Up on the back of the couch.
Up on the back of the toilet. This happened after he locked himself in the bathroom. I thoroughly expected to find a much bigger mess or even a fully clothed little boy in that full tub of water. He usually lets us in the bathroom when he locks himself in. He is proud that he locked it, but equally as proud when he unlocks it. Today was the exception. Daddy had to come to our rescue this evening. This is what we found.
Up on the toy box so he can reach up on the dresser
Up on the bed. Right before this picture he was up standing on the headboard!
"Mom, can I be a duck when I grow up?"
"Hurry Mom. We're going to miss something."
"I break hearts. I don't touch big metal kitties."
Yesterday Ryan had a fairly good day. We are starting to get into a roller coaster pattern of ups and downs which is extremely exhausting for Wade and I. It's hard to know how to feel. Ryan's O2 concentration needs varied all day yesterday from 30-50%. They are up to 50 bpm on the ventilator rate. The doctor explained that chronic lung diseases begin to manifest themselves around this time, and the ventilator settings often reflect those complications. Ryan's insulin levels were up and down throughout the day, but they mostly were on the high side for which they gave him insulin frequently. The doctor said that it could be a sign of infection and that they had sent the ventilator tube that came out yesterday down for cultures to see if he has any infections. They were also going to do some blood work this morning to look for signs of infection. Ryan gained weight yesterday. He gained nearly 60 grams, and we have been told numerous times that they like to see very small increments of weight gain. Large weight gains in short periods of time indicate fluid retention or other problems. He got his PICC line yesterday. He did well through the procedure. Unfortunately they will not be able to draw blood through the line, so he will still have regular heel sticks. They also said that if he needs to receive blood they will have to put in an additional IV line for that. They took out the IV line that went through his umbilical cord. They started feeding him milk through his NG tube directly into his stomach. He seemed to handle the first feeding well, but the second feeding he didn't tolerate as well. The nurse said the doctor may decide to stop feedings and try again later. He is being fed 1ml over a 2 hour period, and he gets fed every 6 hours. The head ultrasound was postponed until today.
Ryan extubated, pulled the ventilator off, himself this morning. The nurses warned us that it would probably happen a time or 2. They caught the incident early and put him back on the ventilator within minutes. Today they are going to start feeding Ryan through the tube that goes directly into his stomach. We are excited about this, and are in hopes that he will start gaining weight again with the added nutrition. His ventilator settings have gone up again to a rate of 50. The settings are based on his blood gas readings, but we don't really understand why the ventilator settings keep needing to be increased. His blood sugar has also be running high, and he has needed insulin pretty regularly for the past day and a half. Again, we don't really know what is going on to cause this need, but we hope to talk to the doctor about some of our questions today. Ryan is going to be receiving blood today.
Thank you for all your prayers. Please continue to pray our little Peanut. A lot of things are happening today, and we desperatly need God to touch everything that is being done.
He weighed 23 pounds 8 ounces (fully clothed with shoes on). He is 32 1/2 inches tall. He is finally on the charts: 5%--weight, 10%--height, 47%--head circumference. The doctor said he was doing very well. He was pleased with Ryan's progress. He did say that he was kind of scrawny (my word...not his) but didn't seem concerned and said he would probably fill out with more muscle within the next year or two. He looked Ryan over from head to toe. Everything looked fine. Everything sounded fine. Ryan shows no signs of autism. Dr. S. was quite impressed with how social he is. He was also impressed with how well he is catching up developmentally. Dr. S said we needed to just keep on doing what we've been doing and he wants to see him in 6 months for a weight check. He also said that Ryan needs to see a dentist for the first time within the next 6 months or so. We're supposed to request another hearing screening from SoonerStart, so we'll mention that next time Miss Kim is here. Ryan is due for immunizations...past due for some, so we'll probably try to get those sometime within the next month or two.
Eating with the DogsRyan had a good day yesterday. He was up and down on his O2 concentration needs throughout the day. He weighed 545 grams which is down from 561 yesterday. The doctors are keeping track of his weight and at this point seem unconcerned.
I actually got to hold my little baby boy yesterday. We did kangaroo care, which is skin-to-skin holding, for about an hour. It was the most precious time. I can't even begin to describe it. I will post a couple of pictures as soon as I can. (For some reason the website today is being a little difficult; I've tried uploading pictures 3 times now with no success).
Today is the day Ryan will have another scan of his brain. Our prayer is that he will once again have no bleeding. I'm not sure when they plan to place the PICC line in, but it could also be today.
