Beta Blockers Working!!

So Carter has begun taking the beta blocker medication for the hemangioma on his forehead.  We met with his pediatrician and asked a thousand questions about this medication in babies.  He said he had personally used it on two other babies who had them in locations that would have been inoperable and said it worked very well.  But it is basically kind of uncharted territory.  He didn't have a lot of answers to our questions, and of course we had googled everything we could find on it.  Carter had to go in for a base blood pressure reading, and the doctor felt of the hemangioma and measured it.  He goes once a week for a blood pressure check and the doctor takes measurements and feels of it each time.  Courtney is taking pictures to chart the progress.  He has been taking the medication for a week and a half and already it has greatly reduced in size and appearance.  When he started, the skin was very red and tight-looking where it was bulging out.  Now, it is much softer, smaller in diameter and has a different appearance.  The only side effects noticeable are that Carter is really tired for a short time after he takes the medication (he takes 3 doses a day).  So we are very hopeful that this will speed the reduction of this. 
His last weight check was 10 lbs. 2 oz.  He has like 2 or 3 chins now!  He is fascinated with ceiling fans!  If there is one in a room, he cranes his neck to stare at it no matter which way you turn him.  And he is starting to make little cooing noises, but usually acts surprised when it happens.  I told Courtney, in a short time, he will be doing that non-stop and probably at inopportune times!  He now holds his head steady for long periods of time and is getting stronger by the day.  And he wiggles and riggles all over.  Still hoping he can sit in a bumbo seat by Christmas - will make for really cute pictures!
More later...

Carter's First Thanksgiving

Well, Carter survived his first Thanksgiving!  He visited with the Gann family early in the day, and then came to see the Myers/Alexander's for the afternoon.  His last weight check was 9 lbs, 4 oz!!  He is just growing like a weed!  He has begun to smile on purpose, and is starting to coo some.  He is becoming more vocal when things aren't like he wants them - I wouldn't call it a cry - more of a yell!  He lets you know when he's mad!  He has had several nights that he has slept for 6 hours or more.  All good signs of growing and maturing.  He is quickly outgrowing his clothes.  He wore newborn for a good while, and the 0-3 months size are now starting to be too short!  He is holding his head up for longer periods.  Maybe by Christmas he will be able to sit in a bumbo seat.  We are all so excited for him to experience his first Christmas.  I said I wasn't even going to buy a bunch of toys because he doesn't know it's Christmas, but you know how that goes.  One trip down the baby toy aisle and I had several things tossed into my cart!  His daddy says he is already spoiled, but isn't that what we are supposed to do?!  He is not a big fan of the bounce seat or anything really, that involves not being held!  The doctor says by the time he is around 6 months, it will be OK to let him fuss a little and try to soothe himself, but for now, the spoiling continues!

Carter's Visit with the ENT specialist

Carter saw the Ear, Nose & Throat doctor yesterday.  This appointment was scheduled for him while he was still in the nicu.  And it is always tough trying to time feedings with an hour drive to Springfield.  So we get there and go to check in, only to be told that this is the day the doctor is in Lebanon seeing patients.  And we were the second people to arrive at the Springfield office instead of Lebanon.  Thank you "Beth", whoever you are for making us drive 100 miles with a crying baby when we didn't need to.  So after all that, we came back to Lebanon and saw him here.  He had some concerns because of the hemangioma on his head.  He said sometimes if they are prone to have those, they can get them in their throat and it will constrict their airway.  So he ran a scope down Carter's throat to have a look (this was less fun than driving with a crying baby).  He has what he calls a floppy airway.  This causes him to have a stridor, or make funny squeaking sounds when he eats, essentially trying to get all the muscles working correctly between his windpipe and throat.  It is expected he will outgrow this by about 7 months.  There were no signs of a hemangioma in the throat, which is great news.  He suggested prescribing beta blockers, given orally, to begin to reduce the hemangioma on his head.  He said earlier treatments involved steroids, but they had greater side effects.  I guess beta blockers are the newest treatment for this.  The down side - they slow the heart rate somewhat. We are going to discuss this with Carter's pediatrician and get his opinion.  I have also read they can lower blood sugar levels, so I feel like if we do this, he should be frequently checked for both blood pressure and glucose levels.  Hard decision to make.  The studies say the sooner you begin treatment for hemangiomas, the more successful their reduction is.  But he just got off his apnea monitor and not sure we want to do anything that might affect his health.  Praying God will show us what decision to make.

