One Year

My son Lucas turned one year old today. I feel kind of bad that this doesn't feel like such a major achievement, especially in light of his first few months. The amazing thing though is that the last several months have been so normal, almost like he had a normal birth. He probably weighs 4 pounds more than his big brother Jake did at his first birthday...the kid is a tank! Developmentally he's still a few months behind normal one year olds, but that's to be expected. Other than that, he's happy 95% of the time and he's an absolute joy to be with.

I can't thank you all enough for your prayers and encouragement over the past year. They have really meant a lot to us and we can't wait till Lucas is older so we can show and tell him about everything that went on.

As for prayer, all we ask for is that Lucas will catch up developmentally and that he will enjoy many more birthdays. Thank you!

Luke's NICU Doctor at the reunion picnic

Luke, his transport nurse, and the travelling isolette...I can't believe he used to fit in that thing!

Luke's amazing binky tricks.

Miracles

A week ago, I read an article about a couple in Kentucky that like me, had a twin molar pregnancy. Abby, the mother, had to deliver her baby at 27 weeks due to preeclampsia. Campbell, her baby girl, weighed in at only 13 oz. (Lucas was 2 lbs. 11 oz.). The doctors declared her dead at birth and passed her over to her father, Nelson to hold. Campbell then began to cry. Her cries grew louder and louder until the doctors took her and placed her in neonatal intensive care. She did well for ten days, and then on Friday, took a turn for the worse. I read today (on her mother's facebook page) that she died early this morning. They are strong in their faith and know that Campbell is now in heaven.

Please pray for Abby, Nelson, and the rest of their family. It is never easy to lose a child, especially one that was a miracle to begin with. All we can do is pray for strength and comfort.

Stories like this remind us of the miracle of Lucas! He continues to thrive. He is now over 10 months old and over 21 lbs.! He is now getting over his first illness (he went 1o whole months without any sickness!) and starting to crawl.

We are blessed by your prayers, support, and love. God is awesome!

Lucas at Six Months...

Lucas just had his sixth month well baby check-up the other day. He is now weighing in at a whopping 16 lbs. 12 oz. and is 25 1/2 in. long. The Dr. said that he actually registers as a sixth month old on the charts and that we can even begin to feed him solid food if we want to. He's made leaps and bounds of progress and is such a joy. Here's the most recent photo of the little cutie!


Thanks again for your prayers and support!

10 pounds!

Luke had his second round of shots for RSV today...so we made the trek to the pediatricians office. When he was getting weighed in, I (Wendy) assumed he was going to be 9 pounds +, but imagine my surprise when he he weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz! What a tank! Obviously, Lucas is thriving and doing great. He now gets to try regular formula because the special preemie formula has too many calories! We're pretty happy about that too, because the Neosure (preemie formula) is more expensive than the others. He also grew to 21 inches. Here's a picture I just took with the web cam -- sorry for the quality...but you can see the little chubby guy for yourself!



Thanks for your continued prayers! We are truly grateful and blessed because of them!

Wendy

Happy Birthday Luke

If Wendy had a normal pregnancy, our son Lucas would have been born sometime around today. Instead, she had a crazy pregnancy and Lucas was born 13 weeks ago.

Today, he's pretty much a normal baby. He weighs around 9 pounds and eats, sleeps, and cries like a normal baby. He even has a screwed up sleep schedule where he likes to stay awake in the middle of the night...I love babies.

Here's a few pictures of the little guy...





Thanks again for all of your prayers and encouragement. It's humbling to hear from all of the people that have been keeping track of our little family. Thank you.

Cheers,
Colin

Wendy again... Today Lucas had a follow-up appointment with the Pediatrician to make sure his circumcision was healing well. Everything looks great! The best part is...he gained 10 more ounces! Our little guy is getting chunky! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. today. It's kind of scary to think that he should still be in utero for another 9 days. Just imagine how big he would've been had he been a term baby!

Here's a picture and video of Luke inside his Christmas stocking. Maybe when he's 16 years old, I'll put a copy of the photo inside his stocking on Christmas day!




