Gotta Love Computers...

well, that is when they are working! After a very long hiatus, I am back to blogging (again). I've been having absolute fits with one of our four computers here at work and have basically spent every hour of each of my work days for the last couple of weeks trying to fix our issues. Now, I would consider myself a moderately knowledgeable person when it comes to the workings of a computer, but I've just never been so frustrated! After logging HOURS (and no, I'm not exaggerating) with the online chat "support" at Earthlink, I finally gave up and called a computer service shop. Turns out we had several bad sectors on our hard drive (which is WAY over my head), so we are looking at having to replace it. While all of this has been going on, my dad has been in northern Maine visiting my ailing grandmother. Please say a little prayer or think of her for me. I just hate that she is having to go through these tough times...her mind is still as sharp as a tack, but her body is just failing. Anyway, so not to make excuses as to why I haven't posted since the 1st, but I guess you can imagine I've had my hands full here at work. Not only am I the only one working on the computer problem, I'm also the only one handling all the invoices/payments/payroll/phone calls for three companies and still managing to watch Reid all day (by myself). Yes, I'm exhausted :-) Merry Christmas to everyone...here are a couple of random pics (those are my favorite ones) to tide you over until I can post some Christmas morning photos...should be so much fun! ************************************ Nardello Christmas 2008 Family Pic: Messy face... You want a piece of me?

Playtime...

I love my daddy...

Check out my butterfly tat...

Mr. Smiley

Well, Reid has been smiling for a few weeks now, but they were very sporadic occurrences...until this weekend! If he wasn't adorable before, he will literally just melt your heart now. It's like, now that he's figured out how to smile, he just does it constantly.... TOO CUTE! The picture is kinda fuzzy because Jimmy took it with his camera phone, but you get the idea :-)

Pumpkin Comparrison

I know that I've inundated this blog with Halloween pics of the kids, but I just wanted to post two more pictures. Cameryn Shea as a pumpkin - almost 5 months old (Halloween 2006)... Reid Morgan as a pumpkin - almost 4 months old (Halloween 2008).... This costume has now been retired.

Movie Night!

So, as many of you know, I am absolutely OBSESSED with Stephenie Myer's Twilight series. It is a series of four books, each of which is between 500 and 750 pages long. Not a problem for me because reading has always been a favorite past time of mine. I had gotten into a bit of a 'reading rut' and didn't feel like what I was reading had a whole lot of substance. I was chatting one day with my mom and mentioned how I've always had this sort of 'closet' fascination with vampires. I expected her to look at me like I had two heads, but much to my surprise she asked if I'd heard of Stephenie Myer...and well, the rest is history. I bought the first book, Twilight, and finished it in two days. I seriously just couldn't put the book down. I rushed right out and bought books 2, 3 and 4 that day! So back to the point behind this post...The first book of the series was recently made into a motion picture (in case you've been living under a rock and hadn't heard) and Jimmy and I are going to see it in the theatre tonight!!!! This is so exciting for me because as many of you also know, Jimmy absolutely H-A-T-E-S going to the movie theatre. To put into perspective just how much he hates it, the last movie we saw together in the theatre was Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Seriously. Most of the time we just wait until the movie comes out on DVD (or is available On Demand) and watch in the comfort of our home. The downside to this, in my eyes, is that the excitement I have for seeing a particular movie has usually died down by the time the movie hits the rental store. After all, you can only avoid inadvertently reading reviews online for so long. Again, I digress... Back to my obsession: so, when I found out Twilight was being made into a movie, I didn't request, I actually demanded that Jimmy go see it with me! I even went so far as to say that going with him was all I really wanted for my birthday. Smart man that he is agreed to go AND got me a necklace from Tiffany and Co. :-) So, tonight is the big night. We are going to make a date night out of it - dinner, movie, no kids, the whole nine yards! I'm already resind to the fact that the movie won't be nearly as good as the book (are they ever???), but I'm just excited about the concept of a date night again. Now, if I can somehow get Jimmy to NOT make the annoying and oh-so-sarcastic comments he usually makes during movies that I like....wishful thinking, I know.

New Found Treasures...

Every so often, my mom (a.k.a. Mimi) gives me her camera and asks me to download her pictures. Usually that means that there are a couple of months worth of pics that mostly I didn't know existed. They are always a group of hodge-podge shots - some of them are wonderful, some just plain silly, but all of them will be cherished as precious memories... The VERY FIRST picture I have of our entire family!

Cameryn pretending to take a picture with her phone.

