Cup 'o' Joe

Day 80, 1620 grams

I couldn't figure it out. The morning started out all right, but toward the end of the day I got really jumpy and irritable. Turns out that the doctors discontinued my caffeine doses. I was getting them to jack me up enough so that my lungs would get excited and expand, giving them a workout. Now apparently I don't need it any more. Who the heck do they think they are?! They can't push me around like this! I PROTEST! WAAAHHHH!

Woah.

What was THAT? Sorry, I'm not usually like that. I wonder if this outburst has something to do with the caffeine withdrawal? Mommy promises to introduce me to "coffee" when I'm older, so I guess I'll have to suffer until then.

In other news, I had another eye exam today, and it looks as though I switched my eyeballs around. Either that or the one that was better got worse and vice versa. This is normal, they say. It should be like this for at least a month, so let's hope that the outcome is good!

Also, I tried the bottle for the first time, and I sucked. No, I mean, I really sucked, which is a good thing. Thanks to my honorary bubbe Rhona for sending the housekeeping staff on an epic hunt for the smallest nipple for my bottle! It was fun.

Gotta go--getting the shakes pretty bad now.

AUGH!


AOV

Eye Spy

Day 79, 1620 grams

And here is yet another item on Andrej's Menu of Maladies: I had an eye test yesterday, and the results weren't the best, unfortunately. I have a condition known as Retinopathy of Prematurity, or ROP. The link will tell you more about it. I have a stage II in one eye and a stage III in the other eye, but luckily they say they caught it early, so it should be treatable. Whatever happens, promise me that if I have to wear glasses, you won't laugh at me!

Today was a great day for feeding. Normally I get two sessions with mommy, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. This is because I would get too tired if I did it more often. However, today I felt up to an extra session, and mommy was only too happy to oblige! As you can see my weight is increasing, so let's hope that this is a nice upward trend.

Schedule for tomorrow: More Sleeping and Eating.


AOV

A Very Sad Day

It's a very sad day today because we received the news that my friend Logan passed away this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with Logan's mommy and daddy, Laura and Richard.

We miss you so very much.


AOV

Mr. Stinky

Day 77, 1550 grams

It looks as though I'm gaining some weight again, which is good since I want to compete in a higher weight class in the Preemie Ultimate Fighting Federation (PUFF). The polycose seems to be working, and daddy got to experience one of it's side effects: really stinky poop! During my evening diaper change he and auntie Val were greeted by a waft of some of the most vile air you could imagine. So just as the nice new diaper was being secured in place, I let fly another volley of gooey stinking madness. Hee hee. And then as diaper number 3 was being prepared, I had one more little nugget for daddy. I have a feeling that my antics tonight are going to haunt me years from now, most likely at my wedding. Ah well, it was worth it. You wouldn't think that bowel movements could provide so much entertainment, but they do, oh yes indeed.

All in all it was a great day. Weight gain, fun with poop, and to top it off, a great feeding session with mommy. I think I may be outgrowing some of my clothes soon, but that's OK, mommy has been shopping like crazy for me. Daddy was thinking of asking me to hide the credit cards in my incubator, but he knows that I would just go crazy on eBay. I've had my eye on the Sopranos boxed set for some time now...


AOV

Weight Watchers

Day 76, 1500 grams

OK so this morning mommy and daddy met with the doctor to discuss my recent weight loss. Since I'm not having trouble eating and I'm processing my food properly (ie. pooping on a regular basis), it seems as though the issue is simply that I am using all my calories for healing, particularly my lungs. So the answer is to add more calories to my diet. They've bumped me up to 32ml of milk, but in order to really bulk me up, they are adding fortifiers, including polycose, which is a straight up starch. Pure carbs. Oh yeah. We'll have to see how this turns out. So in a weird way, my weight loss was a good sign--a sign that I am getting better.

And as proof that I'm not having trouble eating, I totally got my milk on tonight with mommy. I was wide awake and sucking like crazy. Always a good sign. Before that I made a right mess of my incubator with a rather large and somewhat violent poop. Yeah, it was nasty. Then I peed on mom while they were cleaning me up. Bingo! Andrej: 3, Clean Sheets: 0.

Not to worry, I'm still negative for VRE. Keep your fingers crossed!

