Andrew day 53

Andrew is doing well today. He had a née PIC line placed and he tolerated that pretty well. He had some morphine. He drank almost a whole bottle from me and then he threw up half of it.

Andrew day 52

I got a call from the hospital today. They said Andrews PIC line came out yesterday. The resident said that the nurse made a note that it came out while I was holding Andrew. I had no idea it came out. He was a little cranky yesterday but his stats were good. The nurse didn't say anything about it to me or chris (who went in after me). I don't know when they discovered it was out. My guess is after we left the hospital. They put an iv in last night and a PIC line in today.

The PGE is a fast acting Med that needs to be administered constantly to keep his PDA open and his pulmonary hypertension at bay. So that wasn't fun to hear today.

They will recheck this weekend and hopefully his pulmonary hypertension has gone down a bit.

Today I feel like I am doing a mothering marathon.

Andrew day 43

We are holding him and loving it. He is so snuggly. I love that he looks so comfortable.

Andrew's due date

Today is the day Andrew was to be 40 weeks along and fully grown, ready to be born. He has come so far in the last 6 weeks. We are so thankful for the blessings we have received both spiritual and physical. I have been fortunate enough to witness miracles in my life and Andrews health today is the greatest one yet.

We have a loving and kind Heavenly Father.

Andrew day 41

Andrew is off the cpap mask and on to the high flow nasal cannula. This is another big milestone which will enable him to get more bottle feeds in. We are so excited.

GREAT NEWS!

Andrew had his first bottle today!!!! When I arrived at the hospital the blessed event was already done, so I have no video or pictures. As for now they are going to give him one bottle a day and do the rest through the feeding tube. He did really really well on the bottle. They said he showed no sign of aversion to the oral stimulus. A lot of CDH babies struggle with bottle feeding and their mouths are hyper sensitive. The occupational therapist said he showed no sign of that at all.

So exciting!!! God has blessed this baby and blessed our family throughout this process. Thank you.

Andrew day 36

Holding Andrew is my favorite thing in the world. He LOVES the snuggle.



HE HAS PANTS ON! Its a big step in the right direction.

Andrew day 32

He has had almost a week of relaxation. He is still doing very well but they worry about his pulmonary hypertension so he will have another echo on his heart tomorrow.

The next big step for this guy is to transition to the nasal oxygen probes hopefully later this week.this

Andrew day 29

I am happy to post about another blissfully uneventful day for Andrew. When I got to him tonight it felt like he was waiting for me. When I got there, he opened his eyes an focused on me for 30 minutes. He is off of Morphine and the sedative, so when he is awake it is easier for him to be alert.

He let out a couple small cries today and he even made a little sound. It wasn't much, but it was definitely vocal chords vibrating. I am so excited for him I just want to take him home. But the doctor tonight reminded me that this little guy just needs time to grow now and see what his body will let him do. He is almost a month old!

Andrew day 27

Andrew has had a couple days of rest. This is normal with a big change like going off the vent. All he needs to do is eat, sleep and grow.

Andrew day 25

I showed up at the hospital today thrilled to find the docs removed his breathing tube. Andrew was put on oxygen via the nasal probes but he didn't tolerate it very well. (His heart rate and co2 was up) So after an hour or so of monitoring him they put him on cpap.

He has been happy all day with that. He is up to full feedings as well. Time to put some chub on this boy.

Aaron's 2 wheel bike

Aaron asked to ride his two wheel bike, and after 6 months of it sitting untouched in the garage, he rode it like a pro. Back in the spring his training wheels broke and we thought it was a good time to try it without training wheels. He gave it a try, but mostly rode his scooter all summer. Now he rides all the time and even goes for rides with Chris.

Christmas 2011

We spent Christmas Eve at the Young's house. The cousins had a great time playing together. The adults enjoyed an amazing meal together. Ham, tri-tip, shrimp, sweet potatoes, savory potatoes, broccoli salad, rolls, pies, tons of everything.

Christmas day was really fun. The kids woke up around 7, they opened presents. Jacob slept in until 9ish. We went to Church and then drove up to the hospital. We spent the evening with Andrew and were blessed to be able to hold him.

Andrew day 23

Andrew had a day of rest. The only changes they made were to take his vent pressure from 11 down to 10. He likes his Morphine and he is resting well since his chest tube came out yesterday. The whole family came up to visit and the boys had a great bedside experience.