Birthday Celebration

Well, I'm yet another year older....28 as of November 7th. I'm creeping closer to the big 3-0, but that is o.k. because I'll never be as old as Jimmy!!! My dad's birthday is November 8th, so we always do a combo family birthday celebration. This year we got together at my parents house for dinner and cake. Cameryn and Owen had a blast, as usual. They are just the best buds. Reid slept most of the evening, but we were able to get a couple of pics with his eyes open. I got a beautiful necklace and earring set from mom and dad, a cosemtics bag and scarf from Chris, Tina & Owen and a GORGEOUS sterling silver necklace from my hubby and kids...did I mention that the necklace came in a little blue box from a little ol' place called Tiffany??? Love it!

4 Month Update

Weight: 9 pounds (even!) Length: 20.5 inches Proud accomplishments: Holding head steady, Rolling over from tummy to back, Sleeping 5 hours during the night, and SMILING!!! (The last one is mommy and daddy's favorite) Reid is 4 months old today! We had our check up with Dr. Kahn last Friday and were pleased to hear that everything is progressing wonderfully. Reid weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds even! Dr. Kahn was absolutely thrilled with his growth. Nine pounds puts him in the 25th percentile for weight (on the preemie growth chart). His head circumference was exactly 50th percentile. His length was only the 10th percentile, but that's not too shocking! Please keep the height jokes to a minimum :-) The only slightly disappointing news was that we were not able to get rid of the stinkin' heart monitor. He had five low heart rate episodes in October, so we have to keep the machine around for another 3 weeks. Dr. Kahn is 99% sure that the low heart rates were due to Reid's reflux problem, so she upped his dosage of Zantac. We were able to come off of his other reflux meds (Reglan) because it was causing him some pretty severe abdominal cramping and diarrhea - no fun at all! His last dose was last Friday morning and he's now really like a whole new baby! He doesn't grunt and groan all the time. Anyway, I'll have to have his monitor downloaded again (hopefully for the last time!) around Thanksgiving and then we'll go back in to see Dr. Kahn sometime during the first week in December. Wish us luck! Update news on Cameryn - we are really making progress with her potty training! She is so proud of herself when she remembers to go on the potty!

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

Well not frightful, but it sure is starting to get chilly! We had one nice day (low 70's) over the weekend and Reid and I spent some time laying on a blanket in the yard. He seemed to like being outside in the fresh air. I put him on his tummy, and he promptly rolled over onto his back. Guess he likes gazing at the heavens. I like to think he's communicating with Jameson :-)

We've had a few days in the 40's - I think we are in for a very cold winter. I've been watching the squirrels from my window at work...they are busily storing nuts for the coming months. I can't be sure, but for some reason, I think they usually start doing this in late December. We've had very mild winters for the last couple of years, so I guess we are due.

We are starting to pull out winter clothes for both Cameryn and Reid. Reid has so many clothes from his buddy Tyler who has outgrown his old stuff. Thanks Tyler! Reid just looked adorable in his little blue hoodie.

The Princess & The Great Pumpkin

Well, no surprise here...Cameryn LOVED trick or treating. She is such a social butterfly! She loved going up to people's houses and saying "twick o tweat!" And yes, I made sure she said "tank you' to everyone!!! Owen (Cameryn's cousin) was dressed as an Indian - well, minus the headdress. He wasn't a fan of having anything on his head. Cameryn on the other hand loved showing off her tiara. We dressed Reid in a pumpkin costume (the same one that Cameryn wore for her first Halloween), but he had to stay inside with Mimi. We're still on hold from actually taking Reid out in public. Once the sugar high started wearing off, things got a little dicey. It was WAY past Princess Cameryn's bedtime, but with all of the excitement, she wasn't real interested in sleeping. All in all, I'd say Halloween '08 was a success. Of course, the day after Cameryn was ready to go trick or treating again. She doesn't quite grasp the concept that it's a 'once a year' type of thing. Now we have to start gearing up for SANTA!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! As you can see, I've changed the title of this blog. I decided that we are past Reid's difficult NICU journey and should now focus on our lives at home. And the blog will now be all about the whole family and our happenings. I'll continue to update Reid's growth progress - keep in mind that he is really (gestationally) only one month old! That is still so hard for me to believe. It's funny because when you look at him, he does physically look like a one month old - 8 pounds, 7 ounces as of last night. BUT, he is doing so many things that older babies are able to do. He holds his head up pretty well and focuses very intently on everything. He has also rolled over already, which is something that no newborn can do. So all in all he is really catching up! Oh, and this is one happy mama because Mr. Reid slept for 5 straight hours last night!!! We are heading out for Uncle Chris and Aunt Tina's house tonight for some fun trick-or-treating. As most of you know, Jimmy and I live in an 'active adult' community - we are far and away the youngest family in the neighborhood, so trick or treating wouldn't be a whole lot of fun. It would just be one little princess going from door to door. Anyway, I'll of course take lots of pics of Cinderella (Cameryn) and the little pumpkin (Reid) and will post early next week.