I'm off to sleep now. Behold the cuteness!
AOV

Boring Boring Boring

Day 75, 1530 grams

Sorry this post is so late, but luckily it's not because Saturday was a busy day. On the contrary it was pretty boring. Yep. Not much to report. I'm breathing all right and I'm eating well. The only moderate concern is that I'm still losing weight. We'll be meeting with the doctor soon to get to bottom of this, so keep your fingers crossed that it isn't something serious. Mommy put me in some new PJs today and even colour-coordinate my blankets to match. I hope to have some pictures up tomorrow!

So until I get more news, keep the happy thoughts coming!


AOV

Lockdown!

Day 74, 1500 grams

As some of you may have read in the Montreal Gazette recently, there has been a couple of cases of VRE in the NICU. VRE is vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, a nasty bug that can really make a little guy like me really sick. Fortunately I have not tested positive for the bug, but sadly it means that I can no longer have any visitors other than mommy and daddy, not even my grandparents are allowed. So now everyone has to wear funny gowns and gloves when they come into the unit, and they had to take away all my toys and books. But that's OK, since I'd rather the hospital take extreme measures to prevent me from getting sick. I know how upset mommy and daddy would be if I caught the bug as well, so I'm making sure that every nurse and RT that comes near me is properly dressed and cleaned. I don't care how full my diaper is, you're not coming near me without a gown and gloves!

I feel I should also shed some light on my recent weight loss. Blame it on Jenny Craig. No really, it's because I'm off the TPN, and I tend to burn calories a lot faster with my baby antics. Today was bad because I burned all my energy before mommy arrived to feed me so I really wasn't into the whole breastfeeding thing today. Way too tired. I have to start conserving my energy.

Maybe tomorrow I'll want to settle down...


AOV

Hulk.

Day 73, 1550 grams

As you can see by my picture today, I am in full-on relaxation mode. As the medications stop and the tubes start to disappear, I get the chance to just eat, rest and grow. Plus I now look less like a cyborg.

What they don't realize is that I know how to get this nasal cannula off, I just lack the strength to make it happen. That's not to say I'm weak. Oh no, I am three pounds of power, believe me. When mommy and daddy came back for my night feeding, they found me on an angle at the foot of my incubator. The nurse had put me on my belly to sleep, but little did she know I am getting a head start on this "crawling" thing.

So to recap my day: sleep, sleep, sleep, eat, stare at my toys, sleep, sleep, sleep, eat, hang out with mommy and daddy, sleep, sleep, etc.

Gotta go back to sleep now.


AOV

Every Girl Crazy 'Bout a Sharp Dressed Man

Day 72, 1560 grams

I am one sexy baby. Look at me. LOVE me. Last night the decision was made that if my dumb IV infiltrated one more time, they would take it out. I'm finished with my antibiotics, I don't really need the TPN since I'm up to 30ml of milk, and I can get my hydrocortisone orally. So who needs an IV? Not this guy. And as luck would have it, my IV did infiltrate last night and so it was out with needle and on with the PJs! Auntie Jocelyn honour of dressing me for the first time and she chose for me this jaunty little one-piece number in green stripes. She says green is my colour. I wouldn't know since I still can't see in colour yet.

Any way, I've heard so much about these PJ things and now I see what all the fuss was for. I mean, I was dead sexy before, but now I am a lethal weapon of cuteness. I know it's a shame to cover up my little bod, but just look at me! I hope to have more pictures as I work my way through my rather extensive wardrobe.

I had two successful breast feeding sessions today, much to the delight of mommy and the nurses. I'm sorry that I didn't mention auntie Mel & auntie Ceci's happy dance yesterday. Those two crack me up!

Bye!


AOV

I'm a Huge Pig

Day 71, 1550 grams

BURP! The thing about breast feeding is that there is no way to control how much I eat. They are supposed to be giving me 21 ml of food every three hours, but at least three times a day I get as much as I can handle directly from the source. In order to estimate how much I take, mommy weighs me before and after. Last night we figure I took in about 35 ml in one feeding! Bring on the dessert!

That brings me to the reason why my post is so late today. I had so much fun with mommy and daddy last night that we didn't get to bed until 3am! (This entry is actually being posted at 12:45 on the 23rd, but I always backdate them if I'm late so that they're all in order).

On another technical note, nobody can hear my music because I downloaded it from iTunes, and they want you to buy the song instead of just listen to it. I would have just uploaded it from the CD, but I couldn't go out and buy it because, oh I don't know, I'M A BABY. I'll send one of the parental units to go find it.

