Kadin's Visit to FW (written 05/27/09)

We are on our way home right now. Kadin's appt with his lung doctor went well. She gave us a schedule awhile back to start weening him off the oxygen and we started that when they gave it to us. Shortly after we started, Kadin got sick. He was sick for a couple of weeks so we had to keep the oxygen on him during that time. We started all over on the weening after that. They had given us a target sat that they wanted Kadin to stay above and he always stays above it unless he has the monitor on and is kicking his feet. (since the probe goes on his foot) Today his pulmonologist told us she is writing an order to have the oxygen company come pick up their equipment since he is doing so well. This doesn't mean that he doesn't need to be watched. We will still need to keep a close eye on him all the time. She also said if he needs steroids between now and his next visit with her in August then we will have to look at getting inhalant steroids to keep. Not sure why, but im not worried about it either, mainly because the only time he needed them he caught a cold from one of the kids ... and since they wont be in school, chances are minimal that they will be sick this summer. So, YAY! We will see how it goes.

Before our appt this afternoon, we went to Harris Methodist to the NICU to see if we could see any of our little angels working there ... they announced we were there and within just a minute one of our favorite RT's came running out! It was awesome to see her again and all the nurses that we saw too. We also saw an off duty secretary that we absolutely ADORED and our favorite tech, too!!! The only sad part about our trip was we had planned originally to go ahead and go to Danny's daughter's graduation (KAYLIE) in Texarkana but that was made impossible since our bank acct got seized ... thank GOD for health insurance for Kadin since they pay mileage for us to go back and forth to his appointments or we wouldnt have been able to go to FW either!

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes for Kadin and his progress ... I still can't grasp sometimes just what a little miracle he really is.

Kadin Rolls Over

Seriously? Already? Yes, he did it today and we were all amazed !!!

We had him laying on the office room floor, on a huge quilt. He was kinda fussin', nothing was really pacifying him, and then we realized it seemed as if he was just babbling.

My husband laid in the floor with him and was talking to him. We had noticed for a week or so that he was "throwing" himself, sorta kinda kicking his feet, arching his back, and pushing off to one side. He started doing that while laying on the quilt and then my husband said "He just rolled over!!!" I was in disbelief ... I am so proud!

Danny rolled Kadin back over onto his back to see if he would do it again, and YEP! He did ... this time he left him on his tummy (he was in a position that the occupational therapists have recommended we attempt to get and keep him in) so we just left him there for a few minutes until he kicked his feet enough that he rolled himself back over to his tummy.

Amazing! I am just so proud of Kadin!!! Wish I had video, since youtube is now one of my favorite sites!!

General update on Kadin

I know, it's been a LONG time since I have updated on our little miracle ... my bad, but we have been so busy living life here it is unbelievable!

First of all, let me say what a blessing this baby is. He is the most precious thing ever and I don't say that just because I am his mommy, I say that because of what a gift he is to all of us. I watch his interactions with his daddy and I melt. I watch him look at his big sister and brother and I melt. I see him recognize his Nanny and my sister, Ti, and my eyes water .... you know what I mean?

He wasn't supposed to make it. He wasn't supposed to be here. He fought tooth and nail from the minute he was born to make it to where he is today and I am so thankful to God for being able to have him. He is with me almost 24/7 and my thoughts are constantly toward him in what he might need, or is he breathing, or is his head turned the right way, etc .... When he's sleeping I check on him all the time. What mother doesn't worry about their child? I just had some extra worries to go along with this baby.

Our pulmonologist suggested we start trying to wean him off the oxygen. About the time we started, he got sick. The dr. thinks it was a little cold. He was wheezing and had rattles in his chest ... really scared me! But I gave him his meds, antibiotics, steroids, and breathing treatments, and today he is all good!

I don't know what he weighs exactly, but at the Dr.'s office on April 29 he weighed 11 pounds and 4 ounces. I am sure he has gained since then. He is outgrowing all the clothes we have for him! He is just amazing! Have I said that already ??? :)

I am giving him rice cereal now. He doesn't quite seem to like it and is learning how to move it to the back of his mouth to swallow and sometimes he flat refuses to eat it, but that's ok .... I talked to his pediatrician and expressed my concerns for him drinking half a bottle and pushing it away, but still grunting and groaning like he was hungry, not to mention trying to eat his fists. (which I think is a darling instinct that almost all babies exhibit when they are hungry!) I was worried because I would feel like he should be hungry but he would not ever cry. He doesn't cry very often, but when he does, he means it. So, the Dr.'s office told me to try the cereal to see if keeping his tummy heavy for a little longer helped, and wow ... He is SLEEPING for a good 3 hours during naps when before we started cereal he would just nap for about half an hour and be back up acting hungry again! *sigh, I was exhausted!*

Kadin is sleeping thru the night and has for about the last month. He usually turns in around 10:30 after his last bottle, and he is very good about sleeping until about 7:30 every morning! It's like clockwork, you can count on him being awake then! We are putting the oxygen on him only at night and his pulse-ox monitor too because most of the time he will work the cannula around to give his ear some oxygen too. If he sats good thru the night, we never even know anything, but occassionally it seems he gets into a deep sleep and breaths are shallow and then his monitor will go off ... or then again, we have the times he wakes up a little earlier and kicks his feet wildly and his monitor goes off WITH EVERY MOVE, ha ha ha ha ha.

