Slow Sunday

Not much happened today...the little guy lost 50 grams this morning, but I'm not suprised after yesterday. The nurses also said he'd start to gain weight a little slower now that he's bottle feeding. Apparently bottle feeding burns a lot of calories.

I've got to say it...the little guy is just cute. Today he was sucking on his binky (pacifier) and he was making the loudest smacking noises...sssmack...sssmack...sssmack! I could watch him for hours...too bad I have to go to work and do stuff around the house :(

Please continue to pray that Luke eats & poops well!
Cheers,
Colin

Blow Out

Disclaimer - This post contains gross details...if you are a parent, you will understand. If you are not yet...trust me, it's not that bad.

Today was a pretty average day, Luke gained some weight, ate some food, and slept a lot. While I was holding him today, Wendy had the brilliant idea to change him while he was in my arms. I was a little concerned by this, but Wendy had done it before with the nurses so no big deal. In the midst of changing the diaper, the little guy decided he had to poop again...and boy did he. All I remember is Wendy saying he was starting to poop and then SPLOOIRTTT! He shot poop all over (I'm exagerating about the all over part). It was pretty nasty. Once you thought he had stopped, you'd try to put another diaper on and he'd start going again. It took 4 diapers till he was all finished up. All the while, he was in my arms (with blankets in between). The amazing part was that he never got any on me or the blankets.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Cheers,
Colin

Full Bottle

Luke drank a full bottle today! Not bad for his second day...although he doesn't quite have the breathing during eating part down yet, he's getting there. Apparently they have Occupational Therapists" that help teach the babies how to eat & breathe properly. Though there's no word on if they'll be able to help him find a job when he graduates from the NICU.

Luke also gained almost 2 ounces last night...he's up to 1780 grams, which is 3lbs 14oz! Once he hits 1800 grams, they'll move him to an open crib. I can't wait for him to get out of that box he's living in...he feels so distant and fragile when he's in there. However, the box has done it's job and helped my son thrive...for which I am very grateful!

Please pray that Luke stays healthy and continues to eat and breathe well.

Cheers,
Colin

Giving Thanks

As you can imagine, we have a lot to be thankful for this year...
-To God for enabling all of this to happen and giving us the strength to stay strong & patient
-Lucas!
-Jacob, an awesome big brother!
-Our families that have helped care for for us and Jake
-For Wendy getting pregnant after so many years of trying
-Wendy's OB that diagnosed her condition and cared for her so that she could give us Luke
-The Ante Partum Unit (APU) nurses at St. Agnes that cared for Wendy the last few weeks of her pregnancy as she tried to keep Luke in
-The NICU doctors & nurses that care for Lucas around the clock
-For Lucas' good health and amazing progress
-The doctors, nurses and preemies that came before Luke to help create the technology & care that enable Lucas to thrive (20 years ago they wouldn't have bothered to save a preemie Luke's age)
-Our friends that have prayed and cared for us and Lucas
-And there's so much more...thank you!

Luke had a good day today...he gained 40 grams last night and continues to eat 33cc's of milk. The best part of the day was that we got to bottle feed Luke today!!! This was an awesome experience, but stressful. In addition to feeding Luke, you also have to pay close attention to his breathing. Apparently one of the hardest things for preemies to learn is to suck, swallow, and breathe. Apparently it's pretty common for for preemies to forget to breathe once they start sucking. To make sure he doesn't stop breathing, you need to keep your hand on his back so you can feel him breathe - if he stops, you pull the bottle out. I'm pleased to report that Lucas did a great job of it (imho)...he ate about 10cc's and controlled his breathing well. I was very proud! Lukes doctor has requested that the nurses attempt to bottle feed once a shift (2 nursing shifts a day).

Please pray that Luke continues to gain weight, breathe properly, poop regularly, and suck-swallow-breathe while bottle feeding.

Thanks again for your support and prayers - they mean so much to us!

