Dr. Appointments

So last Wednesday, Gunnar had his first Pediatrician appointment. He was up to 6lb 1oz. Wow. He is just gaining fast now that he's figured out how to eat. Everything else looked good. She referred him to a pulmonologist to get him off the O2. She thinks that he might be off of it soon - and not as long as the neonatologist suggested - which was like 2 or 4 months.

We've survived a whole week having him home. It really is amazing how much your life DOES revolve around feeding, changing and trying to sleep. I was able to catch up a little with sleep this weekend with Dan home, so that was nice.

Today we had a second checkup. Now he's at 6lbs 7oz. The Dr. is VERY impressed with his weight gain - especially since usually when babies go home, they lose weight initially. We've already made our appointment for next week. Next week will be very busy, as we have a couple different dr. appointments, and the school shower to go to. Will be fun.

He's Home

OK, I have to shout it out!! He's Home Now!!!!!

We had hoped that he would be home before this weekend, but the Dr. told us that it would be monday because they wanted to take him off 1 more medicine before they sent him home. So they took him off the medicine for the fluid in the lungs and watched him over the weekend. He gained weight and actually seemed to do a lot better sleeping with his respitory sensor.

I spent Friday up at the hospital "nesting". Most of the nurses didn't really understand why, when I have been up there most of the time anyway. It gave me something to do, and made me finish my "Thank You" cards. :)

This weekend we spent finding those last minute things that we didn't get in a shower that we felt we "HAD" to have to be ready for him.

Monday morning, I had a Dr. Appt myself. My Dr. still wants me on Blood pressure meds - as they were still a little high - but no where near what they had been. Then I went to the hospital to wait on the discharge papers for Gunnar.

Since the nurses all know me by now, when the Dr was making his rounds - she commented that I was just waiting for the OK for him to be released. They asked me a few more questions, like when I have my Ped. appointment and followup care that they want for his eyes, but then they started signing the papers.

Here he is in his new car seat. This is in the car.

And all that excitement had him worn out. He is snuggled into his bed and already asleep.

A Wonderful surprise

Well, with today being my birthday, I really didn't expect too much. Our lives have obviously just been consumed with the process of getting Gunnar home. So I'm going to start with yesterday...

When I got the hospital at 11 yesterday, the nurse told me that Gunnar had taken the last 3 bottles all in a row. He's never even taken 2 in a row before so we were excited. Then for the next 3 bottles that I fed him he also took. He definately knows how to build excitement. On that 6th one, it was a different nurse, and as we got in to get him changed, we noticed that Gunnar had pulled out his feeding tube. I guess he was telling us he was ready to move out. So, since 2 am yesterday, Gunnar has been "nippling" the bottles.

Now today when I went in, the nurse is indicating all these different proceedures that need to be done before he's discharged. I have to attend a CPR class, the home monitor has to be ordered (he will come home on O2.), we have to have a car seat check, and if we want to try "nesting" there at the hospital - to make sure that everything will go smoothly, and we won't have questions trying to take care of him, as well as any of the equiptment. I couldn't believe my ears. As long as all goes according to plan, he should be coming home this weekend. WOW - it's amazing to think that we will actually get him home. And then for the scary part, lol, we have to be the parents now, and take wonderful care of him.

He will get home care, since he is coming home on the O2 monitor - as well as being followed by an AZ program to make sure there are not developmental delays due to being so early. We are just so excited about this now.

OK, so now for other news.

Dan got a new job. His title is Project Engineer. This is a step in the direction of why he has been attending school. He starts tomorrow. OK, now for those of you that know Dan - picture him in an office setting, wearing polo shirts and working the computers. :) About as opposite as you can get from what he has been doing. He's excited to start this new adventure. I'm excited for him. Not only is it a move up, it's a better company, but I don't have to worry about him cutting a finger off with his snips. :)

Nothing really new on my part. Here is the "Douty" chair that everyone helped get for us for the baby room. Thank you to all that helped with this - and I promise, one of my goals is to get out all the Thank You notes from the shower. I had quite the workout putting all the clothes in the dresser from the baby shower. It's been quite exciting getting ready for Gunnar, that's for sure.

