Together

This last weekend was simply wonderful! Stephen surprised me a few weeks ago and bought a ticket to come and see Andrew and I here in Utah. It has been over a month since he left we are really starting to feel it. We both knew this was apart of the PLAN we had...but we've really learned the meaning to the phrase "easier said than done". I'll admit, it's been pretty tough on both ends. I loved having him around this weekend and seeing him be a dad. It was very rejuvenating for both of us. We are both very torn. He wishes he could be here helping and seeing Andrew grow and I wish I could be there to help support him as he starts his new job, unpacks everything and gets settled into our new place. Needless to say Andrew got lots of Daddy time this weekend and loved every minute of it.  Stephen now has a little bit better understanding of what life is like with a little one. :) Here's some of my favorite pics I just couldn't resist in taking.

4 Months

Our little guy is getting so big and growing so fast....which is a huge blessing! Here's a bit about him.

Weight: 7lbs 8oz

He's acting like a typical newborn and although he's four months old, we go by his 'adjusted age' (or when he should have been born) for all the developmental stuff. This little one is having some good awake times throughout the day and is happy and content.  It is so fun to see him intently look around and kick.  He loves, loves, loves to be held. He also loves to fall asleep on your shoulder...it's his favorite. He loves to be swaddled up tight and will always check to see if your still there by opening one eye. He is soooo strong. Being a preemie he's had a lot of tummy time (compared to a newborn) and can really arch his back and hold his head up. Although it's still heavy for him. He's getting better control of that big noggin' of his.

He's still on oxygen, but a very minimal amount and is doing great! I try so hard to keep that little nasal cannula in his nose, but the darn thing has a mind of it's own. It's a good thing that Andrew is hardly needing it. I went to check on him during a nap and this is what I found. It was about 3 inches from his little nose and the monitor said his "sats" were at 100. I'm not sure how long he'd wiggled them loose, but I had to grab a picture to prove to Stephen that he's doing awesome.

 Andrew sure has gotten lots of love and attention from family and friends. His cousins are fascinated by how little he is and are so excited that he's home. Here they are staying "A Distance" from him the first time they met him.

.

Uncle Mike Enjoying some time with Andrew

 My cute little niece loves babies. So it's no surprise when she pretends to be mommy and imitates what I do, with her doll. Here we are feeding bottles to our babies. So fun!!! I just love her to pieces.

Becoming A Big Eater

I just have to announce that it has been a whole week since Andrew has needed his feeding tube!!! WAHOOO! Everyone at the hospital told me he would do a lot better once he was home and he had someone consistent feeding him each time.  I didn't know if I dared believed them or not, but they were exactly right!
When Andrew was released from the hospital he came home with a nasogastric (NG) tube.  This bright orange tube coming out of his nose is what Stephen and I had to practice putting in before he could be released. At the hospital, he was eating about 40%-60% orally. In just 48 hours after coming home our little Andrew shot up and started eating about 75% orally. He'd have good days and bad days, but overall was doing so much better than at the hospital. I found this NG tube to be very convenient when it came time to give him his medicine. We'd just dose it up and put it in, whether he was awake or asleep it didn't matter.

Every few days his little fingers would get a hold of it and pull it right out. It wasn't a big deal...through a few tears and a bit of crying, we'd just put it right back in. Well, he'd been doing awesome with eating everything 100% orally and so last Monday, when he pulled it out again, I decided to see if he could go without needing it. The biggest thing I wasn't sure about was giving him his medicine orally.

So far...he's done awesome. He takes his medicine really well, I was a bit surprised at this as some smell pretty nasty. Also, it sometimes takes a little while to get an entire feeding down, but it is so worth not having that extra tube coming out of his nose.  When we went to the doctor last Friday, he said that he's been gaining good weight and that he's been doing just fine with out the NG tube. We're so excited....another step in the right direction!

Home, Sweet, Home

On July 3rd, after 101 days in the hospital, our little Andrew was able to come home with us! It was a fantastic 4th of July surprise!!! We've been enjoying his little spirit the past few days and it has been simply wonderful to have him home.  In May, Stephen decided he'd buy a ticket to come and visit the for the holiday weekend, we had no idea that we'd be bringing home our sweet baby boy. We hadn't expected him to come home until middle/end of July or even August. Although, I have a feeling that the hospital was being extra kind, since Andrew was so close to coming home. They pushed and just tried to do everything so we could have him come home while Stephen was here.

It was such a surprise and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when the nurse told me last week that he'd be able to come home on Sunday.  Sunday? Really? I certainly wasn't ready for this news and kind of panicked....in a good way. A combination of these boys being our first, them coming early before I could have any showers and moving to Chicago, I pretty much had nothing for this baby to come home to. Good thing for sisters who are generous to let me barrow a bunch of things. Stephen and I also went shopping Saturday morning and grabbed some necessities like...well uh diapers, bottles and such....a must with a little one. :)  I just had to laugh at how we were shopping. We'd walk up and down the isle at the store and think...."oh yeah, we'd probably need some of this..." Other customers, must of had a good laugh or be complete confused at why we were acting this way.

On Friday, Stephen flew in and we drove straight up to the hospital, spent most of the day there meeting and talking with people.  There was a huge checklist of things we had to complete before we could take him home. We had to meet with all sorts of people on his team, developmental therapist, dietitian, car seat squad, home healthcare specialist etc.

Before we could come home, all of us had to pass certain tests...

• Andrew had to pass what they call his "car seat test". This is where they do some trial runs with him in his car seat while he's still attached to all of his monitors. They especially look to see if he can keep breathing while in the curved position a car seat puts him in. He passed this with flying colors!
• Since he was coming home with a NG feeding tube, both Stephen and I had to demonstrate competency in handling this. We had to learn how to check for placement, as well as practice putting it in. Poor Andrew...doesn't like this procedure at all. Both of us had to do it a few times before we felt comfortable with it. He was a trooper with his inexperienced mom and dad.
• The biggest of all the tests was that Stephen and I had to pass was to "Room-In" as they call it. Basically we packed our bags and had to spend 12 hours through the night in a little room they have in the unit, with just us doing everything for him. No nurses. Just mom and dad. We went from 8pm Saturday night to 8am Sunday morning and pretended that we were at home. This was our time to ask questions and work out all the bugs, with his oxygen monitors we'd have at home and all the medications we'd be giving him etc. Here's a picture I snapped early in the morning and yup....that's Stephen crashed on the couch. We basically camped out on the couch/floor while Andrew was still in his little crib. We survived the night with very little sleep. I think the nurses thought that Stephen slept the whole night, because we had to call them in every 3 hours after doing his "cares". They would take his diaper and weigh it and get all the other measurements that we'd do for them, so they could chart the info. Each time they came in Stephen was sound asleep. But what they didn't know was that he'd get up during the in-between times to keep Andrew asleep so I could get an hour or two of sleep before he had to eat again. We were pretty tired after spending our first night with our boy, but the adrenalin was certainly rushing and keeping us wide awake.

It sure has been great to have him here and for us to finally be mommy and daddy round the clock and out of the hospital. It's almost surreal to have him home after such a long stay in the hospital.

Enjoying some tummy time with daddy before he heads back to Chicago

Celebrating the 4th of July as a Family

Yesterday we headed into the doctor for his first check-up and he is doing great! He's gaining weight and looking good. He now weighs 6lbs 14 oz. We're slowly adjusting to this "new normal" and having him home. With Stephen in Chicago, I certainly couldn't do it alone.  I am so grateful for my family's help for the next month until I can be with him.

Welcome home Andrew!!! We LOVE you!