Graduation Day

Cade graduated from the NICU on Wednesday and we were there for the big move. He is now in the Infant Care Center of Children's and one step closer to coming home. He's the tiniest in his room of 4 babies but he scored one of the window views. He continues to gain weight and he's sucking on a pacifier during his feedings as practice for the bottle. On Thurs night, he weighed 1600 g which is approx 3.5 lbs. The one issue he's having now is that his bone marrow is not producing red blood cells which the doctor said is not uncommon in preemies. So, now he will be getting a medication to try to jump start the blood cell production. The doctor said that this was a better option than giving him more blood transfusions because if he gets a transfusion then his body doesn't have any reason to do the work. The doc said that it may take up to a month for the meds to work. Preemies have so many challenges but Cade is getting the best medical attention that is available.

Grandma and Grandpa Southerton were in town yesterday and today and finally got a chance to hold Cade. Grandma was very excited since she got to hold him yesterday. Today is Grandpa's turn. Sean and I get to hold him everyday and know how special it is every time so it's extra special when Gpa and Gma are in town.

I had my post partum doctors apt today and I'm cleared to go back to work on Monday. So, I will be back to the real world and it will be good to see all the supportive people at Seagate.

On the move

Moving is tough work

Practicing

In the 'hood

Sean has been asked by a few people to get the blog updated so here's what's been happening over the past week.

Last Thursday, both Sean and I went to a Twins game with my group from work. It was great to see the guys and was a nice relaxing way to spend the afternoon. For me, it was nice to get out of the house and into the sunshine. I probably had more exercise that day than in the previous 5 weeks. After the game, we went to see Cade and were reminded once again that Children's is in the 'hood. We needed gas in the CX7 and used the handy navigation option to find the closest gas station. It looked like a typical SA but when I went in for a snack the cashiers were behind glass (bullet proof perhaps?). The place was hopping though for a Thursday afternoon and a couple of the pumps had cars just parked in front of them. So, basically there was only one pump open and everyone was waiting their turn. Well, when I came out of store Sean was still waiting and then told me the carload of guys in front of him told him that he wasn't going to get gas unless he gave them money for their gas. Sean told them he would wait all day for a pump to open and that he wasn't giving them any money. Can you believe it? I don't think that type of crap happens in the 'burbs. Anyway, we got lucky and a van that was blocking a pump got pushed out of the way so we were able to get gas and get out of there. I was actually hoping that Sean would post this story because I'm sure he could have made it alot more entertaining.

This weekend we caught up on sleep, went to see Cade and spent alot of money at Babies R Us. We decided to purchase the car seat, stroller and bedding set since I had gotten coupons that expired this week. Plus, I've been wanting to get the bedding so I can get the nursery done before Cade gets home. We also went to Home Depot so I could buy some closet organizers for Cade's room since the room isn't that big and he is accumulating alot of stuff. On Sunday night, we went to see Prince Caspian. It was our big date night since we haven't been to a movie since around Christmas time. Sean got popcorn so he was happy ;)

On Monday night, we stopped at the Abbott ER on the way to see Cade because I had been having abdominal pain all day and it seemed to be getting worse. I thought it was a pulled muscle but considering my track record of things going wrong, we decided to get it checked out. We got there around 8:30pm and I had blood and urine tests and a CAT scan. Then we sat there until 12:30am when the nurse came in and told us that we could get out of there. The didn't find anything (my appendix looked good and no blockages which we were worried about). We were very happy to be leaving Abbott and not checking in again. Interesting fact that we learned: only 1.9% of a nurses are males and we had 2 male nurses in our 4 hour stay.

Yesterday, I had an appointment with the general surgeon to check my wound and all looks well. No need to see him again unless things take a turn for the worse during the healing process. I can't believe that it's been almost 6 weeks already and I'm still not healed. Oh well, as long as it's not infected, I'm happy.

Last night, Cade was doing really well. He now weighs 3lb 5 oz (1.5 kg). I guess that high calorie formula is working. He will be moved to the ICC (Infant Care Center) whenever there is a bed available. That is where he will stay until he can come home.

Grandma Linda and Grandpa Reg are coming tomorrow and should get to hold Cade for the first time. I know Grandma can't wait to get here. She'll be happy that she will actually be able to see his face since the CPAP and black goggles are gone.

I guess that's all for now. Thanks for all the continued support and prayers.

