Edward has Halloween at the NICU

Well to tell you that everything is great again at the NICU would be lying, but things have at least gotten "stable". Edward seems to stop breathing or have a "Edward moment" about twice a day, usually requiring him to be bagged. The good news about it is there is also something that seems to cause it (either having a new tube put down him do he can eat or just finished eating and getting something called reflux whatever that is)
They are not too concerned because there is always a "cause" for the breathing issue that happens, it would be bad if it just happened...Which it does not.
Well Edward turned 11 weeks today, which marks his 77 day at the NICU 69 in Lancaster and 8 at Cedar Sinai in LA. We just hope he comes home sooner rather than later, we are getting very tired of having to goto the NICU to see Edward and we can't wait until we just have to get out of bed to see him... I think the happiest day of our lives will be the moment the doctor tells us Edward can come home!
Monday's are also very sad for us as we remember William and all he gave to us for the ten days he was alive .
Happy Birthday to you both!!!!

Edward Turns it around

So Edward, had a good day which Melissa and I really needed. He is still on the higher flow of oxygen but he seems to be doing great and the eye doctor came today and he said his eyes look great!!! He got to put on his Halloween costume today so that nurse Gina could read the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown to him. He loved it. Melissa and I also installed his Mobil to his open crib and he loves to watch the cat in the hat circle around...
Edward also got a special visit from pastor Jeff today who visited with him for awhile and had a prayer with us before he left. We are so lucky to have found such a wonderful church and pastor in such a short amount of time..

A Better Night

Edward is breathing better and seems to be doing fine since his episode this afternoon. We are so thankful for the wonderful nurses and Dr.T who were right there to help Edward... And and extra BIG thanks to Kim and Tammi, they really helped us through and very difficult situation today, and words can't express how thankful we are....

One Step Forward and 2 steps Back :(

First if you are a negative thinker then STOP READING THIS!!! We need to KEEP POSITIVE THOUGHTS GOING!!!

Anyway, today Edward took one BIG step forward but then went back two, first he was moved into an open CRIB!!! HURRAY!!!! But then he had an issue breathing so they bagged him!!!! OH NO!!!! And took a blood gas and the doctor decided to turn up the oxygen a little so he went from 1/4 of a liter to 3.5 liters of oxygen. They will repeat another blood gas this afternoon to make sure that the extra CO2 in is blood is gone. He is staying in the open crib, but just had to be put back on the higher flowing oxygen... So one step forward (the Crib) and 2 back, (Oxygen increasing and back on high flow). Nothing else new to report so far, Melissa and I are really upset about the whole thing, because we felt like we could see the finish line and now we are just scare that might not make it home.

Another good day

Well Edward had another good day at the NICU. He was lowered again on his Oxygen to 1/4 of a liter and is doing great. Edward continues to improve on his nipple feeding daily. Today he also had 2 very special visitors. Grandma Campbell made her weekly visit to the NICU, and Uncle Hank came over to see him too. He sure does love all the attention and visitors!!!!!
No weight tonight, the nurse had not done it yet when we went for story time, so you will have to wait until tomorrow to see if he cracks the 2000 grams mark. Stay tuned...

Photo Shoot

Well Edward had another good day, he continues to improve daily oh his nipple feedings. We had some great laughs today..... We put Edward in his 1st Ducks Jersey (Well it was borrowed from his build a bear), and Melissa and I out on jerseys as well for a Day's Family photo... What fun!!!!!
Edward weigh in tonight puts him at 1984 grams or 4 lbs 6 oz... Oh boy 16 more onces until the next big MILE STONE, and cake for the NICU... GO EDWARD GO....
Edward is also officially a 3-1 baby, which is the biggest ratio at the NICU, if all goes well who knows Edward might be a Turkey baby, but only time will tell!!!!
Oh and one last thing.. Edward is in a BIG boys bed, and gets to go on the BIG BOYS SCALE!!!!

