Cheese!

Two weeks ago, we had Owen's pictures taken. Joyce did a wonderful job! It was hard to pick, but we wanted to share a few with you. Enjoy!

O makes this cute little "O" face a lot, so I was excited that she captured it. Here is his 2 month photo for those who've been asking for it!

We wanted to get a shot with this special blankie and special puppy. Our friend Linda made this beautiful blanket for him! What a special treasure. You may recognize the puppy from the pictures we took in the NICU. We got to the NICU around 1:15 on February 23 and our friend Jen dropped off a care package for us with this little puppy in it by 3:30! She is such a caring and considerate person! This little guy was anxiously awaiting Owen's arrival and stayed with him in his isolette or crib the entire time he was there.

Love this shot. He looks so peaceful and innocent.

This might just be my favorite. I love the smirk and how comfy he looks on daddy's shoulder.

This one makes me smile each time I look at it!

Loving my sweet boy ....right before he took aim and peed on my neck and chest! (Still love him though!)

Handsome

I think this one speaks for itself! :)

TOO CUTE!!!

I've mentioned before how wonderful Owen's nurses were at Children's. They were so loving and caring and took such good care of him. Today he got a package in the mail from his night nurse Jenny. She made him these adorable little "Converse" booties! Aren't they adorable?!? She also included a copy of her son's favorite book for Owen. Talk about going above and beyond. These ladies sure have a knack for what they do. It takes a special person to do their job and let me tell you, they are certainly special. We will never forget all that they did for Owen and for us while we were there.

We belive in miracles!

I Surrender

This is the pose that Owen's nurses called his "I Surrender" pose. He sleeps like this a lot.

Finding my Thumb

Owen started to discover his thumb today!

Happy 2 Months Owen!

Where has the time gone? Today Owen is 2 months old already! He had his appointment at the pediatrician this morning. He got one oral medication and 3 shots. He was a very brave boy, but he did cry. :( He was warm, so his legs bled a lot. In fact, she had to take off the band aids and put new ones on right away because they got soaked. Poor boy! On a happier note, he was 20" long and 7 pounds, 6.5 ounces!!! She was shocked that he had gained so well. If you remember, when he was there last week, he weighed 6 pounds, 4.5 ounces. She said that he has really good head control and strength too. She said that he should be acting like a newborn, but he has better strength than some 2 month old babies that she has seen. Way to go buddy!!! He's in the 60th percentile for head, 60th percentile for height and 40th percentile for weight.

Here are a few photos from the week that we wanted to share with you.

Snuggle time with Grandpa



Meeting Auntie Pammy for the first time!

Snuggling with Daddy

In the Bed that Grandpa Made

My Grandpa Jim thinks I'm a pretty special boy. He loves me an awful lot and made a special bassinett just for me! Isn't it cool? It's a glider! It's very comfy and I sleep tight in it every night. Grandma made me a special moon and star blankie that matches the cutouts in the bed (it's in the wash, so it isn't in the picture). They even got me some moon and star night lights too.

Thanks Grandpa for the nice bed. I love it!!!

Visitors!

Last night our friend Jackie came over to visit Owen. She met him at the hospital, but this was the first time that she got to hold him. He obviously felt how much she loves him because he just snuggled right in and slept in her lap all night. Thanks for bringing us such a yummy dinner Jack!!!

Having a snack with daddy

Owen got a surprise visit from his Great Grandma Flossie tonight. She has been waiting for so long to hold him! She snuggled and kissed him and didn't want to give him up. Grandma Flossie celebrates her 87th birthday this week and we are so grateful and blessed that Owen gets to have her in his life! Happy birthday Great Grandma Flossie!

Say Cheese!

Today we took Owen to get his picture taken. He was such a good little model! He was sleepy and flexible and let his new friends Joyce and Dawn pose him pretty much how they wanted to. We've been so excited for Joyce to take his photos. She takes pictures of our friends Lisa and Joe's kids and we had her take some photos of our Santa at Woodbury Lakes. She is so talented! I cannot wait to see how the photos turned out!!! I'll be sure to post them when we get our sneak peek next week!

The big joke was that he was going to poop on her white blanket, or on Paul when he was holding him without a diaper. He didn't....but he did pee on me! I was holding his buns against my chest, with his legs aiming up towards my neck. I leaned down to kiss him for a picture and he peed all over my neck and sweater! Looking on the bright side - at least he didn't get me in the face!

Our Week so Far

We've had a very good week at home so far! We've had a few doctor's appointments. The first one on Monday was at Owen's pediatrician. It was great to finally meet her. We've heard so many good things from both our friends and from our nurses in the NICU about her. Yesterday we had a follow up eye appointment. :( This time wasn't any easier - for him or me! They said that his eyes look really good and the chances of him getting ROP are slim to none, however, his eyes still aren't mature enough to say that he absolutely won't get it. We have to go back in 3 weeks for hopefully the last test.

Today we had a visit from the home health care nurse. Owen weighed in at 6 pounds, 6.5 ounces - that's up from 5 pounds 15 ounces on Saturday at the NICU! He is 19.5" long. He's been eating really well and it is fun to see his cheeks filling in. His eyes are open a lot more now and he's becoming more and more alert.

