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!!!!