So there was something special about the big boy bed that I did not mention yesterday. All of that extra real estate was necessary so that he could have play dates with his brother! We have to tread carefully here because it puts both boys at risk in a way. Trevor could bring in an illness from outside the hospital and give it to Brendan. Or Trevor could pick up a nasty bug from in the hospital and get ill himself. We have been real stingy about allowing anyone to visit, especially during cold and flu season, and we appreciate everyone’s patience. The boys having a chance to bond with each other is important!
It really is a very special day, the boys have not been near each other since they were in the womb almost 6 full weeks ago.

Brendan had a sense that something was up and he assumes his karate chopping position.

Aha! His old nemesis returns! Chops and kicks!

But think of all the trouble we could cause if we teamed up, says Trevor

The pact is sealed .. bros for life!

I can’t even caption this photo, it makes me laugh too much

All humor aside, it was really special to be able to hold both of my boys.

Brendan was wide awake most of the time, and Trevor was pretty well sound asleep for 99% of the visit. When Trevor woke up, Brendan slept.

Our whole family all together at last!

And Gramma is really glad she did not go home yesterday so she was able to be there with us for the reunion.

One last picture because Trevor just looks too adorable

Every day is an adventure walking in to the hospital. When we arrived this morning, there was a big crib in the middle of the room with all of Brendan’s stuff in it. All of the IV pumps and racks are gone. Brendan is looking good! The atrial line has come out, the pacemaker lines should be removed tomorrow! He still has his PICC line in his right leg for pushing medications and in case he needs more blood.
He was pretty calm today and handled handling very well. I held him for a couple of hours and it is a very nice thing to see so much of Brendan not covered in tape! They even were able to give him a better bath so he was much cleaner and smelled nicer.
The baby bed with the warmer has been removed and he is now in his big boy bed with room for his toys and they said we can bring in nicer blankets and maybe a mobile for him.
Bill and I both changed diapers today, we will have to start being a lot more hands on with him as he prepares to come home (still a long way out).
Since stopping the Clonidine, he has not had any more problems with the episodes of apnea and low heart rate. He is on 0.2L flow at 100% O2 in the cannula and that is working very well for him.
They have decided that they need to keep him calm and prevent overstimulation that causes him to get agitated. He really needs to relax, heal and grow. They have started closing his door and moved his assessments from every 2 hours to every 3 hours. He is now at his full feeding goal of 18cc of milk per hour. The change in Lasix has worked well. The focus is to put on weight now. Grow grow grow!!
It is all good news .. moving in the right direction!

Look how clean and uncluttered with equipment his room is now!

Tiny baby in his big boy bed!

All of Brendan’s little friends piled up where he can see them

Since it is December, the boys get to dress up in festive holiday outfits. My little reindeers!

Brendan does not look amused!

Reindeer Trevor!

Good news today is that Mom and I went to the urgent care center for an xray of her ribs and there are no fractures. Just some very painful contusions – nothing that a few weeks of rest, narcotics and ice packs won’t fix. Whatever you do, just don’t make her sneeze! Bill’s dad is also stable. He has been admitted to the hospital for treatments but so far he is doing OK.

This morning we went to see Brendan. Last night, they had started a new drug called Clonidine that was supposed to help bring down his heart rate and help him be more comfortable. They also upped his Methadone. Although his stats looked good when we got there, as I held him he had a few episodes of apnea with bradycardia. All of the doctors agree that he was a bit too relaxed with drugs and they decided to discontinue the Clonidine. It is really a fine balancing act trying to treat his symptoms without creating new or worse ones.
He looked real cute today and he was wearing a little t-shirt for the first time.

Resting comfortably, less wires all the time.

He does have something new, it is a baby-LoJack system. The bracelet on his arm causes utter chaos and shut down if someone tries to take the baby out of the unit. It is really sickening that a system like this is necessary but I am grateful that he is safe.

Trevor got dunked in the sink again for a bubble bath. But he kind of likes it!