February Photos

More of Larisa's beautiful pictures taken in December '08

Family Holiday Pictures

My friend Larisa took some really great family pictures of us for the holidays. It was an amazing feat, especially considering how less-than-cooperative Nathaniel was. Sitting still and smiling was not on his two-year-old agenda!

When it rains, it pours (on our dining room table)...

Getting Aidan home was not without its other challenges.

The day before, the garbage disposal started spewing out metal with an ear-splitting growl. Corey purchased a replacement, and installed it at one in the morning. Why one in the morning? Well, because that's where he has his free time, I guess. You'd have to ask him.

Then, on the morning of bringing Aidan home, I was upstairs getting dressed and Corey was in the shower. My mom was downstairs with Nathaniel. All of a sudden, water started pouring down the dining room light onto the dining room table. Mom ran upstairs and banged on the bedroom door, "Corey! Erica!" Nathaniel gleefully joined her, "Corey! Erica!" (He thinks calling us by our first names is great fun, but I digress.)

As soon as the shower was shut of, the pouring water stopped. Of course, Corey was still covered in soap. Luckily, the other shower did not seem to cause the issue. There was absolutely no water stain anywhere on the dining room ceiling, and if Mom had not been there, we'd never know what caused a mysterious puddle of water. Right away, I said, "So that's what happened to the Carpenter's laptop!" (We'd borrowed a laptop from some friends that got inexplicably drenched and ruined back in August. We'd seen no water source, drips from the air vents, or ceiling stain. Unable to come up with any other scenario, we'd blamed it on Nathaniel. Poor kid.)

Then, we went to get Aidan and check him out of the hospital. Yay!

Once at home, we called a plumber. When he arrived, we were unable to get the circumstances to recreate for quite a while. Finally, Corey had to put on swim trunks and actually take a shower to get it to pour out of the light again. Turns out, it appeared to be a simple caulking issue. At least, we hope that that's all it was or it's not actually fixed now...

At any rate, this certainly was not what we wanted to spend our time, energy, or money on at this time in our lives. With these latest adventures, the holidays, and astronomical hospital bills, we're simply hemorrhaging money at this point. Turns out they think you can get blood from a turnip.

AIDAN IS HOME

We brought Aidan home this afternoon at about 1 pm. He slept the whole way! More news and pictures to follow...

Is he EVER leaving?

He's off the oxygen tube, off the feeding tube, done the car seat test, has had the umpteen vaccinations, been circumsized, had his hearing screened - literally everything on the checklist has been done for Aidan to go home. I asked the doctor yesterday, "So, Doc, is our goal to have him be the first kid to actually walk outta here, or what?"

However, if you have been following Aidan's Medical Log, you already know that he is having what they call in the NICU biz "desat episoses". This is where his oxygen levels drop too low and often a nurse has to help him. Not actually resuscitate him, but stimulate or rouse him to get his levels back up. Often, but not always, it has been after eating, which is less incriminating than when it's been during sleep. Still, they say he can't leave until he stops it. (I have literally whispered that to Aidan, "Now, you stop this mister!")

Therefore, this literally means we are waiting to exhale because he is pausing to inhale.

Aidan's Medical Log

Thursday 12/4/08 (Day 72)
7 lbs 4.23 oz (3295 g)
The developmental psychologist has completed her discharge assessment on Aidan.

Wednesday 12/3/08 (Day 71)
7 lbs 4 oz (3290 g)
Corey and I both went in to talk with the doctor today. Aidan's newest echo cardiogram shows the PDA has closed! He has an atrial-level shunt. As a result of our conversation, Aidan has been removed from the pulse oximeter altogether.

Tuesday 12/2/08 (Day 70)
7 lbs 3 oz (3260 g)
1 pm feeding - was given a faster flow nipple and desated again. His heart rate was affected this time.

Monday 12/1/08 (Day 69)
7 lbs 1.93 oz. (3230 g)
5:28 am - another desat episode after the 5 am feeding. There was no apnea or brachcardia associated with it. This will push back his expected release date.

Sunday 11/30/08 (Day 68)
7 lbs .7 oz (3195)

Saturday 11/29/08 (Day 67)
6 lbs 15.3 oz (3155 g)
37 weeks gestation age today!
I spoke with the doctor about the items left to do before his release - the car seat test (where he is placed in his car seat and monitored for an hour), his hearing test, etc. The doctor thinks that, unless there is another desat episode, he will be home sometime later this week!

Friday 11/28/08 (Day 66)
6 lbs 14.6 oz (3135 g)

Thursday 11/27/08 (Day 65)
6 lbs 14.1 oz (3120 g)
I have a sore throat and conjestion, so I visited only once and with a mask on just in case. Aidan had a desat episode this morning.