Oh forgot

Edward weighed in at 4 lbs 4 oz or 1960 grams another 50 gram jump, we are almost ready for another NICU cake....
The picture below is what we refer to as the Edward show, that is what we stare at the whole time we are at the NICU... The time line is heart rate, the middle one is Respiratory and the third on is O2 saturation level that should be between 86-92% in our little premie. ...
The bottom line is another babies heart rate..,

Go Edward go

Well this was a really good day at the NICU. Edward was lower from 2.5 liters of oxygen to .5 liters of oxygen and is doing great.( remember he must be on no more than 1/4 of a liter to go home. He did great with Brest feeding as well, he really getting the hang of it.
We also got to hold Edward during story time and he really liked that to.
Reminder that we are being sent to the NICU discharge class this weekend, but we are not getting too excited, he will come home when he is ready.
Tomorrow is eye exam number 3, so we are hoping that will go as well as the first one did!
Thank you to everyone for your continued to support and prayers, we continue to pray that the bad days are behind us and the good days continue

Another day another ..Well

Well Edward had an ok day today, he got his first round of immunizations, and one was oral, and well he didn't seem to like the taste, so like any kid he held his breath, which is not good for a premie, so he had a huge drop in everything and refused to breath because he was upset, so they ended up bagging him for about 30 seconds until he calmed down... Boy Melissa said is was very scary....
After that he had a great day, he breast feed again and did great, and Melissa and I got to help give him his bath tonight, and he loved having mom and dad help...... Boy do we ever love our little peanut.....
Today's weigh in put him at 1890.. or 3 lbs 3 oz... GO EDWARD GO...

1 week old

Well Edward is another week old, for a total of 10 weeks old! Boy is he getting old.. Tonight's weight put Edward at 1820 grams or 4 lb 1 oz. He is 16 inches long, I think he might be tall like his dad.
In other news, Edward breast feed again today for over 30 minutes and sure is good at it. I also got to bottle feed Edward for the 1st time, Melissa has done all the bottle feeding up until know. I loved every moment of it!
And finally, we got to take Edward out of his bed during story time and read to him as we held him, and he sure did love it!
We are sure loving these great days and continue to hope and prey that the bad ones are behind us!

Edward continues to grow

Well everyone probably wants to know Edwards weight tonight! Well it is....... 1830 or 4 lbs 1oz up another 25! Boy are we closing in on 2000!
Edward breast feed again with mommy and took about 3 ml the hard way ( he had to work for it)
Edward also had his liters of oxygen reduced from 3 liters per minute to 2.5, and seems to be doing great. (side note when Edward is nipping they actually reduce him down to 1/4 of a liter of oxygen but it is at 100%. We have to be on 1/4 or less of oxygen at 21% to go home, but we can start to see some light, some. Also Edward turns 10 weeks tomorrow so remember to sing him and his brother happy birthday when you have your dessert tomorrow night!

Oh boy is Edward getting big

Oh boy is Edward getting big, tonights weigh in put him at..... Drum roll please.... 1805 grams or 4 lbs!!!! Hurray!!! Go Edward go. Also today, Melissa tried breast feeding Edward for the first time and he actually latched on and did a little eating... The nurses were so surprised how well he did for his 1st attempt . Edward also continues to finish his entire bottle of breast milk when they do his 5am feeding. (he only gets bottle feed twice a day, once in the afternoon by Melissa and once in the early morning by his nurse. We continue to enjoy the good days and hope and pray that they continue and the bad ones are behind us.

Another good day

Edward continues to do well, Melissa again got to bottle feed him today and he took 20ml out of a total of 38, not too bad, but we found out last night he took all of the breast milk via bottle in 25 minutes. GO EDWARD GO... We continue to enjoy the greats days and hope they continue. oh and check out his bear butt.... (he is bearly cute...)

Eat Edward Eat

Melissa continues to bottle feed Edward every afternoon and he continues to do well. Edward sure loves his mommy...
Edward also gave mom an extra surprise today , she was changing his diaper and he had a big poop and when she went to wipe his butt clean he started going again!!! It was very funny!!! We continue to enjoy our good days and pray and hope they continue.
Oh and the nurse signed us up for discard class next week but don't see too much into it, she wants us to go so we can get some ideas for watching his color and more feeding tips. We are still a few months away from going home.

Another good day

Well another good day. Edward is up to 1710 grams or 3 lbs 10oz and we continue to bottle feed him twice a day, yes WE, Melissa got to feed her little peanut from the bottle for the 1st time today!!! And he did great..... We continue to pray for his continued progression forward and continue to pray that the bad days are behind us...

