John, John, John... Tsk, Tsk, Tsk

John once again slept 5 hours last night.  He did pretty good with reflux too.  And that is why it surprised us that he threw up so much after his morning feeding.  Of course, the bright red and dark brown blood streaks on the burp cloth were even more disconcerting.

We are in a wait and see pattern right now per the pediatrician's office.  He appears to be fine other wise.  John was even cooing and smiling (a lot) while we waited for the triage nurse's call back.  He does not appear to be in pain, is not crying, and does not have a fever.  So we are hopeful that it may be related to breast feeding;  John has recently acquired a new "talent" of gnawing which could have led to some bleeding from me without us realizing.  We are convinced John has delusions of a great white shark. (Matt is having a dad-son talk with him about being nicer to mom.)

So to eliminate that as a cause we are just bottle feeding him the EBM.  So hopefully, he will be fine and we won't see any more blood. 

Happy 3-Month birthday, John!  (Didn't we call the ambulance for his apnea episode at the 2 month mark?  And then there was his dramatic entrance into the world....  We really need a new way of celebrating milestones.)

It Figures

I should have known that things would change as soon as I mentioned how well John was sleeping.  Wednesday night he didn't fuss much, but he did wake up every 2-2.5 hours compared to every 4 hours of the previous days.  And during the day, he wanted to be fed every 1.5-2 hours.  He also wanted to be held or wanted me within sight the remainder of the time.  It just made for a long day since I couldn't get much done.  

I eagerly awaited Matt getting home... but unfortunately, he wasn't able to help.  Matt had spent the morning working with a coworker.  The same coworker was diagnosed with whooping cough at her MD appointment that afternoon.  YAY (oozing sarcasm)!  Our pediatrician recommended contacting our PCP for a prophylactic dose of antibiotics and no contact with John until 12 hours after starting the ABX (There appears to be a small whooping cough outbreak in NTX).  Needless to say, everyone in the office with young children at home was concerned.

But then last night, John surprised me.  I had to look at the clock twice to realize that he has slept 5 hours!!!  Yes, we had 5 glorious hours of sleep.  He was in a much better mood today.  His reflux also appears a little better.  Other than a big scary episode in the middle of the night, he has only had a few "regular" issues.

We spent most of the day playing and entertaining ourselves.  John is getting so strong.  And he is pretty stubborn.  He refuses to let me hold his head while I burp him.  He insists on looking around, moving his head whichever way he pleases.

John's surprised look.

Legs?  (The pants are for 0-3 months)

John showing displeasure at the outfit.

Shortly after this picture he threw up on it.

Eating, sleeping...and some cleaning

Another week is halfway over.  The Christmas decorations are finally stored in their boxes.  I like to make sure everything is properly put away ready for next year.  I just underestimated how long it would take now that John is here.  But now everything is waiting to be put up in the attic.  It may not happen until this weekend since it's earnings time, and Matt's pretty busy.

Thankfully, John has been sleeping better.  He has consistently feed every 4 hours at night with minimal fussiness between feedings.  And I have taken to heart a valuable lesson:  as soon as John closes his eyes at night, I am in bed going to sleep too.  There is no more cleaning, or doing just one more thing.  It's lights out.  This is also the reason why I had not blogged.  I'll just have to make time for it earlier in the day.

John's reflux has also improved slightly.  It's back to when he came home.  The doctor increased his Axid dose.  We are not sure this is working.  But he did take him off the PolyViSol (oral vitamins).  It smells horrid, stains everything, tastes horrible and upsets John's stomach.  John still needs the iron supplement.  We just have to make sure to continue to fortify at least 2 bottles a day of EBM.  In the end, it just matters that he is doing better.

John continues to smile and coo.  He is getting pretty good about controlling his head movements better.  And he is getting huge!  He is getting weighed again on Friday.  I can't wait to see how big he's gotten.

Quiet moment with John

On to Another Week

Last night John extended his feeding times to 4 hours (6p, 10p, 2a, 6a)!  It's pretty amazing how much sleep you can get in that time.  His reflux was pretty light today too.  He spent most of the morning cuddling and playing with Daddy.  He graced us with several smiles today and a little cooing.  He also bonded with his Aunt Pauline over her lunch - they enjoy talking about food.

As Aunt Pau pointed out, mom lasts about a week stuck at home before she needs to get out.  So we took a little trip to Lake Worth to visit Aunt AA and Uncle Gary today.  It was nice to spend some time with them.  John seemed to enjoy them very much. 

John with Uncle Gary

As for tonight, well, we will see how that goes.  At least we had a really nice and restful weekend.  John got his Polyvisol late today, so that may give him trouble tonight.  Mom has her work cut out for her.  