Wednesday 11/26/08 (Day 64)
6 lbs 14.8 oz (3140 g)
Aidan has been moved to a 3-4 hour 'on demand' feeding cycle. He has been tube free for 24 hours!!!

Tuesday 11/25/08 (Day 63)
6 lbs 14.8 oz (3140 g)
The doctor said today he is doing well! He is "turning a corner". Today, they stopped all meds (except for vitamins), so he is now off of the diuretic, sodium, potassium, etc. He will be given an immunization every 12 hours until all 6 or 7 are given. They have tried him off of the feed tube, too. ('NG' tube)

Monday 11/24/08 (Day 62)
6 lbs 11.9 oz (3060 g)
The doctor has moved him to 60 mL feeds, with additives (calories, etc.) mixed in only every other feed now.

Sunday 11/23/08 (Day 61)
6 lbs 10.4 oz (3015 g)
Aidan is still being treated for the edema (excessive fluid in the tissues resulting in puffy swelling) which is very common in preemies.

Saturday 11/22/08 (Day 60)
6 lbs 10.2 oz (3010 g)
Aidan is 36 weeks today! He has also passed Nathaniel's birth weight of 6 lbs 9 oz. (Nathaniel was born at 37 weeks.)

Friday 11/21/08 (Day 59)
6 lbs 7.71 oz (2940 g)
Aidan is still off of the oxygen air flow support!

Thursday 11/20/08 (Day 58)
6 lbs 5.77 oz (2885 g)
Aidan has been off of his nasal cannula as of 11 am today! Yay!

Wednesday 11/19/08 (Day 57)
6 lbs 3.3. oz (2815 g)
No weight change today.
Corey and I attended the infant CPR class today.

Tuesday 11/18/08 (Day 56)
6 lbs 3.3. oz (2815 g)
Down 15 grams today.

Monday 11/17/08 (Day 55)
6 lbs 3.83 oz
When I fed Aidan this morning, her was off his nasal cannula! He had to go back on it thereafter, though.

Sunday 11/16/08 (Day 54)
6 lbs 3 oz (2810 g)
No weight change today.

Saturday 11/15/08 (Day 53)
6 lbs 3 oz (2810 g)
35 weeks adjusted age today!

Friday 11/14/08 (Day 52)
6 lbs! (2725 g)
The doctor ordered for his feeds to start being given over 30 minutes now. If he tolerates that, bottles can soon be introduced.

Thursday 11/13/08 (Day 51)
5 lbs 13.8 oz (2660 g)
The nurse tried him off of the air flow for a while, but he ended up needing to go back to the 25 mL of 100% oxygen air flow.

Wednesday 11/12/08 (Day 50)
5 lbs 11.7 oz (2600 g)
Now getting 50 mL feeds, still over 45 minutes. Tolerating under 25 mL flow of oxygen sometimes.

Tuesday 11/11/08 (Day 49)
5 lbs 10.8 oz (2575 g)

Monday 11/10/08 (Day 48)
5 lbs 9.24 oz (2530 g)
Tube feeds are being moved from given over 1 hour to over 45 minutes. The feeds have to get down to 30 minutes for him to be tried on a bottle.

Sunday 11/9/08 (Day 47)
5 lbs 7.3 oz (2475 oz)

Saturday 11/8/08 (Day 46)
5 lbs 6 oz (2440 g)
34 weeks old toAidan has tolerated 25 mL flow on his oxygen all day.

Friday 11/7/08 (Day 45)
5 lbs 5 oz (2410 g)
The weight loss is attributed to the new diuretic medication.

Thursday 11/6/08
5 lbs 6.24 oz (2445 g)

Wednesday 11/5/08
5 lbs 3.42 oz (2365 g)
Aidan's last day of Lasix - moving to a daily diuretic instead of the Lasix every other day. The generic of this daily medicine is "diuril".

Tuesday 11/4/08
5 lbs 3.25 oz (2360g)
Aidan has been moved to a "crib"! See "from box to bucket" post.

Monday 11/3/08
5 lbs! (2270 g)

Sunday 11/2/08
4 lbs 14.7 oz (2230 g)

Saturday 11/1/08 (Day 39)
4 lbs 12.5 oz (2170 g)
33 weeks old today!

Friday 10/31/08 (Day 38)
4 lbs 11.5 oz (2140 g)
Now starting 42 mL feeds, still every 3 hours.