Thanks for your continued prayers. Lucas is our miracle baby. We thank God everyday for the gift of our son, and we ask blessings on those that lift him up in prayer continually. God is good!

Wendy

Bad day, but progress!

This is Wendy writing... I'm getting a break from Mom duties while Colin feeds Lucas. The poor guy had a rough day today. He got circumcised. It didn't go so well. He bled quite a bit, even at the beginning of the procedure when he received the shot of local anesthetic. The pediatrician said that the amount of bleeding was not normal, but told me not to worry...hard for a mother to do! The Dr. gave Luke a Vitamin K shot after the procedure was over -- I'm assuming it was for the bleeding, or because of the bleeding.

Anyway...please pray for his recovery. He's still bleeding -- not a ton, but I think it should've stopped by now. He's also very irritable, which is exhausting!

Enough of the negative...here's the good stuff!

Lucas weighed in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. today! The kid is amazing! He left the hospital 10 days ago -- weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz. and has gained 19 oz. since! Almost 2 oz. a day! The Dr. said that we could reduce the calories in his formula and the Nurse Practitioner said that "he's just a regular baby now!"

The cool thing...Jake was 7 lbs 11 oz. at birth. Then he lost weight and took 5 weeks to gain it back. Luke is 8 weeks ahead of what Jake was according to gestational age. That just blows my mind!

God is good!

Thanks for the prayers! Keep them coming!

Wendy (Colin, Jake, & Luke too!)

A Request...

Life is actually starting to feel a little normal now, well as normal as it can be with a newborn at home. Wendy and I are getting into a routine regarding nighttime feedings...Luke has to eat like clockwork at 3, 6, 9 and 12 to maintain his growth. It's still crazy to think that he should still be in Wendy for 4 more weeks...and he's so big! He looks like such a normal baby...

October 26, 2008 (Approximately 13 weeks before gestational birthdate)


December 28, 2008 (Approximately 4 weeks before gestational birthdate)

And now for my request. If you don't mind, could you possibly send Luke an email, with a note of encouragement (or something like that), noting who you are and where you come from? The plan is to print out a hard copy of the blog and include a copy of your emails. The primary purpose of this blog was to be a journal of Luke's time in the NICU...a journal that we could look back on in several years to remind us of everything we went through. One key part of this blog has been the variety of people that have been reading it. We've heard from people all over that have enjoyed reading about Luke's progress. Please send emails to me at cwarnes@sbcglobal.net.

Finally, now that Lucas is home from the NICU, I will no longer be updating the blog daily. However, I will post periodic updates relating to doctors appointments or other significant events.

I'd like to thank you all for joining Lucas and our family on this journey through the NICU. I can't tell you enough how much your prayers and encouragement have meant to us the past 8+ weeks. I just hope and pray that none of you have to experience the NICU with a little one like we did...but if you do, be assured that your little one has a great shot at making it.

Cheers,
Colin

Finally!

2 months to the day...we finally brought Luke home! There's a mix of emotions running through me right now...joy, excitement, exhaustion, fear - it's all a bit overwhelming right now.

I'll provide some more info tomorrow, since i'm having a hard time staying awake as I type here. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from today...




Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement! Thank you God!

Cheers,
Colin

Going Home?

There's a good chance Lucas may come home tomorrow/today (Friday)...What a relief it is to hear those words! If Luke has a good night tonight regarding oxygen saturation, they'll probably sign his release papers in the morning. It's looking good, but I don't want to get too optimistic - every once in awhile, he'll have a little spell and I get worried that the nurse will determine that he's not ready to go yet (nurses don't make the call, but they give feedback to the doctors). However, his health is our ultimate concern and if he's not ready to come home yet, I will gladly wait.

On the home front, we're in a frantic rush to get everything ready for Luke's arrival. I must admit that we're a bit unprepared due to the chaotic schedule we've been dealing with the past month. Also, I'm in self-doubt mode...it's been 5 years since I've been a dad to a new born...how do you heat up milk/formula again? Please pray that fatherhood is like riding a bike.