A Clean Bill of Health!!

Carter saw his pulmonologist today and they said he no longer needed his apnea monitor!!! Yay!  No more loud alarms in the night!  He had several alarms this past 2 weeks, but they were all false.  And they said he should be growing out of his "periodic breathing", which is common in preemies, where they have periodic pauses.  A pause of longer than 20 seconds is considered apnea.  He hasn't had any of those in a while.  His little face looks fatter every day!  He is now up to 8 lbs, 5 oz.  Growing like a weed.  At his last pediatrician check-up, he was in the 25th percentile for his weight.  He is now in the 50th percentile!  We are so thankful for his progress. 
When he was still in the NICU, he developed a small pink spot on his forehead. The nurses called it a "storkbite", or birthmark, and said it would likely go away.  Well, It didn't.  It is now referred to as a hemangioma.  It is a collection of blood vessels close to the skin.  The pediatrician said it was common in preemies, and most of them reduce in size or totally go away by the time the child is 18 mos-2 yrs old.  Carter's is about as big around as a nickel, and raised maybe 1/4".  We asked about just having it removed, but the doctor said if you do that now, he will have a permanent scar.  If we wait and it goes away on its own, there will be no scar.  So we will wait and see.  It doesn't seem to bother him, or hurt or anything. 
So, all in all, a great report today!!

Happy Two Month Birthday!

Carter is two months old today!! He had his two month doctor visit on Friday. He now weighs 7 lbs. 5 oz. And he is 19" long!  He has grown so much. He got his first vaccinations, cried the biggest cry I have ever heard him cry!  Poor guy! We gave him some Tylenol to help with the pain and avoid fever, which he didn't care for, but it seemed to help him sleep. He is really starting to look at you now. At first he didn't really focus on anything, but now he gazes at your face while your talking to him. We read our first real book on Saturday and I thought he would like seeing the bright colors of the book, but he just watched me as I read, which was just fine! In the last week he has had more spitting up than usual,  and the doctor said they usually peak about now and then it will taper off. He suggested giving him a half of a pepcid instead of a fourth and it seems to be helping.
It's still amazing to think that this is who we all wondered about while he was in the womb.
What he would look like, who's eyes he would have, if he would have hair, what would his personality be. Time has nearly stopped - my house is a total disaster, all projects are on hold,laundry piles up, and its all ok, because we have paused to watch this amazing new life unfold before our eyes!  We are truly blessed to have this little guy in our lives!

Carter is up to 6 lbs 10 oz!

Carter is growing, growing, growing!!!  He saw the pulmonologist on Wednesday, and they downloaded the information from his apnea monitor and said that all the breathing alarms were false, and most of the heart rate alarms were false.  There were a few low heart rate alarms that were real. They were when he would reflux.  He did this in the NICU as well.  The dips were only for a short time and he always corrected himself.  Carter now only needs the monitor when both he and mama are sleeping.  So he can be free of that machine when he is awake.  He goes back in 2 weeks to have another check and see if it can be totally removed.  He saw his pediatrician yesterday, who thought he probably didn't need the monitor at all.  His weight curve is excellent and his legs are starting to look a little pudgy!  And I know you can't tell baby's eye color yet, but I am betting on blue - just like his dad! And while we were waiting for the doctor to come into the exam room, he pooped, so we changed his diaper and right when we took the dirty one off, he decided to pee and we looked like a comedy act trying to avoid a total disaster!  Of course, it didn't bother Carter! The pediatrician also said to let him sleep through the night until he wakes up - Courtney has been waking him every 3 hours or so to feed.  So that's good news and maybe worth a few more minutes of that precious sleep!  Next visit to the pediatrician, he will get vaccinations :(.  I am sure he will cry and probably mama will too!

Carter's First Trip to Grandma's House!