A picture is worth at least a million words

Ok the picture says it all tonight

Edward Keeps Growing

Well Edward keeps growing, and well boy is he ever getting big, tonight's weigh in put him at 1600 grams even which is 3.5 pounds or 3 pounds 8 oz. Melissa tried to see if edward was at all interested in breast feeding today during kangaroo time, but he just sleep the whole time, boy does he ever like to sleep, I guess he gets that from me.  WE SURE DO LOVE HIM SO MUCH.

Also Today Edward turns 9 weeks!!! Happy Birthday little buddy!!!

Another good day

Well another good day at the NICU ! Edward is now over 1500 grams !! Well actually 1520 which is 3 lbs 6 oz!!! And he is 15 1/2 inches long ! Go Edward go ! We brought a cake over to the nurses at the NICU to celebrate this milestone, now we should try bottle feeding soon!! Hurray!

Where did all the time go

Well Edward turned 2 months old today, where has the last month gone? We just can't believe that 2 months ago both Edward and William came into the world and made us both so HAPPY. We just can't believe that it is already October 15th! His Weight tonight is 1490... So the NICU only got one cake today, for his 2 month Birthday!!!! Other than that, Edward is doing great, we continue to enjoy the good days and once again, hope and pray that the bad ones are behind us!

Edward has his hat for opening night

Well another good day at the NICU. Edward continues to grow big and strong! His current weight is 1470, only 30 more grams to another mile stone!!! And of course a cake for the NICU... Edward got a chance to wear is brand new hockey hat he received yesterday, he is all ready for hockey season! All he needs is his Ducks jersey!!! But that will come soon enough!

Another good Day at the NICU

Well Edward passed his eye test today with flying colors. Nothing to worry about, so we are very excited and relieved about that. Edward continues to get bigger everyday, his weight tonight is..............1420 grams, or about 3 lbs 2oz. Up another 40 grams!!! Way to go little buddy. Edward also received a box from his aunt, uncle and 2 little cousins (Denise, Johnny, Abby and Sadie Thanks so MUCH) with a special hat that he will be wearing tomorrow. So you will have to wait until tomorrow's night blog to see what it says....

The good days continue

Edward continues to do well, he is up to 3lbs 1 oz or 1380 grams. We will begin to bottle feed at 1500, so stay tuned for that. Will post a picture in this blog when we bottle feed the first time. Nothing too big to report, Edward just continues to do well, Grandma Campbell got to visit her grandson again, and he sure loves his grandmother. Melissa will continue to bring her once a week as long as the doctor's continue to tell us it is ok. Tomorrow Edward has his first eye test, so we are hoping for the best. We just hope that all the bad days are behind, and we continue to try and remain AS POSITIVE AS POSSIBLE.

Getting in the Spirit and one BIG.. Well

Well Edward continues to have good days at the NICU. Today his primary nurse Kim C, decided to decorate for halloween and then mommy put on his halloween outfit. It is sure beginning to look like halloween at the NICU. Melissa and I are going to get a treat bag to put on the front of his bed, so he can go trick or treating at the NICU with the other kids :)
In other news, Edward took the biggest... well you know, it smelled so bad it drove his nurse out of the area for a moment, she said it looked like "adult well you know" and it weighed.. 40 grams!!!! oh my goodness.. When Melissa told me that all I could say is. "That is Dad's Boy!!!!"

Another week older

Well Edward is another week older! He is know eight weeks old! And is weight tonight is..... 1320 grams! Up 60!!! That comes out to be 2 lbs 15 oz, we are knocking on the door to 3 lbs!!! Go Edward go.
Edwards is also stable enough to goto 3-1 care, that is one nurse for 3 babies (that is the largest ratio they have at the NICU), so that is a really good sign. I also had a talk with one of the charge nurses and she told me that at 2000 grams the babies are usually ready to go home ,yes the h word. We are still a month or 2 away but we can see some light at the end of the tunnel!! We just hope and pray that nothing bad comes up with him that could throw him into a downward turn. We are just enjoying the good days and hoping and praying that all the bad ones are behind us.

GO Edward go

Edward continues to grow big and strong, today's weigh in is 1280 Grams or 2 lb 11 oz, we are getting so close to 3 pounds. Today mommy's got to hold Edward for over an hour and he did great.  He sure loves mommy!!! He also is 14.5 inches long! Boy is he ever getting big.
Melissa and I went to Barnes and Noble tonight to buy some more books for our little peanut, thanks to 2 gift cards we had reached from friends and family! We are so thankful for our all great friends and family who have been so supportive through all this, we can't wait to introduce Edward to everyone!