Anyway, it's late and I'm exhausted. Please keep the prayers and encouragement coming...we're not out of the woods yet.

Thanks again for your support!

Cheers,
Colin

Merry Christmas!

I've got Luke duty tonight, so when I walked into his room at 11:30 tonight, I was shocked to find him sitting in a car seat! Before babies can go home, they need to be able to sit in a car seat (all bucked up) for at least the time it takess to drive home...our time is about 20 minutes...Luke fell asleep and was in it for almost an hour without any 'spells'. Additionally, they finally removed his nasal canula so he's back to breathing on his own. Finally, he sucked his midnight feeding down in about 15 minutes.


All of this means that there is a chance he can come home tommorrow...we're not getting our hopes up (I'm just saying that), but it could happen!

This is obviously a huge answer to prayers, especially since I was fairly detached and frustrated during the Christmas Eve service at church earlier tonight.

Thank you God!

Cheers,
Colin

14 Minutes

Luke sucked down his 6:00pm bottle in 14 minutes today, it was amazing! This is a big deal because he usually takes 25-30 minutes to get down a 52cc bottle. I'm so proud of him.

His breathing was also a lot better today, he was "satting" at 99-100% while I was there. Hopefully they'll turn his oxygen off tonight. His day nurse attempted to turn it off this afternoon, but he was dropping back into the 80's for about 15 minutes so she turned it back on. I think she should have left him on his own for a while to let him get reaclimated...oh well! Life will be a lot easier if we can take him home without oxygen...but a little scarier.

Please continnue praying that his breathing and eating continue to improve...and that he can possibly come home Christmas...that would be an awesome gift.

Cheers,
Colin

That Has To Feel Good...

The nurse pulled Lukes OG tube out of his mouth today, which means he can only eat by bottle...unless he doesn't eat well and they put the tube back in, which won't surprise us one bit. Lucas can finally stick his tongue out of his mouth! They also transitioned him to Neosure, which is a formula that civilians can buy. Unfortunately Wendy's milk production is not increasing like we'd hope to, so he has to drink more formula...at least he's getting some milk.


It seems like Lucas needs to have some sort of tube inserted into him at an given time. Todays nurse decided to put his nasal canula back in...she was concerned that his oxygen saturation wasn't high enough. She felt it should be 95%, wheras he was at 90-91%. So far this is the first nurse that I've heard say he needed to at least be at 95%. Can you sense my frustration?

Please pray that Luke continues to feed well and breathe better so we can bring him home soon (this week?). Please also pray that Wendy's milk production will increase the more she gets to be with Luke.

Cheers,
Colin

Getting Closer!

Luke and I had a really good night and morning...that kid is so amazing. His breathing is almost perfect...he only had a few minor oxygen issues and he recovered from them quickly. As for eating, he took all of the bottles that I gave him at 12am, 6am, 9am and 12pm. He is doing great...I can't wait to hear how he did today!

When I left Lucas today, I felt like a horrible dad. There was my son, lying in a crib looking up at me with his beutiful eyes...and there I was, leaving him to do stuff at home. I feel so bad for the little guy. I'm ready for the whole hospital thing to be done...8 weeks is a long time, but we have to be patient.

Thanks again for your continued prayers...now we ask that you pray for his (and our) health and that he'll continue to drink his bottles.

Cheers,
Colin

Late Night/Morning

Sorry for the late post, but I just got done with Luke's 12pm feeding a little while ago....I'm on kid duty tonight. He had a pretty good day except for some oxygen desaturation episodes earlier today due to them stopping the oxygen. So far it looks like he's good without the oxygen...praise God!

Bottle feeding has been going good as well. He took most of his feeds by bottle today, which is great. The nurse is going give him the 3am feeding through the tube to give him a break, which I imagine he needs. Eating really wears him out.

