardless of the diversity of our children's special needs.Some of our children undergo chemotherapy.Some need respirators and ventilators.Some are unable to talk, some are unable to walk.Some eat through feeding tubes.Some live in a different world.We do not discriminate against those mothers whose children's needs are not as "special" as our child's.We have mutual respect and empathy for all the women who walk in our shoes.We are knowledgeable.We have educated ourselves with whatever materials we could find.We know "the" specialists in the field.We know "the" neurologists, "the" hospitals, "the" wonder drugs, "the" treatments.We know "the" tests that need to be done, we know "the" degenerative and progressive diseases and we hold our breath while our children are tested for them.Without formal education, we could become board certified in neurology, endocrinology, and psychiatry.We have taken on our insurance companies and school boards to get what our children need to survive and to flourish.We have prevailed upon the State to include augmentative communication devices in special education classes and mainstream schools for our children with cerebral palsy.We have labored to prove to insurance companies the medical necessity of gait trainers and other adaptive equipment for our children with spinal cord defects.We have sued municipalities to have our children properly classified so they could receive education and evaluation commensurate with their diagnosis.We have learned to deal with the rest of the world, even if that means walking away from it.We have tolerated scorn in supermarkets during "tantrums" and gritted our teeth while discipline was advocated by the person behind us on line.We have tolerated inane suggestions and home remedies from well-meaning strangers.We have tolerated mothers of children without special needs complaining about chicken pox and ear infections.We have learned that many of our closest friends can't understand what it's like to be in our sorority and don't even want to try.We have our own personal copies of Emily Perl Kingsley's "A Trip To Holland" and Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother."We keep them by our bedside and read and reread them during our toughest hours.We have coped with holidays.We have found ways to get our physically handicapped children to the neighbors' front doors on Halloween and we have found ways to help our deaf children form the words, "trick or treat."We have accepted that our children with sensory dysfunction will never wear velvet or lace on Christmas.We have painted a canvas of lights and a blazing Yule log with our words for our blind children.We have pureed turkey on Thanksgiving.We have bought white chocolate bunnies for Easter.And all the while, we have tried to create a festive atmosphere for the rest of our family.We've gotten up every morning since our journey began wondering how we'd make it through another day and gone to bed every evening not sure how we did it.We've mourned the fact that we never got to relax and sip red wine in Italy.We've mourned the fact that our trip to Holland has required much more baggage than we ever imagined when we first visited the travel agent.And we've mourned because we left for the airport without most of the things we needed for the trip.But we, sisters, we keep the faith always.We never stop believing.Our love for our special children and our belief in all that they will achieve in life knows no bounds.We dream of them scoring touchdowns and extra points and home runs.We visualize them running sprints and marathons.We dream of them planting vegetable seeds, riding horses and chopping down trees.We hear their angelic voices singing Christmas carols.We see their palettes smeared with watercolors, and their fingers flying over ivory keys in a concert hall.We are amazed at the grace of their pirouettes.We never, never stop believing in all they will accomplish as they pass through this world.But in the meantime, my sisters, the most important thing we do, is hold tight to their little hands as together, we special mothers and our special children, reach for the stars.By Maureen K. Higgins
Many of you I have never even met face to face, but I've searched you out every day.I've looked for you on the Internet, on playgrounds and in grocery stores.I've become an expert at identifying you.You are well worn.You are stronger than you ever wanted to be.Your words ring experience, experience you culled with your very heart and soul.You are compassionate beyond the expectations of this world.You are my "sisters."Yes, you and I, my friend, are sisters in a sorority.A very elite sorority.We are special.Just like any other sorority, we were chosen to be members.Some of us were invited to join immediately, some not for months or even years.Some of us even tried to refuse membership, but to no avail.We were initiated in neurologist's offices and NICU units, in obstetrician's offices, in emergency rooms and during ultrasounds.We were initiated with somber telephone calls, consultations, evaluations, blood tests, x-rays, MRI films and heart surgeries.All