Well, Carter came to visit me last night!  And he brought his mom!  It was her first solo drive with her in the front and him in the back, and they survived.  And he lived through the commotion at my house.  Courtney brought her dog, Kyba, who joined our dogs, Weezer and Remmy.  There was lots of barking, and he slept right through it!  Weezer was mad and pouted most of the night.  Remmy was very curious.  He passed by the pack 'n play several times before he realized there was something alive in there.  He stood for the longest time looking through the mesh trying to figure out what that little grunting thing was.  When we sat on the couch with Carter, Remmy got as close as we would let him, trying to sniff where he could.  He really wanted to lick him, but we wouldn't let him get close enough.  Carter was asleep when he got there, but eventually woke up and stayed awake for most of the visit.  There were lots of new things to look at!  He even got an early Christmas present - a noisy, bright colored ball to look at and listen to.  Lucky for us, this Christmas, he won't know he got one less thing when the day arrives!  He goes to his pulmonologist this Wednesday, and we hope he will remove the apnea monitor.  It goes off so often that no one pays any attention to it now.  He will see his pediatrician Thursday for a weight check.  We are anxious to see if he gained.  His belly and legs look a little fatter to us, so we are hopeful he's packing on that weight.

Not much weight gain this week

We took Carter to his pediatrician yesterday.  This past week, he advised to try mostly breastfeeding, hoping it might help with his reflux, as he seems to do it worse with formula.  But he had only gained 1 ounce in a week, which is not enough.  It seems that he is still so small, that the energy used up while breastfeeding is pretty much equal to what he is taking in, and in a sense, being a little counter-productive.  So this week is doing partial breastfeeding, with formula each feeding.  We will take him back in a week and let them weigh him and see what his weight is after that.  He is taking liquid vitamins, which always seem to make the reflux worse and upset his tummy a little, so the doctor told us to pre-mix his day's formula and mix the vitamins with a large amount and then he would only be getting small amounts at one time.  We also asked about trying Zantac, as we had read some babies are on that, but he said Zantac is harder to tolerate than Pepcid, so we will continue with that.
Our dumb question of the day was, what do we do if mama or daddy gets sick?  Our funny doctor replied, "Well, we come and take the baby and give him back after about 10 days or so."  He said if mama gets sick, her body is making antibodies to whatever she has, and while Carter is breastfeeding, he is also receiving those antibodies.  He said Carter may get sick with whatever they have, but he should also be able to fight it fairly well. 
It is still so frustrating not being able to take him out anywhere because of the germs and viruses, and once in a while it is really tempting.But if we can hold out until this winter's "sick" season is over, we will be out and about with him.  I guess it's not worth the chance of having to go back to the nicu!

No Explanation of Delivering Early

Courtney went for her six-week checkup yesterday and everything is fine.  Her incision is healing well.  They did several tests to try and determine the reason for the premature delivery, and there was nothing wrong.  Her doctor said about 10% of women deliver early for no apparent reason.  He also said if she chose to do this again, she would be considered high-risk and would probably need to take progesterone shots to try and ensure that she made it to term.  And said she would probably want to do another C-section. 
Carter slept all the way to Springfield, the whole time we were there and all the way home!  What a trooper!  We figured we would have to stop along the way home to feed him, and he fussed a few times on the ride home, but then went right back to sleep.  Of course, he was really ready to eat when we finally got him out of that seat! 
So glad all is going well at this point.  Carter goes for his 6-week appointment this week, and we will be anxious to see how much weight he has gained.  Next week he sees a pulmonologist  who will download the activity from his apnea monitor and supposedly he can tell if the alarms were real or false. We are hoping he tells us we don't need it any more.  It is such a pain lugging that thing around everywhere!

Sleeping Beauty

It's 10:30 in the morning, and I'm just sitting here watching Carter sleep. I bottle fed him this time around so Courtney could get a little rest. Amazing how peacefully he sleeps during the day and how often he wakes during the night. Yesterday he was awake in the early evening for around 2 hours. I just think he is doing miraculously well, considering he's still not supposed to be here for another two weeks.  Courtney goes for her six-week checkup this coming week and Carter goes for his, as well. I am anxious to see how much weight he has gained. We are not sure how much he can see at this point. Sometimes it seems as though he looks right at you. He does seem to like the bright colors of his toys and books.

