Thursday, September 17, 2009

Reed's feet are Bigger

Sorry for the delay on posting but we have been busy with life. I feel like our life semi-stopped in March but we are now back where we should be. Home with two little boys. Everything is continuing to go well. Gaines is doing great on his oxygen and had a good check up with our pediatrician who we L-O-V-E. He endeared himself to us even more at Gaines’ appointment. Before we left, he asked if he could pray for Gaines. Knowing that the people who have been caring for Gaines are believers really make my heart smile.

I’ll try and remember the details…The plan is to get Gaines the RSV vaccination at his next appointment Oct. 2. The nurse is working with the insurance company to get it approved. The shots are about $1000 apiece and he’ll need one once a month through the winter months so hopefully the insurance company won’t have a problem with it. He’s considered high risk so it should work out fine. Gaines is one of their top customers I’m sure so hopefully they’ll push it on through. It will be a drop in the bucket compared to everything else they’ve paid on him.

The only mild cause for possible concern is that Gaines has gained a good bit of weight in the last few days. The question part of this is that he has been weighed three times since he was released and once right before…each time on different scales…so four scales. First he was 10.1 then 9.15 then 10.6 then 10.10 (those are ounces after the .) His SATS seem to be the same, he doesn’t look like he’s retaining fluid (puffy) and his lungs sound great (or as great as his lungs can sound) so HOPEFULLY it is just good real weight. Our pediatrician spoke with one of our NICU doctors and he wasn’t concerned so I think it will just be something that we watch. He’ll get a few weight checks in the next couple of days so maybe that will tell us more.

We are settling into a sort of routine at home. I don’t know if you can ever have a good routine with small children but we have some sense of what’s going on when. I’m not really sure how we are going to manage things when my mom leaves on Friday but we’ll figure it out somehow. The house just might not stay as straight, the dishes my not be washed as often and we might make it down to our last pair of underwear before the laundry gets done (and lets not forget those thank you notes)…but isn’t it great? Not too long ago I had all the time in the world to do that sort of thing but Gaines wasn’t home with us. I am really trying to embrace all the frustrating parts about a new baby (nighttime feedings, spit-ups, diapers, etc.) because I know just how close I came to not having those parts.

Reed is still doing great and actually touched Gaines for the first time last night. Its not that we haven’t let him…he just hasn’t been that interested so for the sake of Gaines’ health, we haven’t pushed it. Last night he touched Gaines’ foot and put his foot up to Gaines’ to compare size. We had to take of the orange and pink fuzzy socks of mine that Reed was wearing up to his thighs to do it, but feet were compared and unsurprisingly Reed’s were bigger. Reed also helped with Gaines’ bath last night (and by help I mean he squirted soap in my hand) but he was really interested in what was going on.

Brittany

PS-A few questions were asked in previous comments. Gaines does not have a SAT monitor belt...it is probe that wraps around his foot. Also, Reed does still attend daycare. We thought this was best for Reed and would allow Gaines' nanny to focus on Gaines.

9 comments:

Cary said...

Things sound wonderfully normal at the Daniel household!!! Praise God! Please continue to keep us updated (in your spare time?). Hugs to all of the Daniel family!

Diana said...

Yeah for the craziness of having two little ones at home!!!! Yes, it is a crazy life, but so wonderful. Praying that you guys continue to thrive as a family of 4 at home.

Deanna said...

So glad to hear things are going well! Continued prayers for you all.

Stephanie said...

Glad things are going well. Bet you never thought you'd enjoy laundry and middle of the night feedings so much. Such a blessing to have two boys home with you now :)

Lori said...

So glad that things are falling into order. Your right...you can't worry about the little things like dishes, and empty laundry baskets, just so you have some dishes and 1 pair of clean undies it don't matter at this time in your life.(smile)

Grammy Jane said...

Glad to hear things are going so good for you. Praying for continued progress. PLEASE, forget the thank you notes. I'm sure everyone knows you're grateful and you've got better things to do with your time. If you must, I'll share an idea. My son had preemie twins and they printed pictures and a short generic message on a postcard size paper at Walgreens. Then all that was needed was a stamp and an address. Just an idea--Have a super weekend.

Unknown said...

I LOVE that your pediatrician asked if he could pray for you and Gaines. That is soooo amazing and beautiful. I remember when I was growing up in Colorado and I went through a really trying time and my family practice doctor asked if he could pray with me. It was amazing.
God bless you and your family!

Colton's Journey said...

I love that your Dr. is a beliver. That awesome. Do you have an equipment provider? If so ask them if you can have a scale at the house..you might need a script for one (your pediatrician can write it.) That way you can have a stable weight to go by. We do that with our little one...weigh him right before he's fed consistently-what a huge help.

HAppy to hear the awesome news!

Laura Mielke said...

Brittany, I met you in the NICU last Wednesday when I was just popping in to say hey to my twin's nurses. Ok call me crazy BUT about the weight gain thing: my twins came home at 4 pounds. It took them 3 months to gain 3 pounds in the Nicu... when they came home at 4 pounds they rapidly gained weight. MY THEORY is that when your Nicu baby comes home they are able to be held and loved on so much more than they were in the NICU and it is a proven fact that human touch and nurturing is physically good for and essential for babies. Gaines could be gaining simply because he knows he is home and being loved on 24/7. Just my thoughts :)
-Laura Mielke