of us have one thing in common.One day things were fine.We were pregnant or we had just given birth or we were nursing our newborn or we were playing with our toddler.Yes, one minute everything was fine.Then, whether it happened in an instant, as it often does, or over the course of a few weeks or months, our entire lives changed.Something wasn't quite right.Then we found ourselves mothers of children with special needs.We are united, we sisters, regardless of the diversity of our children's special needs.Some of our children undergo chemotherapy.Some need respirators and ventilators.Some are unable to talk, some are unable to walk.Some eat through feeding tubes.Some live in a different world.We do not discriminate against those mothers whose children's needs are not as "special" as our child's.We have mutual respect and empathy for all the women who walk in our shoes.We are knowledgeable.We have educated ourselves with whatever materials we could find.We know "the" specialists in the field.We know "the" neurologists, "the" hospitals, "the" wonder drugs, "the" treatments.We know "the" tests that need to be done, we know "the" degenerative and progressive diseases and we hold our breath while our children are tested for them.Without formal education, we could become board certified in neurology, endocrinology, and psychiatry.We have taken on our insurance companies and school boards to get what our children need to survive and to flourish.We have prevailed upon the State to include augmentative communication devices in special education classes and mainstream schools for our children with cerebral palsy.We have labored to prove to insurance companies the medical necessity of gait trainers and other adaptive equipment for our children with spinal cord defects.We have sued municipalities to have our children properly classified so they could receive education and evaluation commensurate with their diagnosis.We have learned to deal with the rest of the world, even if that means walking away from it.We have tolerated scorn in supermarkets during "tantrums" and gritted our teeth while discipline was advocated by the person behind us on line.We have tolerated inane suggestions and home remedies from well-meaning strangers.We have tolerated mothers of children without special needs complaining about chicken pox and ear infections.We have learned that many of our closest friends can't understand what it's like to be in our sorority and don't even want to try.We have our own personal copies of Emily Perl Kingsley's "A Trip To Holland" and Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother."We keep them by our bedside and read and reread them during our toughest hours.We have coped with holidays.We have found ways to get our physically handicapped children to the neighbors' front doors on Halloween and we have found ways to help our deaf children form the words, "trick or treat."We have accepted that our children with sensory dysfunction will never wear velvet or lace on Christmas.We have painted a canvas of lights and a blazing Yule log with our words for our blind children.We have pureed turkey on Thanksgiving.We have bought white chocolate bunnies for Easter.And all the while, we have tried to create a festive atmosphere for the rest of our family.We've gotten up every morning since our journey began wondering how we'd make it through another day and gone to bed every evening not sure how we did it.We've mourned the fact that we never got to relax and sip red wine in Italy.We've mourned the fact that our trip to Holland has required much more baggage than we ever imagined when we first visited the travel agent.And we've mourned because we left for the airport without most of the things we needed for the trip.But we, sisters, we keep the faith always.We never stop believing.Our love for our special children and our belief in all that they will achieve in life knows no bounds.We dream of them scoring touchdowns and extra points and home runs.We visualize them running sprints and marathons.We dream of them planting vegetable seeds, riding horses and chopping down trees.We hear their angelic voices singing Christmas carols.We see their palettes smeared with watercolors, and their fingers flying over ivory keys in a concert hall.We are amazed at the grace of their pirouettes.We never, never stop believing in all they will accomplish as they pass through this world.But in the meantime, my sisters, the most important thing we do, is hold tight to their little hands as together, we special mothers and our special children, reach for the stars.By Maureen K. Higgins
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Home for a little over 2 weeks
I have not had much time to blog with us being home. Things are so busy lately. Good thing tho, this past week was Spring Break and we kinda had some leisure time - didn't have to get up early in the morning and take the kids to school, we fed Kadin when he wanted and slept when he did. It has been great, however, tomorrow begins a new school week for the kids and we must be on a more regular schedule starting ... uumm, tonight!
