DOL 51

Hi everyone! Big gain last night! I'm inching up on that 5 lb. mark---4 lbs., 14.5 oz.!!! Can you believe that?! They cut my calories last night. This is actually a relief. That high calorie formula is what they call the "jet fuel" and is so thick that it's been hard to get it to go through the tubes and/or bottle nipples. This was slowing down the delivery of that delicious goodness to my belly, not to mention tying things up on the other end. I tend to get pretty cranky when everything is not running "efficiently".

When I'm cranky, I yell. Loudly. Yeah, that's right. Listen to me!!! So, I yell, so what? I usually do this when I my belly hurts, or when my nurses bundle my hands up so that I can't get at my feeding tube. I've been told that I can't be trusted, so I guess that's what happens. But I don't like this too much. So I yell. In fact, I can be quite dramatic!

But my mom and dad are happy to hear me cry and yell. They keep telling me how lucky they are that I am doing so well. Imagine that? I cry and they coo?! I've got a nice little set of pipes on me, so we'll see how long they think it's cute...even still, we are all looking forward to me going home. I can't wait!

Until then, I hope everyone has a very happy new year! Have fun, but get home safely to your respective cribs (this is a really bad joke, but my dad made me say it).

DOL 49

Hey, look at me in a baby-swing! Ha! I'm really movin' now! Man, am I funny!?! I am a tremendous 4 lbs., 11.7 oz. today. I'm gaining weight at a great pace. So much so, that they are probably going to cut down the ol' calorie count. Nobody wants a skinny baby, but look at these cheeks!!
I'm doing pretty well with learning how to bottle feed. I'm not quite good to go yet, but I'm working on it. You see, sucking down a whole bottle feed through that little hole is awfully tiring. Nevermind that I'll have to do it 6 or more times a day when I go home. So, they want to give me plenty of practice to be sure that I'm comfortable with it, before they send me packing! I'm taking anywhere from 10-28 mL everytime I try at it....but I'm aiming for the whole bottle (60mL). But, I'm a fast learner, and before you know it, they'll be testing out my carseat to make sure that it fits for my drive home wit mom and dad! It'll be here before they know it!

DOL 47

Today was great. I gained a good amount today. I now weigh 4 lbs., 5.7oz. Not bad, huh? It's been a little noisy since they moved me into my crib. I am no longer in the plastic box! My mom and dad like it because it makes changing my diapers a lot easier. When I was in the little house, they could only get to me through little port-holes on the sides. Now, they can reach right into my crib to tend to me!

I've been really working hard on the bottle-feeding lately. I took 10 mL. for my second bottle and I took 15 mL, and then 10 mL on the last two bottles. Not too bad for a beginner! I can't wait until I can take a whole bottle (5o mL), because that will mean I'm almost ready to go home! Mom and dad can't wait. Hey, you'd better finish my room soon, guys!!

I feel great, although I'm still a little sneezy. Hopefully, when they take the tube out of my nose this will go away. Having a tube going through your nose is not the most comfortable accessory, you know! But, all things considered, I've been very lucky. That's what my parents say, anyway. I certainly don't hate it here. My nurses are nice, I get to spend plenty of time with mom and dad, and they let me use the computer to blog whenever I want. It's not so bad. But, I'm excited to see my house and my room. I hope there's lots of room for toys and stuff!!

Here are some videos from today.

DOL 46

Hey there. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas-I sure did. Thanks to everyone who sent gifts. They are great! My mom and dad are excited to put me in all of the clothes! Pretty fun day yesterday. I got my first bottle! I really liked that! I only took about 7 mL, but as I get better at this, I'll be able to take more and more. It's really hard coordinating the sucking and swallowing while still remembering to breathe. I'm really happy to get to finally taste my food! The tube in my nose bypasses my taste buds and goes right to my stomach. That's no fun!

I'm feeling pretty good right now. I have a little bit of a sneeze, but the nurses are watching me closely. Oh, and they have to give me another shot tonight. I hate shots, but they're good for me.

I'm up to 4 lbs., 4 oz. and growing! I'm in the eating/growing stage of my stay here at the nursery, so I'm hoping to keep this growth trend up. I may be little now, but my parents already think I'm huge. I've gained almost 2 pounds since I was born. Here's a picture of me with my first bottle ever!