Thursday 10/30/08 (Day 37)
4 lbs 8 oz (2040 g)
He has made a move to "wall oxygen" - which means a different rig on his cannula. Currently, he is now on only 100 mL of air flow (was 1.5 L. before), however this is at 100% oxygen. Overall, we understand this to be a big positive step.

Wednesday 10/29/08 (Day 36)
4 lbs 7.25 oz (2020g)
The doctors have decided to double his Lasix dose, from 2 mL to 4 mL doses 2x a day.

Tuesday 10/28/08 (Day 35)
4 lbs 6.2 oz (1990 g)
Incidentally, Corey said this was his birth weight. (Yes, full term!)

Monday 10/27/08 (Day 34)
4 lbs 4 oz (1930 g)

Sunday 10/26/08 (Day 33)
4 lbs 3.4 oz (1910 g)

Saturday 10/25/08 (Day 32)
4 lbs 0.55 oz (1830 g)
32 weeks old! No weight gain or loss today.

Friday 10/24/08 (Day 31)
4 lbs 0.55 oz (1830 g)

Thursday 10/23/08 (Day 30)
3 lbs 13.4 oz (1740g)
They will have do an echo cardiogram on Monday to determine if he needs his PDA surgically ligated.

Wednesday 10/22/08 (Day 29)
3 lbs 11.6 oz (1690 g)

Tuesday 10/21/08 (Day 28)
3 lbs 10.4 oz (1655 g)
Feeds are increased again, to 35 mL.

Monday 10/20/08 (Day 27)
3 lbs 9.5 oz (1630 g)
Starting today, feeds are increased to 32 mL. Residuals (the amount of undigested milk left before they give him his next meal) are down to trace amounts, and they want him to gain weight.

Sunday 10/19/08 (Day 26)
3 lbs 7.56 oz (1575 g)
Due to the weight loss, hey are now adding 1/4 tsp. beneprotien per 100 mL of breast milk fed. They are also now adding sodium chloride to his feeds. He will have lab work on 10/22 to check his electrolytes and Hematocrit (blood level in his system.)

Saturday 10/18/08 (Day 25)
3 lbs 7.9 oz (1585 g)
I asked if there was a weight goal per day, and his nurse for today told me approximately 30 grams a day is a good average.

Friday 10/17/08 (Day 24)
3 lbs 6 oz (1560 g)
Because of the weight gain, no beneprotien was added at this time. However, tests showed low electrolytes so potassium chloride has been added to his meds list.

Thursday 10/16/08 (Day 23)
3 lbs 4 oz (1480 g)
See "Did I mention it's like a roller coaster ride?" for details about today.

Wednesday 10/15/08 (Day 22)
3 lbs 4 oz (1480 g)
Today the kangaroo care went better - I did not have to had him over due desats today. (I had explained to Aidan that I was beginning to take it personally.) When I mentioned the new medicines yesterday, I fogot to mention that he has been getting caffine all along, including back at UNC. It is common for preemies to get caffeine to help with episodes of apnea.

Tuesday 10/14/08 (Day 21)
3 lbs 4 oz (1480 g)
Aidan has been moved to 28 mL feedings now. He has had very little residual. He has had problems today with desats (short for desaturation: drops in blood oxygen saturation levels) and bradycardia today. He will take a drug called lasix every other day to see if fluid is contributing to the desats.

Monday 10/13/08 (Day 20)
3 lbs 3.4 oz (1455 g)
He has had an increasing need for oxygen to keep his saturation levels above the 88% saturation limit set for him. When I was there this morning, he was at 32% oxygen. I was told this is considered a pretty big jump from the 21-25% range he was typically needing at UNC. They are monitoring him closely.

Sunday 10/12/08 (Day 19)
3 lbs 3.2 oz (1450 g)
Aidan is considered "30 weeks" today. Although he was born 19 days ago, for a preemie they call that "19 days out" - not - "19 days old". They focus more on the gestational age, as it is more accurate a description of where a preemie is developmentally.

Saturday 10/11/08 (Day 18)
3 lbs 2.6 oz (1435 g)
12:15 pm: Aidan moved from UNC Newborn Critical Care Center in Chapel Hill to Rex Hospital Special Care Nursery in Raleigh! See the "He's moved to Rex Hospital!" post for more info.

Friday 10/10/08 (Day 17)
3 lbs. 1.3 oz. (1399 g)
Aidan's heart murmur has not resolved on its own, and the nurse told us today that they have done an ultrasound to assess it. It has been sent to the cardiologist, and we are anxiously awaiting the results. They tried him on the 1.5 L of pressure, but went back to the 2 L. His feedings are still at 26 mL every 3 hours.