Finally, a little sleep

Night before last, Carter didn't do very much sleeping. Last night, however, he slept for almost 3 hours, which allowed Courtney to get a little sleep. Yesterday, I came over on my lunch hour, and laid him on his tummy time mat and turned on the music, and he laid there listening and looking around for probably 20 minutes. He seems to be having more "awake" times and loves to be talked to and entertained.  The nicu nurses told us to swaddle him until he is able to bust out of it, which he has done for a couple of weeks now. And he also rolls from his back to his side on his own. This morning  I laid him against me and he raised his head for what seemed like a long time. We are amazed at how strong he is. Aunt Chelsea came to visit him today and was amazed at how much he had grown! I am babysitting this morning while mama does a few hair cuts. I keep trying to imagine what his personality will be -only time will tell!

Quick trip to the doctor

We took Carter for an unscheduled doctor visit today. He has been getting choked fairly often when he feeds, and last night he actually threw up afterwards. So we were concerned that there might be something wrong, as well as wondering how much he was actually keeping down and wanting to make sure he was retaining enough food too continue gaining weight. Last Thursday he weighed 5 lbs. Today he weighed 5 lbs, 11 oz! So apparently he is gaining. The doctor said he is actually gaining 50% more than he needs to. We discussed the breast feeding vs. Formula with him.  The nicu nurses said to always offer him formula just to be sure he gets enough calories, and we think he is getting enough, so the doctor said to only breast feed for this week and see how his weight is next week.  He seems to be doing fine with it - didn't act hungry for about 3 hours, which is normal. We are excited about the possibility of not having to mess with formula, plus the preemie formula is really expensive. And breast milk is more easily digested, so that may help  with his reflux episodes.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that he has an uneventful night tonight!

Still kicking!

Well, the last couple of days haven't been too bad, except we think Carter has his days and nights mixed up.  He seems to be rather content to snooze the day away, and then fusses and cries all night.  He has to take vitamins with iron, and we have been giving him 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the evening, and we are wondering if that might be upsetting his belly.  We will try giving him the second 1/2 in the afternoon and see how that goes.  His bandage from circumcision finally came off, so tonight it's bath time! And maybe we can soak off those darn apnea tabs and put new ones on to ensure the connection is good.  But his reflux doesn't seem to be as bad today.  And he is doing much, much better when he eats, remembering to pause and breathe every few sucks.  He has gotten strangled several times while eating - not sure what that's about, hoping it is something transitional that will pass.  We hope to weigh him tonight. His face has really filled out and his color is very good.  I hate not being able to take him out and show him off!  Can't take the chance of him getting rsv or even a minor cold would be a big deal. 

We hate apnea monitors!

This apnea monitor Carter has to be hooked to is the devil!! The nurses told us the sticky tabs would stay for 3-5 says. After about 5 days, his breathing alarm was going off from time to time, but he was still breathing, so we assumed maybe it was time to change the tabs. They said if you soak them in warm water it would help them come off. But because of his circumcision he can only have sponge baths until it heals. So we tried holding a wet washcloth on it and then when we tried to peel it off, it was still really attached. He cried and Courtney cried. At that point we decided to leave it on. The last couple of days, the heartbeat alarm has went off a few times, sending everyone into a panic. But we think it is just losing connection from time to time. Hoping to get the tab changed today. And he had some pretty bad reflux yesterday. We asked his doctor about him taking Pepcid, and he said its debatable whether it actually helps the reflux or not. He said at most, it simply coats his esophagus, preventing it from becoming irritated from the reflux.
Both he and Courtney got about 3 hours straight sleep this morning, which is more than they have gotten in a while. I know this time will pass, but at the moment, it is so stressful for Courtney, wondering if the alarms are real or false, and worrying about if he should spit up or reflux while he is sleeping, and not getting any rest. We ask for your continued prayers as we muddle through these first weeks at home.

Carter's One Month Birthday Picture!

Carter's First Doctor Appointment

We took Carter to see his pediatrician for the first time today.  Of course, it took way longer than we thought to actually get him packed and loaded in the car and we were a few minutes late!  His doctor said he looked good, and he is up to 5 pounds!! And from the time we brought him home until today - 6 days, I had to let out the harness straps on his car seat he had grown so much! The doctor showed us his growth on a graph, and said it was "optimum", so he is growing very fast.  We still don't like the apnea monitor, as it goes off for no apparent reason, which I guess is totally normal for those.  But still, it puts you into a panic when it goes off.  We still have to feed him every 3 hours, so that he continues to get enough food and calories to maintain his growth pattern.  He will still need to wear his hat and keep bundled all the time until he is around 8 pounds.  They said at that point, they can usually hold their own as far as maintaining their temperature.  We bombarded the doctor with a million questions, and we hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot before we said, "Oh, we forgot to ask...."   If only we could think of everything when we needed to! Anyway, he goes back in 2 weeks for another check up.
Courtney is feeling a little more relaxed with him, and getting a little bit more rest, so she is in a better frame of mind.
The doctor said for probably six months, absolutely no crowds - church, store, etc.  And he said only do that if you are ok with saying to everyone, "Don't touch my baby, don't breathe on my baby, and don't put your face close to my baby".  That's kind of hard to do, so he will probably just stay in until spring!