At least they have high-speed internet in the incubators. This place is awesome!


AOV

Bye Bye Stupid Hat

Day 70, 1525 grams

Yay! Stupid hat is gone! I'm back to the nasal cannula, so I'm much more comfortable and styling. Plus, I was able to breast feed again, and that makes me one happy baby! Even though I'm allowed to hook up to mommy as long as I want these days, they still feed me through the tube as well--21 ml! They're trying to beef me up as much as possible so that my lungs will have a chance to get stronger. Soon they may start adding the fortifier my milk to give me a boost. I'm still pretty small for my age, but I'm very strong. Maybe some day I'll be as big as my daddy! Speaking of him, he came by really late to visit. He helped the nurse put in a new IV and then she took me out so that he could hold me! We had a good time together--he told me some stories and sang me some songs, including my new theme song which you may have heard on this site. Then we both drifted off to sleep in the rocking chair. I don't know what he dreamed, but I dreamed that I was better and stronger and that I was out of the hospital with my family. The way I am going right now, that dream seems to be closer every day.

Ooh child, things are going to get easier.


AOV

Please Don't Laugh at My Hat

Day 69, 1500 grams. Yeah!

The score today is BOY:0, BOOGERS:1. Early today I had some trouble breathing because of some clogs in the pipes and so I went back to CPAP. But not just any CPAP. No, my faithful friends, I had to endure the dreaded "Bubble CPAP." Picture a goofy looking hat with straps on the front and back. These straps hold a special mask that completely seals off my nose so that I get continuous pressure into my lungs. Since daddy forgot the camera today, I'll have to use this photo as a close approximation:

You see, in spite of my recent A+ in breast feeding, I'm only getting a C- in lung capacity, so they need to be inflated as much as possible. This mask is supposed to do the trick. Also, It should give my poor nose a break from all the irritation it's been receiving over the last couple of months. I know that the boogers have to come out, but sometimes they "use the force" a little too much. Yes, that was a terrible Star Wars joke, but c'mon, I'm exhausted from wearing this stupid thing. Any way, I don't know how long I'll be on this thing, but I know I'll get through this. After all,

The force is strong with this one.


AOV

Suck, Swallow, Breathe (repeat as necessary)

(sorry for the late post everyone! -mom & dad)


Day 68, 1460 grams

My apologies to aunt Becky for being so boring today for her. I'm a baby, aunt Be, when I gotta sleep, I gotta sleep! I also had visits from Oma and Baka today, and I was a little more active for them. A nurse asked me if I liked having visits from my grandmothers, and I thought, "What the heck does 'grandmother' mean?"

Here's a tip for everyone: NEVER get between a baby and his breast! Tonight mom tried to kangaroo me after I had already eaten (via the tube-boring!). As soon as I was placed on her, I began my quest for the breast, much to the amazement of my nurse. Apparently I'm supposed to be too little to pull this kind of advanced move, but I wanted that booby! When I finally got my way, I latched on to that thing and had a snack, then mommy decided I had enough. Big mistake. Huge. Mom, I'll let you know when I've had enough. I raised such a racket that I'm sure I must have woken up a few of my neighbours. Heck, I was so loud, Japanese pearl divers could probably hear me! So back down I went for a good 20 minutes. And mom thought that her pump had a lot of suction! I left her so battered and bruised you'd think that she hooked herself up to a shop-vac. I totally own this whole breast feeding thing. Baby, I am one bad mutha sucka.

I'm a complicated kid,
But no one understands me but my mother.


AOV

Intravenous Irritations

Day 67, 1450 grams

Another exciting day of boy-on-breast action! This time around I lasted for a full 15 minutes--TWICE! I am definitely preferring this method of milk delivery. My numbers all steady, my boogers are still big and measured milk feeds are at 15ml. However I was having a bugger of a time maintaining an IV site. Since they took out my central line they've had to give me my TPN through temporary IVs which normally should last a couple of days. I'm lucky if they last a couple of hours! I've had 5 different IVs poked in me over the last 36 hours. Oy I feel like a pincushion.

I was really excited to hear that Oma and Aunt Becky were coming to visit today. I waited and waited but they got stuck in traffic. By the time they showed up I was fast asleep, so couldn't entertain them with my new tricks. I was so zonked out I even missed a visit from Uncle Zlatko, who just got back from Mexico. He said he brought me some tequila, but I don't think the nurses would want me having that just yet.

