Milestones!

It's been a while since I updated, so this one is a big one!

AUSTIN
Weight: 11lbs

Austin went in for his 6 month check up today and is doing GREAT!

Growth
He is staying on his curve for height and weight, slowly making up ground. His pediatrician estimates that he will finally intersect the growth chart curves around his first birthday. As for his head, he is shooting straight up almost for head circumference. He's making room for his big brain!

Feeding
Austin is currently eating Elecare because we suspect he has some kind of milk protein allergy. We are mixing it at 22cal/oz to help his growth and he seems to be tolerating it pretty well. The plan is to keep him on it until he's around 9 months and then transition him to the next step up in hopes of him being on regular milk by the time he is 1 year corrected (December). We are also going to try and start him on baby food in the next 2 months based on how well he shows readiness for that.

After dealing with him fighting at feedings for several weeks to a month, we think he may be dealing with reflux. To help this, he was prescribed Zantac and we hope this helps him to be able to eat more at each feeding. He currently only takes about 4oz every 3 hours and sometimes will only take 2-3oz.

Eyes
We have scheduled a follow-up with his opthamologist, because his left eye is starting to track outward and not follow the right. If you remember, his left eye is the one with the Coloboma and is noticeably smaller than the right. I'm not sure what the treatment will be, but I'm hoping it will only involve patching and not surgery!

Developmental
The pediatrician has recommended we consult with a developmental pediatrician to be sure that Austin is meeting his milestones as close to on track as he can. Thankfully, he is doing well and is making progress. We just want to make sure something doesn't fall through the cracks. As with Jackson, the goal is that preemies catch up to their peers by the time they turn 2.

Because Austin was premature and spent quite a bit of time laying on the back of his head and still spends time laying on the back of his head, we have notice some flattening. At the recommendation of his pediatrician, we are going to try and help it by trying to keep him off it as much as possible during the day since he has to sleep on his back all night. The alternative would be to have him evaluated to see if his case is bad enough to need a helmet to reshape his head.

A few other tidbits:
Last Thursday Austin received his last Synagis injection.
Last Monday he was release from the surgeon! (Better be the last surgery too!)

JACKSON
We are excited to announce that Jackson was accepted into Infinity Prep, a charter school that opened about 2 years ago, to start Kindergarten this fall. Although Jackson would like to stay at Kindercare, he is warming up to the idea of going to Kindergarten. On the ride home almost everyday, we talk about what fun he is going to have and all the new things he is going to get to do. Yesterday's topic was going through the lunch line and "buying" his own lunch! He was exciting at being able carry his tray and do things like grown-ups!

I am SO glad he was select to attend! This could be the mama talking, but he seems advanced for his age and the things he knows and the questions he asks. A few days ago we had a discussion on gravity of all things. Every couple of days, he will surprise me with some subject he wants to discuss...I just hope I can keep up with him! I may have to start doing research to answer some of his questions! :)

One last thing, Jackson lost his second tooth and the third is starting to get loose! I remember they all came in pretty close together, but at the rate he is going he's not going to have any teeth!

Now for the pictures!



Brothers on St. Patrick's Day



You can see how his head is flattening out on the back some.

And one for Tax Day!

First visit from the Tooth Fairy

On February 12, 2013 at 3:40pm, Jackson lost his first tooth while eating granola.

I see the daycare phone number pop up on my phone and my mind automatically thinks "what has he done". The director was calling to let me know that Jackson had just come running in her office and told her that she needed to call me "immediately" to let me know that he lost his tooth. I did go down and took photos to document this milestone and here they are...

His new tooth was already erupting and has made progress coming in. This new tooth is so big and I'm hoping that the orthodontist is not in our future!

Lots of Stuff

Weight: 9lbs 10oz

Surgery
Austin has made it past another surgery with flying colors. It amazes me how resilient he is with all that he has been through. We go for a follow up in a few weeks and hopefully this will be the last surgery he has to have!

Because he is still so young, we are required to stay for a 23 hour observation and we were initally place in a room which was located on the "sick" side of the unit. Jacob and I about lost it! The nurse assured us that there were no sick or contagious kids around us, but we requested a room change. The next day Austin started sounding congested and has been since then. I don't know if it is because he picked up something or just being intubated for the procedure or if he picked up something from Jackson. As a precaution I took him to the pediatrician on Monday and other than sounding gross he is fine. He just a a cough and sounds a little congested.

