November

It's November. How can it be? A week from today we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving. It will be the first Thanksgiving we celebrate with James. We won't be fixing turkey this year, but the green bean casserole is a must.

James turned 9 months old on the 9th. It seems so weird to hear that he is 9 months old. Since he spent the first 4 months of life in the NICU we really think that he's only 5 months old - from the day we brought him home. Things have slowed down quite a bit, which is a relief. James' medication regime isn't as crazy compare to 5 months ago. He only takes zantac for his reflux, a breathing treatment (which probably lasts until the end of flu season), and a multivitamin. That's it!
I personally not a fan of giving him the breathing treatment. The task is usually done by my mother in law or Ryan. Mwahahahahha. Usually after a day of feeding him, playing with him, doing range of motion exercises, bath time, and snack time with him the last thing I want to do is the breathing treatment.
Before I had James I didn't think I'd last being home all day long with a newborn. However, I think I have started to enjoy it. At least for now, while he needs me the most.

Anyways, we took James to an eye doctor last week. Preemie kiddos sometimes have issues with their eye muscles. They are prone to have lazy eyes, crossed eyes, etc. While I was concern about how the appointment would go, knowing that he survived from the NICU - a little eye problem seems to be very minor. The result of the first eye appointment is good, phew! We have a follow up appointment in February. Between now and then we will keep monitoring his eyes development at home.

I took James to his 9 months check-up, and for a flu shot yesterday. James is now weight 10 lbs, 9.6 oz (ay, he is skinny), he grew 3 inches from his 6 months appointment (yay). He was showing off the entire time of the appointment. Dr. Beaty was saying how strong James' muscle tone is. I guess we're doing a good job at the ROM exercises at home.

I've posted couple pictures on FB. If you're not friends with me I don't think you can see them. I will post some later today. James is up from his nap and is sucking his fingers. I guess it's time to feed him.

Ryan did some windows update on my laptop and stored all my pictures somewhere else. I only have one picture saved in this laptop for now. I will post that one picture from Halloween night :)

Till later,
Gabby.

Been Gone Too Long...

Aye,

Has it been that long since we updated the blog?
Well... I was on a cleaning streak for 4 days. Grandma Sutter and I did a curtain shopping to brighten up the front room. Boy it looks so nice now :) Since that day I went ahead and cleaned (I mean, really cleaned) the rest of the house. Ok, so about 75% of the house. Also.. recently I've started baking cupcakes while being a stay-home mom. I'm taking a couple semester off from nursing school to care for James, so... baking cupcakes so far works great :D

Anyways,

James has been doing good. He still spits and pukes a couple times. Working with a puker is not so fun sometime. The dr. wanted us to feed James a specific amount of milk every 3 hour. James did so well for 3 weeks and then boom, he threw up twice everyday for a week. Now we're splitting 1 feeding into 2 feedings. On top of that we're starting to feed James some baby food. It's quite busy in the Kirk's household. It makes the time goes by really quick though.

Last week there were 3 ladies from Peoria came to check on James' developmental progress. So far James is doing as good as a 4,5 months old baby. That's exactly where James should be, because he was born 4 months early. We are quite ecstatic to hear the result of the evaluation.

Well, I leave you with 2 pictures of James tonight.

Trying out a new bumbo chair. 

A lady made a 'cocoon' for James. It's quite cute :D

Night, night. I hope you enjoy the Fall weather :)

Another good weekend

This past week James has done really well with his oxygen. Most days and nights he hasn't needed it. Sure his alarm goes off here and there, but he always brings his saturation levels back pretty quick. 

 

We took James to Mass for the first time this Saturday. He slept through almost all of the service and his monitor only went off after mass when we were putting him back in his carrier. 

nom nom nom

On our way to church

Pumpkin Festival

Since the last update we've been rather busy. James went to the Pumpkin Festival for the first time, though we really just stayed around the Dairy Queen. James also had another visit with the doctor and he now weights in at 9lbs 6oz. Hopefully we can continue that weight gain.

What do you see James?

At the Pumpkin Festival

Peekaboo I see you

Goodbye machine! We have a new unit now

At the doctors office

James had a doctors appointment yesterday. He gained some weight and is now at 9lbs. However that's not the news I'm most excited about. James no longer has to wear his nasal cannula during the day! He will still need it at night, but we are getting closer to not needing it all! I can't wait to say goodbye to it and the monitor he is on.

On the way to the doctors office

Nap time after the doctors office

James will also be needing shots for RSV this winter. From what I understand it's once a month from Oct - March. So remember wash your hands and cover when you cough or sneeze.

It feels like James has been home a lot longer than he really has. This weekend James turned seven months old. To celebrate this accomplishment he threw up a few of his feedings over the weekend. So he went through a few outfits this weekend.