A couple of pictures of the sleeping prince!  Carter is doing just great!  His little cheeks are starting to look chubby, and he is eating 2+ ounces per feeding which is a great improvement - when he was a week old, he was only eating about 1/2 ounce at a time.  He is staying awake for longer periods as well.  We're not sure what he sees and what he doesn't, but sometimes it seems like he looks right at you.  And every time he hears daddy's voice, he turns to see where it's coming from!  Mama is totally exhausted, and could use some extra prayers!  We all know no one takes care of your baby like mama does, but sometimes you just have to let someone else take over and get some rest!  Cole is just the best dad - doing whatever needs to be done anytime he's asked.  He goes back to work tomorrow, so it may be kind of a rough day for Courtney.  We will try to take turns running over there to see what she needs.
Carter's monitor has went off a few times, but it's so frustrating because you don't know if it's actually him having an issue, or the monitor not getting good readings.  He has his first doctor's appointment Thursday, so we will be anxious to find out what doctor has to say, and to see if he's gained weight since coming home. 
Updates later!!

Adjusting to Home

The good news is that yesterday was pretty uneventful.Carter ate, slept and pooped. His monitor did not go off during the day one time! At this point our only dilemma is being sure he gets enough to eat at each feeding. Bottle feeding is easy, but we're never sure when breastfeeding. He is so tiny that losing only a small amount of weight would be a big deal. He takes 1/4 of a pepcid tablet one a day, as well as some added vitamins and iron. He is doing better about pacing himself when he eats and remembering to pause and breathe every so often. Mom and dad are extremely tired, so I tried to take care of Carter and let them rest as much as possible. Haven't talked to them yet today to see how the night went. We did have to elevate his cradle about 15° to help with his reflux. I feel like he is going through an adjustment period as well with the change to his routine, sounds and smells, and sleeping in a different bed. Hopefully in a day or two things will go a little smoother!

So, Carter survived his first night at home, even with all of us wooling him! Mom and dad say he didn't sleep much in the night, but I came over this morning and he's sleeping like a...baby!  Maybe they just made that up!  His monitor only went off one time in the night, so that was pretty good. He has gained almost a pound since birth, but he is still so tiny. Perfect, but tiny. Anyway, we think we'll keep him!  More later!

Our sweet little Carter is finally home!!! We are so excited! We have all just stared and stared at him. We are taking turns holding him. So far he is not even going to need his cradle - no one wants to put him down! I think this baby is going to be spoiled rotten, and that's perfectly fine with me!  He had to come home with the apnea monitor, so that's a little cumbersome, but it's so nice to have the other tubes and wires off him. More updates to come!!!!

Homecoming is getting closer!

Spent the day with Carter. He is up to 4 lbs. 4 oz. His little face has really filled out and he has the funniest expressions!  We had to have a lesson on how to use an apnea monitor. When he finally goes home, he will have to have that hooked to him all the time. They showed us how to read it, and what to do if it goes off. It is extremely loud, so I don't think we will have trouble hearing it. We also saw the speech therapist today, who didn't really have any concerns about Carter. Then we saw the "car seat lady"   (not sure how you go about applying for that job...) and she showed us all the ins and outs of car seat safety. And the car seat Courtney has won't work! It is rated for babies over 5 lbs. So they got us a preemie seat and there really is alot of different in the placement of the shoulder harnesses. So we test-fitted him in and he fit just fine in that one. He is eating more and staying awake for all his feedings now. They let him breastfeed first and then supplement with a bottle to ensure that he is full and getting enough calories.  They are giving him pepcid because they believe he has reflux. It has to be crushed and mixed with formula and given once a day.  We are not sure how long he will have to take that.  When time draws close to going home, they require a 24 hour stay by mom and dad in a "parent care" room. This is a glorified motel from next to the nicu and they have to stay there and take total care of the baby, with nurses available if an emergency should arise. If that  goes smoothly, they should be discharged at the end of that period. It will be so nice when they finally get to bring him home. Trapsing around the hospital just wears you out.  They did say when he finally gets to come home, not to let him around small children or have him in crowds, such as walmart or church for several months. If he were to catch a child or the flu, it would be a big deal. That's going to be tough -everyone wants to come and see him when he is home, but they may have to wait a bit.