Reflux Watch 2009

That is what it feels like we do as soon as the sun starts setting.  

"Watching.  Judging.  Look at the baby.  Look at the baby."   (OK, so I'm a little loopy tonight.)

But on the bright side, he is a pretty cute baby to watch.

John napping with Mom and Sandy this morning.

On John updates, he pays more attention now to his surroundings, his brain trying to figure things out.  It's specially adorable when we make different sounds.  He opens his eyes very wide and stares at you.  And he finds lights pretty intriguing too.  He loved looking at the Christmas tree.  He is also getting pretty strong.  He likes to push off anything if you give him the chance.  

So in truth, the only problem he has is the reflux.  On Monday, we are making a doctor's appointment with his pediatrician.  We just want to make sure that it's just reflux due to the prematurity and not something else since it appears to be worse since he was discharged.  It would be good to know if it's aggravated by something I'm eating or doing.  That can easily be changed.  

Oh, and John is getting a more defined color in his eyes.  Sometimes you can see a hint of green and some brown.  So, he may indeed end up with "vitamins from grandma" although in his case it would be his BisBis (greatgrandmother).

Just took this picture. 

He is almost an hour past his 9 pm feeding. 

If only we had know he was going to sleep longer....

Sleep, Oh Blissful Sleep

We are back.  I was too sleep deprived to be coherent on a blog.  John was so fussy with reflux, throwing up and diarrhea that from Tuesday morning to Wednesday night I slept maybe 3 hours.  Poor Matt and Aunt Pau had to deal with a really crabby Mommy and Bubeaner.  

This one is for Grandma Ellen.

John tired.

I was desperate enough that John and I almost flew to ELP for some help from the grandmothers.  But before that I tried a home remedy my aunts and great aunts had used: atole de arroz (drink made from rice flour and water).  I do not know if it was coincidence or it actually worked.   All I know is that John started acting like he was feeling better.  And at night, he slept 3.5 and then 4.5 hours between feedings!  And today he was so much better too.  

Even if it was just a fluke, it gave me enough resting time to reach the weekend.  Matt is able to help out a little more since he doesn't go into work Saturday and Sunday.  

John finally asleep.

Of course, this has convinced me that my parents are worthy of sainthood.  I was like that for the entire first month of life.  I am still not sure how they survived.

We have also decided that we are bathing John every night.  He appears to sleep better those nights.  The books we have been reading all recommended only bathing 2-3 times a week.  But even we feel and rest better when we take a relaxing shower or bath at night.

He is actually calms down during the bath.

I took John to get weighed today.  He is now an amazing 8 pounds 6 ounces and measures 21.25 inches!  It's quite a way from the 3 lbs 13 oz and 17.75 inches at birth.  

John is so long now.

While we were out, John and I ventured out to buy larger receiving blankets.  The lady at checkout asked me how old John was... and I actually had to think about it!  Before pregnancy we counted on cycle days, days to ER, days to ET.  During the pregnancy we started counting by days after week 5 when we were told it was inevitable that we would miscarry.  And during our 8 week NICU stint, we counted every day that would get us closer to our original due date.  I had the answer (both chronological and adjusted) ready.  Now, I guess we moved from worrying and counting to just parenting.  By the way John is 12 weeks old today; I had to look it up.  Next Saturday, he will be 3 months old!

BONUS PICTURE

Bevo decided to sleep on all three beds.

I had stacked them while the floors were being cleaned. 

Another Day

Last night John slept peacefully from midnight to 3 am.  Then after his feeding it was play time.  He was wide awake and even smiling.  It did not matter that the room was dark; John was up.  He was very cute except for the fact that it was 3 am!  He did not go back to sleep until Matt gave him his bottle at 6 am.  

He did a little better today during the day.  He even accepted sleeping in his glider/swing for a couple of hours.  

John with Bumblebee on his glider.  I often wonder if he is scared by it.

Right now, John is giving Dad a hard time because he is insisting on being walked otherwise he cries.  No doubt that he is definitely my child.  It does not bode well for the night.  He's lucky he's so cute. 

Cold, Wet Winter Day

Typical Texas weather:  Friday we were at 80 and today it was 31!  It was not ideal weather for Matt's first day back at work.  Thankfully the roads were not as icy.  Since it was so cold, we decided to dress John accordingly with some cute winter booties.  I figured they were too big but had not realized that his feet were in fact that long. 