Anyone recognize the outfit?

Here is Dan holding Gunnar right after his bath.

Another update

So I'm officially able to now drive. Dan is very excited. Although he says he didn't mind taking me back and forth to the hospital, and having to go grocery shopping with me... I know it was wearing on his nerves. I no longer even have a bandage on my incision. The Home Care Nurses are surprised at how fast I have healed. I'm glad. I didn't want to carry anything around anymore, and it's not fun not being able to take a shower anytime I wanted.

I just got back from the hospital, and Gunnar was as of last night 5lb 1 oz. WOW a little porker. :) Although he does have some fluid in his lungs from being on O2 so long, so he's taking some medicine to get rid of that, the nurses indicated that they do want to see him lose a little of the weight so they know he's getting that fluid out. He is doing great otherwise. He knows WHAT to do when we try to breast feed, although doesn't suck long enough to get much. He is doing well on the bottle though. He finished a little over 1/2 of his meal this morning by bottle.

He loves to sleep on his tummy - which might be hard to break him of that habit once we get him home, as that's how I sleep.

A little closer to coming home

So Gunnar's eye infection is cleared up. That is very good. Although because he tested positive for MSRA (the staph infection), he will be kept in the isolation room until he is discharged. He is probably happy about that, his own private room. The bad part about it, is that we will have to continue to glove/gown to visit him. The grey area in that is I can start to breast feed him. I was very apprehensive about the whole thing, but it seemed to go ok.

The nurse was there almost the whole time, and it's very weird having someone you really don't know watch you. AND when I wasn't holding him correctly, or "pushing" him onto my nipple, she showed me... (she did ask if she could touch me first... what am I going to say to that one????? )

I finally got him "latched" on, and she said not to expect much other than him just holding on and trying out the feeling. However, Gunnar went for it - and tried sucking almost immediately. I know at one point, he got a mouthful, and I was surprised, because I didn't think that he was sucking hard enough to get anything yet.

He did get very tired, so we finished the feeding through the gavage, and called it a night. it will be fun to try again.

Some new pictures

So I thought I would post a couple new pics, as I havn't done it in a while. Here is a pic of me holding Gunnar.

I looked further down the blog, and now some of you can see at least in my face, how much weight I have lost. :)

And Here is Grandma changing Gunnar's clothes the other day after he decided to pee all over the place when I was changing his diaper.

And Finally, here is Amy, getting to see Gunnar in his open crib. I forgot to have the camera ready when she changed his diaper.

Growing up

So he is now 4 lb 6.5 oz. Wow - he's gained a little over a pound. I can tell a difference. He is no longer JUST skin and bones. He is actually starting to get some meat on his bones.

Because he has been doing so well in the weight department, he now has his big boy bed. He is in an open crib. It's nice to be able to reach in and touch him - although because of the caution with his eye infection, we still have to glove/gown up.

They also started trying to feed him via bottle. He gets a couple of swallows in, then decides it's too much work. He is still a week ahead of really being able to do that. He is technically 34 weeks old (gestationally) and they say around 35 weeks is when they magically seem to get eating.

The nurse today started talking about discharge proceedures. It makes me hopeful that we might bring him home earlier than expected. That would certainly be nice.

Mom and I went up to the hospital for his 8 o'clock feeding, so I could try to feed him via bottle, so mom got a chance to change his clothes - since he conveniently peed before I got the diaper completely on him.. which left a mess. It's hard to be quick with all the leads and wires that go everywhere, and to do it with gloves on, is even more challenging. He was too tired to really try the bottle for a second time today, so I just held him while the machines pumped it into him. It's ok, there is an end in sight. :)