Just a few pictures...

Medical Terms We Never Wanted To Know

We have quickly learned a bunch of medical terms we never wanted to know! And we have decided that when you ask a nurse about how Carter is doing, they each mix facts with an infusion of their opinion. Then we google everything they said ( I know, I know, never read to much on the internet!) But between everything we are able to draw our own conclusion as to whether to worry or not. So they say he has stridor. When he eats, he makes a high-pitched moaning/squeaking noise. One nurse said it was nothing. Another said it was his throat muscles working to strengthen his swallowing and breathing mechanisms. Another said they were a little concerned.  Should we worry? Not sure on that one. And he is supposed to suck 4 or 5 times and then pause to breathe, but he sucks more than that, a little too long, and that causes his heart rate to drop. So when they give him a bottle, they have to count his sucks and pull it out to wait for him to breathe. They do blood tests once a week on him and his red blood count is a little low. They may or may not give him some blood - again, should we worry? And on the same update, they tell us they have increased the amount he is eating and that he is doing well with it. He is still gaining weight and growing in length. When we hold him, if he gets too scrunched up, it blocks his airway and his vitals drop, so we have to make sure his neck is extended correctly. And we watch the monitors in his room like hawks. Sometimes, for no reason, his heart rate and oxygen levels drop. They say it's not too worry if he corrects it on his own and it doesn't last to long or happen too often. It's like there are no "for sure" answers. I realize they can't give definitive answers to all our questions, but it would be nice if they could.  So many unknowns.
Keep praying for us. Spending days there is totally exhausting. His feeding schedule is every three hours, but by the time everything is done, there is usually only an hour left until tis time to be back for the next one, not leaving much time to get a bite or stretch your legs. And it is a long walk from the parking lot to the nicu (or at least it is when you're old and out of shape). And we have to work, but feel guilty for not being with Carter when we are at work. As one of the nurses said, having ababy in the nicu is a tramatic thing period.

Carter is up to 4 lbs! And God has added odor to his poop!! Every time we open the door to his isolet the smell just hits you!  And he loves to ruin a perfectly clean diaper ! Courtney got to give him a real bath yesterday, which was good, because he didn't smell the greatest. And we put a preemie sleeper on him and he was nearly too big for it! One day when she arrived, there was a gift bag left for her from a mother who's preemie just turned a year old. How nice to remember how traumatic it is to have your baby in the nicu. And yesterday there was a handmade burp cloth someone had made. Thinking we just might need to make that a ministry after Carter comes home. Doctor is still saying middle of October to bring him home, but we are hoping sooner.

Courtney and I saw Carter yesterday. He is growing so much every day!  He is now up to 3 lbs , 15oz.  He must be over 4 lbs to go home, so we are very close! He also has to pass a car seat test, where they will check to see if he would still be able to breathe if his head were to roll or drop down, or if he would be strong enough to move it on his own. They allowed him to breastfeed yesterday, weighing him before and after to calculate how much he was getting. He consumed 1 1/2 times what they are currently feeding him! All the nurses came to talk about it and how great it was - he was the buzz of the nicu!  The speech therapist was there to see how he was sucking but after that, there wasn't much she needed to do!  So now they want Courtney to try and be there at every possible feeding time, because that is exactly what he needs to put on weight and grow quickly. They also let us put clothes on him for the first time!!! Of course, it was a little awkward with all the monitor tubes, but he looked so cute wearing his "big boy" clothes!  So excited! They won't give us a date for him to come home, but now they are saying around two more weeks. We are hoping if he continues growing it will be sooner than that!