Doh!

My preemie clothes are still a little big but don't I look cute

Look Mom my cheeks are getting chubby

Kangaroo Care

Sean is home from fishing and definitely missed his little boy. Last night, we were able to hold Cade for an hour using kangaroo care (skin on skin contact). We all enjoy the opportunity to have him out of the isolette. He was alert for most of the time and it's always fun to see all of his goofy expressions. Both Sean and I are getting more comfortable with handling Cade. I'm now able to move him without feeling like I'm going to break him. Also, a quick health update: his head ultrasound showed that one ventricle was slightly larger but everything else looked good. Sean and I are guessing that he will need a shunt once he is big enough because the fluid does not seem to be draining on it's own. Almost everyday they remove fluid from the reservoir.

Hi Mommy

I love my Daddy

Cade may not look like me. But,..

He might look like Andy (Even baby Jill says so). Want proof? Here.

Look alike?

Here's a picture that my Mom sent of me at 2 months. I was born a little early and only weighed 4lbs 5oz so I'm still really little in this picture. This may help you with the poll that Sean started. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Sean as a newborn. I'll have to see if Phil can help because it's probably not fair to sway your votes with only my picture. ;)

Visitors

Cade had many visitors this weekend. My friends Fran, Kathy and Heather were in town and got to meet Cade. It's so nice that the NICU allows visitors other than family. Of course, everyone agrees that Cade's a cutie and the consensus is that he looks like me. It's still hard to tell because he's so little but I think I agree with them. On Sat night, I had a baby shower and got a chance to hang out with all of my close friends and cousins. We did miss my cousin Nina. It was great to just relax and laugh. I love my friends. Cade got some cute clothes and a bunch of cool gear. Since he can now wear clothes, the preemie ones are in the wash and will be delivered to the NICU on the next visit. On Sunday, auntie Marcy went to the hospital with me and got a chance to hold Cade. It was wonderful to see them bonding. We also found out that he now weighs 2lb 11 oz and the doctor had made a note that he may soon graduate from the NICU to the Infant Care Center.
Today, I caught a ride to Children's with Amy and Ben so I had Cade's undivided attention. I got to hold him for about an hour and he did very well. He had to regulate his own temp and seemed to stay plenty warm in just his sleeper. Tomorrow he has another head ultrasound to check out the excess fluid in his brain. Hopefully, everything will go well.

Still doing well

Cade is still doing really well and now we were told that we can hold him everyday. So, for the past couple of nights, we have taken complete advantage of that luxury. Also, we should be able to start Kangaroo care (skin to skin contact with Cade). Supposedly, it is very beneficial for baby and can reduce the length of his hospital stay. He is also now completely off of the IV and his continual gavage feedings. Now he's graduated to gavage feedings every couple of hours. Now, we'll just need to get him to bottle feedings.

I've overcome my fear of dressing my own wound but still don't like it. It's much easier when Sean does it :) But, he's headed up north to go fishing with the guys and get a much needed break from our stressful life. It's hard for me to have him go because he has been such great support through all of this but I finally realized that he needs a break too. Also, I'm getting together with a bunch of friends this weekend for a relaxing evening/baby shower. Some out of town friends are staying Sat night so it will be easier to deal with Sean not being here. I really do love that man because he is so good to me and I miss him alot. OK, probably enough mushy stuff. Here's some new pictures of Cade (he's 4 weeks old today):

Cade is "the bomb"

Cade is quite the celebrity in the NICU. One of the nurses last night said "Cade is the bomb". Basically, this was in reference to the fact that he is doing very well. He is now off of the CPAP and just on the steady flow O2. Of course, he pulled that out of his nose a couple of times when we were there. He was also very alert yesterday and he was not agitated. It was nice to see his eyes open and focusing on us. He still has a hard time focusing for a long period of time but I think that he definitely knows his Mommy and Daddy.

No more VAC

Well, we went to the doctor today to evaluate my C-section wound and were told that I no longer have to use the vac system. Everything is healing nicely. I'm excited that I don't have to carry that thing around 24/7. It is heavy, has 6 ft of unattractive clear tubing and makes farting noises. But, now we have to do a wet to dry wound covering and I think Sean will have to help me out since I can't see the actual wound very well. Hopefully, it will only take another 2 weeks to completely heal. Also, I'm done with the IV antibiotics so no more nurse visits. They were all very nice people but it will be nice to not have them coming to the house. It seems that each day Cade and I improve. All of your prayers are helping.