Kadin has been doing VERY VERY WELL since we have been home. He has not had any episodes of not breathing or anything of the kind. We have monitored him very closely and until today, we kept both the apnea monitor and the pulse oximeter on him. Any time he would move his feet his pulse ox would set the alarm off - this gets very annoying in the middle of the night. His pediatrician in Angelo did tell us that we did not have to have the pulse ox on him during the day when we are awake, it would be better to have it on him at night when we are asleep. So ok, today we were finally comfortable enough with how he has been doing to take that off of his foot and just rely on how he looks and sounds. So far, he has loved it ... we noticed that when he would be laying on a blanket kicking and playing around, he would not move the foot that had the pulse ox probe on it. He would kick the other one, but it was like his foot was chained down with that probe on it. Now, he has a kick-fest and it's great to see him so active.
He has appointments in FW on the 23rd. We are not looking forward to the travel, but will be excited to hear what the Dr.'s will have to say.
I am sure he still needs the oxygen ... when he throws it up 'tween his eyeballs, he desats regularly. I am not sure how much desatting is "ok" or what the rules are for that, but it seems at other times he does ok for a few minutes. I don't condone chance taking where that is concerned. If the Dr. thinks he can be weened, I'm all for it. She knows better than we do, of course.
We have had lots of visitors. Not many have touched him or gotten very close, but we have had some "lookers", if you will. Kadin is taking what seems like a lot of milk during the day, too. I am starting to wonder if he needs maybe something more, like maybe cereal?? I know his pediatrician mentioned it the other day but I thought he said in a couple of months we can start him on that. He is taking 100 ml of milk regularly and last night he took a bottle at 11 then at 1 wanted another one and FINISHED IT. But then he also slept from 2 til 8 this morning! YAY for mommy and daddy ... just about a full night's sleep!
I am really enjoying the luxuries of cooking and cleaning at my own pace, not having to get dressed and run to the hospital (though I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!) - the words of a wise nurse ring thru my ears when I start revelling in being at home ... she said that once a baby is released from the hospital, he goes home and really starts to flourish. He is held by mom and dad, he is in the family's element, his needs are met by the ones who love him most, etc ... and they really start to grow and develop quickly! After being home for 2 weeks now, I can see exactly what she was talking about. When Kadin cries, at first we let him cry for a second to see if he will soothe himself back to sleep or whatever ... if not, we pick him up and see if he just wants to be held ... sometimes this is the case! Then of course, we eliminate everything else like changing diapers and feedings. It's pretty awesome how we can communicate with him ... just like it's supposed to be.
The hard days of the NICU are fading swiftly. No mistake here though ... those days were hard and tough, touch and go, uncertain yet full of joy - and they will never completely be forgotten. I am thankful for those days because they changed my life forever. The life we are living right now is what we were waiting for the whole time and I am eternally grateful to our God who has allowed us to have what we have ... I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
Kadin has been doing VERY VERY WELL since we have been home. He has not had any episodes of not breathing or anything of the kind. We have monitored him very closely and until today, we kept both the apnea monitor and the pulse oximeter on him. Any time he would move his feet his pulse ox would set the alarm off - this gets very annoying in the middle of the night. His pediatrician in Angelo did tell us that we did not have to have the pulse ox on him during the day when we are awake, it would be better to have it on him at night when we are asleep. So ok, today we were finally comfortable enough with how he has been doing to take that off of his foot and just rely on how he looks and sounds. So far, he has loved it ... we noticed that when he would be laying on a blanket kicking and playing around, he would not move the foot that had the pulse ox probe on it. He would kick the other one, but it was like his foot was chained down with that probe on it. Now, he has a kick-fest and it's great to see him so active.
He has appointments in FW on the 23rd. We are not looking forward to the travel, but will be excited to hear what the Dr.'s will have to say.
I am sure he still needs the oxygen ... when he throws it up 'tween his eyeballs, he desats regularly. I am not sure how much desatting is "ok" or what the rules are for that, but it seems at other times he does ok for a few minutes. I don't condone chance taking where that is concerned. If the Dr. thinks he can be weened, I'm all for it. She knows better than we do, of course.