Big smiles out to aunties Ceci & Mel--I miss you guys and I can't wait to see you on Monday.

Vaya con dios, amigos!


AOV










Oma & Aunt B visiting me today

Boy Meets Boob

Day 66, 1440 grams... HEY! That's double my birth weight!!!

Exciting day today. But first the boring stuff: infection still there, but under control; still on the nasal cannula at 25-30% oxygen; no major bradys or de-sats.

Now the good stuff! I was feeling really good today. I was very alert for a good part of the day, and I was interacting with everyone around me. The big action came when I was kangarooing with mommy. We decided to try out this whole breast feeding thing. Apparently the milk comes from those. Who knew? I always thought they came from those little plastic bottles. But it turn out I can just latch on to one of those things and get the milk right from there. Astounding! What will they think of next? So any way, I tried it out for a few sucks and it went amazingly well, but then I got tired, so I stopped. And went to sleep. Mommy was so impressed with my performance that she went out and bought me some Winnie the Pooh diapers, new blankies and PJs. I'm not sure what these PJs are yet, since I tend to spend my days in nothing but a diaper. You laugh, but you should try it. I bet you'd never want to wear clothes either! All in all I had a great day with mom. She sang to me and told me stories and I stared at her for hours. She's one hip lady. I think she's in love with me--she keeps kissing my cheeks and my belly and tells me that I'm the love of her life. I hope daddy doesn't mind sharing!

Until tomorrow, I'll just keep movin' on!


AOV

Slowly Moving Forward

Day 65, 1410 grams

So far so good. They've started my feeds again and put me back on the nasal cannula, plus my infection seems to be under control. I do have the occasional spaz-out when I forget to breath, but hopefully I'll remember that breathing is good. I'm really happy that my weight is starting to steadily increase. I'm particularly impressed with my cute double chin and chub rolls developing on my arms and legs. It's hard to be humble when you're as cute as me!

For the most part it was a pretty quiet day. Baka came for visit in the evening and daddy stayed late to tuck me in. I look forward to tomorrow when I might get more food and maybe even some kangaroo fun with mommy!

Bye!


AOV

Feeling Better...

Day 64, 1370 grams (exactly 3 pounds!)

OK, where to start? I do have an infection and it's likely from my central line. The central line is like an IV, except that it is a really long, extremely thin tube that goes almost to my heart. It supplied me with my TPN and can usually stay in for weeks. Problem is, whenever you have a piece of plastic in your body for a long time, eventually your body will reject it. And that is when you can get an infection. So the infection, called staphylococcus, caused sepsis, pulmonary edema, leukopenia (low white blood cells), and thombocytopenia (low platelets). This led to increased apnea and bradycardia episodes. That's a lot of big words. In baby language, I got really sick from my food tube and had trouble breathing.

So the central line came out, the nurses started poking me for blood samples every three hours or so and I was put on some antibiotics, which seem to be working. At this writing I am now breathing room air, and my colour has returned to normal--yesterday I was white as a ghost. Some sure signs that I'm doing all right: I hate my CPAP tube up my nose, I wiggle around and fuss and cry when they suck out my boogers, and I peed on a nurse today. Bullseye! I still got it...

Thanks for all your words of encouragement! It meant a lot to me and my parents. I'm not out of the woods just yet, so I'll let you know if anything else major develops.

Bye!


AOV

Hi everyone,

I'm really sick right now so there won't be a big post today. I have some kind of infection that has led to pulmonary edema and possibly sepsis. I've received a transfusion of platelets and I've started some antibiotics. The doctors seem to think they've caught it in the early stages, which is good, but we don't know what it is exactly. Mommy and daddy are staying with me tonight so I won't be scared. Hope for the best.

AOV

Happy Mother's Day!

Me, My Mom, and Her Mom.

Day 62, 1350 grams (approx.)

What did you give your mom for Mother's Day? I gave my mommy some grey hairs! Well, I told you yesterday that it may not last, and sure enough, around 11am today I started tiring out and de-saturating like crazy so they had to put me on a nasal cannula. Then, to make matters worse, I had a de-sat/brady festival around 4pm that prompted the nurses to put me on high-flow, which is kind of like being on CPAP only with the nasal cannula. It's hard out there for a preemie! However, I did have a great kangaroo session with my mommy today, which made her very happy on this special day. Mommy was also a bit sad, though, because she misses Oliver so much. I do too. I wish both of us could have wished her a happy Mother's Day.