DOL 42

Hey everybody! Big doin's over here at the hospital. I'm moving tonight! Can you believe it!?!? I'm heading out of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to the Special Care Nursery. This is a step-down in terms of the intensity of care that is administered. The nurses keep saying that I don't need the NICU-level of care anymore because I'm not "sick". I'm just little! I'm just a little guy....so small that I hit 4 lbs overnight!!!! How's that for little?! I'm really growing now. They are probably going to decrease the amount of calories that I'm getting soon. They don't want me to get too big, too fast. Hey, I'm happy as long as they feed me every 4 hours...

So I feel like I'm graduating today. I'm out of the NICU and off to the Special Care Nursery. My mom and dad are going to love it! Plus, they'll be bottle feeding me before they know it (which we are all looking forward to...with this tube I hardly taste anything!)

I also had my blood tests done yesterday. They came back great! My "crit" levels are moving up, which means that my little bone marrow's doin' what it's supposed to! This is fantastic. It's up to 28 and change, from 26.2. As long as it keeps trending up, I'm hoping this means that I will have avoided any blood transfusions. That's great!

Oh, and I got my first eye exam done today. I'd be lying if I said this was no big deal. I hated it!!! But, it's a necessary evil. And the results were "so far, so good". Unfortunately, I have to have another one of these in a couple weeks, but hopefully that gets positive results and I get to be finished with those tests!

It's getting close to Christmas, so I want to thank everyone out their thoughts and prayers. With all of your help, I've been doing really well. While I wish that I were headed home for the holidays, I'll bet I won't remember any of this in the years to come. So, I'll just pretend that next year is my first Christmas! This one is just practice! Merry Christmas!

DOL 40

Well folks, it's been a little crazy outside with all the snow (so I've been told). Be careful driving out there. I have had big gains since last time I posted. I'm now up to 3 lbs., 14.9 oz!!! I'm almost a 4 pounder. I have gained a total of 1 1/2 lbs. since I was born a month ago. I'm getting HUGE!! Ha!

I'm really excited to be getting bigger. It was a little scary for my parents to handle me back when I was a 2 pounder. I was so small that it seemed like I'd break easily. I tried to explain to them that I was a tough little man, but they wanted more assurance, so I bulked up for them. Things are going well. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed now, in anticipation of an important round of tests tomorrow...

The docs are going to check my blood levels to make sure those "hematocrit" levels are coming up like they're supposed to. Hopefully, they are! I'll find out tomorrow. Hopefully this means no more blood draws. I don't like to complain, but those syringes look even bigger and scarier to a little man like myself!

I am also scheduled to have my first eye exam tomorrow. I'm nervous, but I'm hoping that everything will be fine. The doctors have to check me for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). If it's there, it can be surgically addressed, but I'd rather avoid it altogether if I can! The tests may not be able to see for sure whether this is present yet, so I may have to have this test a few more times. I just hope it's over quick!

Next time I post, I hope I have nothing but good news! Wish me luck! Here are a couple pics that the nurses took...I decided to have some close-ups done for the parents (they think I'm adorable).

DOL 38

Yay! It's Friday! Another week has gone by. I'm one week closer to going home with mom and dad. I'm getting pretty bored of this place after all. It can get pretty loud in here! Today they weighed me and I hit a whopping 3 lbs., 11.5 oz! I told you I was going to pack it on fast! Must be all the delicious food around here. I haven't had a spell in a little while now and I'm starting to feel really good. I look great too, if I do say so myself! Here's a little snapshot of my with my friend Pam, who decided that I needed to have my hair washed. Here I am before and after my shampoo. As you can see, I did not mind this treatment! This place isn't so bad after all!

DOL 36

Hey folks! Sorry for the brief hiatus...I've been busy growing! I'm up to 3 lbs., 9.3oz today! Nice! My plan is try to really pack on the pounds here in the next week or so. After all, I am at what would have been 32 weeks of gestation.

So things are going well this week...not many spells, I'm slowly growing out of those. Which is nice because I get scared when I forget to breathe. Oh, and I am really getting ready to bottle-feed here people...I love sticking my fingers in my mouth (not to mention ripping my feeding tube out of my nose--you'll notice in the above picture, that I was again successful at yankin' it out). I also love my pacifier, but I'm supposed to move up to the bigger size...I'm just not quite ready--that thing is too big! Hopefully, they'll get the hint and start bottle-feeding me soon. I can't wait to get this tube out of my nose for good! Here I am in my favorite Christmas outfit.