Cheers,
Colin

Step Back

Today was one of those days where Luke took a step backwards...he lost about 50 grams (almost 2 ounces) over the night. The nurses aren't sure why, but they weren't too worried. They only worry if it becomes a trend - please pray it doesn't become a trend! However, the loss could be something as minor as a miss-calibrated scale.

On a positive note, Luke turned one month old today! Fortunately Wendy and I were lucky enough to celebrate it with him. Work let everyone go early today, so I got to go to the hospital early...and Wendy was still there! So we got to spend an hour together holding Luke. It was a great afternoon.

His breathing continues to improve, which is a relief. He hasn't had any apnea spells in the last two days!

Please continue to pray for the little guys health and that he continues to gain weight and remain healthy. Thanks again to all of you for your support and prayers!

And now, here's a cute video that Wendy begged me to post...


Cheers,
Colin

Nice Shirt

Well, actually it's a onesie (the ultimate baby outfit). The cool thing is, this is the first time Luke has ever worn clothes. Preemies have a hard time regulating their temperature so their isolettes are heated, which is why Luke is only dressed in diapers. However, Luke has been doing a great job of regulating his temperature lately so his nurse dressed him in a Thanksgiving preemie onesie. The cool thing is, his nurse bought him that onesie. It's good to know there are nurses out there that care about the preemies and parents enough to get them a commemorative holiday outfit. It may sound stupid, but it's pretty cool.

As for the vitals, Luke didn't gain much weight yesterday. His feedings stayed the same at 33 cc's and his weight remained the same at 3 lbs 13 ounces. Everything continues to look good, please keep praying for the little guy!

Cheers,
Colin

Moving Day

Luke continues to improve. Today he's up to 3lbs 13oz and his feedings are at 33 cc's. They moved him back to the second room he was moved to...the one for preemies with less acute issues. The room is strange because it is so quiet. The old room sounded like a Las Vegas casino with all of the beeping and flashing monitor alarm lights. Quiet is good. We also have reason to believe Luke will be moved to one of the private rooms very soon. The private rooms are nice because they have sleeping beds and bathrooms so that parents can stay overnight. We can't wait!

Please continue for Luke's continued growth and improved breathing. Thanks again for your love and prayers!

Cheers,
Colin

4 Weeks

It's hard to believe that Luke is 4 weeks old. 4 weeks! What's even harder to believe is that if things happened normally, he would still be inside Wendy for almost 9 more weeks! Praise God for modern technology.

Not much happened today with Luke, and that's a good thing. He's up to 3 pounds 12 ounces and his feedings remained at 32cc's. We found out today that he'll be moving to a different section of the NICU in the next few days. The new section is for relatively healthy long-term preemies that need less care than the newborns. We're looking forward to the move!

Cheers,
Colin

Where's Lucas?

The weekends are nice because Wendy and I get to spend time together with Luke. I enjoy just watching Wendy with Luke...I love watching her interact with him (and Jake too)...she's a great mom, I'm glad she married me.

Luke had another good day...he gained 20 grams and his feedings are up to 32cc's. His breathing continues to improve. We got to hold him for almost 2 hours today which was great. It's fun when we first hold him because he's wide awake...looking all around, moving his arms...then after about 15 minutes he falls asleep in your arms. It's awesome.

Please continue to pray for Luke's continued health and growth. And for everyone that is praying and sending their love for our family - we are praying blessings for all of you. Thank you!

Cheers,
Colin

No Fluke

I guess it was no fluke....Luke is now 3 pounds 11 ounces! Wendy checked with his nurse today and I guess the nurse from a few days ago had given us some wrong weight info...nevertheless, he gained almost 4 ounces yesterday which is still pretty incredible.

I'm also pleased to announce that Lucas is now surviving on Wendy's milk alone! The nurse removed his IV tonight, which means no more sugar water. His feedings are up to 29cc's, which is almost 1 ounce of milk. When we take him home he should be eating 2 ounces of milk so he still has a long way to go.