Big Austin turned 5 Months Old last Thursday!

Feeding/Weight Gain Issue

For several weeks it has been a struggle to get Austin to finish a bottle and the whole process was a wrestling match that left whoever was feeding exhausted. I had been adding Elecare to slowly get him used to it in hopes of using it to fortify his milk and add calories. Well, he wasn't having any part of that! Two nights ago, while Jacob was taking his turn in the ring, I decided to try him on a few ounces of straight Elecare just to see if I could figure out what was going on. As soon as the bottle touch his mouth, he started slurping it down like crazy. Jacob pulled that bottle out and started trying to feed him the breastmilk/elecare mix and he went ballistic again. Apparently Austin does not care for my breastmilk anymore and prefers the Elecare totally. He is inhaling those bottles in 10-15 mins while it was taking him 30-45 mins to take the other. Since he hasn't be taking as much, he really hasn't gained any weight in about a week. I'm hoping now that he is eating like a champ he will plump up!

How I Made It...179 days

I've been asked many times how I made it through 179 days in the NICU between both boys... This is how.

Let the Storm Subside

I have faced so many storms in my life, some like the quick afternoon storms that are common in the summertime and some that seemed like category four hurricanes!

If I have learned anything about weathering those storms, it has been that they don't last forever, and I don't need to make major decisions in the midst of them.

Thoughts and feelings run wild in the midst of crises, but those are exactly the times we need to be careful about making decisions. I often say to myself, "Let emotions subside before you decide."

We must remain calm and discipline ourselves to focus on doing what we can do and trust God to do what we can't do.
Instead of drowning in worry and fear, get in touch with God, who sees past the storm and orchestrates the big picture.

He makes sure everything that needs to happen in our lives happens at the right time, moves at the appropriate speed, and causes us to arrive safely at the destinations He has planned for us.

Prayer Starter: God, I know that I can't control everything, so I will do what I can and trust You to do what I can't do. The storms of life do not control me. I trust Your plans for me.

Psalm 46:1-3

~Joyce Meyer devotional

At no point in time between Jackson coding and Austin's three surgeries did I ever think that I wouldn't bring them home, I knew I would and through everything He was there. Don't get me wrong, there were days that we super hard, but I was always calm because I knew we had Him healing two fragile little boys.

Fast forward to today...Jackson with his scarred little lungs was released from the pulmonologist free from the Chronic Lung Disease that has plagued him for 5 years and Austin who is growing like a weed and no longer needs the care of the GI doctor because he is gaining weight at such a rapid pace.

We are so Thankful!

Surgery #5

Weight: 9lbs 2oz

I took Austin to see Dr. Renard today, the surgeon that has operated on him several times, and he will be having surgery again but we don't have a date/time yet.

Please pray for us all. This is not as serious as we have been through, but we are wearing down with all the surgeries that Austin has had to go through.

Thanks!

Impromptu visit to the pediatrician

Weight: 8lbs 10oz

While talking to my mom today to check on Austin, she asked me about a lump on his right side near where he had his colostomy. I hadn't really noticed it but called the pediatrician to have it checked out. We were able to get in late this afternoon and she thinks he may have an abdominal wall hernia. It's really close to his surgery site. I will be calling his surgeon's office tomorrow to make an appointment. Yay, fun!

One good thing about this visit is that Austin got officially weighed! Based on his current pattern of growth his doctor anticipates that he will hit the growth chart at around 7-8 months old. If you look at his curve, it is going almost straight up. He's doing this all on his own without any extra calories in his milk.

Quick update

Weight: 8lbs 6.5oz

No real news, but we started Austin on a new formula to use to supplement and maybe bump,his calories up a little. It is called Elecare and is amino acid based formula where the proteins are totally broken down. We started out only putting 10% in one bottle a day and are now at two bottles. He has done great so far and is not showing any adverse signs. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he can handle it as we SLOWLY increase the amount he gets everyday.

Preemie Precautions

Weight: BIG 8 Pounds!!!

Austin received his first outpatient dose of synagis yesterday and I am so thankful insurance approved it! (Not that they wouldn't given his history) This will give him one month of protection against RSV should he be exposed and get it.