Cute booties

Showing off booties while cuddling

Our nights usually involve putting John in the bassinet, him fussing for 10 minutes, falling asleep, waking up every 30 minutes with reflux followed by John throwing up.  And if I am not fast enough needing to be changed.  After a couple of these rounds, it's time for his next feeding and the process starts again.  Last night was different.  I slept sitting up in bed with pillows keeping my arms up while I held John.  We slept!  He didn't throw up!  It's not ideal, but it worked for now.  We are still trying different gadgets and suggestions from friends and family to find the best solution to help John, and us, sleep better.

John sleeping peacefully

Today John stayed alone with his Aunt Pau for the first time while I took Bevo to the vet.  It appears Bevo hurt his little paw but thankfully it's not serious.  He enjoyed the special treat of a car ride and alone time with Mom.  Poor puppies, their world has definitely changed!  When we got back, we found John cuddling with his Aunt Pau.  He did great and didn't even miss Mom.

John cuddling with Pau

While Pau was visiting she witnessed some of humorous moments of parenthood.  John threw up all over himself and had a change of clothes.  A  minute later he needed a diaper change.  Mom was not fast enough and his clothes got wet.  A new set of clothes later, he threw up before the onesie was completely in place.  While being changed, he had a really dirty diaper which required soap and water.  He threw up again while being cleaned (Mommy's clothes did not escape either.)  A new set of clothes later, mom realizes John was laying on a wet spot in the changing pad.... Yes, his back was soaking wet, and he got another wardrobe change while his mom and aunt laughed.  Thankfully, this is not the norm otherwise we would run out of clothes.  

Grumpy John after his last change.

This evening John watched his first UT bowl game.  He learned that the longhorns will toy with your emotions during games.  He fell asleep by the end of the game.

Learning about football from Daddy

End of Vacation

Thankfully, the cold has not gotten worse, and, more importantly, John is still not showing signs of it.  His temperature is back to normal too.  He slept for most of the morning but was up for some play time on his mat by the afternoon.  John did not enjoy the tummy-time.  He's gotten pretty good at moving his head from side to side but quickly loses interest.  He spent some time on his back too trying to grab some of the toys.  He was adorable.  

Frustrated with Mommy for forcing tummy-time

Halfway through turning his head.

John kept moving the dinosaur with his hand.

Matt goes back to work tomorrow.  It has been wonderful having him around with John the last couple of weeks.  We are going to miss him during the day.  And I know he will be missing spending so much time with John.

John enjoying  a nap on Daddy.

Not So Lucky...

The "bug" has turned into a nasty, NASTY, cold.  I am hopeful that the neonatologist is correct and that antibodies in the breastmilk will protect John.  So far his temperature is just slightly elevated, and he is a little more sleepy.  It breaks my heart to think of him feeling ill.  As for me, the pediatrician only recommends Tylenol (plain regular Tylenol) while breastfeeding.  I nearly cried when I was told that over the phone. Hopefully tomorrow we will all be feeling better.

Tummy Aches and Sore Throats

Last night was not a good night.  John slept less than three hours between 9pm - 9am.  The reflux was pretty bad along with a couple bad diaper changes.  He had to be changed several times.  Finally, he settled down while I held him.  He was better during the day.  

However, I am convinced that John knows when the doctor's office closes.  At 5:30 pm, he had two bad incidents of projectile vomit and diarrhea without including the reflux issues.  Thank God for good diapers.  But John did end up getting an unplanned bath, and we are now using the plastic-lined bibs.  The problems appear to be aggravated after we give him the Poly-vi-sol (vitamins).  He had been off it for a few days because of projectile vomit and diarrhea.  

Matt and I are hopeful that it's just the vitamins upsetting his stomach rather than John having the stomach bug/cold we appear to have caught. John is back on clear liquids (breastmilk, pedialyte, and water) until we can discuss this with the doctor on Monday.

In the meantime, John enjoyed watching his first Cotton Bowl with his father and uncle.  Well, at least the TV was on while all three napped.  They looked really cute.

Uncle Jeff and John napping

Yummy Blackeye Peas

Happy New Year!  We can hardly believe how fast 2008 passed.  Last night as we watched John sleep peacefully, we reflected on the many blessings in our lives especially John.  It was worth it; we would go through everything again.

John's party gear

We celebrated the start of the new year in the most wonderful manner: peacefully sleeping through it.  John has been doing so much better now that he is taking Mylicon.  He slept 3.5 - 4 hours between feedings last night in his bassinet on his own without waking up!  It was amazing.  We had so much energy this morning; we had forgotten how it felt to have a decent amount of sleep.