His breathing has also improved quite a bit. He's down to 30% oxygen and 3 liters of flow. His apnea spells have also decreased significantly.

Finally, Luke is had his first eye test tonight. The doctor said his eyes were a little hazy because he's still pretty premature. They'll check his eyes again in two weeks...we'll pray for the best!

Thanks again for your prayers, they are being answered!

Cheers,
Colin

Happy Annibirthsary Day!

Today is a very special day in our family. It's two important holidays in one! Nine years ago, Wendy and I were married...and five years ago, our oldest son Jacob was born. Trust me, we didn't plan for it to happen that way, but we think God has a strange sense of humor. In addition to Jake's presents, we also took him to see his little brother.

Luke had an awesome day today. The nurses discovered his PICC line had a small leak in it today so they pulled it out and put in an IV. This is good because it means Luke is transitioning away from the more critical care. Also, the only extra nutrition he is getting is Dextrose (sugar water). They also increased his feedings to 24cc's.

What's really crazy is his weight...for some reason, he gained almost 7 ounces today (up to 3lbs 10oz!). I seriously doubt the validity of that number, because most preemies gain around .5 to 1 ounces a day. I hope it's true, but I imagine there was an error during the weigh-in.


Happy Anniversary Wendy and Happy Birthday Jake, I love you guys!

Thanks again for your prayers...they are working!

Cheers,
Colin

I Was Wrong

Yep, Luke gained 30 grams (about an ounce) this morning (yesterday I bet he wouldn't gain anything). They also bumped his feedings up to 21 cc's. Luke's breathing also improved too, so they dropped his flow down to 5 liters (from 6).

The best part of the day was that Wendy got to hold the little guy for 2 hours straight! He did a great job of holding his temperature during that time, which is important. While Wendy was holding Luke, our Pediatrician stopped by...I guess he stops by most nights while checking on his other patients...he was very pleased with Luke's progress, which makes us feel great. According to the nurses, he's one of the few pediatricians in town that checks on 'his' preemies. It's pretty cool because he's not really supposed to worry about caring for Luke until he's discharged.

On a side note, one of the comments asked about the long term twins (actually triplets) that Luke was rooming with at various times. We're happy to report that they're doing great and have finally (after 5 months) been moved to a less critical room. Their parents are very happy now that their stay in the hospital is almost over.

Thanks again for your prayers, please keep them coming!

Cheers,
Colin

The Big Push

Probably the most exciting part of the day was definitely the grossest. Wendy reported that Luke was having a lot of trouble breathing. He was writhing around and really struggling. At one point, the Respiratory Therapist was standing by with a manual breathing bag to hand pump Luke if need be. Around that time Luke started to poop...and poop. The nurses started to change his diaper and it just kept coming. As soon as it was over he fell asleep and his breathing returned to normal. The poor little guy must have been working on that for a few days...(sorry for the nasty details).

Unfortunately Wendy didn't get to hold Luke today because of his breathing issues. Fortunately when I got there, things had improved enough that I got to hold him for a while which was cool.

His weight was up 10 grams today, so he's a little over 3lbs 3oz (but after today's events, I wouldn't be surprised if he weighs the same or less at his morning weigh in). His feedings remained at 18cc's, but it should increase tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for Luke's breathing and pooping issues.

Cheers,
Colin

Writers Block

Luke had a better day today...he's still got some breathing issues, but he's up to 18cc's on milk. Wendy got to hold him for an hour and a half today which is good news because it means Luke's getting better at regulating his body temperature on his own. Unfortunately Luke was having some breathing issues before I got there so the nurse felt it was best that I not hold him.

Rather than write a lot, here's a few pictures we took yesterday...



Cheers,
Colin

Baby Jake....umm, I mean Luke!