Closing in on 8 lbs!

As of last night, Reid now weighs 7 pounds, 14 ounces - only two more ounces before we hit the big 8 pound mark! My friend Amanda's little girl Addison was born two weeks before Reid and weighed 8 pounds at birth....so, we're a little behind, but making GREAT progress! It's hard for me to explain well enough in writing just how small Reid is compared to another baby his age. So, I've posted the pic to show you all. The first picture above is of Reid & his buddy Brady Wendt. Brady is the son of Erich Wendt (Jimmy's old college roomate). Brady was born two weeks before Reid - hard to believe! The picture was taken about three weeks ago, so Reid HAS gotten bigger! I think I am going to take Reid back to visit the NICU nurses and Dr. Ahmed during the second week of November. That will be nice to see them all again and I can't wait to see their faces when they see how much Reid has grown. Cameryn is doing well. She has been on Orapred (an oral steroid) for about three days. She had a nasty cold which was causing her to cough and of course when she coughs her asthma kicks in. It's just a vicious little cycle she has to deal with. I hope she grows out of her asthma issues. I've also included a couple of pics from our weekend trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Reid had to stay home with Mimi - he can't go out in public places for a long time. I look forward to next fall when we can get pics of our WHOLE family!

Well Rested

So, it's been WAY too long since I've updated the blog. I don't really even have an excuse! Nona has been in town for a whole week now and I've certainly been able to catch up on some much needed sleep. I will try my best to get back into a routine of updating at least a couple of times a week. Mr. Reid is all the way up to 7 pounds 5 ounces! He really does look and act like any newborn baby would - except for the fact that he's actually 3 months old now (as of Oct. 10th). He is doing some pretty incredible things though. He can hold up his head really well. He also rolled over from his tummy to his back a couple of times this past weekend. I still haven't witnessed it myself, but Nona and Aunt Janine both saw him do it. So I'll take there word for it! Speaking of Aunt Janine, we had a wonderul visit with her this past weekend. She finally got to meet Reid and spent many hours holding and feeding him. She also had a chance to spend some quality time with Cameryn. They went shopping and had lunch together on Saturday. I think she has become Cameryn's favorite person in the whole world. No kidding. We already miss her so much. Reid is still eating about every three to four hours and eats between 2 1/2 and 3 ounces per feeding. Apparently he ate every 2 hours while Nona was on duty last night - maybe another growth spurt??? He is starting to enjoy bath time too. We go back to the Dr. on Nov. 7th (happy birthday me!). I think he'll be due for a few more vaccines then, but I'm not exactly sure which ones. Cameryn has come down with another cold, so we are having to be SUPER careful at home. Lots and lots of hand washing! It's very hard for a two year old to understand why she can't give her baby kisses on the face though. We try to explain, but she just doesn't get it. Hopefully she'll get better soon. She did just get her flu shot yesterday, so that should take care of that. Until next time....

Cameryn & Reid

Finally, we've taken some pictures of big sis Cameryn with her baby brother. She LOVES 'her baby' and wants to spend all her time in his room 'helping.' It's really very cute. Today is my first day at work with Reid. As most of you know, I work for a small home builder. Our office is in the basement of his home and it's just me and my dad that work there. I've even got a small nursery set up for him here! I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Reid with me to work. He won't be able to go to daycare for at least a year (because of his weak immune system), so this is really a life saver. The only monitor Reid is still using is the apnea/brady monitor. I still have the pulse ox and oxygen at the house for emergency situations. Dr. Kahn actually said we could stop using the pulse ox, but I haven't gotten up the courage to do so yet! It's amazing how dependent you become upon machines! Our next doctors appointment isn't until Oct. 3rd, so no weight updates until then. It should be a huge increase though! I'm hoping for 7 pounds! Oh, and Reid has graduated from preemie diapers to newborn!!! He can still squeeze into his preemie clothes, but I like to put him in newborn clothes too. He sort of swims in them right now, but that's o.k. He'll be out of those in no time!

Look How Far We've Come!!!!