Thursday 10/9/08 (Day 16)
3 lbs .08 oz. (1386 g)
He's passed his birth weight again! The doctors at rounds today decided to try 1.5 liters pressure, down from the 2 liters his nasal cannula is currently supplying. Everything else is pretty much status quo.

Wednesday 10/8/08 (Day 15)
2 lbs 15.5 oz (1347 g)
Aidan's weight is down again. They are watching him closely after several episodes of apnea. He still has the IV central line, and is still on 2 L pressure and oxygen at 24%. His feedings are holding steady at 26 mL right now, with the added calories.

Tuesday 10/7/08 (Day 14)
3 lbs 0.3 oz. (1372 grams; just a few grams below birth weight of 1375 grams!)
Still some residual and apnea, still has IV central line, etc. His nurse today said he is having a problem with "De-Sat" - or his oxygen saturation dropping too low - especially when he eats. They have upped his oxygen to 30% in response.

Monday 10/6/08 (Day 13)
2 lbs 15.2 oz
Feedings have now been increased to 26 mL @ 24 calories. I saw him this morning for the first time without his IV. The central line is still in; they don't want to move the hep lock until they are sure they don't need it, although they will get rid of it soon since it does pose a risk for infection. His cannula is still at the 2 liters of pressure. Attempts to move it down to 1.5 L have caused the oxygen saturation percentage to dip below the 85% parameter.

Sunday 10/5/08 (Day 12)
2 lbs 13.9 oz
We visited today with Nathaniel, but he did not spend much time with Aidan in the NICU. Big brother's high volume and energy prevented much more than sticking his head in a few times.

Saturday 10/4/08 (Day 11)
12 lbs 13.1 oz
Aidan's day nurse Carol called to let us know that it is November 1st (not October 1st) that RSV season starts. Nathaniel can visit until then! =) We got some video of the boys today. Aidan got the last of his IV lipids today, and IV fluids are scheduled to stop tomorrow night.

Friday 10/3/08 (Day 10)
2 lbs 13.8 oz
Now at 19 mL feedings; will start 21 mL tonight. Cannula still 2 L pressure; oxygen has been increased.

Thursday 10/2/08 (Day 9)
I was there early enough to meet the neonatologist, fellow, resident, and intern during rounds this morning. After which, the CPAP was removed and they went to a nasal cannula. (tube with prongs under the nose). They initially tried 1 liter of pressure, but then switched to a different kind that could tolerate 1.5 L of pressure that could also add heat and humidity to the air. They are starting to add calories to the breastmilk. Corey visited after work, and he was now @ 2 L pressure, but on room oxygen. (21%)

Wednesday 10/1 (Day 8)
Corey and I continue to do "Kangaroo Care" whenever we get the chance. Kangaroo Care is a way to hold a diapered baby against your bare chest skin-to-skin, covered with a blanket. (Like a kangaroo in a mother's pouch.) This helps a preemie maintain their body temperature. Studies have also shown that while being held skin-to-skin, preemies were apt to cry less, have less apnea, and more restful sleep.

Tuesday 9/30/08 (Day 7)
2 lbs 11 oz
We were all excited about Nathaniel's last day to visit. Then, Nathaniel got sick all over the breakfast table! It was very disappointing. Aidan is still having lots of residual in his feedings. However, he is finally passing some meconium. This means the Bili light will be less likely needed.

Monday 9/29/08 (Day 6)
Residuals in feedings are up. =( They had to skip his 5 pm feeding and just use the IV fluids. =( He did not need the Bili light today. The tubes you see on his head are the CPAP (which stands for continuous positive airway pressure). Since being extubated, Aidan still initiates all of his breaths; this CPAP just keeps his lungs a little inflated, even when he exhales. Otherwise, his immature lungs could collapse and stick together.

Sunday 9/28/08 (Day 5)
Successful 7 mL feedings all day today. Nana, Pop-pops, and Uncle David all visited today, but had to leave. He was under the Bili light again today. We were at the NICU from 3 pm to 8 pm, so Nathaniel had no nap and it was a challenge!

Saturday 9/27/08 (Day 4)
I got to change Aidan's tiny diaper and take his temp. During Kangaroo Care, Corey got to "feed" him. Nana Pop-pops came to visit, and Uncle David met him. He is now tolerating feedings, and he sucked a tiny preemie paci today. The nurse told me that is not usually done until 30 weeks or so!

Friday 9/26/08 (Day 3)
I was released from Rex Hospital today around dinner time, and Corey, Nathaniel, and my parents all went to the UNC NICU. We took some video of this first meeting. Corey & I got to hold Aidan George for the very first time this evening!