Saturday After Surgery

John had a good night last night - he saw Uncle Jeff last night and had a great time with him. In fact Ruth had to wake him up after 4 hours to feed fim since the poor little guy was so exhausted. He slept well and threw up little. He is getting Grandma Ellen time today before she returns to New Mexico tomorrow.

John needs a lot of rest and care right now, so it's a good thing this is the weekend! Thanks again to Tammie for coming for his surgery, as that meant a lot to us and made John very happy

John OK after Surgery

John's surgery yesterday went well. They fixed two inguinal hernias in his groin and the umbilical hernia in his belly button (since they were there). He was under for about an hour and was very cranky when awakened. He resumed his normal routine, albeit uncomfortably given the amount of gas inside him from the surgery. We had a long night with the apnea monitors going off every few minutes due to mechanical issues and his reflux, but he did fine. He will be discharged later today. Grandma Ellen is here to spend some time with him and spell us during the day.

Pre-Surgical Prep

John was especially fussy over the early part of the weekend, almost as if he knew what was coming on Thursday. However he settled down on Sunday and had a relatively good night. We were looking at early photos and must admit that John is a chunk now compared to his early start. We are very nervous about the idea of having him in general anesthetic but are hopeful that this surgery will not only fix his hernias but might make him a little more comfortable as well.

The basic surgical plan calls for about a 30 minute surgery to repair two inguinal hernias. We are hoping that the insurance company allows them to fix the intermediate hernia on his belly button as well. If all goes well Thursday morning we will spend Thursday night in the hospital and take him home Friday morning. We'll post as soon as we return home with an update.

A Long, long Day

Today has been a long, long, day.  And even though John is cooing and smiling at me right now (quite adorable), he's been pretty fussy all day.  

His reflux had been gradually improving every day.  He was not throwing up that much either which was wonderful.  Yet for some reason today he just regressed.  He's back to projectile vomit during feedings, after feedings, before feedings.  In reality, he's doing it pretty much all the time.  We both have had multiple wardrobe changes.  More distressing was the painful gas.  He just cried and cried.  He is still doing it on and off.  But it seems to be tapering off. 

It is distressing not being able to do anything about it other than cuddle and comfort him.

On the bright side, he just keeps surprising us with his developmental strides.  A minute ago he was holding his head straight up looking at me and then looking around.  He would rest against my shoulder for a little while and then do it again.  

And he really enjoys pushing off with his legs no matter how you hold him.  During tummy time he actually moves from one end of the play mat to the other.  In fact he gets pretty frustrated if he can't push off something.

Lisa, one of his NICU nurses, used to say that John never got the memo that he was a preemie.  We are convinced she might be right.

RANDOM PICTURES

(Aunt AA mentioned there weren't any pics of me with John...)

Mom giving John lots of kisses

Aunt Pau, John, and Mom

Surgery Update

It turns out that John has a large bilateral inguinal hernia.  He is scheduled for surgery this coming Thursday morning.  John will stay overnight because of his age even though this is usually an outpatient procedure.  Mom and Dad can stay with him.

So Thankful For Sisters!

My mom is probably thrilled right now to hear me say that, but it's true.  I did not get Mary Poppins, but Pauline took care of John for 3 long hours last night while I ran around like Speedy Gonzalez cleaning.  I would not say the house is immaculate, but at least it's not an embarrassment any more.  She also stayed over last night.  It's always harder to relax and sleep when Matt is not home.

John cuddling with Aunt Pau

As to John, he slept well last night although only 3 hours between feedings.  It's so hard to go back to that again.  And he would only sleep if he was being held.  On the bright side, I am now pretty good at sleeping sitting up.  And this morning was wonderful.  We spent a pretty good chunk of the morning just cuddling and staring into each others eyes.  I know why he is so fascinating to me.  I am just not sure why I am so to him. 

We did manage to get to church and catch the ladies group.  They were amazing.  I, of course, agreed with all their comments.  After all he is a beautiful child.  We also stopped by the office to say hi to some of the people from study group.  And most importantly, we signed up for baptism preparation classes.  Time is going by so fast that I am afraid he'll be talking by the time he's baptized if we don't hurry up.