Surprise!

We were pleasantly surprised tonight to see Cade without the CPAP machine. He had the steady flow O2 but nothing covering up his cute face. I guess the doctors have decided that he is doing well enough to alternate between the CPAP and the steady flow O2 every 2 hours. He was very comfortable for our entire visit. It's so nice to see him when he's not upset or struggling. The nurse said everyday he is growing stronger. His feedings continue to go well. Sean learned that first hand tonight. We were going to tag team the diaper change again tonight but the isolette was kind of cold so the nurse only wanted one side open so Sean did the diaper change. Unfortunately, we caught Cade mid-poop and went through 2 diapers instead of one. Poop was spurting out all over. I'm glad that it was Sean and not me :)

No CPAP machine!

See my big scar. Don't worry, it doesn't bother me.

Trying to get a picture without all the tubes

Holding Mommy's hand

There's my big CPAP (mask over my nose and a funny hat to hold it all in place)

Mother's Day Card

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all. My first was very low key. We celebrated with my mom yesterday so today it was just Sean, Cade and I. But, first I should update what's up with Cade. On Thursday we got a call that he had pulled out his ventilator tube. Apparently our son had decided that he just couldn't handle that tube anymore. He spent alot of time tugging on it but we never figured he could actually pull it out. Maybe he just dislodged it? We aren't sure if we got the straight story but now he no longer is intubated. Instead, he is on a CPAP machine to make sure he doesn't stop breathing. He was struggling on Thursday but has gotten better everyday. We saw Dr. Bonnie today and she said he was doing really well but still needs the CPAP. (The next step will be a steady flow of oxygen with the prongs in his nose) I guess today he hadn't had any "spells" (he didn't stop breathing). Today, when we got there, he was on his back and very squirmy. He loves to kick his feet around and stretch. But, his oxygen levels aren't as high on his back. So, after we spent an hour or more trying to calm him down, his nurse flipped him on his belly and he calmed down instantly. We also got to change our first poopy diaper today. Sean and I tag teamed it and got it done without causing Cade too much distress. Another cool thing about today was that I got my very first card from Cade. One of the nice nurses went above and beyond and created a Mother's Day card for me with Cade's picture, footprints and handprints.

More Pictures

Cade found his hand

Yesterday was another good day for Cade. When we got there last night, he was alert with both eyes open. He has been trying to pull out his respirator for a long time and so far has not been successful :) So, we figured that his nervous system was making some connection. But, last night he really saw his hand. He brought his thumb so close to his eye that it made his eyes cross. It was such a funny sight (unfortunately the camera battery was dead) until he kept going and almost poked his own eye. So, then for the rest of the evening he was freaking us out by continually trying to poke out his eye. I took this as a good sign that he could focus on his hand. It just seemed like such a "normal" baby thing to do. He has also been able to focus his eyes on us but of course we have no idea what he sees. Everyday there seems to be a little progress. We are also learning how to calm him down. The nurses have learned that he likes head rubs and also if you place your hand on his chest and apply light pressure he calms right down. The nurses explained that preemies like to feel confined like in the womb. So, Sean and I do our best to keep him calm and comfortable and we also try to help out the nurses when we get a chance. We have been able to change a few diapers, take his temperature and clean off his face and mouth as needed. In the last couple of days he also has started to play with his tongue. He's constantly moves it and last night I caught him licking his blanket since he was on his tummy.

Today, we got a report from the neurosurgeon's nurse practitioner that she did drain some fluid from the reservoir and everything looked good. So far he's having a good day. Grandma Linda and Grandpa Reg are coming today. So, hopefully tonight we can all make a visit.

I'm back

Hi everyone. I'm finally back to feeling almost like myself. I still have visits from the home health care nurses to get my IV started and changed out my wound dressings and most days I have to take a nap in the afternoon but at least I'm feeling better. My lab results are encouraging. It seems like my body (along with alot of antibiotics) have kicked the bacteria out of my blood. I see the infection doctor on Friday to find out the next step. It's amazing how much you can learn in such a short time. I never thought that I would be administering my own IV antibiotics on a daily basis but now it's really easy. Just a little boring watching the drip for 45 minutes.