We have had lots of visitors. Not many have touched him or gotten very close, but we have had some "lookers", if you will. Kadin is taking what seems like a lot of milk during the day, too. I am starting to wonder if he needs maybe something more, like maybe cereal?? I know his pediatrician mentioned it the other day but I thought he said in a couple of months we can start him on that. He is taking 100 ml of milk regularly and last night he took a bottle at 11 then at 1 wanted another one and FINISHED IT. But then he also slept from 2 til 8 this morning! YAY for mommy and daddy ... just about a full night's sleep!
I am really enjoying the luxuries of cooking and cleaning at my own pace, not having to get dressed and run to the hospital (though I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!) - the words of a wise nurse ring thru my ears when I start revelling in being at home ... she said that once a baby is released from the hospital, he goes home and really starts to flourish. He is held by mom and dad, he is in the family's element, his needs are met by the ones who love him most, etc ... and they really start to grow and develop quickly! After being home for 2 weeks now, I can see exactly what she was talking about. When Kadin cries, at first we let him cry for a second to see if he will soothe himself back to sleep or whatever ... if not, we pick him up and see if he just wants to be held ... sometimes this is the case! Then of course, we eliminate everything else like changing diapers and feedings. It's pretty awesome how we can communicate with him ... just like it's supposed to be.
The hard days of the NICU are fading swiftly. No mistake here though ... those days were hard and tough, touch and go, uncertain yet full of joy - and they will never completely be forgotten. I am thankful for those days because they changed my life forever. The life we are living right now is what we were waiting for the whole time and I am eternally grateful to our God who has allowed us to have what we have ... I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
Friday, March 6, 2009
It's almost been a week
We have been home almost a week. Things have been going really good. It took a few days of being tangled up in monitor wires and having to get accustomed to not being very mobile in the house to really get comfortable. I wouldn't say we are COMFORTABLE as in not cautious - we are very cautious about everything we do and everything Kadin does. It's just gotten a little easier for us after almost a week...
We have 3 "stations" set up for him in the house. One is in our bedroom where he has his baby bed (Thanks to Dane and Codi Canning, they sent us home with it when we went to Oklahoma for my 20th HS reunion!) - the 2nd station is in the family room where the kids play video games, it's just between the living room and the dining room/kitchen so it's a great central location for me to sit and feed him and be able to talk to anyone who isn't in a bedroom - and the 3rd location, we set up the pak n' play in the office since probably beginning this next week I will be working in the office! The concentrator is located centrally in the house (the laundry room) and the tubing goes anywhere in the house ... we just have to move the monitors when we go and that is no trouble now.
Kadin had his first pediatric appointment and the Dr. said he looks WONDERFUL. He is growing just like he is supposed to. It's strange to think about, but even tho he was born on November 3, being in the NICU is like an artifical womb ... he really doesn't start on the right path until he is term, or around his due date, so really, it's like we have a week old baby right now. He is 4 months old, but of course he wasn't supposed to be here and we had to finish growing him! It makes perfect sense and I don't think of him as 4 months old because he is so small like a newborn (tho he weighs 8 pounds and 8 ounces!) So we look forward to all the developments he will accomplish soon...
Early Childhood Intervention is coming to the house in a couple of weeks. They will get people to come out to the house to monitor his development - occupational and physical therapists and maybe even later speech therapists. I am familiar with these types of programs from when I owned and operated my daycare in Breckenridge ... several of the children I kept had a need for these types of services and I loved watching the children and their therapists. I learned how to help them individually do a lot of things also ... very interesting.
The Dr. told us now to just feed Kadin when he is hungry, give him as much as he will take - he will know when he has had enough and he will probably sleep better and longer with a full tummy. It has worked. I even thought "He is sleeping too long" but when he woke up he was ready to eat and then stayed awake for quite awhile just playing and interacting with us.
The kids have been so wonderful with him. Robbi calls him her "Little Prince" and Kota loves helping with everything we do with the baby. He helps feed, change diapers, change clothes, turn off beeping monitors, make bottles, YOU NAME IT ... that little man is RIGHT THERE helping! He even brushed Kadin's hair tonight while I fed him and when my hand would get tired, Kota would have a turn holding the bottle while I brushed. Tonight is bath night so Kota is also eager for that moment....