Is Mary Poppins Out There?

Look at those cheeks!

I am still amazed at how fast the house gets turned upside down and completely messy now that John is here.  It looks like a tornado went through our home.  Thankfully, Aunt Pau came by tonight and is holding John while I speed-clean and waste time updating the blog.  

Poor John had a tough day today.  He cried every time he had a BM.  Obviously not a great sign considering the hernia.  He wanted to be held most of the day as a result.  Maybe he will have a better night.  However, I am not hopeful.  I just realized that the reason he has been waking up more frequently (usually screaming) could be because of the hernia too.

We did, however, have some fun times with tummy time and just playing.  During tummy time, John would cry and get restless unless he could push off my hand.  So, it almost looked like he was crawling.  The puppies were intrigued by this new "moving" John.  Tummy time always tires him out, and he slept for a little while in his bassinet.

On the funny side, John's bath yesterday ended a little quick and in the sink.  He thought it was funny to go in his tub.  Boys! 

We are a little concerned about what the surgeon will tell us and the surgery.  We know that this is quite a common surgery.  But to us it's not.  It's disconcerting to think of him going to surgery under general anesthesia.  He is so little.

Tomorrow morning John may meet some of his honorary grandmothers from the ladies church group.  But it will depend on how well he is doing.  I am excited about introducing him to them.  We are so blessed that he is so loved by so many people.  He is lucky to have so many honorary grandparents to spoil him.

Startled John.

Quite Common in Preemies

John is currently enjoying a nap on Matt's chest. 

My boys sleeping.

Cuddling time with Daddy after eating.

He went back to waking up every 3 hours for feeding.  It's harder to wake up now that I am used to sleeping 4 - 5 hours between feedings.  It's amazing how much difference and hour makes.

We had an unplanned visit to the pediatrician this morning.  I had noticed something looked different in the last few days when I changed his diaper.  It appears John has an inguinal hernia.  They are fairly common and even more common in premature babies.  (I am really getting tired of hearing that phrase.)  It will need surgery.  Leaving it alone can lead to the intestines getting caught in the inguinal canal and losing its blood supply.  We have an appointment with the surgeon this week.  Thankfully, Matt will be done with his heavy work load by then.

As to John, he doesn't appear to even notice there is anything wrong.  He continues to smile and coo.  He is doing quite well in pushing off with his legs.  Bathing him is  a little more challenging now though even more fun.  John's still not as strong in his arms, but he does push off from the shoulder almost every time.  He prefers to look around.  He is getting better every day  about controlling his head movements.  The reflux, though not gone, appears to be improving slightly every day.  

An Exciting Weekend

It appears that the triage nurse was right.  John continued to be in a good mood without a repeat incident.  We continued bottle feeding him all day Saturday and part of the day Sunday just to make sure.  He was a little fussy on Saturday night.  It was probably all the extra activity, but nothing concerning.  It's a relief that he is doing better. 

On Saturday, Uncle Ivan and Sarah came to visit for Pauline's birthday.  The original plan was for the boys (Matt, Ivan and John) to stay home and bond while the girls went to the Stars game.  After some convincing and reassuring that John would be OK, we headed out.  It was a lot of fun.  The seats and game were great.  It went into OT and shootout!  Go Stars!

Uncle Ivan and John watching the Stars game on TV.

John's wearing his 1st Stars jersey.

John did NOT like this outfit.

But he looked so cute!

John really took to his uncle.  Although we teased that he preferred Sarah since he would calm down when she held him.

Uncle Ivan, Sarah and John

On puppy news, we are convinced Bevo is trying to get attention.  He took a few bites out of the pumice-like, grill-cleaning stone.  Yes, he actually bit into it!  The emergency vet said just to watch him, but that since it was labeled as non-toxic and safe for pets, he should be fine.  Puppies!

Oh, and I owe the grandmothers video.  I'll try to get some on here soon. 

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