These two pics were taken exactly 2 months apart -- simply AMAZING! And yes, those are little fat rolls you see under his chin! :-)

Update

Reid's in-home nurse came by yesterday to weigh him and answer questions. He now weighs 5 pounds, 15 ounces!!!! At this rate, he'll be between 7 and 8 pounds by his original due date. Speaking of, hard to imagine but Reid really wasn't supposed to be born for another 2 1/2 weeks (Oct. 4)! I look at him now and can't imagine having TWO in my belly - I would have been H-U-G-E!!! For the most part, Reid is eating every 3 hours. I think he went through a bit of a growth spurt last week b/c he was eating more like every 2 - 2 1/2 hours. He sleeps well too, as long as he is swaddled. He still rarely cries, but grunts a lot! It's very cute. He is also holding his head up for short periods of time. We have another appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow at noon - I'm betting he's over 6 pounds! Just as a comparison, Cameryn weighed exactly 6 pounds when she was born at 38 weeks gestation. She was pretty tiny her whole first year, but look at her now! Cameryn is really starting to come around. She was very scared of all the wires and alarms at first, but now likes spending a lot of time in his room. And she has made it very clear that Reid is 'her baby!' Can't wait to see these two interacting with each other in the coming months and years - I think they will be great buddies!

Off of Oxygen!

Well, Reid has been off of his supplemental oxygen for 3 days! You can finally see his whole beautiful face - cannula free!

We went to the pediatrician last Friday and found out that Reid gained 10 ounces in one week!!! He seems to like being home :-)

I'm at home with him today, so I'll just post some pics and I'll write more tomorrow...

Exhausted, but soooooo happy!

NOTE: Please excuse any spelling and/or grammar errors as I am quite sleep deprived & probably a little delirious (all you moms out there can understand!). So if you come across a run on sentence or two....just go with it! ******************** We are all doing well - just adjusting to having Reid at home! He came home last Thursday after 56 days in the NICU - not too bad. He did wind up coming home with an apnea monitor, oxygen and a pulse ox machine, so that has been kind of tough. It is a lot of equipment and it is pretty heavy, so I've pretty much lived in his nursery for the past few days(except for Dr.'s visits). Jimmy has become Mr. Mom and takes care of Cameryn, cooks, cleans and does the laundry while I am on 24-7 Reid watch. My mom has been great and has come down a few nights to take care of him. The apnea monitor hasn't truly gone off yet, but the pulse ox machine beeps (loudly!) whenever his oxygen saturation drops below 87%. It also beeps whenever Reid squirms around - which is a lot! So pretty much the alarm sounds all day and all night - not fun. Pulse ox alarm = no sleep for Shari. He has been doing great at home though. He weighed 5 pounds at his first Dr.'s appt. (last Friday) - he will only be weiged once a week now. His only official diagnosis's where chronic lung disease and a reflux problem. Obviously he will grow out of the reflux problem and eventually will be ok with the chronic lung disease as well. From my understanding, his lung tissue is scarred right now (just from being so premature), but he will continue to put on healthy lung tissue until about the age of 8. We just have to be SUPER careful this first year or so with keeping him away from germs - Flu season is just around the corner :-( Reid has an in-home nurse that comes out twice a week to check his vitals and answer any questions we have. He also will go to the pediatrician (Dr. Kahn) every Friday until he reaches 6 pounds - just to make sure he is thriving at home. Don't think that is going to be a problem though - he ate 105 cc's in one sitting two nights ago. I'm not kidding. He usually only eats about 50. That's my little piglet -- GROW REID, GROW! I know everyone wants to meet Reid, but I think it will have to be a few months before he can have visitors. We've been cautioned to limit the number of people around him for a while - again with the germs. I'm not calling anyone germy, but you know... That's all for now. I'll TRY to post some new pics soon... Signed, Sleepless in Snellville :-)

Reid is FINALLY coming home!!!!!

Looks like our son will finally be coming home.....TOMORROW (happy birthday Tina!!!)!! We are so excited! There are several things that are happening today. Reid is scheduled for his circumcision this morning - ouch! I then have to meet some people at the hospital to learn how to work Reid's apnea monitor & oxygen. Once I've done that, we have to test Reid out in his infant car seat - to make sure he does o.k. with his breathing. Reid also has to get his HepB shot and Synagis shot (helps fight against RSV which preemies are especially susceptible to). It will be a very busy day! Jimmy and I are required to 'room in' with Reid at the hospital tonight. We will be completely responsible for him, but will be right there at the hospital if we have a problem with his monitor or have any last minute questions. I think it's a good idea. Hopefully we will be heading home with Reid tomorrow around noon time! Cameryn will FINALLY get to meet her baby brother! We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and video and will post. Well, it looks like Reid's NICU journey is coming to an end! I will continue to blog about our life at home, so keep checking back!!! Thanks to everyone for all the support.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