But this is supposed to be a happy day, so I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you out there who read my blog and especially thank those that leave me comments. Most of my readers are from the Montreal and Ottawa areas, and I've had visitors from all over Canada, from St. John's to Vancouver, but did you know that my blog is international? In the USA from California to Massachusetts, from Portugal, France, Germany, Venezuela, India, China, Japan, Australia and Singapore. Your support means so much to my mommy and daddy. I'm pretty sure they would have gone crazy long ago without it! So to all of you out there in cyberspace--especially all the moms--I send you a big kiss:
Word to your motherz!


AOV

Freedom!

Day 61, 1330 grams

You know who is really good looking? I mean, really handsome and dashing? ME! In a bold move today, the doctor decided that my nose needs a chance to heal, and the only way to do that is to have NOTHING in there! So out with the tubes up the shnozz and off with the sticky junk on my face! The only assistance I'm getting now is extra oxygen pumped into my incubator, but aside from that I'm on my own. Before you get too excited, just remember that this may not last. We're hoping it does, mind you! I have to get used to this whole breathing business--it's rather new to me.

I was so excited about my new found facial freedom that I decided to re-enact my little poop spectacular from Wednesday. Wheee! All over everything once again. There was more poop flying around than in a zoo full of monkeys! Poor mommy got the brunt, but she's a champ. I'm sure she's just happy to know that my bowels are fully functional. Maybe I'll do another one tomorrow in honour of Mother's Day. Hmmmm...

The removal of my CPAP tube also caused a huge dip in nurse productivity today. Every one had to line up to get a pinch of my rosy little cheeks. If can keep this cuteness thing going I bet someone will sneak me out for one of those legendary "Iced Cap" drinks they're all raving about. This face can probably score two, maybe three, free cups! I wonder what size tube they would need to feed me one of those?

So tonight I leave you with a little song. No dancing though, I'm still just a baby, after all.

I love your funny face
Your sunny, funny face.
For you're a cutie
With more than beauty.
You've got a lot of "per-son-a-li-T.-N.-T."
You fill the air with smiles
For miles and miles and miles.
Though you're no Mona Lisa,
For worlds I'd not replace
Your sunny, funny face.

AOV

Have You Hugged Your Nurse Today?

Day 60, 1300 grams (closing in on 3 pounds -- W00T!)

My apologies to my nurses for not mentioning this earlier in the week, but May 6 to 12 was National Nursing Week. It's a time to thank all those stalwart care providers who work for little pay and even less recognition. To the casual observer, it may seem as though they are the faceless, nameless masses who toil in anonymity, but in reality they are the front line of the medical profession. The doctors may be the spark that sets the flame, but they are fuel that keeps that flame burning. So to all my nurses, and nurses everywhere else, I raise my bottle of breast milk in your honour today, and indeed, every day!

Looking back at the week that was, here is a synopsis of the JGH NICU events for National Nurses Week:

SUNDAY: Opening Ceremonies, Orientation, Luau in the Nurses Lounge
MONDAY: Speed Extubation Races
TUESDAY: Beeping Ventilator Hammer Toss
WEDNESDAY: Poopy Diaper Russian Roulette
THURSDAY: Full-Contact Preemie Kickboxing
FRIDAY: Incubator Drag Races
SATURDAY: Closing Ceremonies, Breast Milk Kegger for Babies

Nurses, we salute you!

AOV

Baby Back Ribs

Day 59, 1260 grams

All in all a pretty good day today. Lowered pressure, kangaroo session with mama, minimal barfing, plus my ribs are healing nicely. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about that little misadventure. Turns out I had a few busted ribs. Really! Here's the deal: due to my CDL, I have fluid in my lungs. In order to get rid of this fluid, I'm on a medication called Lasix, which makes me pee a LOT. Unfortunately this medication also eats away at the calcium in my bones, making them more fragile than they already are. So with weakened bones it was only a matter of time before I had a slight mishap. Luckily, we babies tend to heal faster than adults, and we don't feel the discomfort of a couple of broken ribs like you, either. In fact, they're already healing up nicely. I can't help but feel a little beat up, though.

I mean, I look like this:
But I feel like this:
Well, I'm gonna fly now. Take care and I'll see you tomorrow.


AOV







Yo Adrian!