Here are a few photos from the last few days.

Enjoying my new glider seat

Getting all set to go to the eye doctor

Last night I got to meet my Auntie Jen! She gives great hugs and smooches!

Meeting Uncle E! I can tell we are going to be good buddies!

Snuggling with Daddy

We are Home!!!!

Oh my goodness, I get to go home today!!

We are home! Paul and I spent the night last night in Owen's hospital room, taking care of him without his monitor. It was a little scary at first, but we got more and more comfortable with it as the night went on. It was definitely nice to be able to walk around with him in our room and not be chained to the monitor with all of his cords! We are loving that!

Our first real family photo together without tubes and wires!

His nurse practitioner did her final set of rounds on him. She told us to pretty much plan on being at home for the next month or so - no taking Owen to parties, church, the grocery store, etc. His immune system is just too immature to be in crowds. We mentioned that he is getting baptized on May 2 and she said, "Make sure that anyone who touches him uses hand sanitizer first and don't make it too big of a party." She also said that no kids should hold him for another month or two. Normally we wouldn't be so obsessive, but we don't want to end up back in the NICU, so please don't be offended when we ask you to sanitize your hands at our house, if we don't attend your party or if we don't allow your children to hold him for awhile yet. It's nothing personal!

All packed up and ready to head home.

Well, it's time to go enjoy our baby! We believe in miracles!!!

Passed the Test!

I just got a phone call from Owen's neonatologist. She said that he passed his MMU test! The only spells he had were when he was eating, or I guess more specifically, being burped. He's done that pretty consistently for us, so we weren't surprised. He has been pulling himself out of them very quickly and since we are always with him when they happen, the doctor isn't concerned about them. If he was having them while he was sleeping, they wouldn't have passed him because chances are we wouldn't be right there with him to help bring him out of it if he needed assistance. Right now he is down having his car seat test and then he will have he hearing test. She said that he is off of his monitor and will stay that was all day.

Paul and I have an infant CPR class at the hospital tonight and then we are going to sleep over at the hospital in Owen's room. It will be nice to have nurses around to help during our first night with him off the monitor. Tomorrow at some point, we will get to take him home if all keeps progressing well. Please keep us in your prayers!

We believe in miracles!

He's on his Way!

Well, I received calls today from Mona and Owen's neonatologist to let me know that they are removing his feeding tube. He struggled a little bit yesterday afternoon to get enough food in, but overnight he ate like a champ. This morning he's done really well too, so they feel like he is ready to do it without the tube. They've also scheduled his MMU for tonight. That will start around 5PM and go until 5AM tomorrow. His neonatologist said that normally they'd do his car seat test tomorrow, but Fridays are busy days for car seat tests, so if they can fit it in today, he will have it done today. That just leaves his hearing test tomorrow and he could be sent home. Paul and I are scheduled to take infant CPR tomorrow night, so I asked if he could stay through then. Mona said that they may be able to set it up where we actually stay overnight with him tomorrow night and have him off of the monitor so that we can have a little more piece of mind taking him home off of the monitor. So, it looks like Saturday might be the day!!! Please keep us in your prayers!

We believe in miracles! Laur and Paul

Update

We just received a call from the neonatologist. She wanted to tell us that they are officially starting Owen on ad lib feedings (which they've said all along is the start to his road home). That means that he will eat when he tells us that he is hungry and he'll eat however much he wants instead of eating 48 ml every 3 hours like he has been. They will monitor him to make sure that he gets enough nutrition over a 12 hour period. Once they are happy with his progress there, they will remove his feeding tube. Once that happens, the doctors that do rounds on him the next time will order his MMU test, which is where they monitor his breathing and heart rate over a 12 hour period (usually from 5PM to 5AM). After that, they'll do the car seat test and his hearing test and he will be on his way home if they are satisfied with his results.

At any point, they may not be getting the results they want from him and they will slow things down. But as of right now, it looks like he could definitely be home over the weekend! We are so excited to have some time at home with the 3 of us to start getting to know each other and finally start to live as a family. It's hard to do that in a tiny NICU room with wires connecting him to the monitors and doctors and nurses coming in and out. Paul put it really well the other night when he said he feels like we have two separate lives right now - one at the hospital with Owen, and then one at home/work, and he can't wait to join them. I agree!!!

We believe in miracles!!! Laur and Paul

On our Way? (Fingers are Crossed!)

Well, I think we may be on our way. Owen has been doing a wonderful job taking his bottles, he hasn't had many spells and his nurses keep saying that they think he's on his way home. His primary nurse Mona told me this morning that she thinks he could be going home over the weekend or possibly early next week. As much as she wants him to get to go home, she said she hopes he waits until Monday so that she will be there to say good-bye.