I am now struggling with that age old problem that most parents have (or at least mine did)...calling one of your kids by the other kids name. Since Luke was born, I don't know how many times I've called him Jake (his big brother). I'm getting better at calling him Luke, but I still struggle. Hopefully I won't confuse either of the boys with the dog's, which my parents did a few times while I was growing up.

As expected, Luke got moved back into one of the rooms for preemies with more acute needs. He's still having issues with the breathing, which our doctor thinks is linked to going #2...or more accurately his lack of going #2. Our doctor also said that most babies outgrow these issues by weeks 32-33, so hopefully he'll figure out how to work his plumbing soon. Other than that, he's doing well for a 30 weeker.

They kept his feedings at 16cc's today so hopefully he'll go back on the feeding protocol tomorrow. His weight this morning was 3lbs 3oz.

Thanks again to everybody for their encouragement and prayers - they definitely keep is going!

Cheers,
Colin

New Room

We got a little surprise today when we went to see Luke today...he wasn't there! I guess they moved him because they got a batch of triplets last night and needed the space in the rooms with preemies with more acute problems. Apparently Luke is pretty stable so his new room is more for long term preemies that have fewer issues. Unfortunately they may have to move him back to a more critical room if his breathing doesn't improve. He still swings from high to low for no apparent reason. This is a sign that his lungs still needs some improvement.

Additionally he's having some issues pooping (sorry, but I have to document everything), which could be why his billirubin levels are fluctuating. He should be pooping more regularly, but he's not. I guess the billirubin gets excreted into his poop and then gets expelled when he goes poop....but if the billi sits in there, it just reabsorbs and his levels go back up.

The two big highlights of the day were that I got to hold Luke for 45 minutes and we took some good family pictures of the four of us (Luke, Jake, Wendy, and I).

As for prayers, we'd like to ask that you please pray that Lukes lungs to continue developing at that he poops more regularly.

3 Pounds

Luke hit 3 pounds today which was pretty cool. It's not a major milestone that means much to anyone but us...the major milestones come around 4 and 5 pounds. But we'll take 3 pounds any day.

The nurses have taken to calling Luke the "swinger," (not that kind of swinger) because of his swings in oxygen saturation. Ideally the doctors would like to see him "sat" between 90 - 95%...Lucas swings often between 60 and 99%. What this means is that his body is having a hard time regulating how he processes his oxygen. It's not a big problem at this age, but please pray that it improves soon. It's one of those critical milestones he needs to control before going home.

We also got some more good news today. Wendy spoke with Luke's Doctor who said we should hold him as much as we can, even if he's supposed to be on the lights. He said holding Lucas in our arms is one of the best things we can do for him. I'd say we were both hesitant to hold him much because of the billi lights and it's a lot of work for the nurses to pull him out of the box (due to all of the lines)...but hey, doctors orders! Unfortunately we'll likely be limited to 30 minutes at a time because he still has difficulty regulating his body temperature.

Cheers,
Colin

The Routine

This has been our first normal week since Luke was born and we're starting to settle into a routine. Wendy is lucky, she just drops Jake off at day care and then walks over to the the hospital to hang out with Luke for several hours - she even gets a free lunch because she's pumping (milk). I on the other hand work till 4:30-5:00...then I drive to the hospital (35 minutes) and then hang out with Luke until they kick me out of the NICU at 6:30 for the shift change. Then it's off to home for dinner and then play time with Jake before his bed time (have I ever mentioned that Jake has made getting ready for bed into an endurance event?). Wendy and I then get some time to relax...then she pumps and I journal the days events. As far as routines go, it's not bad...especially since I get to see Lucas. Although he's not changing much between visits...every visit reveals something new.

Luke had another great day. He's up to 16cc's of milk which is about half an ounce of milk. To put it in perspective, he needs to be eating at least 2 ounces of milk every three hours before he goes home. His weight is up to 2 lbs 14.5 ounces and he's still under the lights. Hopefully his billirubin levels improve enough tonight so we can hold him again tomorrow.