Exciting Excremental Explosions!

Day 58, 1210 grams

Hee hee hee. Here's a life lesson for everyone: Be careful what you wish for. Especially if you wished that your baby would poop! Being such a little guy, my pipes are not exactly working at 100% just yet, so often times it might take me a day or two to, um, "brew something up." Don't worry though. When it's time, you'll know when it happens. And today mommy got to experience a HUGE happening. It started out when she noticed I left a little surprise in my diaper. Being a responsible parent, mommy of course went in to change me. As she slid the new diaper into place, I decided that this one must be baptized as well. Ha ha ha, everyone laughs, what a funny baby. Wait for it. Little did they know that I was just getting warmed up. Diaper number 3 comes in, and I drop a bomb in that one, too. Now that the comedy level is at an all time high, I decide to pull out the coup de grace. Mommy goes in with number 4, and in doing this she lifts my legs up to my belly and pushes. Just a little bit. Well, you might as well have cocked a loaded gun there mom, because once the pressure was released, I shot out a stream of yellowy-green goo worthy of the Exorcist. Man, I nailed EVERYTHING! Bed linens, the incubator door, my oxygen mask, mommy, and yes, poor diaper number 4. And just to make sure that I got my point across, I decided to pee on mommy for good measure. Ah, good times, good times. Nurse Ceci, who by the way, was caring for me for the first time ever, was laughing her head off. Little did she know that my original plan was to get her as well--sort of an initiation. But unfortunately she was busy taking care of my neighbour at the time. Next time, Ceci, next time.

I bet she'll think twice about giving me a suppository again!


AOV

I'm cooking something up!

Now I Know My ABCs... and TPNs... and PDAs

Day 57, 1200 grams.

Zzzzzzzz... Oh, hey everyone. I was pretty tired today. YAWN. After all the action last night I thought I'd take it easy today and just sleep it off. Maybe with a little more rest I can focus on getting bigger and not waste all my energy on frivolous things like breathing. So while I rest, I figured it would be a good opportunity for another installment of Andrej's Lay-Baby Guide to the NICU. Today I present to you:

Andrej's Lay-Baby Guide to NICU Acronyms

Some of these you've heard of, some of these you'll be seeing for the first time.

ABG -Arterial Blood Gas
AGA -Appropriate for Gestational Age. Either refers to my weight or the movies I'm allowed to watch in my incubator.
CLD -Chronic Lung Disease.
CPAP -Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. My breathing method du jour.
ECG -Echocariogram. A test that helped to reveal my PDA.
ELBW -Extremely Low Birth Weight.
ETT -Endotracheal Tube. My old breathing method. I hope I never see that tube again!
FBM -Fortified Breast Milk. Mom's milk mixed with a powder that provides extra nutrition and calories. Does NOT come in chocolate flavour. :-(
NICU -Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
NPO -Nil Per Os -Latin for "Nothing My Mouth," or "Don't Feed That Baby."
PDA -Patent Ductus Arteriosus. That pesky heart issue I had fixed a few weeks ago.
RDS -Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
TPN -Total Parenteral Nutrition. Liquid food delivered through my IV line. As my milk goes up, my TPN goes down.

***********************************************

So there you have it, a partial list of some of the many terms one would encounter in the NICU. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed.


Good Night!


AOV

Not So Fast There, Preemie-Boy

Day 56, 1200 grams.

Pozdrav svima,danas cu pricati Hrvatski jer je moja baka bila u posjeti. Moja baka mene puno voli,a i ja nju jer ona dodje skoro svaki dan i prica mi price. Ona prica ,a ja se smijem.
Danas sam imao jako dobar dan. Udebljao sam se 30 grama pa me mama vec zove mali debeljuco. Mama me je danas iznijela iz inkubatora vrlo lako,jer nisam imao nikakve tube, i onda me je prvi put izljubila svuda po tijelu. Od svog tog uzbudjenja malko sam se umorio pa su mi na kraju dana morali vratiti tubu u nos, ali im ne zamjerim. Moram malo vise narasti i udebljati da bi mogao disati bez problema i da se ne umorim. Za sada toliko,voli vas Andrej.