This brings me to another point which I'm sure most of you are already aware. Preemies are just that, they are premature in every form and fashion. Their little bodies did not get the full chance to develop certain aspects that help them prevent and fight off disease and infection. And while Austin is amazingly healthy, he is still at risk and highly susceptible to catching any bug that may be floating around (flu, RSV, etc). Anything he catches, could put us back in the hospital with him fighting for his life. Now I know that is extreme, but it is high likely given his history. I am thankful that he didn't have all the respiratory complications that Jackson had, but that doesn't make him any less at risk. So, for the next few months we will be in "quarantine" to do everything we can to keep Austin healthy. We are open to visitors, but request that it be in small gatherings and that if you have or had any symptoms of illness that you wait until you are completely well. This is not meant to offend anyone, but set the expectation. Thank you for understanding and we can't wait for you all to meet Austin!

4 Month Check Up

Weight: 7lbs 12.5oz. 20 inches

Austin is doing great! His pediatrician was pleased with his weight gain and in the past three weeks he has made real progress towards getting on the growth chart curve. He is meeting and exceeding the milestones for his gestational age of about 6 weeks.

The BIG 4 Month Old!

I started back to work on Tuesday. I am really glad to start heading towards our new normal, but we are still going through the adjustment period. Getting up at 6am to start the day and make sure we leave the house with everything to spending the evenings getting everything as ready as possible and then going to bed at or after midnight is going to get old really quick. No more midday naps!

Austin spends the day with Nana while I'm at work and I know she is thoroughly enjoying it!

Jackson has some exciting news to share...He has his first loose tooth! Here he is with a picture of the tooth fairy pillow Grammy (my mom's mom) made me. According to Jackson the going rate for the tooth fairy is $50, so he is beyond excited about loosing teeth. I need to consult with the tooth fairy because the rate seems a little steep even with inflation!

I'm now off to take Austin to get his second Synagis injection to help ward off RSV!

Hernia Repair

Weight: 7lbs 5.5oz

Austin made it home from the hospital yesterday. The hernia was quite large as we suspected, but its all fixed now. Thankfully there was not a hernia on the right side. He did great during and after surgery. He and I spent one night for observation because he is so little.

Next week he goes in for his four month check up and hopefully his synagis injection.

I start back to work on Tuesday and Jacob starts his new job that day. I will be transporting both boys everyday now, so next week is going to be a crazy one!

Another surgery

Weight: 6lbs 14oz

Austin had his appointment with the urologist this morning and his hernia is quite large! Next Wednesday, January 16th Austin will have surgery to have his hernia repaired. It will be considered outpatient although we will spend one night for observation.

I had another check up at the doctor after the stress test I had done a few weeks ago and after dealing with high blood pressure through both pregnancies my heart is in good shape. I do need to start exercising.

Jacob also has some exciting news...he will be starting a new job the week of January 21st. This is also the week I return to work. I has been almost 5 months since I've been to work and the excitement began. I'm so ready to get back to work!

Doctors, doctors and more doctors!

Weight: 6lbs 8oz

Austin has been keeping a busy schedule. He had an appointment with the GI doctor today and he is a perfectly normal 3 month old (1 month adjusted). We will follow up in a month just to make sure he stays on track.

On Thursday he will visit the urologist to have his hernias checked out. I'm hoping we can put off any surgery or at least six months.

Last week Austin visited the ophthalmologist and his retinas have matured so he doesn't need to come back for a year.

I have about two more weeks until I return to work and while I'm ready to return it will be sad to leave Austin. He will be spending his days with Nana which I know she will enjoy.

One exciting bit of information...Austin rolled over two times on Sunday from tummy to back. I'm sure it was probably a fluke but he did it all by himself. We have been practicing tummy time and he started being able to hold his head up some while still in the NICU.

First visit to Pediatrician

Weight: 6lbs 3oz Length: 19in

Austin visited his pediatrician for the first time yesterday. Overall he is doing great. He will be following up in a week to check his weight. We will also need to see a urologist to follow his hernias and have them repaired sometime down the road. The pediatrician is also referring him to a GI doctor to see what our options are in regards to his intermittent diarrhea and ways to help him gain weight better. It would be wonderful if there was a way to get him extra calories without sending him into a tail spin.

We are also in the approval process to receive the monthly Synagis injection to protect him from RSV. His next injection is due around January 26th.