Thanks again for all of your prayers for Lucas and our family. We appreciate and need them.

BTW, if you have any questions about this whole process, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
Colin

Box Boy

It kind of hit me today that my son lives in a box. I'm not angered or frustrated by it...but it's odd. I don't get to do the normal things a dad does with his baby, except change diapers...I still get to do that. Someday I won't have to reach through a porthole to touch my sons hand, or talk to a nurse about how my son was the past 8 hours, or try to ignore the monitors that are telling me how saturated my son's blood is with oxygen, or to have to hold him within 2 feet of his box because of all the cords connected to his body. Someday, I'll get to reach down and pick my son up whenever I want and to go wherever I want with him. I'm not whining...just dreaming of the future. Just dreaming about Luke...

Lucas had another good day, although he's back under the billirubin lights. He's up to 2.84 pounds (1292g)...just 1.16 pounds till he gets out of his box! He was pretty cute today...who knew preemies can cross their eyes! Sorry for the blurry picture, but it's the best I could do under the circumstances.

Many people have been asking how Lucas eats, so here's a picture of his milk dispenser. Basically it's an open syringe connected to a small tube that goes to his stomach. Basically they tape the syringe to the top of his box and let gravity do the rest. It's pretty efficient and totally harmless.

Cheers,
Colin

Another Day in the NICU

Nothing too exciting to report today (which is great), except that both Wendy and I got to hold Luke today...hopefully we'll be getting to do that a lot more often now.

Luke's feedings continue to go well - he's up to 13cc's. The Doctor explained to us that Luke's now on a feeding protocol, which is special matrix that multiples his weight by a multiplier to tell the nurses how much to feed him.

We're getting to know more of the other long-term* parents in the room which is good. It was kind of frustrating going into his room everyday and there's all these parents huddled around their kids, but we're encouraged to keep to ourselves so none of us talked to each other. It's pretty hard to do though when you see the same people day in and out and we all share the same concern and love for our kids. It's good to finally be able to share some stories about each of our circumstances.

*NOTE: Long-term parents are parents like us where our kids will likely be in the same room for an extended period. Short-term parents are those whose kids will only be in the room a few days...I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous of the short-termers.

Please continue to pray that Luke stays healthy and continues to grow.

Cheers,
Colin

That NICU Smell

I don't know what it is, but the NICU has a very unique odor. It's not a bad odor, it's actually quite nice...a little bit sweet mixed with a dash of sanitary combine to make that distinct NICU smell that is different from the rest of the hospital. Maybe it's the soap we use when scrubbing in...

Not much new to report from from Luke today...he was up to 10cc's today and is tolerating his feedings very well. Wendy talked with our doctor today about the apnea and he's not concerned which is good. Most preemies have it and they usually grow out of it by the time they leave.

On a side note, Lucas smiled at me today which was super cool. Granted he probably had no idea that he was smiling, nor did I likely have anything to do with it, but it was cool.

On a sad note the baby that I mentioned in a post the other day did not make it. We were in the room yesterday while the family was there. Their priest came in and baptized the little guy which was cool. Please continue to pray for the little boy's family as they mourn.

Please continue to pray for Luke's health and continued growth.

Cheers,
Colin

Some Photos...

Luke is doing well, he's up to 2lbs 12oz (1oz over birth weight!) and they increased his feeds up to 8cc's. The only problem is that he's still struggling with the apnea, so they may have put him on a CPAP machine - which isn't great, but it's better than a ventilator.

We got to spend a lot of time with him this weekend, which was great. Here's some pictures...












Please continue to pray for Luke's lungs and his continued health!

Cheers,
Colin

Time Flies

It's hard to believe that Luke's been with us for almost two weeks now. It's amazing how fast the time goes when we are with him in the NICU. I'm glad the time seems to be passing quickly - we can't wait to bring him home!