Bet you didn't know that I can speak Croatian, too! I had a nice visit from my Baka today, so I thought I'd leave her and her friends a special message. So allow me to loosely translate:

Overall it was a good day. However, I was feeling a little uncomfortable and irritable at night. Around 11:30pm I started having trouble breathing and so nurse Jocelyn made a call to the doctor and it was decided that I should go back on the CPAP. This isn't a big deal, so I hope no one gets upset. It's pretty unusual for a little guy like me to go from CPAP to the nasal cannula so quickly. We tried it out, I lasted for 36 hours, and he had to go back. It happens.

Or maybe everything is not as it seems...

Maybe this was a conspiracy designed to get me back on the CPAP because my cheeks were causing a fall in productivity among the nurses. I mean, all the nurses were constantly coming around to my incubator to see me and adorable cheeks, so I imagine not a lot was getting done. So I wouldn't be surprised if I was sabotaged by "The Man" in an effort to restore order. If that's the case, they just may find a preemie revolution on their hands. Every baby, no matter how small, has the inalienable right to be cute!

Viva la revolucion!

AOV

Another Huge Step

Day 55, 1170 grams

Big big big day today. As you can see by my picture today, I no longer have a tube of ANY size shoved up my nose! Instead I am sporting what is known as a nasal cannula, which supplies my oxygen (check out the link to see how this works). The best part of this new development is that I am now officially free of the ventilator! I am doing all my own breathing, with just a little O2 boost in case I need it. I still have a few boogers to deal with, but they're much easier to clean with this new system. It also makes it much easier for mommy and the nurses to get me in and out of my incubator since I have even more freedom of movement than with the CPAP. I'm so happy not to have any thing stuck to my cheeks! I've found out that my cheeks are yet another weapon in my arsenal of cuteness--the ladies loooove me even more, now!

I'm up to 15mL of food, which is now a combination of breast milk and a special fortifying solution that provides me with a boost of calories. To be honest, my weight is a bit low for a baby my gestational age, but I'm working on it! Tomorrow I'll look into getting a little preemie gym set up in here so that I can beef up.

Mommy and I kangarooed again today, and thanks to my new comfy get-up I was much more calm and alert. I spent at least an hour just staring at her in wonder. Next time I see dad I'll let him know that I think he made the right choice. She's a really great lady. I can't wait to spend more and more time with her.

Later!

AOV

CPAP Rules!

Day 54, 1160 grams

Good day today. They brought my pressure down today to 6, and I'm still breathing anywhere from room air (21%) to 25% O2. I'm loving this soft plastic tube because it doesn't hurt my nose and it gives me a lot more freedom to move around. Today I kangarooed with mommy and impressed everyone with my ability to lift my head up.

At lunch today I thought I'd take a break and go down to the Children's Hospital to visit my friend Blake, but mommy and daddy wouldn't let me go. Besides, I didn't have the cab fare any way. But they went to see how he's doing down there. Blake used to be my neighbour here at my hospital, but he's got something wrong with his tummy so he had to be transferred. But we're still emailing each other on a regular basis.

My feeds are slowly increasing again. Something I forgot to mention earlier. After my little "adventure" 2 days ago, they stopped my breast milk feeds and put me back on the IV. This is supposedly standard procedure after a major change in ventilator status, but I think they were just being mean to me after I threw such a major fit. So any way, I'm up to 14mL now, and I'm learning how to be fussy when I'm hungry. Being a baby is so much fun!

Grrr... Give me what I want or else!


AOV

Tubular Turmoil

Day 53, 1170 grams.

Breath in slowly. Now exhale. Again. Yep, that's what I'm breathing too. Room air. How sweet it is. Sure, I have my little fits now and again for which I need a little O2 boost, but for the most part, I'm riding those low 20s right now.

A bit of chaos regarding breathing tubes, however. Yesterday during all the commotion, the doctors, nurses and RTs hadn't decided if I was going to be re-intubated or not, so they had the rigid intubation tube ready. When the call was made to go to nasal CPAP, they didn't go with the softer tube, they just cut the hard tube to fit. Fast forward 24 hours and you can imagine how uncomfortable that can get. My nose started bleeding everywhere so they removed the tube and replaced it with some crazy mask that attached to my head. Apparently it's still CPAP, just a different method. Any way, I hated the mask, not because it was uncomfortable, but because it was really ugly. I mean, it totally clashed with my Sesame Street blankies! So after all that, we are where we should have been all along: soft-tubed-nasal-CPAP-apalooza.

Other news is that I now have a new routine during my routine care: Burping. I know, something you probably take for granted, but I haven't been properly burped my whole life! When I was intubated it wasn't possible, but with the new style, I have more mobility and flexibility. Mommy got to do the honours today:

BURP!

