getting into the Christmas spirit

Wide awake

Nealon keeps inching closer to the 5lb mark every day.  Last night he had a great feeding time with Sarah, and was alert during most of our visit.  He then had his hearing tested, and passed with flying colors.  The transition to Redwood City continues to go well, though we’re still figuring out the best schedule for being with him in the noisier nursery.  We’ve also had a chance to try out some new outfits.

Enjoying time with mom

First song? Any guesses?

Our Christmas Elf

my how much you’ve grown

Birthday

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Happy 3 Week Birthday, Nealon!

Today, the big guy weighed in at 4lb 12oz, putting on nearly a full pound in 3 weeks.  If you or I were to weigh in 25% heavier in 3 weeks, that would be astonishing.  Amazing how little bodies work this way.

One step closer to home!

On Thursday, we got fabulous news – Nealon was doing well and a bed had opened up for him in an Intermediate Nursery in Redwood City!  When he reached the point of having his PICC line removed and they suggested that a transfer to Redwood City was possible, we didn’t get our hopes up too much (they had been trying for 2 weeks to transfer him to the NICU at Santa Clara).  At the same time, we had been growing more and more weary and a move seemed ideal.

The move has been wonderful!  A small nursery, very nice nurses and doctors, a more laid back environment, and only 15 minutes from home!  There is also a room that Sarah can use for pumping, naps, and eventually to stay in overnight when Nealon progresses further with breastfeeding.  As well, we are now within walking distance to good options for taking breaks.

Things going on in Nealon’s life in the past few days:

PICC line removed!

Move to an open crib!

Wearing clothing!  Shirts at least!

'I like being naked'

A ride in a fancy isolette.  A trip across the San Francisco Bay.

No more nasal cannula!

Still practicing breastfeeding and will start working on taking a bottle soon!

When we moved, they told us to expect a few steps back.  Nealon’s steps back have only been minor.  The nurses are impressed – both by his progress and amazing good looks!

Please continue to pray for Nealon’s growth and progress.  Pray for good health and stamina for us!

'Getting dressed makes me tired'

transfer!!

Called up an hour ago to find out that Nealon can be transferred today to the hospital in Redwood City! This is the hospital that Sarah would have delivered in if there hadn’t been complications. We are so thankful that Nealon continues to make good progress. We are also thankful for the care that he has received in Hayward. Please pray for a safe transfer.

a little PICC me up

Blowing kisses?

Nealon hit 4 and a half pounds today!  sometimes he looks SO big and sometimes he looks SO small!

Last shot with the PICC

in other news, his PICC line was taken out today.  20+ cm of a tiny tube that ran through a vein starting in his ankle and ending in this chest.  Sarah was able to watch one of our favorite nurses remove the line.  Nealon did a great job (as did the nurse)!  since he is now off of IV nutrition, they will add a small amount of fortifier to the breastmilk to provide him with extra calories. at 8:30 this evening he was up to 35 ml per feeding.  the goal is 40 ml.  as long as things progress, he’ll be there in 5 more feedings.

milk. it does a body good.

Nealon is starting to get a little chubby.  In his two weeks, he has added a half a pound to his birth weight, now at 4lbs 5oz.  He continues to have steady progress in the other departments, and he is continuing to be more alert to his surroundings.  In the above picture, he is working on focusing on a photograph of the 3 of us that we taped to the side of his isolette.

“raisin!”

when she was 15 months old, Sarah pulled off her brother’s umbilical cord and exclaimed, “raisin!”  today, Nealon’s raisin fell off (without Sarah’s help).

today, Nealon weighed in at 4lb 3oz, so he keeps moving in the right direction.  this gain is attributed to his improving digestion and increase in feeding amounts.  and the practice breast feeding probably hasn’t hurt either.  the doctor hopes to have him off of the IV by the end of the weekend, and is starting to reduce O2 again.

the doctor has also encouraged us to not wait to get things ready at home.  in that spirit, Luke installed the car seat today.  the doctor also suggested that we go see our final movie together, so we think that we might take advantage of the expensive baby sitter sooner than later.  there is still not a time frame for his homecoming, but it still seems like it will be by Christmas.

we’ve been extremely encouraged by the thoughtfulness of our church, family, and friends.  so many, many big and small needs are being met!  amazing!

“we’re out of H1N1 vaccine, but would you like a tetanus shot?”

Sizing up

As Sarah was being discharged last week, the nurse was unable to get the swine flu vaccine. The title of the post is a quote from her. Great in case Sarah wants to walk around outside barefoot! Thankfully we both got the right vaccine yesterday amidst the frenzy of children and parents.