Changing his outfits is an interesting game. Do I pick one that has footies, or one that goes over his head to get it on? Will this one or that one fit? Is it now too small? Realizing that he is growing out of more clothes is really a lot more exciting that I thought it would be. Sometimes it is hard to keep track of his growth. So farewell you skateboarding grasshopper onesie. Perhaps you'll be worn by another someday.

Overall you're probably here for the photos. And we've got a bunch.

This first one was edited by Gabby's sister Intan. I can't wait for it to be come reality.

No more oxygen tube! ...perhaps by the end of the moth...?

James doesn't want his nails trimmed

Monica comes to visit

Just had a bath

James is having fun with his new toy

James is not amused

The smile

... if only he knew what was coming....

He hates it when I dress him in a onesie that goes over his head... sorry kiddo...

12 days since last post

So it's been 12 days since last post. James has had his 6 months shots and boy he hates them. The 1st one was oral shot, he gagged a couple of times.. no damage. The 2nd shot was on his right thigh, he smiled, the 3rd and 4th shots turned the smile upside down. James slept a lot for the next 2 days. He ate a lot less and puked more often. Dr. says it's normal. Baby tends to have off days after getting the shots.  It has been 1 week since the shots and James is still figuring out his appetite. It's better now compare to 5 or 6 days ago. He would lick the tip of the bottle and made faces.

Last Saturday we took James to NICU, to visit one of his primary nurses - Laura. It was so great to see her again. Luckily James was wide awake so Laura could play with him for a bit. I will post pictures tomorrow. The pictures are in my phone.. and I have no idea how to upload them. Hubby says they're in Windows Live, but I have no clue what the username or password he has for this. Anyways, we'd like to take another trip or two to see the rest of James' former primary nurses. It'll be great to see them again.

James is currently at 1/16 L on his home oxygen. We've tried this setting for 2 weeks but he didn't like it. He seems to tolerate the setting today. I will keep him on the same setting for another day or two and see if he tolerates even lower setting.

Can I just tell you life is less exhausting outside NICU? We are so thankful that we're passed the life in NICU. Although we kinda miss the place. We pray for each baby in NICU and the family to have faith in God, and that He may grant them peace throughout their journey.

**I had something in mind to talk/type about.. but now it's gone... so I'll get back later.

Nighty nite
R&G

Eye Exam Update

James' last eye exam went really quite well. He won't have to get another checkup for a few months! Pretty exciting news to say the least.

James' last visit to the eye doctor went well. He still has another appointment and if that goes well then we might be done with eye exams for awhile!

In other good news OSF Home Care switched out our monitor. The new unit it so much nicer than the old one. Overall the unit looks and operates the same with one major difference. The alarm no longer sounds like a wailing banshee, instead it is a much more mellow alarm. Still loud enough that we can hear it but not so shrill that you cringe every time you hear it.

And now for everyone's favorite part... photos!

Eye Doctor Visit

James has another eye doctor appointment today. Hopefully we will have good news!

Waiting to see the eye doctor

Grandma comes to visit!

Last week we picked up Gabby's Mom at the airport.

Last time she was here James was still in the NICU and in his isolette but now she can pick him up! Very exciting.

Photos from the past week

Just wanted to share some photos from the past week.

Perhaps James is telling us he wants a dog!

James trying to suck on his fist

Caffeine Free

James turns 5 months old on the 9th. What a milestone :D We cannot be happier to have this bundle of joy home :) 


We took James to a dr. visit at OSF Easter Seal. We were excited to see how much weight James has gained since a month ago. The nurse weigh James and the magic number is 7 lbs 14 oz! How exciting! We then hear some good news from the dr. James is no longer needing his caffeine and his potassium. We didn't think the day would come. Feeding prep is going to take shorter time since we don't have to measure the potassium dose every 3 hour. Goodbye 0.87 ml potassium. Goodbye 1 ml caffeine. The plan right now is to continue the Diuril for 5 days and then goodbye Diuril :) Starting next week we will slowly wean the oxygen down. It won't happen overnight, but we are moving to the right direction and we are beyond ecstatic!

Will post some pictures tomorrow. It's nap time.

Happy 4th of July :)

My, it has been a long time since I updated the blog. Things are quite crazy in the household....
James has been doing great, with a minor concerning habit(s). I don't know about other babies, but it seems like the kid gags quite often. Thankfully he doesn't throw up everytime he makes this gagging sound. It reminds me of myself when I was pregnant with him. I had dry heaves. Quite often, it was annoying.
Babies' digestive system works slower than ours... so.. it takes a little while for James to digest his food. Especially preemie babies, they tend to have a sensitive GI. He spits now and then, but today.. man he definitely gave us a show. I usually hold him up for 15 mins or so then put him into this rocking bed thingi... it's like a hammock... a rocker napper.. that way his head is slightly elevated than the rest of the body... preventing him from having reflux. Well anyways, the past couple of days I skipped the rocker napper and went straight to lay him on his bed.. and he was fine. Today, however, was a different story. As soon as I laid him down he burped and.... out came his food. Blergh. Since that feeding he has been eating great, I think to make up the hunger from throwing all his food earlier.