AOV

The Times, They Are a Changin'

Day 52, 1150 grams.

Did I say to look for big news next week?

Well, I have a surprise for everyone today. Where should I start?
So, my mom comes today a bit later then usual (noon?! What, does she think that after 51 days she's suddenly entitled to full night's sleep?). She's all in good mood thinking I am not mad that she didn't show up at 9 or 10. So I give her the old fake hello-smile, but then I found out that my auntie Mel was not coming to take care of me, which made me really mad, and THEN my girlfriend Andrea introduces me to some guy (so what if he was wearing a security uniform--intimidating? Not so much...) and says that she is leaving for lunch with him... Well that was IT- I was seriously mad, so I barfed up my lunch and started choking because it got stuck in my ET tube (that gives me oxygen) which caused my oxygen saturation to drop, which then made my heart rate drop as well.

So you're probably wondering, "Andrej, why such drama?" Well my friends, it is common NICU lore that babies that are intubated will often try to pull out their own tube when the time is right to start breathing on their own. Do you really think that I was going to lay there and look up at the nurses with my imploring puppy-dog eyes and feebly grasp at my tube with the hope of pulling it out just one little bit? Heck, no! In my world it's go big or go home! I'd rather choke on my own puke and crash like a 70's rock drummer (Daddy says he'll tell me who this John Bonham guy is later).

Andrea's attempts to revive me don't work, so the doctor comes over, pulls out my tube, begins "bagging" me, pumps me full of epinephrine, and finally brings me back to reality. All the while, mommy is having a heart attack in the corner, and daddy is risking life and limb in a car driven by Uncle Zlatko. Mission accomplished: Attention received. I am still the center of my little universe.

So here is where we stand: I am now on a ventilation method called CPAP, which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Basically, the machine supplies me with a continuous stream of air, but it doesn't breath for me--I have to handle that on my own. Also,it's a much shorter tube that doesn't go past my larynx, and as such it allows my mighty voice to be heard! OK, so it's still a bit squeaky, but this time around mom and dad got to hear me cry for the very first time. For some reason they started crying, too. This new style is going to take some getting used to, but in the end it will be worth it.

Just think how easy it's going to be when I'm 16 and I want to get a tattoo!


AOV

Happy Baby

Day 51, 1130 grams.

Pretty smooth sailing today. I'm starting to chunk up a bit now too. Tomorrow they are going to start fortifying my milk with more calories, fats, proteins, etc. to get me ready for life without my central line. Also, they will be lowering my air pressure tomorrow, getting me ready for breathing on my own--look for some big news next week!

Yep, that's pretty much it for today. I figure a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope you like today's!

AOV

Olé!

Nifty, Nifty, Look Who's 50!

DAY 50!!! 1100ish grams.

Another good, stable day today. My feeds are now bumped up to 17mL every 3 hours and I am loving it (ie, digesting it, in nurse lingo). If I continue like this, I will soon be off the intravenous foods and strictly on the Maternal Milk Machine.

I had a eye exam today, and everything went well. My eyes appear to be healthy and I'm responding to "visual stimuli." Now I just have to wait another 16 years and I can get my learner's permit.

Daddy was looking a little mad when he came in today. Ah yes, it must have been another adventure with the geniuses at the blood donor clinic. He arrived 20 minutes early for an 11:30 appointment and ended up waiting for an hour before they took his blood. Don't they realize that I need that stuff? I need transfusions from dad whenever my hemoglobin or platelets need a boost. Good thing he's in peak physical condition--a very model of male perfection. Yeah, I don't buy it either. I saw you plow through those Timbits, dad!

Mommy and I had a nice kangaroo session in the evening, and afterward I got a bath. Apparently I reek. Oh well. Until they install a mini shower in here I can't be blamed for a little preemie funk. I must say that Nurse Emilie is very patient with me. Every time she would go across the room to look after another baby, I would try to get her attention by de-saturating. As soon as she comes close to check on me--oops! My saturation goes up again. I call this game "Dance Nurse, Dance!" Good times, good times. But Emilie is a good sport, so I behaved for her last hour. I even let her do my vitals without smacking her repeatedly, as is my custom. Maybe I'll mature someday, but for now, I'm just an "NICU Pranksta."

I'll NICU you all tomorrow!

AOV