We were able to get some much smaller oxygen tanks from Oxycare in San Angelo. That will help greatly with any traveling we do ... especially the running the kids to school real quick in the mornings. Lugging that big ole tank around to go 1.5 blocks ... I was kinda not wanting to do that!
So, that's my update for now ... I hope you all are healthy and happy and full of blessings. I have to go feed the baby and try to get some sleep. I have had a headache for several days from a lack of sleep .. that's just what happens to me - ugh! Have a great weekend . . . .
Love,
Leslie
We have 3 "stations" set up for him in the house. One is in our bedroom where he has his baby bed (Thanks to Dane and Codi Canning, they sent us home with it when we went to Oklahoma for my 20th HS reunion!) - the 2nd station is in the family room where the kids play video games, it's just between the living room and the dining room/kitchen so it's a great central location for me to sit and feed him and be able to talk to anyone who isn't in a bedroom - and the 3rd location, we set up the pak n' play in the office since probably beginning this next week I will be working in the office! The concentrator is located centrally in the house (the laundry room) and the tubing goes anywhere in the house ... we just have to move the monitors when we go and that is no trouble now.
Kadin had his first pediatric appointment and the Dr. said he looks WONDERFUL. He is growing just like he is supposed to. It's strange to think about, but even tho he was born on November 3, being in the NICU is like an artifical womb ... he really doesn't start on the right path until he is term, or around his due date, so really, it's like we have a week old baby right now. He is 4 months old, but of course he wasn't supposed to be here and we had to finish growing him! It makes perfect sense and I don't think of him as 4 months old because he is so small like a newborn (tho he weighs 8 pounds and 8 ounces!) So we look forward to all the developments he will accomplish soon...
Early Childhood Intervention is coming to the house in a couple of weeks. They will get people to come out to the house to monitor his development - occupational and physical therapists and maybe even later speech therapists. I am familiar with these types of programs from when I owned and operated my daycare in Breckenridge ... several of the children I kept had a need for these types of services and I loved watching the children and their therapists. I learned how to help them individually do a lot of things also ... very interesting.
The Dr. told us now to just feed Kadin when he is hungry, give him as much as he will take - he will know when he has had enough and he will probably sleep better and longer with a full tummy. It has worked. I even thought "He is sleeping too long" but when he woke up he was ready to eat and then stayed awake for quite awhile just playing and interacting with us.
The kids have been so wonderful with him. Robbi calls him her "Little Prince" and Kota loves helping with everything we do with the baby. He helps feed, change diapers, change clothes, turn off beeping monitors, make bottles, YOU NAME IT ... that little man is RIGHT THERE helping! He even brushed Kadin's hair tonight while I fed him and when my hand would get tired, Kota would have a turn holding the bottle while I brushed. Tonight is bath night so Kota is also eager for that moment....
We were able to get some much smaller oxygen tanks from Oxycare in San Angelo. That will help greatly with any traveling we do ... especially the running the kids to school real quick in the mornings. Lugging that big ole tank around to go 1.5 blocks ... I was kinda not wanting to do that!
So, that's my update for now ... I hope you all are healthy and happy and full of blessings. I have to go feed the baby and try to get some sleep. I have had a headache for several days from a lack of sleep .. that's just what happens to me - ugh! Have a great weekend . . . .
Love,
Leslie
Sunday, March 1, 2009
So Much To Say ...
I am making this quick because I just don't have much time...
We made it home with Kadin on February 28th at approximately 9:30PM. It was surreal for us ... everything seemed to move slowly and I wondered is this really happening? Living with a monitor and oxygen is proving to be a little difficult, but it isn't something that can't be mastered and overcome within about the next week or so. The most difficult part of it all is trying to get a working system down so that we are all comfortable with everything.