It's kind of funny though, when you first start bottle feeding him, he's awake. Then after 10 minutes he falls asleep, but keeps on eating. Then with about 5 minutes to go in the feeding (1/2 hour long), he wakes up. I have no idea why he does this...strange kid!

He also had a monster poop today which was good. He's not as regular as he should be, which is odd because he's always pushing and tooting (farting).

That's about it...it's late so good night and thanks again for your prayers, please keep them coming!

Cheers,
Colin

Quickie

Tonight's post is going to be relatively brief because I'm staying in the NICU tonight and I need to get to sleep soon...I have to get up at 3:00.

Luke had a good day today. They turned his oxygen off completely today around 10:00am and he's done really well on his own. Regarding feeding - he's done well too. He's taken most of his bottles today and he is now up to 5 pounds 12 ounces...he's huge! He's pretty much maxed out his bottle feeds at 50cc's - if he can do more, great!

Thanks again for your prayers - good night!

Cheers,
Colin

Getting Better

Luke's bottle feedings have been going much better the past few days...his endurance is definitely improving! When I fed him at 6:00 he was asleep the whole time, but drank his full bottle (48cc's). The doctor wrote orders to increase his bottle feedings up to 3 times a shift.

His breathing is improving as well, his oxygen levels are staying pretty consistent, even during bottle feedings. They'll probably try turning off the oxygen tomorrow to see how he does.

On a side note, we got some sad news today...we just found out that one of the babies we shared a room with for a long time back in the main NICU did not make it. The little guy fought for over 5 months, but he just had too many problems. Please pray for his mom, dad, and two sisters (they were triplets)...one of his sisters is now in the PICU (pediatric ICU) fighting cardiac issues.

Thanks again for your prayers, please keep them coming! Please continue to pray that his strength and endurance continue to improve so that he can bottle feed every time. Please also pray that his breathing continues to improve so that he can go off the oxygen completely. Finally, please pray for our health...Wendy has come down with a cold and I'm on the brink...we are just terrified that we'll get Lucas sick and cause a setback.

Finally, we are praying blessings on all of you for your prayers for Lucas and our family. Thank you!

Cheers,
Colin

Innovation

I came across an interesting article earlier today when I was reading one of the car blogs (autoblog.com). Apparently some folks designed an isolette (the article calls it an incubator) that is made out of car parts for $1,000! The isolette is meant for third world countries that don't have the technolgy infrastructure to keep high-tech $40,000 isolettes running...however they do have lots of toyotas with the parts and know-how to keep them running. Being an engineer and having spent some time around a few isolettes recently, I can appreciate the technology that is packed inside them. So please take a few minutes to review the article here. A simple creative innovation like this could save thousands of babies around the world. Amazing.

As for Luke, he had a good day. He ate both his 12:00 & 6:00 bottles, which hasn't happened in a while. He was really cute today when I visited him...he is really getting big!

Cheers,
colin

Family

Today was somewhat bittersweet. It's the last day our family will be together until Luke comes home. They're locking down the hospital to all non-sick kids under the age of thirteen until March for RSV season. So here's our last family picture for a while. I can't wait for us to be together again.

Lucas had an uneventful day. He still struggles with his bottle feedings, which is his last hurdle to overcome. Please pray that God will grant him strength and endurance so he can eat consistently and completely. We want him to come home!

Thanks again for your encouragement and prayers, they really mean a lot to us!

Cheers,
Colin

Buzzy Bee

Well, Luke back-tracked a little bit today, but it's OK. They backed his bottle feedings back to every other time. Better to have him take a full bottle every other feeding than barely a third of a bottle every feeding.

We just found out today that tomorrow will be Jake's last day to visit Luke before they lockdown the hospital for RSV season. Because of this, we want to make the most of the time left so Jake got to hang out with Luke for a few hours. Jake and Luke are starting to really get comfortable with each other, which is awesome. As a dad, I can't help but smile when I see my two boys together. Here's a few pictures and video of my boys.




Cheers,
Colin

P.S. The song Jake is singing is called "buzzy bee". We're not sure if it's an original or something he learned at school...