We took a little trip out today and visited the NICU.  It was strange to go back and be able to leave with John.  We felt like we were sneaking out with him.  We enjoyed seeing some of the nurses that cared for John during his stint at the NICU.  They truly are amazing people.

Tia Rosa thought this was cute.

Just in case anyone doubts who's running the show.

Helping Aunt Pau surf the web

Return of the Reflux

Well, last night did not go as we hoped.  It's 9pm and we are still in our PJs.  Poor little John had a pretty bad case of reflux and gas during the night and most of the day.  On the bright side, he started doing better after Daddy gave him some Mylicon.  Our pedi does not believe it helps but says it does not hurt either.  We decided to try it after a lot of parents recommended it and because we were pretty desperate.  We did not like to see John in pain.  Thankfully, it appears to have worked.

John feeling much better.

There will be some video as soon as I figure out how to add it. 

An Important Day

Praise be the Lord!  (And Ticia for the hints!)

John slept 3+ straight hours last night in his bassinet.  We usually need to hold him for him to sleep more than 30-60 minutes.  We altered our feedi

ng routine: instead of changing his diaper, feeding him then putting him to bed, we immediately fed after he woke up, changed his diaper before switching sides which woke him up causing him to eat more, then put him to bed bundled up.

We are also trying some advice from the book On Becoming Baby Wise a gift from Ticia.  After trying them, John calmly stayed in his bassinet for 1 hour while I took a nap.  He also slept AGAIN the whole time between feedings in his bassinet!!!   We are trying not to get too excited about what this might mean for nights.  We know it may not work at every feeding right away but are hopeful.

Today was also noteworthy for another reason.  We took John to pay his respects to his grandfather and uncle.  It was emotional and difficult.  After Granddad John was diagnosed with cancer 12/22/04, he would tell us all he wanted was to make it to meet his grandchild....  Sadly, life had other plans for all of us.  But we are reassured in knowing that he would have loved John so much.

Matt talking to John about his grandfather.

We took the time to tell John stories about his grandfather and uncle.  We plan on John "knowing" them through us.

John hearing about his uncle.

On Our Own

We are on our own again.  The grandparents, Aunt Lari and Uncle Tony left today for El Paso.  Aunt Pau went back to her apartment.  It's now just Daddy, Mommy, Sandy and Bevo taking care of John.  It's been less than a day and we already miss all the extra arms to care for John.

An exhausted Uncle Tony and John

John with Abuelito

Mommy & John with the Grandparents, aunts and uncles

Daddy stayed alone for the first time with John this evening while Mommy went out to dinner with our friend Anne to celebrate her engagement.  Unfortunately, John took this time to act out for the first time.  He refused to be comforted.  He stayed awake and crying/fussing from 6pm - 10 pm.  Thankfully, he is finally sleeping after a change in clothes and being swaddled. 

This is before John decided to act up.

We believe he may be going through a growth spurt since he is eating every 1.5 - 2 hours since yesterday.  This made last night a little difficult.  We are trying a few tips from my friend Ticia tonight; hopefully we will get a little more sleep tonight. Wish us luck!

Bubeaner Headquarters

10 Weeks! 

Bubeaner is now 10 weeks 2 days.  We are blessed that he is now, for all intents and purposes, a healthy preemie.  Caringbridge was an amazing tool that helped us keep family and friends informed.  And it allowed us to feel and know your support during a stressful time.  Thankfully, it has come time for us to "graduate" from Caringbridge.  Dad and Momma decided to start a blog to continue to keep you up to date with Bubeaner as he grows up. 

Wednesday 12/24/08

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 10:17 AM, CST
John is doing ok - he is still spitting up but he is eating well and enjoying being spoiled. We want to wish all of you a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year. We love you all and appreciate your support so very much.

Sunday 12/21/08

Sunday, December 21, 2008 11:56 AM, CST

John is spitting up quite a bit, has diarrhea and is fussy, but he is enjoying having Daddy home full-time for a couple of weeks and spent yesterday getting spoiled by his Aunt Pau and Uncle Jeff. The house is full of Christmas lights he finds fascinating. Merry Christmas to all.

Thursday 12/18/08

Thursday, December 18, 2008 11:31 AM, CST
John's pediatrician says this was just a bad reflux incident and that John will be fine. He is still a preemie, which is hard to remember, but his due date was Christmas Eve. He is confident John will be ok.

Wednesday 12/17/08

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:53 PM, CST

John abruptly stopped breathing tonight and turned blue. Ruth began performing mouth-to-mouth and Pauline called 911. John regained his respiration after about 2 minutes and his color after about 6 minutes. The paramedics cleared him and the doctor wants to check him out in the morning.