James' eyes have been progressing good. The doctor still wants to see us every 10 days. His left eye still has some funky blood vessels that aren't growing in the right direction. The doctor says he's not too concern about them, but will keep monitoring the growth of those blood vessels.

I think James is close to being 7 pounds, or he already is. He's certainly growing :) I packed some of his clothes that he has outgrown today. Those preemie clothes, some of them didn't even get a chance to be worn!

I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July. We stayed home today and watched a movie from Amazon. We had a yummy dinner from Ryan's parents. The ribs were finger lickin' good. :D

Pictures!

baby rocker thingi :)

a picnic in the living room :)

J ..J.. J.. J ..James

Since James was born I've been receiving phone calls from many people, all from the healthcare field. Several nurses have made it to our house to do check-ups on James. A nurse from James health insurance has made a weekly phone calls to check on James. Someone has contacted us regarding physical therapist/ occupational therapist to do an evaluation.
James is doing good so far, thank you for the continuous prayers :)

Well, not much happening since the last time I updated the blog. Ok, the kid had a projectile vomiting last Thursday at his eye doctor's office. I wish I could see that in slow motion. It was concerning, but yet hilarious at the same time. I called James' pediatrician right away, since he threw up his morning meds which consist of potassium, vitamin and caffeine. Anyways, James threw up his 8:30 am meds again the next day. After many phone calls we decided to dilute the mix of meds into 25 ml of milk. We usually only mixed the potion into 15 ml of milk. I can't blame JAmes, they must taste awful, that's why he spit it all out.
Third time is the charm, he hasn't thrown up since then. :)

Just 1 picture from tonight. We were watching HOUSE the TV show on DVDs.

James has gotten bigger since the last photo :) He feels heavier too. I think we have a nurse visit tomorrow, he'll get weighed then.

toodles, the alarm is beeping, gotta check on my little man.

:)

My sister says.,,,

Why haven't you updated you blog, eh?

So here I am, taking a break from my math homework.

James has been doing great at home. We are, of course, still adjusting having newborn at home. We went to 3 drs appointment last week for follow ups. James weighs about 6 pounds and 10 oz by now. He is still on the skinny side of the preemie chart. I don't know if he'll get chunkier than he is now considering how skinny his dad is.

James' ophthalmologist is still watching his eyes very closely. The last appointment wasn't as good as the dr was expecting. He doesn't need to do surgery or anything yet, but hopefully the blood vessels will fix themselves.

We love James' pediatrician. He has the people skill, has a very good bedside manner. We're glad we choose him.

Aside from James' regular medication, the dr added a nebulizer, to open up his lungs and reduce inflammation. You have no idea how difficult it is to get a little baby to stay in place while giving the treatment. We tried the mask, we tried the paci that has a hole where the steam of the medicine comes out right to his nose. Either way, the kid won't stay still.


*We'd like to thank our cousin Natalie who performed a concert benefit for James  on June 11, 2012. 
*We'd like to thank everyone who joined us that evening. Your prayers, love, support and gifts are abundant. 
*We'd like to thank the ladies for the wonderful meals you've provided us for the past couple of weeks. We are very well taken care of.


It's almost feeding time, James is fussy now. The man is hungry! Better get the milk ready :)


Picctures will come later. 


Thank you for continuing praying with us.
love love love
Ryan & Gabby

Finally, pictures!

Apparently I'm so talented. I managed to fit the USB cable into the ethernet spot in the Mac Mini, which is a no no. Hahahah!

James has been putting on weight. He is now 5.9 pounds :D I think he has 0.5 oz to go or something to be a 6 pounder. Oh, the boy is so strong when he's angry. He has scratched my face, pulled my hair (ok, I guess I put my face a liiiiiiittle too close to him). Well, when you have a cutie baby you just want to be soooo close to him all the time.

Thank you for the continuous prayers for James. He's lovin it :)

Ok, enough rambling, here are some pictures of James. I think the boy got character :)

many many evenings driving to NICU. This was 10 days before we brought James home.

Back on the feeding tube for the second time.
James was working on staying awake during feeding.

Praying to go home with mommy & daddy.

That's right, I got my swag. 

So, mommy... what did you say about my fantastic room at home?

Is this how you want me to pose? 

Mommy, you look weiiiiiiiird...

--
May 30th

Home sweet home.

I think I like the room, mommy :)

2nd bath at home.
Seriously, isn't his expression comical? There has got to be a cartoon character lookin like that!

Thanks for covering me up during this photo session mommy.

That's it daddy! No more pictures I say.

Found James sleepin like this. Don't be fooled, he was screaming and kicking.

Mommy I need to burp, it's coming!

Gabby, Ryan and James :)

Night night :)