Ryan had a pretty good day yesterday. They went down on the ventilator rate, but a blood gas came back "not good", so they had to go back up on the rate of the ventilator. He has been doing well on just 21-25% oxygen, but for some reason last evening he was needing about 30%. We aren't for sure why he is suddenly needing more oxygen, but a nurse did tell us that it is pretty common for the oxygen needs to fluctuate. Ryan's weight yesterday showed a loss of 11 grams, so he is back down to 1 lb 3 oz. again. This is another thing we are unclear as to why it happened. I hope to talk to the doctor about it today. They took his umblical arterial line out yesterday which we knew was eventually going to happen, but now they have to stick his heel for every blood test. It absolutely breaks my heart. Last night they did a blood gas and during the heel stick he just cried and cried (of course with the ventilator you can't hear him). The nurse ruined the first blood sample, so about 10 minutes later she came back and stuck his little heel again. We had to leave. It was just too hard. He is supposed to have a PICC line inserted sometime soon. This is a type of central line that will start in his arm or leg and travel up and into his heart. I really hope that they will be able to do blood draws from this new line.
Now, I'm going to have to vent a little...Last night our little peanut had a nurse that I 100% did not care for. I left the NICU crying like I haven't cried in a while, and I spent most of the night praying over my son for his protection. Here is why I don't like her...Ryan only has "touch times" (times when we can actually touch him and be a part of his care) every 4 hours. The NICU is "closed" from 6:30-7:30 for shift change. When we went in for the 8:00 touch time we walked in the door at about 7:40 and the nurse had already completed everything except sticking his heel. I was furious. We only get to be there for 2 of his touch times, and Wade only gets to be around for the last 1 at 8:00. I talked to the nurse about waiting for us, and her excuse was the RT was standing there and she needed help. I know that the RT stays all night, so the RT could have come back 15 minutes later. I asked the nurse about his higher O2 settings, and her response was "that's the way it was when I got here." He was satting around 98-100% and ALL our other nurses have made sure to adjust his O2 settings so he sats between 83-93% explaining that higher concentrations can be damaging to his body, especially his eyes. The nurse talked down to us, and wouldn't volunteer any information. When we told her we were leaving for the night she said "ok". I called during the middle of the night. Again she offered no information, and when I finally got her to tell me he was doing fine, I said "thank you". She promptly hung up without saying anything! I don't know if it is appropriate to pray that Ryan NEVER has this nurse again, but I sure hope he doesn't.
Prayer Requests: Please pray that Ryan gains weight, and that we can get some information as to why he lost weight again. Please pray that the procedure for placing the PICC line goes well without any complications. Please pray an extra prayer that God guard him from infection. One of the biggest risks with a PICC line is infection. Plese pray for Wade and I. Our emotions are on a roller coaster. Please start praying about Ryan's ultrasound of his head. This will be happening tomorrow. They will be looking for bleeding in his brain. Pray that we get another good report. Please also continue to pray for Kenzie. Last we heard she was still doing well.
Thank you for all your prayers!
Ryan had a good day yesterday. The doctor has added lipids to his nutrition regimen which is given via IV. He gained about 9 grams and now weighs 573 grams. That is about 1 lb 4 oz. Other than that nothing changed yesterday. It was a good day.
Last night was also good for our little boy. The only thing the nurse had to say this morning was that his blood pressure was running a little low at times and they might start him back on dopamine to help regulate that better. He is so tiny right now that he can't regulate much of anything on his own.
For those of you wondering about Ryan's size get a tape measure out and here are the measurements they took right after he was born:
Weight: 670 g, 1 lb 8 oz
Head Circumference: 21.5 cm, 8.6 in
Length: 31.5cm, 12.6 in
Stomach Circumference: 18cm, 7.2 in
Chest Circumference: 17.5cm, 7 in
We spent the afternoon and evening with Ryan yesterday. He had a really good day. I got to take his temperature, and I got touch him more than I ever have before. He responds to our voices, and he acted like he was trying to open his eyes when I was talking to him. The nurses say his eyes could open at any time. He is still very positional, and seems to a have a favorite "spot" for the ventilator. His O2 sats fall if it is not in that spot. Ryan's temperature did climb up to 100.5 yesterday afternoon which was cause for a little concern. They did blood work and, thankfully, everything came back normal. They did a lot of minor adjustments to the temperature of his bed, the temperature of the humidified air in his tent, and other adjustments. His temperature came down, but then it came down too far, so they began adjusting things again. It's all a very delicate balance. We were very grateful to find that the temperature was not because of an infection.
This morning we talked to the nurse. She said that Ryan had a good night. He gained another 3 grams. Praises to God for all our good days and our good reports. Today at 5:31 p.m. Ryan will be 1 week old!
