9 month update

I figured it was about time for an update! Life has been INSANE over here. Jason and I are both back in school and are each taking a full load of classes (crazy, I know). I'm taking most of my classes online so I can stay home with Eli. I planned my campus classes during Jason's breaks at school so he can come home and watch Eli. Jason also works part-time at the MTC. Our life has basically been Eli, eat, sleep, school, study, and work. Today was...

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Eli's Birth Announcement

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Home Life

Sorry for the loooong hiatus. Time has flown by so quickly. It's crazy to believe that Eli has now been home with us for two months! He has changed so much, it is hard to believe he was once that teeny baby in the NICU. Here is what's been happening with us. After our pulmonolgy appointment last month, the doctor decided we needed to try Eli off of oxygen completely. Prior to this, Eli had been on the lowest setting of oxygen for a few weeks and...

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Instructions for Coming Home

The past few weeks have been great! Busy, but great! We thought we understood what it would be like to have him home, but we didn't realize just how much work it takes to be a NICU nurse. We appreciate all of the nurses (over 40!) who took care of Eli! About 2 1/2 weeks ago (April 2), I went in to see Eli and ended up staying at the hospital for the next 5 days. The doctors really wanted us to be able to take him home, but Eli was still choking...

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Here He Comes: The Birth

Disclaimer : this is a long post! I finally wrote everything down that happened the day Eli was born - I won't blame you if you don't read the whole thing :) Christmas Day was a crazy day to say the least. But really all of the festivities started on Christmas Eve. Jason's family came to the hospital to bring us a nice dinner. The hospital food was ok, but it paled in comparison to the steak dinner they brought us—thank you! As we were enjoying...

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Almost Homeward Bound

Ever since Eli started nasal cannula he has been progressing very quickly! Here are the big milestones he's achieved in the past 2 weeks: Breastfeeding - Eli can breastfeed like a champ! He has always loved his pacifier and that seemed to help him transition well into breastfeeding. Since it's hard to know exactly how much he's eating, the nurses weigh him before and after he eats. The first time we weighed him he took in 90mL! That's a lot of...

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Grandparent Love

Eli has been showered with lots of grandparent love this week! Grandma Orme held him the first time – Grandpa Orme will hold him as soon as he gets back from his trip!My parents came into town this last week. The nurses took the CPAP off so they could snap a quick picture all together. Typically, the NICU won't let anyone but parents hold when the baby is on the ventilator or CPAP. They want the baby to be more stable and on nasal cannula...

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Nasal Cannula... Almost

Eli was taken off of CPAP Monday and moved on to the nasal cannula. It is so nice to be able to see his full head, he looks like a completely different baby! Before they put the cannula on him we got to see his face with nothing on it! Holding is so much easier without the huge CPAP.  Tuesday I went in to hold again and the doctor said that we could start nuzzling! Nuzzling is basically breast feeding practice, I pump all of my milk...

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Surgery #3: Reanastomosis

Eli went under for his 3rd (and hopefully final!) surgery on Monday. We were actually looking forward to this one! The procedure—called a reanastomosis—is done by stitching his two stomas that have been sticking out of his tummy back together and placing them back inside the abdomen. Overcoming this surgery is another big step towards coming home! Jason and I got to the hospital a few hours before the surgery. They let me hold Eli right up until...

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Lots of Progress

Eli has been able to stay on CPAP this entire week! We've been so happy and excited with his progress. The doctors have slowly weened down the pressure support of the CPAP and Eli has been tolerating it really well! The only bummer about CPAP is not being able to see much of his face since the system requires a bigger tube. We call him our little rhino. Eli also hit 5 pounds this week! Such a big accomplishment since it is more than...

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Third Time's the Charm

Here is a recap of our week. We've had lots of big changes! Monday: The doctors wanted to start refeeding the stool that comes out of Eli's ostomy bag and put it through the second part of his intestine. Eli was sent down to radiology for a test to make sure there were no strictures or perforations. It was a little scary because this was the first time that Eli would be leaving the NICU, even if it was just to go to a different floor of the hospital....

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