We set Kadin up a little area with a pack-n-play (Thanks so much Terri and Michael!) with his concentrator and his monitors nearby. There is a LOT of cable with everything so dealing with those hanging everywhere is not foreign to us, but it's just annoying! I want to be able to pick him up and walk where ever I want to in the house, but it just isn't going to happen right now. We have explained the monitors to the kids and the importance of the oxygen also. They are aware when the monitors alarm we look to see what is happening. The kids have been just AWESOME! They know when or if the canula comes out of Kadin's nose to put it back in ... they are also very good about GERM-X before having contact with him. I just can't explain how good they have been about Kadin being home ...
We promised Kota a long time ago that when Kadin came home, he would be the first to get to hold him. He remembered that this morning when he walked in the door from spending the night at his daddy's house. He came in and the first thing he said was "Kadin's home, huh mommy?" and of course, I giggled and said "Yes, baby, he's here!" ... And as we were walking to the bedroom where he was, Kota said "Be quiet so we don't wake him up!" It was so cute ... he was even afraid to flush the potty for fear of waking the baby. I explained to him that Kadin is used to a LOT of noise from the NICU and it is quite alright to do our daily things here and talk at a normal level so that we don't get him used to the quiet.
We went to Kadin's bedside and Kota looked at him for the first time ever in person ... he said "Aaawwww!" I asked him what he was feeling and his response was simply "Love!" ... Talk about welling my eyes up with tears. My sweet little 7 year old knows what it is all about. There is no jealousy ... except for Robbi and Kota fighting over who has held him how any times. They are both being extremely helpful. I had to let them know ... that Kadin is as big as he is (8 pounds 2.5 ounces) partly because of THEIR help. I reminded them of ALL those times they waited in the waiting room with the huge chalkboard on the wall, with coloring books, magazines, munchies and snacks, etc. that they were waiting while Kadin grew and got better. It finally fell into place for them - I am so proud of my kids and how they handled themselves and our situation over the past 4 months. We look back at it now and reminisce about the things we did and how we miss certain things. Kota loved the donut holes every morning at the RMH. Robbi loved getting the quarter bottles of water out of the machine every day. They loved playing games with Darren and watching movies. They loved having Wal Mart close and going to McDonalds! So I reminded them ... while we were "living" like that, Kadin was growing so we could all be at the point we are right now. They had HUGE smiles on their faces as we all 4 cuddled on the bed together this morning.
I said I was gonna make this brief but uh huh ... whatever ...
We had several visitors today. My parents came by ... My dad had never seen Kadin either. He was there before he was born but had returned that day to go back to work and was never able to make it back to FW again. Danny's sister Sandy came over for awhile and visited, too. Our dear family friend C'Ann came over and brought a darling little outfit with a monkey in a firefighter helmet! It is ADORABLE! My sister and my nephew came by also and brought some much needed items that I really hadn't thought of ... wipes, shampoo, etc ... plus she bought me an Espresso machine for my upcoming birthday and the goodies to go with it. Danny and I experimented tonight to re-create STARBUCKS and did so successfully .. SO THANKS SIS AND CAM !!!!!!! Awesome ... just awesome!
This week is full for me ... I have appointments and phone calls to make, and court on Thursday (ugh, not looking forward to that at all!) and still some adjusting with Kadin here. It is going to be just fine, though. I am loving having him here and like my precious daughter said this morning, we are "starting all over again" with having a newborn in the house. I never imagined I would be having another baby, but here it is and I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.
Thank you all for being patient on my blogs after arriving home. I know some of you have asked why haven't I written, lol ... cuz you know, I write about EVERYTHING, so this is about all have time for right now. I wanted to publicly thank all the members of the First Baptist Church of Big Lake for the meal that they provided for our family this past Wednesday evening before we went back to FW to get Kadin! It was delicious and very much appreciated. I sent the URL to this blog to the church in a Thank You letter, so if any of you are reading this, know that your love and generosity is very much appreciated in this time for us and will be for always.
God Bless You All!
Leslie and Family
We made it home with Kadin on February 28th at approximately 9:30PM. It was surreal for us ... everything seemed to move slowly and I wondered is this really happening? Living with a monitor and oxygen is proving to be a little difficult, but it isn't something that can't be mastered and overcome within about the next week or so. The most difficult part of it all is trying to get a working system down so that we are all comfortable with everything.