Out from underneath the hat

Over the past two days, Sarah has spent a total of 16 hours at and around the hospital.  She and Nealon have gotten to cuddle for at least 6 of those hours.  During that time, they were able to try breast feeding.  The nurses and lactation consultant have been blown away by Nealon’s skills.  We have an over-achiever at 32 weeks.

A new hat

Today the little guy weighed in at 4lbs!  His digestion has improved, and they are increasing his feedings steadily (no longer on a drip).  They’ve moved him back to 2l of O2.  He’s breathing on his own, but they’re hoping to help his chest and lungs grow stronger.

Oh, hi there

He’s looking bigger and seems more alert each day.

Happy in mommy's arms

Family pic, week 2

sweet home… what?

On our way into the hospital this morning, we were greeted by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic “Sweet Home Alabama”, blaring from the outdoor smoothie hut.  We were both struck by the odd juxtaposition of Southern Rock against a Northern California palm-tree-lined skyline, where most of the accents are anything but southern.  We’ve been fascinated by the diversity of the patients, families, and staff of the hospital.

Looking at daddy

Once in the NICU, we were greeted by a nice nurse, a good report, and our favorite neonatalogist yet!  The feeding had gone well last night, Nealon is almost back to his birth weight, and his breathing seems to be going a little better.  If you look at some of the other pictures you will see an indentation in his chest.  Their hope is that it will go away and that his chest will continue to fill out.  Today we thought it looked better and the doc made the same observation upon her examination!  They’ve dropped him down to 1 L of room O2.  That’s the lowest it gets before they take him off of the nasal cannula, which is there to keep some extra air flowing.

The ultrasound on Nealon’s head went well yesterday.  No bleeding or abnormalities were found.   Unless he starts exhibiting any unexplained behavior, they probably won’t have to do another ultrasound on his head at all.

Continue to pray for his breathing and digestion to develop further.

Isolette or Space transport?

Sarah’s parents left this morning.  Anne flew in the Sunday evening of Nealon’s birth and Neal came out on Friday.  It was wonderful to have them here.  Unfortunately, due to the visiting policies, Neal never got to meet Nealon.  Anne was able to meet him just hours before the new CDC recommended visiting policy reached the NICU.  They kept us well fed, the house clean, encouraged us, as well as put up a ceiling fan in Nealon’s room and put up a Christmas tree!

Sarah and parents

behind the name

His 1st thumb?

first up, an update.  Saturday, a nurse removed the line going in through his umbilical that had been there to draw blood and deliver IV fluids.  they take this out to prevent infections, as well as give this area the chance to close up and heal.  the doctor had hoped that Nealon would have been far enough along in his development to not need a line for much longer, but since his digestion is still slow, he feels that Nealon needs a PICC line (instead of a standard IV) in order to deliver the nutrients his body needs that he isn’t getting.  the nurse placed the line at his right ankle, and now Nealon has a little board taped to his foot to keep the line entry site stable (just one more board and he’ll be on his first set of skis!).

Flexing

by Saturday, Nealon was off the billi light, which meant plenty of holding time on Saturday for mom and dad.  with his umbilical line gone, he was able to be swaddled for the first time.  this gave both of us a chance to hold him during the same feeding period, with the flexibility to let Sarah go pump and then let Luke go wash bottles.

Swaddled sleeper

the coming week holds a lot more time for Nealon to start putting some meat on his bones, as his digestion hopefully gets into better gear.  the doctor has been trying different methods to find how Nealon’s stomach digests best, but still no signs of regular digestion.  currently, he is receiving 1mL of breastmilk per hour on a constant drip.  on Monday, Nealon will have a an ultrasound of his brain to make sure that there isn’t any internal bleeding or other side effects from the care he’s receiving.

Measuring up

in honor of Nealon’s 7th day since birth (has it only been a week?), we thought we’d give a little background on his name.  ”Nealon” came together from a couple of names we were considering.  Neal is Sarah’s father’s name, which was one of the family names we were thinking about.  we were also considering names of hymnwriters, and Newton was at the top of that list (for John Newton, writer of “Amazing Grace” and many other hymns).  on a baby name site, we saw that Nealon was a name similar to Newton.  it’s an Irish name, meaning “champion”.  we settled on it about an hour before Nealon hit the stage.  it is a fun coincidence that Nealon has his very own park to play at just around the corner!

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