I was remembering today how afraid of Breydon I used to be. He was always hooked up to his monitor, he'd cough and gasp for air when he would eat because he was so uncoordinated... and now he's on stage 2 solids eating from a spoon like a big boy. I'm amazed at how far he has come- how far we ALL have come.

He still has his monitor... unfortunately, he hasn't had two months in a row without an epidose. He's had 2 clean months, but they werent consecutive. And he's had two episodes this month, so that means the absolute EARLIEST he could have it off is mid May. But Im not holding my breath... he's probably going to be wearing it until he is 8.

Breydon has been so. incredibly. grumpy. for the last few weeks... and I finally have an answer as to why. Until recently he hasnt had any physical signs of teeth. I just wondered. But I can now see two little white bumps on his top gums. It looks like he may be getting his first 2 teeth shortly (One can hope!!)! Thank goodness for Tylenol. Its a lifesaver.

As far as developmental milestones... Im thinking hes a little bit behind where he should be based on his actual age. He's not rolling in either direction, and hes not really pushing up with his hands (the push-up position). He absolutely hates being on his belly. He can however, sit up for a few seconds unassisted, and he can stand holding onto a railing (if I put him there). He has very strong legs. He's grabbing with his hands and has a ton more coordination that he did before. He used to just swat at things, but he has the control now to grab them and try to get them into his mouth. He has a parrot on his play mat that he always tries to eat, and gets royally ticked off when he cant get it to his mouth. We had to put it on a few extra links so that he could get it to his mouth. He's also discovered that he can make noise. He likes to have conversations with you... and if he gets excited, the conversation turns into more of a happy yell. I think he'll be an early talked for sure. :)

His 6 month check up is next week so Ill update about that after it happens.

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((from Breydon)) :D

Its been a while!

A lot has happened since last October. A LOT!

Breydon's apnea monitor downloads had been showing episodes of high heart rates which are called 'Tachycardias'. These aren't just slightly high heart rates... his monitor is set to go off at 230bpm. That is high in itself, normal is 80bpm-210bpm. The alarms have gone off six times, with the highest recorded heart rate being 272. Which is a problem. When his heart beats that quickly for a long time, it weakens and can cause conjestive heart failure. So we were sent to Lutheran Children's Hospital in Ft. Wayne on Monday, for an Echogardiograph. Then we went to a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Ghazali, yesterday.

The Echo showed a small hole in his heart, which is 2-3mm in size. It was explained to me, that when babies are in utero, there is a 'flap' in the heart that stays open because the mothers body is pumping the blood. When the baby is born, that flap is supposed to close, and their own body takes over pumping the blood. Breydon's flap is MOSTLY closed, but hasn't completely closed yet. This is NOT what is causing the fast heart rates. Just an added bonus. :) In a year, we will do another Echo and check to see how the hole is, but the thought is that it will close on its own.

As for the heart rate issue, Breydon has SVT (Super Ventricular Tachycardia). Everyone's heart has a 'pace maker' that regulates how much the heart beats. Breydon has TWO 'pace makers'. The majority of the time, the correct one is in control and he is fine. But OCCASIONALLY, his second one kicks in and takes over, causing his heart to beat really really really fast. This isn't something that he will outgrow, as the second 'pace maker' will always be there. But it IS something that his body will eventually learn to control on its own. In the meantime, Breydon takes medicine 2 times a day to make sure that it doesn't happen. So far, he is on 1/3 of the lowest dose of the medicine. So he's not even taking the full lowest dose.

Right now, it seems controlled, which is good. Hopefully he won't need to have that increased, but if he does, there is still LOTS of wiggle room to work with. Breydon has weekly check-ins with Dr. Ghazali, monthly appointments with Dr. Ghazali, and monthly EKG's. He is still on his apnea monitor which will detect if there are any SVT episodes. In a few months, the doctor will discontinue the use of the monitor and have us just looking for visual cues that it is happening. Things seems pretty much under control, we just have to make sure we watch it, and are diligent with checking up on it. Hopefully in a year there will be no more problems!!

On a lighter note, Breydon saw his pediatrician today and she said that she cannot tell at all that he was a preemie. He is 15 pounds now, and 23.5 inches long. Such a big boy, for being such an early boy! :) We are proud. :)

Thanks for the prayers!

Second Month- First Shots

Today Breydon is 2 months old! He has his "2 month well child" appointment this afternoon, and it went... well, it went.