Lucas is doing pretty good, although he's still having the apnea spells. It weird, for much of his first week, he was on 2L of air flow and had virtually no apnea spells. Now he's up to 5L of air and has a few spells every day. I don't get it!

His weight is 2lb 10oz, so he's almost back to his birth weight. They also increased his milk input to 5cc's today. He's filling out pretty good.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I'll post a few tomorrow.

Cheers,
Colin

Life Can Be So Fragile...

Luke did pretty good today, except for a few apnea spells. It's pretty scary when your kid stops breathing...but it's pretty cool too when you can see it happen on the monitors, then you look at his chest and see that it's stopped moving...and then you shake him a little and then he starts back up again. Don't worry, it's one of the most common things that can happen to preemies, but it's also easy to correct. The whole event is still pretty scary though. But I saved my son today (Wendy and the nurses have done it too).

The title of this post is about life being so fragile. We know that every day Luke's life hangs in the balance...but there's a little boy that just moved in next to Luke who's in pretty rough shape. He is 24 weeks old, weighs less than 1kg, and is on a very special ventilator. While Wendy was visiting Luke today, the boys parents were there crying by his bedside. Then the Doctors called them away to talk...it doesn't look good for the little guy. Please pray for him...please pray for his parents...please pray for his grandparents, aunts, and uncles...please pray for everyone that loves him.

Thank you for your prayers, but please don't stop...Luke needs them.

Colin

He's so small!

Today was an awesome day, I got to hold my son! It was probably one of the best 45 minutes of my life (along with holding Jake for the first time almost 5 years ago). He was awake when the nurse put him in my arms...he was wriggling around and looking all over. In my mind, I imagine that he can see me smile at him, but the nurses have said that I'm only a blur to him if I'm a few inches from his eyes. It's so fun to watch his eyes...the muscles are so weak that his eyes are always rolling back in his head when he opens them.

It's also sad but totally funny when some moisture goes through his breathing tube into his nose. He absolutely hates it and chokes a little bit when it goes down his throat...but the voices and faces he makes are so cute. Don't worry, the nurses say it's normal.

As you can probably imagine by now, his health is almost back to normal. His oxygen saturation is back to normal levels, but his flow is still up at 6 liters. The doctors also bumped his feedings up to 3cc's every 3 hours. After about 20 minutes of holding Luke, he fell asleep in my arms...it was so good. And now, it's time for the family to go to sleep. Thanks again for your prayers, they really mean a lot to us.

Cheers,
Colin

Hard Day

I got a call from Wendy today that Luke was not having a good day. The doctors and nurses do everything they can to prepare you for the eventual bad days, but after so many good days - the bad ones can hit you pretty hard.

Apparently his breathing was pretty labored this morning so they were keeping a pretty close eye on him and ran some tests. One of the blood tests found increased levels of acid, which was causing him to have the labored breathing. To neutralize the acid, the doctor gave him some sodium bicarbonate. The next challenge was to figure out why his acid levels were increased. The doctor had two main hypothesis, 1) possible infection or 2) his PDA re-opened causing an inflamed digestive track. During all of this, they decided to stop his feedings.

Around this time, Wendy had to go pump. When she returned, the transport team was bringing a new baby into Luke's room which can take up to an hour. Unfortunately no one can be in the room during a transition so Wendy had to leave without knowing how Luke was. Wendy was frustrated and called me to let me know what was going on.

I got to the hospital around 5:30 after having numerous scary thoughts about Luke pass through my mind during the drive. Fortunately things had improved quite a bit - Lucas was sleeping on his stomach and looking very comfortable.

The blood tests revealed that he did not have an infection and the scan did not show that his PDA had opened. The only thing they could think of was that he was very exhausted, which was causing him to breathe heavier, which affected his acid levels for some reason. To alleviate the breathing issues, they increased his oxygen saturation and flow - up from 2 liters to 6. The increased air flow helped take the strain off of his little body. If things get worse, they may have to put him back on the ventilator.