Sean and I have also learned alot about preemie babies in the last 2 weeks. Cade is a fighter and he hasn't had it easy. Yesterday, we were told that he would have to have another surgery. This one was brain surgery. He needed drainage tubes and a reservoir placed under his scalp to relieve the pressure in the ventricles of his brain. Of course, we agreed to the surgery. What do you say when the neurosurgeon says that it's necessary? So, Cade had his second major surgery yesterday at 6:00. I've only had 4 surgeries in my whole life and 2 were in the last month. We made it to the hospital around 7:30 and he was already back to his room and looking really good. Of course, he has a big bandage on his head and was still drugged up but he looked so peaceful. It was great to see him calm since the last few times we had seen him he was really agitated. The reservoir will stay in until he is big enough to get a shunt to drain the excess fluid. I guess he needs to be 2 kg before that surgery can take place. Now, he is 1 kg! That was great news because he is now over his birth weight. He continues with his NG feedings and had gained 30 g within a couple of days. All in all, he's doing amazingly well.

Also, I would like to thank everyone for all the support, prayers and well wishes. It really means alot to all of us. Hopefully, soon I will feel up to having visitors. But, for now my days are spent with the nurses and taking naps.

Love to all,
Jill

Mr. Clean

Today was busy. But, the beautiful weather outside made all of the cleaning that I did inside seem, somehow, less like work. That, coupled with the fact that I was able to do my anal-retentive style of cleaning while Jill slept, made the morning and afternoon enjoyable. Next weekend I might have to try to tackle the downstairs.

Once I got as far as I could cleaning, we both took showers...separately :( Once I was dressed, it was off to see Caders. Today, there was little to report in terms of his health. He is getting stronger. He is getting a milliliter plus per hour now on a constant NG tube drip. All good signs. He did get some blood during the day which made him nice and pink. As for the visit, the highlight was being able to hold him again. This time, we got some pictures too.

Tomorrow will be a big day for the Bober clan. I am hoping to get back to work. But, before that, Jill has her CAT scan and Cade has another head ultrasound. Furthermore, my brother Andy and his wife Jill (us Bobers like to keep things as simple as possible), go in for their 18 week ultrasound and are going to find out if it is a boy or a girl (all bets [except mine] are on it being a girl).

Hopefully, tomorrow finds us all well and in good spirits.

Sean

PS I nabbed this first photo on the way to see Cade. Now that is one giant booty with a whale tale showing. I couldn't stop laughing. You should have seen it jiggle when he hit a bump, it was like a perpetual motion machine.

Mr. Mom Moment and Some Pictures

I just got done making homemade laundry detergent out of soda ash, borax, and Ivory. I am currently testing it on the towel that we use to wipe off the dogs' muddy paws.

Pics from Sunday

Pics from Monday

Pics from Thursday

Pics from Friday

Internet Woes

The other night, while trying to get the firmware on my DSL modem upgraded, I ended up turning it into a brick. So, the naked lady machine (<--Lyle, that reference was for you.) was of little use. Thankfully, Qwest was kind enough to replace it for free bucks. On the down side, I was off the "Internets" for a day or so.

Jill has had her ups and downs. Wednesday night, Jill didn't get much sleep because I wouldn't come to bed. As a result, Thursday was rough. Every pain was more painful-every frustration, that much more frustrating. On top of her back spasming, her stomach is now hurting her too. Thankfully though, we have our third CAT scan (in preparation for a Friday meeting with our infectious disease doctor, Dr. Frank) on Monday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Today, except for the very end, was a good day for Jill. I know that this is a "no brainer". But, it seems as though the more sleep she gets the better her days are. First, we got her IV going with much ease. Later in the day, a nurse came and changed the dressing on Jill's wound vac. She did an excellent job and the thing barely makes its farting noise at all. Later still, we both went to visit Cade. It was really nice to be able to see him together. After seeing Cade, we grabbed a late dinner. After dinner is when the stomach pains returned. I laid down with her for a bit. When they subsided, I came down to fix the Internet connection and type this.

Now for the super good news, Cade is doing really well. They continue to turn down the settings for his vent. He is still off of the dopamine. He is eating every two hours (up from every 4). And, get this, HE IS POOPING! Yeah, I know. I am excited now. Just wait for the 14th stinky diaper in a day and my tune might change. But, for now, excitement. That, and he looks well.

So, things are looking good. Now, we just need to get Jill to have more good days than bad and I will be a more content camper.

Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers.

With Love,

Sean