DOL 34

Hi there everyone! I have good news..I've made it past 1500 grams! I'm 3 lbs., 5 oz.! That's great news!

I'm doing pretty darn well here. I only have one concern right now. My hematocrit levels are down, because my bone marrow is not quite up to speed yet for full-production of blood cells. But, they say that my reticulocyte levels (the level of immature blood cells) is headed up, so hopefully they will mature soon and will raise my hematocrit levels. Low hematocrit levels (anemia) can cause my circulatory/respiratory systems to work harder, since there aren't as many blood cells to do all the work. Plus, it makes me look washed-out and pale for the cameras!

I really want my hematocrit (" 'crit " as we call it in the NICU) levels to go up, because I worry about having to get a transfusion. They haven't said that I need a transfusion yet, but I'm hoping to avoid it. This is an entirely safe procedure, it's just that I want to avoid it if I don't need it. So, keep praying that my 'crit levels go up in the next week...I'm hard at work trying to get them up myself...

Until then, here's a picture of me after I pulled my feeding tube out again. I think that I'm hysterical...that's why I'm smiling!!

DOL 33

Hey there folks! Hope your weekend went well. I had a good one! I spent time with mom and dad and did a lot of eating. I am up to 37 mL per feeding. I eat it right up and want more! I'm doing really well. I haven't really been doing much "spelling" lately. It usually only really happens when I'm being changed and I get upset. I usually let everyone know when I am upset. I like to yell at them. That'll teach 'em! I had a little spell this morning, though, after I spit up and it went through my nose! Yuk! Nobody likes that, especially me!

I am steadily making progress here. I am up to 3 lbs., 4.3 oz. The docs here want me to put on about an ounce a day. I'm trying my best!

So, from here on out, I am trying to put on weight, and trying to jumpstart my marrow to start producing more and more blood cells. Right now, it's working, but I'm still early, so it may take a few more weeks. Once I'm on track for that, I should be really ready to start taking bottles...YES!!!

Oh, and I almost forgot, I passed my DOL 30 ultrasound with flying colors! No PVL (a fancy term that could've meant some complication, but it's not present)!!! Everything seems to be going well...except, I had to get my first vaccination. I am a pretty proud guy, but I have to admit that I cried a little. I didn't like that. But, if I want to stay healthy and get big and strong, I have to take my medicine. I guess it's not so bad, seeing as how I won't remember any of this! So, until next time, here are some pics of me ... and maybe a video if my IT guy can figure it out... see you later!

DOL 29

Guess what folks? I have officially made it to 3lbs! As of tonight, I'm 3lbs., .7 oz. (1380 grams.) I'm really packin' it on now! There's talk of me moving to a crib when I hit 1500 grams. We'll see...that would be great!

I am doing well with my feeds and I get to spend time with mom and dad more and more these days. I am still surprising people with how well I'm doing. I may the smallest guy in the NICU, but I keep telling them that it's all heart! My nurses keep saying that I'm going to give mom and dad a "run for their money". I guess I keep the nurses on their toes! I got my feeding tube out again last night...

I'm doing really well these days. I have about one more battery of tests (tomorrow) that I have to go through, but once that's done, I'm in the home stretch. After that, just more eating, sleeping, growing, oh, and...the whole "learning how to take a bottle thing". Although, with the way that I like to suck on my pacifier, I don't think I'll have too much trouble.

Mom and dad told me that they are really lucky and that I am a miracle (tell me something I don't know!) But, they are really thankful for all of the support and prayers that have obviously helped me get to where I am right now. I knew I would be fine all along, but it just took a while for me to prove it to mom and dad...here are some videos of me last night. Bye for now!

DOL 27

Hello from the NICU! I hope that you are all making headway on your holiday shopping. I'm going to have to do all of mine online this year on account of my being stuck in this place...that and that I can't walk.

Things are going great though...I'm gaining weight little by little. I am 2 lbs., 14.4 oz. as of last night. I am guzzling down my feeds and in a couple of weeks, mom and dad will be able to feed from a bottle. It's going to take me a while to get coordinated with the whole sucking-swallowing-remembering-to-breath thing. But, I'm a fast learner and I can't wait to get this tube out of my nose. It can't happen soon enough!