I have a video I wanted to post but it has me making a fool of myself in it to make Kadin laugh. It's hilarious. Maybe I will upload it to youtube and let you all see it. he is so cute in it ... smiling and laughing. He does a lot of that lately ... just brings tears to my eyes !!!!

We have an appointment in FW one week from today, on the 27th. We were going to go to that and then travel on to Texarkana for Danny's daughter's graduation, but since our bank account got wiped out, the extra travel will not be possible ... which sucks really really bad. She wanted us there and we wanted to be there, but it isn't going to happen. And I hate it. Anyway, we MUST go to his appointment and his insurance helps us with the travel and the motel room, otherwise, that would be a big problem also. I will update on him after that appointment and try to post some more current pictures as well !!

That Blasted Cannula!

Yeah, I'm put out with it, lol. We can't get it to stay on unless we put tons of tape on the poor baby. It stinks. I mean, he's adorable, and with all that tape on him, well, his cuteness is being hidden!

The other morning, I woke up because he was wiggling around. I figured it was time to feed him. When I looked at him, he wasn't quite awake yet, as he usually is. So I watched him for a few minutes and figured I would go ahead and get him up. Maybe he was uncomfortable, maybe he needed a diaper change ... and when I got a better look at him, that blasted cannula was in his ear! Oh yeah, his ear was getting plenty of oxygen ... No telling how long it had been like that, but he was hooked up to the pulse ox and it never went off. I watched him for about 20 minutes with the cannula around his ear and he was satting in the high 90's and even at 100. Okay ... well, Dr. Schultz did say that if it came off, just give it a little bit and see how he does ...

So, with him doing so well with it in his ear, we decided to not worry about it fitting right in his nose all day long. It came out several times and finally my husband decided to just take it off and see how he does. We left the pulse ox on and watched him all day and he did wonderful. Now ... he has been on the oxygen ever since because we aren't sure exactly what it was Dr. Schultz wanted us to do as far as weening him. She did say when we were in her office that, at the time of March 23, she would give it another couple of weeks before we tried him off the oxygen. So ... the miracle of it all is ... he went 12 hours Sunday without his oxygen. He never changed colors, he never seemed to labor in his breathing. He seemed, overall, much happier just to have that thing off his face! But like I said ... he's had it on ever since Sunday evening because we aren't sure what we are really supposed to do.

So, we're just waiting. I pray he is ready. He seems to be doing ssooo well. He is growing like a bad weed. He gets chunkier every single day! And more alert, and he stays awake for much longer periods of time. And LAST NIGHT ... He slept from 11PM to 7AM and WOWEEE! I enjoyed sleeping from about 1 to 7 .... very nice!

I have some pictures of him from Easter that I will add when I get them off the camera. It's just a matter of doing it. I'm taking a break from working right now because I work remotely and needed someone to remap the drive for me ... since it's done now, I will go finish what I was doing and then cook some lunch for my husband!

Oh ... I almost forgot, we have selections for his baby shower at Wal-Mart and Target. You can look them up online or go to the store. I think you need to know my first and last name in order to look them up online, but it's a neat set up if you can't get to a store! If you have trouble or questions, give me a shout and I'll try to help ... Thanks! Looking forward to seeing you all on May 3rd at Kadin's Shower !!! YAY !!!

Leslie

A Baby Shower Honoring KADIN!

Yes, I am so excited ... I was notified the other day that there will be a baby shower for Kadin on May 3 at 2PM. There are something like 12 hostessess - I am so honored!!!! I can't wait ... It will be so much fun! I am going this weekend to make selections at Wal-Mart and Target, so that should be a lot of fun.

There is an open invitation for anyone that wants to come - I believe it is going to be in our local newspaper. I am just excited about seeing everyone that I haven't seen in a long time. Since we have been home, I have spent the majority of my time in the house with the baby and have only gotten out for ball practices or games and occassionally to go to the store, but nothing else. It will be nice to visit with everyone!

Just wanted to put this here for my friends and family that read that I have not gotten to tell just yet.... Hope to see you all there !!!