Prayer Requests: Please continue to pray for Ryan as God leads you. We don't have any specific requests this morning. Please add to your prayer list a little one named Kenzie. She was born yesterday morning. I'm not sure her gestational age, but she weighed 1 lb. 9 oz. We met the family of this little one about a week ago, and each of our families has been praying for and keeping up with the other. I imagine we will become close friends over the next few months. Please also pray for the nurses and doctors. We have been blessed in amazing ways by the nurses and doctor that cared for me during the 2 weeks I was in the hospital, and we continue to be blessed by the nurses and doctors taking care of our son. God is using these very special people in very special ways, and I want to ask his blessings to be upon them. One last thing, please take to time to give praises to God because he is the Giver of Life and the one through whom all miracles happen!
Shopping at the Big Store (aka Sam's)
Resting. Shopping takes so much energy.
Please note Item #6.
Time: 7:51 p.m.
Four hours later. One break for Ryan's bath. One ice cream break. Table is finished. 5 chairs complete. One chair needed some minor alterations. 
Wade and I stepped outside for a minute. When we returned we noticed we had a new centerpiece for our new table. Isn't it cute!Ryan has had a good night. He has actually gained 3 grams. This brings us joy to hear he didn't lose any more weight. I pray though that this weight gain is normal. We have been given so many varying opinions on the weight issue that it is overwhelming. The doctor yesterday said she expects weight loss for up to 2 weeks and doesn't want to see weight gain. The nurses have indicated that weight loss for about a week is normal but he should be climbing back up close to his birthweight within 2 weeks. Other doctors have said weight loss for the first few days is normal, but haven't really indicated a time frame for weight loss vs weight gain.
Prayer Requests: Please pray that Ryan will continue to grow. Please pray that God's angels will surround him and God's hands will hold him protecting him in miraculous ways. Pray that he remains free from all infections. Pray that all his body systems will grow and develop normally. Pray that God's will be done, and that His presence be made known.
Two years ago
One Year Ago
This YearSince this is the beginning of this special website (Carepages.com) for our very special little boy I will take some to time to recap all the events up to this point.
January 29, 2007
We went to the doctor to have some things checked out because I had become nervous about the health of the pregnancy. Unfortunately, to our surprise, the doctor found that my body was not holding the baby inside well at all, so he immediately admitted us to the hospital. That evening I had a "rescue cerclage" procedure to help hold the baby inside. We were absolutely blessed with the success of this procedure. The plan was to stay in the hospital from this point forward until our little Peanut was born. Our hopes were to remain for 10 weeks so our baby could reach 32 weeks gestation.
February 10, 2007
Everything has been going well overall. We have had some ups and downs physically, but emotionally we are doing quite well. Late in the evening I began to have some contractions and bleeding. The nurses gave me Brethine to stop the contractions and it worked.
February 11, 2007
The contractions and bleeding have continued. I have been given Brethine several times today, and the contractions stop for a while then start again. Finally early in the afternoon it was decided to move me to the labor and delivery floor and start Magnesium to put a stop to labor. Labor continued despite all efforts. At about 5:00 p.m. it was decided that our little baby was going to be born and a C-section was going to be the safest for him because an ultrasound revealed that he was breech.
At 5:31 p.m. our little Peanut came into the world. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 1/2 inches long. He was at 24 weeks gestation.
February 12, 2007
Peanut has made it through his first day of life. This is awesome. The doctors say he is extremely critical but stable, and we will have to take everything on an hour-by-hour basis.
February 14, 2007
Peanut is doing well. His ventilator settings are set at about 25% oxygen. He breathes above the ventilator at times, and rides the ventilator at other times. His blood gases have been looking good. We received news from the doctor that the ductus in his heart has closed. This is a great blessing since they were giving him medicine to close it, and if it didn't close surgery would be required.
February 15, 2007
Peanut has a real name now. His name is Ryan Andrew.
I have been discharged from the hospital today. It is terrifying to think of being 30 miles away from from my little boy instead of just a 5 minute walk.
February 16, 2007
I was able to spend the day at the hospital so I could be close to Ryan. He has had a good day. All of his statistics have remained within normal limits. He is still positional, meaning his oxygen levels tend to fall when he is repositioned. I was able to touch him during one of his position changes, and he tolerated the change well. I would like to believe my presence made a difference. He has still been losing weight and is now down to 1 pound 3 ounces. I talked to the doctor today, and she said that all babies including tiny premature babies lose up to 20% of their birth weight. She said she would be more concerned if he was actually gaining weight because it would probably indicate he was retaining fluids. We received more good news today. They did an ultrasound of his head yesterday to detect any bleeding in his brain. The results came back normal. Yea!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!