In the meantime, the doctor had also given the green light to restart the feedings which was good. He was also off of the billirubin lights which means I might get to hold him tomorrow if he's stable!

So what did I learn from today? God made babies tough and he gave doctors & nurses about a million ways to help them.

Please pray that God will sustain Luke with the energy to keep pumping that little heart and lungs of his which are so critical to his development.

Cheers,
Colin

Election Day

I imagine Luke was a bit oblivious to today's events. I just pray that our leaders will guide our country in a positive direction so that Lucas, Jake, and all the other kids will live free and have a chance to thrive and succeed.


On a medical note, Luke is doing great. His Doctor bumped his feedings up from every 6 hours to every 3 hours. He's still on the billirubin lights, but his levels are down so hopefully he won't need them much longer (which means the sooner I get to hold him!). Here's a crazy camera phone picture of Luke under the lights...


On a side note, Luke is a cute kid (imho), but it can be scary watching him breathe... his chest heaves in and out so much its pretty freaky. The nurse said it would be a few weeks before his rib cage is solid enough to not make it look so bad. I have to admit it's pretty cool to watch my son develop before my eyes...development that would normally be hidden in Wendy's womb for the next 12 weeks.

Wendy got some great news today, her Doctor said she could remove the steri-strips that protected her incision. This means that Wendy can drive again - something she hasn't been able to do for almost a month - FREEDOM! Additionally, the pathology report on the mole came back negative (more on that in a later post). The best news is that her pregnancy hormones are down significantly and hopefully they will continue decline (from 1,700 now to 1 or 2). Elevated numbers are common after molar pregnancies, which can be an indicator of a mild form of cancer called gestational-tropholactic-something-or-other disease (but it's highly treatable).

Keep praying!

Cheers,
Colin

So Jealous

Wendy emailed me a picture today...of her holding Lucas! (I'll post the picture tomorrow) I was so jealous, here I was at work and she was holding our son for the first time. I'm not jealous that Wendy got to hold him first, it's just that I wasn't there for it. Oh well, it will happen soon.

Luke is feeding much better, his doctor increased his feedings to 2cc's every six hours. However, he had to go back on the bellirubin lights again which is why I didn't get to hold him tonight. I've got a feeling he'll being on and off the 'lights' for a while, which is fairly common. Luke also had a ultrasound on his head today, which came out OK.

Wendy and I both agree that we really want to give Luke a kiss. It's so frustrating when you can't hug or kiss your child!

Cheers,
Colin

One Week Down

Well Luke made it through his first week, woohoo!

Also, we got some great news...Luke no longer needs the belliruben lights, we found out his PDA closed, and he is tolerating his milk better! Overall a pretty good day. Thanks God and thank you to all who have been praying for Luke.

Cheers,
Colin

Fall Back

Today was a bit of a frustrating day. Luke is looking and breathing great. He had a big poop (which I got to change) which is good.

However, the nurses tried to feed him some milk again today. The neat thing about his feeding tube is that it works both ways...they can pump food in and suck out whatever may be in his stomach. When they start feeding preemies for the first time, the nurses will suck out whatever is in his stomach about three hours past the last feeding. Typically the stuff they pull out is supposed to be clear...Lukes was dark green. That's a sign that he's not digesting his milk well. The nurses said this could happen before we even started the feedings so it wasn't a shock...but it's frustrating when you want the little guy to thrive.

Additionally, we don't think the hole in his heart (PDA) has closed up yet since the nurses kept telling us that the test was performed this morning, but the doctor will have to tell us the results. We think this is nurse code for "the hole is not closed and he will need surgery, but we can't tell you this because a doctor has to," but we may be jumping to conclusions. The surgery isn't bad...if he needs it, just do it!

So prayer requests...please pray that the hole (PDA) will close in his heart and that he will digest the milk properly.

Thanks again for your encouragement and prayers!

Cheers,
Colin