Thank you to all who served or are serving – including so many of our family members!

11/11/11 – and as I expected, labor and delivery is very busy with mothers trying to have their babies today. Lots of scheduled c-sections, people asked for 11:11am specifically. I am sure lots of people are getting married today, or engaged.

Since this is a federal holiday, the highways were not so bad in the morning and I was able to get downtown in time for Trevor’s 9am rounds. He was a super hungry guy this morning and has been doing so well on his feedings. He’s putting on weight now, getting back up past his birth weight and is now 5lbs 3.2oz. After he ate, he was awake for at least 30 minutes, squeaking at me and looking around. I held and talked to him until he started to fall asleep and then I had to leave to see his brother.

Brendan has been good today. They are slowly taking the ventilator back down to low settings again after having to bump it up after anesthesia. They have been giving him blood, blood products, and fluids and his heart rate is the best I have seen it so far.
The Wound Care Nurse was coming by today to attach his ostomy bag since the opening is healing well.
So he has the Milrinone, TPN, Lipids, and a Fentanyl drip. In his wrist line, they tried to start some Albumin and the IV line failed and started leaking everywhere. So, more needle holes – they got a new line started in his right arm again.
I need to get to Brendan’s room earlier, I just missed all of the doctors making their rounds and assessments today.

Like we needed more to do today, the passenger side window control mechanism on my car broke when I left the hospital and the window fell all the way down. Fortunately, Bill is amazing with that stuff and he was able to take it apart and rig a fix for it within 30 minutes of me getting home. He has been working real hard all morning on getting more of the house things done so we don’t feel so unprepared for Trevor’s homecoming. Now that my car isn’t open to the world, I can go back out and get some errands done.
I am glad that it is a beautiful sunshiney day and that we don’t live in the snowy east coast right now! It is supposed to rain/storm tomorrow, so I guess the timing on this was actually good.

Pictures!

Brendan has even more tape on his face, as if there wasn’t enough already. The lower tape is to hold the OG tube in place. It is there to help air escape but is no longer providing any suction.

The nurses working on changing the dressing on his femoral arterial line, diaper change, general clean up, and rotating him to a new position.

Good morning, Trevor!

Preemie size doggie jammies fit better already, amazing what a difference a few ounces can make.

More hiccups and squeaky complaints

I just wanted to say thank you to all the people that have signed up on our blog to leave comments. It means a lot to us to hear your words of encouragement and I look forward to putting in an update every night. I’ve had a lot of people say that they check for the update several times a day, and it makes me feel good to know that everyone cares about the boys so much!

I haven’t replied to many of the emails and messages directly, but know that I appreciate them just the same.

Not too much is new since the mobile update earlier.
Brendan is still stable. I heard that they had tentatively scheduled his heart surgery for Monday, but now because of the perforation and leakage in his gut, he will need some more healing time, so it could be the end of next week. If things go well, he may begin eating again in approx 10 days (maybe longer). The ileostomy will stay for 4-6 weeks before it will be reversed. It could be a merry Christmas rejoining of the intestines.
My last phone call was the very beginning of the night shift, so the nurse didn’t have a lot of information yet, but she told me he was comfortably resting and that they were able to stop the dopamine they gave him after surgery (to improve his blood pressure).

When I got to visit Trevor today, he was getting a visit from his physical therapist. She was teaching him how to properly “find his center” and learn to self soothe. We got down on the floor on blankets and rolled him on all sides and taught him how to be an armadillo. He does really well for an early baby.
We are signed up for the discharge class on Wednesday, so Trevor’s ICU time is short now! We have to learn infant CPR and bring in his carseat for a fitting. But we might see him home by next weekend! It won’t fail, he will come home the day Brendan is finally scheduled for surgery. Fortunately, their Gramma will be out here just in time to help! She gets in on Saturday for several weeks stay. I will have to check her luggage when she goes to make sure she is not trying to smuggle Trevor home with her!

Pictures!

Brendan got the IV out of his head now. He has a new arterial line in his left femoral atery, the PICC line in the right, and an IV in his left wrist that are all working. His guard doggy must have medical training also, he is keeping pressure on the IV removal site.

My poor blond little boy lost a large patch of his hair when they took that IV tape off. I am so glad he was still sedated. I dare anyone to wax their head and tell me how that feels!!

My little inchworm Trevor is in a big boy bed in the first floor annex. We are going to attend the discharge class on Wednesday next week, so he is getting real close to coming home!!

More sleeping baby pictures. The nurse told me today that Trevor gives her the same faces that daddy does. Everyone is telling me he looks just like Bill!