We set Kadin up a little area with a pack-n-play (Thanks so much Terri and Michael!) with his concentrator and his monitors nearby. There is a LOT of cable with everything so dealing with those hanging everywhere is not foreign to us, but it's just annoying! I want to be able to pick him up and walk where ever I want to in the house, but it just isn't going to happen right now. We have explained the monitors to the kids and the importance of the oxygen also. They are aware when the monitors alarm we look to see what is happening. The kids have been just AWESOME! They know when or if the canula comes out of Kadin's nose to put it back in ... they are also very good about GERM-X before having contact with him. I just can't explain how good they have been about Kadin being home ...
We promised Kota a long time ago that when Kadin came home, he would be the first to get to hold him. He remembered that this morning when he walked in the door from spending the night at his daddy's house. He came in and the first thing he said was "Kadin's home, huh mommy?" and of course, I giggled and said "Yes, baby, he's here!" ... And as we were walking to the bedroom where he was, Kota said "Be quiet so we don't wake him up!" It was so cute ... he was even afraid to flush the potty for fear of waking the baby. I explained to him that Kadin is used to a LOT of noise from the NICU and it is quite alright to do our daily things here and talk at a normal level so that we don't get him used to the quiet.
We went to Kadin's bedside and Kota looked at him for the first time ever in person ... he said "Aaawwww!" I asked him what he was feeling and his response was simply "Love!" ... Talk about welling my eyes up with tears. My sweet little 7 year old knows what it is all about. There is no jealousy ... except for Robbi and Kota fighting over who has held him how any times. They are both being extremely helpful. I had to let them know ... that Kadin is as big as he is (8 pounds 2.5 ounces) partly because of THEIR help. I reminded them of ALL those times they waited in the waiting room with the huge chalkboard on the wall, with coloring books, magazines, munchies and snacks, etc. that they were waiting while Kadin grew and got better. It finally fell into place for them - I am so proud of my kids and how they handled themselves and our situation over the past 4 months. We look back at it now and reminisce about the things we did and how we miss certain things. Kota loved the donut holes every morning at the RMH. Robbi loved getting the quarter bottles of water out of the machine every day. They loved playing games with Darren and watching movies. They loved having Wal Mart close and going to McDonalds! So I reminded them ... while we were "living" like that, Kadin was growing so we could all be at the point we are right now. They had HUGE smiles on their faces as we all 4 cuddled on the bed together this morning.
I said I was gonna make this brief but uh huh ... whatever ...
We had several visitors today. My parents came by ... My dad had never seen Kadin either. He was there before he was born but had returned that day to go back to work and was never able to make it back to FW again. Danny's sister Sandy came over for awhile and visited, too. Our dear family friend C'Ann came over and brought a darling little outfit with a monkey in a firefighter helmet! It is ADORABLE! My sister and my nephew came by also and brought some much needed items that I really hadn't thought of ... wipes, shampoo, etc ... plus she bought me an Espresso machine for my upcoming birthday and the goodies to go with it. Danny and I experimented tonight to re-create STARBUCKS and did so successfully .. SO THANKS SIS AND CAM !!!!!!! Awesome ... just awesome!
This week is full for me ... I have appointments and phone calls to make, and court on Thursday (ugh, not looking forward to that at all!) and still some adjusting with Kadin here. It is going to be just fine, though. I am loving having him here and like my precious daughter said this morning, we are "starting all over again" with having a newborn in the house. I never imagined I would be having another baby, but here it is and I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.
Thank you all for being patient on my blogs after arriving home. I know some of you have asked why haven't I written, lol ... cuz you know, I write about EVERYTHING, so this is about all have time for right now. I wanted to publicly thank all the members of the First Baptist Church of Big Lake for the meal that they provided for our family this past Wednesday evening before we went back to FW to get Kadin! It was delicious and very much appreciated. I sent the URL to this blog to the church in a Thank You letter, so if any of you are reading this, know that your love and generosity is very much appreciated in this time for us and will be for always.
God Bless You All!
Leslie and Family
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