Until then, I'll just have to be content with sleeping the day away here in this little plastic house. I heard my doctors talking about me today. Apparently, I'm doing much better than most babies who are born as early as I was. That's nice to hear. They said that in several weeks, I may be able to leave the NICU and go to a "step-down" nursery. Then, my mom and dad can stay the night and do all my feedings. This is all in the future, but it's something to look forward to. Plus, this will give dad more time to get the house ready before I come home. I'm sure mom will remind him...

I feel good. The doctors here figured out that I really like caffeine. This keeps everything running smoothly until a lot of my neuro-motor functions mature. Tomorrow marks what would have been 31 weeks of gestation. I'm getting closer and closer to my due date! I'm quite the Christmas gift!

Here are a couple of videos of me. It's getting harder and harder to get photos of me...no, I certainly don't shun the attention, it's just, I spend so much time asleep these days, without the lights on...that the flash photography really irritates me. So, I told my dad to keep them to a minimum. So, instead, he's been sneaking the video clips, which don't need the bright flash lights. See you later!

DOL 25

I hope you're enjoying your weekend...I sure am! I spent the morning with my dad, and the afternoon with my mom. I had a great time! I kept smiling! I found out today that I grew a bunch (it's all relative at this size!). I'm 2 lbs., 13 oz. I'm only a few ounces from 3 lbs!!! I've been doing so well that they moved me out of the big incubator that I've been living in, and into a little one. Since I've been able to regulate my temperature without assistance from the incubator, they moved me to a smaller house without a heater. That's great. I hate being too hot. It makes my heart race...and who likes that?!?

All in all, I'm doing really well. I am putting on weight, I'm tolerating my "feeds" (which have increased in size considerably), and I'm spending more and more time with my parents outside of my house.

I get to wear preemie clothes to bed now, too. Despite all of these privileges, I still habitually rip my feeding tube out of my nose. I hate the tube! And, I'm sucking on my pacifier pretty well now. I'm pretty sure that I want to bottle-feed!

I hope that I get a chance to meet you all soon...in about two months (maybe sooner), my mom and dad will be able to take me home. It'll be here before we know it!!

DOL 23

Well, I've been doing really well after they bumped my caffeine up a little. I like my coffee! I haven't had any spells in almost two days. So, the nurses decided to take me off of the nasal cannula. I am breathing on my own, with no prompts from any airflow. This is great! The only tube I have left if the feeding tube that you can see going down my nose. Well, I pulled that out this afternoon....but they put it back. Oh well, you can't blame a guy for trying! I'm not quite ready to eat on my own, but I've been holding a pacifier in my mouth by sucking on it...they say this is really advanced for my age. Oh, plus it's really cute.

Mom and dad came to visit again. I got to take a nap with mom this morning...and guess what...they let me do it twice in one day, so I got to take a nap with dad too.

I'm still 2lbs, 11 0z., which is good. They say that in about a month, I will have doubled my birthweight. With all this napping and eating, I'm sure it won't take long. I'm doing really well otherwise, so I'm really thankful for all of the prayers and good thoughts. Here are a couple pictures of me in some of my new threads and my Christmas hat....see you soon.

DOL 21

Hey there folks! I'm back from a short hiatus. I've been busy growing. I'm up to a whopping 2 lbs., 11 oz. today! They say it's because I'm on such a high-calorie diet. All I know is, I eat it up just as soon as it hits my stomach! I have been doing really well. The nurses increased the caffeine that helps me remember to breathe regularly...it really took the edge off. The nurses call it "my latte". I love the stuff! I haven't had a "spell" in almost two days now! It certainly calms me down after my dad forgets to shut the flash off when taking pictures...jeez...check out the look I gave him!


Oh, yeah, you may have noticed that I've decided to don some duds...my mom brought me some clothes. I'm not quite the modest type, but it beats a little diaper and a pillowcase for a blanket...

You'll notice that I'm still swaddled up pretty good...I have decided that I don't love this. I spend a good amount of time trying to get out of it. This helps me regulate my temperature without the assistance of a lot of heat pumped into my incubator...one step closer to springing out of this joint!

So, all in all, I'm doing really well. So well, in fact that the nurses are going to let me take two naps a day outside of my incubator. That means I get to take a nap with dad for the first time tomorrow! He better hope that my diaper holds! They are also giving me bigger meals, at less frequent intervals. This is to help me get a big full belly, then take a nap to put on the pounds! It's like having a pint of Haagen Daz before bed. My dad loves that! Here are some pictures of me (and a video or two) from earlier today. Take care and I'll see you all soon...