It's still amazing to me to see what a difference just one week makes! Reid now weighs 5 pounds!!! And he is all but off of his nasal cannulas. The nurses have the oxygen turned down as low as possible and are taking the cannulas out periodically throughout the day to see how he does breathing all on his own. He does pretty well - still needs a few days of practice! I've known for a while now that my little man has quite an appetite. He surpised even me last night when he finished his entire bottle in 7 minutes flat! He was hungry! Dr. Ahmed has been on vacation for the last 5 days - Dr. Smith filled in for him while he was away. He was very nice, but I'll be glad to have Dr. A back. I should get a tentative 'going home' date very soon! I'm hoping to have Reid home by this weekend - or early next week at the latest! So excited!!!!

Kinda Scary....But Good!

Looks like Reid might be coming home next week! As I've stated before, this is very exciting for us, but also very nerve wracking! We did find out that Reid will definitely be coming home with an apnea monitor. This is more of a precautionary measure and will monitor his heart rate. If his heart rate drops below 100 bpm (bradycardia), a loud alarm will sound. Hopefully we will never hear that alarm! For a definition of bradycardia and all that goes along with it, scroll to the bottom of this blog. Dr. Ahmed did look back at Reid's chart and he hasn't had a single bradycardia episode documented for 6 days! Originally the thought of bringing Reid home with a monitor was scary; now I think it would be twice as scary not to have one! I could just picture myself and Jimmy standing over Reid all night just to make sure he was breathing. Dr. Ahmed is doing everything he can to get Reid off of oxygen before he comes home. He has been on very little oxygen the last few days; he seems to need it most when he is feeding. If he does come home on oxygen, it will only be for a very short time. Speaking of feeding, our little man is taking almost all of his feeds on his own! The feeding tube is only used when he is just too tired to eat - the nurses say it's the lazy man's way of getting full! I gave Reid a bottle today and he ate all 40 cc's in about 30 minutes! He has made such progress in the last few weeks. He is now 4 pounds, 8 ounces - almost double his birth weight! ********************** A little info on bradycardia and apnea in preemies (copied from a University website):

What is apnea? Apnea is a pause in breathing that has one or more of the following characteristics: Lasts more than 15-20 seconds Is associated with the baby's color changing to pale, purplish, or blue Is associated with bradycardia or a slowing of the heart rate What is bradycardia? Bradycardia is a slowing of the heart rate, usually to less than 100 beats per minute for a premature baby. Bradycardia often follows apnea or periods of very shallow breathing. What is desaturation? A decrease in the percentage of oxygen found in the circulating blood supply. In premature infants a saturation below 85 is considered below normal. In most infants, oxygen is adjusted to keep the oxygen saturation 92-96%. **Shari's Note: this is where Jameson ran into major problems - his oxygen level never rose about 20%, even with the ventilator. Why do premature babies have apnea? Premature babies have immature respiratory centers in the brain that "forget" to tell the baby to breathe. Premature infants normally have bursts of big breaths followed by periods of shallow breathing or pauses. Apnea is most common when the baby is sleeping. Will apnea of prematurity go away? As your baby gets older, his/her breathing will become more regular. The time course is variable. Usually apnea of prematurity markedly improves or goes away by the time the baby nears his/her due date. Shari's Note: Reid's actual due date was supposed to be October 4th. Once apnea goes away, will it come back? No, if the apnea is a result of immaturity. Once a baby matures and the apnea resolves, it will not return. If a baby should have breathing pauses after apnea goes away, it is not apnea of prematurity. It is due to some other problem and needs to be discussed with your baby's physician. This is very uncommon.

Getting Closer to a Homecoming!!!

Reid just amazes all of us daily with his progress. He has jumped all the way up to 4 pounds, 5 ounces and is doing remarkably well. He was moved into an open air crib (no more enclosed isolette), and was moved into the 'big boy' nursery. I call it that because it is for the healthier and bigger babies who need less monitoring. His feeding tube was moved and now runs through his nose and down into his stomach. They've done this so that he can really practice eating on his own. It was hard for him to get a good suction with the tube in his mouth. His Brady episodes have all but stopped (not a single one documented in the last 24 hours!) and his oxygen levels are much much better. All great news!!!!

Dr. Ahmed thinks Reid might be ready to come home in about two weeks! We are very very excited!

Cameryn is doing better. She is on a TON of medicine right now. We had some blood work testing done on her earlier in the week to check for known allergies (food and environmental). Hopefully we can then at least try to figure out what may be triggering her asthma. We should get the results in another week or so. Wish us luck!

I'll update more later...