Edward keep going strong

Well it is another good day, Edward continues to grow his new weight is 1230 grams (2 lbs 11oz) up another 50 grams, he is sure growing fast since he has been off the vent. Edward continues to breath great on his own. We still can't believe that he will turn 8 weeks on Monday, boy is he every getting old!
Also with tonight's weight, Edward has officially doubled in size since his birth 62 days ago. GO EDWARD GO!!!

Edward Keeps Growing

Well Edward continues to grow and he gets bigger and bigger everyday. Tonight's weigh in put him at 1180 grams, up another 30! (2 lbs 10 oz) We are getting so close to 3 pounds, and when he reaches 1200 grams, he will officially be twice as much as he was when he was born almost 8 weeks ago. We continue to read to Edward every night, and he seems to really love it. GO EDWARD GO!
I also had a talk with him about the Anaheim Ducks, I told him not to worry it is only the 1st game of the season (the lost today 4-1), he seemed a little worried.

Good Day For Edward

Edward had a really good day today. He continues to improve his breathing. He continues to grow big and strong and he weighed in today at 1150 grams up another 50 from yesterday! Go Edward go! Melissa and I continue to dream about the day that we are able to bring our little peanut home! Edward also has another special visitor today! That boy sure does love all the attention he is getting!!! That is all for tonight, tomorrow is another day closer to Edward coming home!!!!

A better night

Had a good night visit with Edward. He was just chilling out, eating and listening to his bed time stories!! Love that little guy. Tonight's weigh in put him at 1100 grams!!! Or about 2 lbs 7 oz. Go Edward go!!!!

One Scary Moment at the NICU

Edward was having a pretty good day, until I tried to kangaroo with him, as soon as he got in my arms he dropped to almost nothing.... Very scary for me as I had flashbacks to William. I am so afraid that I am going to hurt him. He is resting now, but was I never scared!!! It could have just told me no, daddy I don't want to kangaroo today!

Special Guest Today and Edward is Dressed

Well today was a good day at the NICU in Lancaster CA. First Edward is finally wearing clothes! Melissa has bought over 16 premie outfits and he was available to wear the first one today ! Go Edward!!! Edward is going great on the regular oxygen and he continues to love his pacifier!!!
Edward also had a very special guest today, his grandmother Campbell was able to come over to the NICU to see her grandson, she was cleared by the doctors to visit, and Edward loved every minute of his grandma being there. We look forward to the day that his grandmother will be able to hold and touch her grandson. We are going back to the NICU today for some story time!!! Melissa is going to hold here little peanut tonight for awhile while we read him his bedtime stories!

Off the vent totally on regular Oxygen

Edward is totally vent free, the last few days he has been on oxygen with a little help of 8 BMP from the vent, but is was doing so well, that have just put him on oxygen only. He is on 3 litters per minute and is around 37 % oxygen, but yeah it is the first day. He is however doing all the breathing!!!!
I also got to hold Edward after school for over an hour, and is loves playing with his pacifier, it is his new favorite toy, replacing his tubes (thank goodness). Tomorrow he is going to have a surprise visitor but I will wait until tomorrow's night blog to talk about that.

A very good day

Today Edward got to suck on a pacifier for the 1st time. It was such a great sight. He is doing great being off the vent, the nurse told us his blood gas was the best he has ever had, and he has had very few desets today.
We did however, have to say goodbye to his "girl friend Molly" she left via a helicopter today for UCLA, hopefully they will be reunited soon.
 

So Far so good

Well we just returned from our nightly visit with Edward and he seems to being do fine. He took a big poop and his breathing seems ok, so only time will tell.
Melissa read him Green Eggs and Ham and I read him Z is for Zamboni, and told him all about hockey and the Ducks.
So that is the latest news.

Off the Vent

Today has been a mixed page. Edward is of the vent for now, however his blood gas levels are not good, so we are a little worried he might be going right back on.
We also got to meet with Dr.T one on one, and he said he expects Edward to be able to come home with us some day, but he figures he will be here another 3 1/2 months, and probably won't make it by Christmas.