We got there, and went right back, which was nice. Breydon was sleeping away, unaware of what was about to happen to him. Dr. Eckart weighed him, (10.13 Lbs, by the way, 21.5 inches long) and then checked him out. He looks good, very healthy. She mentioned that she couldn't find his neck under all those rolls and cheeks. :) ANYWAY, then she checked his poor weenie. LAST TIME we were there, his circumcision had grown back in one spot so I had to put hydrocortozone cream on it, every diaper change. I had been. But today, she decided to just break the skin right then and there. He wasn't expecting it-- neither was I for that matter. My sweet little  boy SCREAMED...  I got watery eyes, watching him cry in pain... ugh. It wasn't fun. But the fun doesnt end there--- they couldn't get it to stop bleeding so they cauterized it. Once again, it caught him off gaurd and he screamed... poor little guy wasnt even crying a mad cry it was a "Why did you let them do this to me, Mommy" cry. (At least that sure is how it FELT). But... after the Tylenol he was okay. Then compared to that his shots seemes like a piece of cake. He's got two big boy band-aids on his legs, and Im not taking them off till they fall off. Since we have been home, he hasnt developed a fever or anything like that... he just randomly cries and once I pick him up, hes pretty good. 

Now we wait for 4 months, and we can do it all over again!

1 Month

Today was Breydon's one month wellness appointment.

Breydon now weighs 7lbs 12oz, and is 19 3/4 inches long!!! Dr. Eckart says that he is in the 25th percentile in height, and 50th percentile for weight. That is GOOD considering he was 6 weeks early!! We are really excited that he is doing so well with his growth! Since he's almost 8 pounds, I was able to buy size 1 diapers instead of buying more newborns. Most likely by the end of the week he will have passed 8 pounds anyway, so I thought that it was time. :)

Now I hope he doesn't grow TOO fast... I want him to be small for a LITTLE bit longer... :) :)

Lil' Monster

Last night/today we have been getting our first glimpse of the grumpy side of Breydon. :) I'm not sure what's going through his mind for the past 20 hours. He WAS on a schedule of eating every 2.5 hours.We didn't set this schedule, he set it himself. But last night, he decided that he was going to throw fits at random intervals, wanting to eat another entire bottle 45 min after he finished the last one... then he'd wake up screaming an hour later, eat half an ounce, and go back to bed. Who knows. TODAY he went 4 hours without wanting to eat, but when he DID wake up, he was MAD. He wanted to eat right then. Buttttt... then he only ate a very small bit of it. We woke him up later, because he hadn't eaten in a while and then he ate 4.5 ounces. (Normal is 3-3.5) I don't know what he's doing! Hopefully he will settle into a new routine soon. Its hard to plan my day when I'm unsure of when he's going to want to eat. Since I'm pumping and not breast feeding, I can't just take milk along with me. Oh well...

Breydon has a one month check up on Monday. I hope he's grown, but I KNOW he has. :) He can't fit into his preemie clothes anymore, and is now filling out his newborns quite nicely.

Michael's parents are coming tomorrow to meet Breydon for the first time. HOPEFULLY grumpy gus can be on his best behavior.

Growin' Like a Weed

Breydon had his 3 week weight check up yesterday. He gained a pound and four ounces since LAST Thursday! Now he weighs 6.5lbs. We are excited. This means that he doesn't need formula to help him get more calories, and it means that we can continue giving him breast milk. Since he's gaining so well, the pediatrician decided that she didn't need to see him again until his one month appointment (which by the way, is only a little more than a week away!!). He's staying awake a little longer each time now, and we are getting to see his eyes more. :)

He is excited to meet his other grandparents next weekend, and then his great grandparents the weekend after. ;)

Today is your day! You're off to great places, you're off and away! -Dr. Seuss

Finally, we are home (last Tuesday... or maybe it was Wednesday) after 12 days in the NICU. It was exhausting, and stressful, but the time went quickly. Our nurses and doctors were all wonderful, which really helped!! HOWEVER Im glad that's over, and I hope to never experience that again. :)

Breydon had his first pediatrician appointment on Thursday. He lost a little weight, which apparently is to be expected... but other than that he's a healthy boy! We go back NEXT Thursday just for a weight check. Hopefully we have a gain, or he may have to be formula fed for a while. :( He's taking about 2 ounces every 3 hours.

Im contemplating taking Brey to church on Sunday. His NICU doctor said that we could... we are supposed to be treating him like a normal newborn. My only hesitations are the germs from so many people. I want to show him off, but I don't want people touching him. But my MAIN concern is his monitor. I think Brey would just sleep through church... so his monitor shouldn't screech... but I don't want him to be disruptive. So I guess we shall see.

Breydon is an EXCELLENT baby. He's not fussy at ALL... just gets wiggley when he needs something. Other than that he quietly looks around or sleeps. I love him.