Mona has been such a blessing to our family! She cares for Owen like he is one of her own grandchildren. She pushes him in areas that she sees he has potential to do more, but she will fight for him when the neonatologists want to up his feedings before he is ready. We purposely held his circumcision back a few days until a day that she was working so that she could be there with him to make sure it all went well. The surgery started late, but she stayed beyond her shift because she wanted to be there with him to make sure it went well. It's very hard leaving Owen at the hospital each time we leave, but we know that he is in wonderful, capable hands there with Mona. We feel soooo lucky that she has been our primary nurse. We owe her more thanks than we know how to share with her for all that she's done for our little boy!

Mona and Owen

Morning Funnies

Many mornings over the last 6 weeks, I've seen an unusual sight - a large (adult size), furry, hot pink gorilla standing outside the Downtowner restaurant waving at me! Apparently she (aren't the pink gorillas girls?) wants me to come eat breakfast with her. I giggle to myself each time she is out there and always mean to tell you about her. If she wasn't on such a busy street, I'd try to take a photo to show proof that I am not losing my mind!

Owen had a great night. His night nurse put his bed flat, so we will see how that goes with his reflux. He hasn't been in his danny sling since he had his explosion the other night and I had to take it home to wash it. Our hope is that he can come home without it.

He gained weight again overnight - he's up to 5 lbs., 13 oz! He's becoming quite a little pork chop now. We can definitely feel a difference in his height and weight when we hold him. His little cheeks are starting to fill out nicely too.

He's been known to finish a whole bottle every once in awhile, but he usually gets pretty tired out midway through and falls asleep before he's done. Once he is able to finish them consistently, we will be on the fast track home. The nurses say that it will happen really fast - it will just click with him and he'll start finishing every feeding. So at this point, we don't have a date yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we here something. We've been told that they usually don't do the circumcision until a few days before they get to go home and he had that done yesterday. On Sunday, our nurse said, "This is your warning - get everything done at home that you need to do before he comes home because he's going to be there soon!"

We believe in miracles!!! Laur and Paul

Successful Surgery

I just talked to Owen's nurse Mona. She said that his surgery went very well. In fact, he slept right through it. That is what we were hoping for! Now hopefully he will recover nicely and won't be too uncomfortable. Thanks for keeping him in your prayers - we really appreciate it.

Happy Easter!

Owen had a very good weekend. He had to celebrate his very first holiday in the hospital, but the Easter Bunny didn't forget about him! He made a special visit to the NICU! We also had a really nice surprise from an organization called the Chloe T. Foundation. They left all of the kids in the NICU a book and a stuffed animal since they had to be at the hospital over the holiday. Thank you Chloe T. Foundation! Owen loves his stuffed puppy and The Pokey Little Puppy book!

Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bernie visited the hospital yesterday afternoon and got to hold him for the first time!

Owen weighed in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces this morning. They upped his feedings from 42 ml to 48 ml over the weekend, which was a huge jump for him. He handled it beautifully though. A few minor spit ups and some spells, but nothing too major. Because they've upped the amount of his feedings, we've had to supplement the breast milk with more formula. Unfortunately, the iron in the formula makes him constipated. Yesterday his little tummy was rock hard so the nurses have been giving him pear juice to help aid the process. Last night he had a MAJOR blow out, so we had to give him a bath several hours before bath time. He was much happier afterwards though. Who knew that such a sweet, tiny little boy could make such a big mess!?!

Today at 2:30, he is getting circumcised. I'm not looking forward to that, but know that it is a very routine surgery. His nurses say that most babies sleep right through it. I just keep telling myslef that it is one step closer to having him home with us. We are hoping that he'll get to come home later this week or early next week. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

We believe in miracles - Laurie and Paul

Hold Me!

We started off the week on a really good note. Owen gained more weight, has been taking more out of his bottle feedings and his reflux has really started to improve. His bed isn't elevated as much and he's had fewer spit ups. He still has spells where he drops his heart rate and doesn't breathe, but he is able to bring himself out of the spells most of the time now. The super good news is that family gets to hold Owen now! The grandparents are all very excited!



I love this photo! Doesn't it look like he's telling Grandpa a fish tale? "You should have seen it Grandpa, it was THIS big!!!"

Today didn't start out as a very fun day for Owen. He had to have his follow up eye appointment. He had spells each time they put the dilating drops in (3 sets of drops). Let me tell you, babies don't like having their eyelids clamped open while sticks poke at their eyeballs! They do not make happy noises at all!!! He had several spells afterwards, which is normal. The nurse said that their bodies tend to just shut down after the stress of the procedure. The good news is that they say his eyes are progressing nicely, just like the rest of him. However, since they aren't fully developed yet, they can't rule out ROP completely yet, so he has to have a 3rd exam in 2 weeks. UGH! Poor little guy!

He did weigh in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces this morning though, so that was great news! He's just over 18" long. I get emails each week telling me what phase the baby is at and how much it weighs, etc. They are sending them to me thinking that he's still due on May 5. This week's email said that he should be just over 5 pounds and around 18 inches, so that is interesting. He's pretty much right on!

I just got word that his circumcision is going to be on Monday. They say it takes about 3-5 minutes for the numbing agent to take effect and then the actual surgery itself takes only a few minutes. Our nurse said that some babies even sleep through it. Hopefully Owen will be one of those babies!

We believe in miracles! Laurie and Paul