Carter is now up to 3 lbs 12 oz. - improving with each day!  He was having some issues with spitting up, so they x-rayed his belly and said everything looks good. They think maybe they increased the amount of food too quickly. They have reduced it a bit and he seems to be tolerating it now. Courtney got to give him a bottle today to see what he would do with it. He took it for a while but then his vitals dropped, so they stopped. The nurses say he basically doesn't have much strength and stamina to remember to suck, swallow, breathe, and let his organs work all at the same time yet. Normal according to them, but worrisome for us! Great Grandma & Grandpa Myers went with Courtney today. I will be going with her on Thursday. So far we are still looking at mid-October for bringing him home.

Went and visited Carter today. He had gained another ounce, now up to 3 lbs 10 oz. His picc line has been removed, so the only tubes he had are his feeding tube and some sticky probes to measure heart rate, pulse and temp. Courtney got to give him a bath this afternoon, and got three skin-to-skin sessions with him. His color looks good. He stayed awake for about an hour at his first feeding. His heart rate dropped a couple of times, which worried us, but the nurse said it was not uncommon in preemies, and as long as they correct it on their own, it's not a problem. We all just sit and stare at him, being amazed by his small size, and also how perfectly formed he is. You forget he is so small until you see a full term baby.  We happened to be there when the doctor came in today, and Courtney asked if he had a ballpark guess of when he might get to come home, and he said optimistically about three more weeks if he continues to gain weight and feed well. It will be so nice when he finally gets to go home!

Took Courtney to Springfield today to see little Carter. I know everyone's babies are the cutest babies ever, but THIS one IS the cutest baby ever!!  He had gained back some weight and now weighs 3 lbs. 8 oz. His breathing is somewhat irregular, which they say is normal as long as it doesn't affect his blood oxygen levels. He was having a little issue with spitting up, but they elevated one end of his bed and they now put him on his tummy after feeding and that seems to be helping. They allowed him a short breastfeeding time today under the supervision of a lactation specialist. She was very helpful and informative. The nurses there are so nice, and we see them just holding and cuddling the babies - nice to know when you're not there they really do care about your baby. And Carter stayed awake for about 30 minutes today, which is a goal they have set, so he will eventually be able to stay awake long enough to feed the right amount and not fall asleep before he's done. Courtney is doing amazing at this point. Still a little sore, but walking better and longer
than I thought she would. And her wonderful husband had supper ready for her when we returned!  All in all, a really good day.

I didn't see Carter today - had to work. I hate that I am not available to go every day, but I haven't won the lottery yet, so I guess I don't have much choice. Courtney and her friend Krystal went today. Carter had lost another ounce, which they thought was because he was expending more energy than they thought he would. So they are going to increase his calorie intake as well as the amount he is eating. They expect in the next couple of days to remove his pick line ( As I understand it, their veins are so fragile that an IV could blow them so they put an IV like in his arm and it runs all the way to his heart to be able to quickly administer needed medication.) The removal would indicate that they do not see the need of emergency medication, which is yet another good sign.
I believe in the next day or two a couple of different therapists are supposed to come see him to check the development, formation and sucking mechanism of his mouth. They were supposed to come today, but the nurse said if your baby is doing really well, he is low on the priority list - more good news.
I am waiting on Courtney and Cole to get back tonight - fixed them supper so they don't have to eat fast food again.
Keep praying!!!!

Just returned from the hospital. Carter is just doing fantastic! Today they are still feeding him through a tube, but they also put some in a syringe and put a few drops at a time in his mouth to see if he could suck and swallow at the same time, and he did! They were checking you see if he dribbled it back out of his mouth, but he kept almost all of it in and swallowed it.  Since birth he had only lost an ounce, so they consider that to be maintaining. Courtney got to hold him twice, and grandpa Gerald and I got to hold him too. The power of prayer is truly amazing. He is doing so much better than what was expected. We are so thankful for God's blessings!
As we sat in the nicu, noticing other tiny babies, there are some there that we have never seen visitors to their room, and others who were there, but I fear those babies will have a tough go once they get home. Such a variety of people there. Sad that you have to go through a rigorous process to adopt, yet they let these tiny babies go home with people who will not tend to their basic needs.
Courtney walked all the way to Carter's room three times today - very tiring, but she made it. She has been such a trooper. And you would think leaving to go home for the night would get easier, but it never does. Heartache and tears come at the end of each visit.
And I have to brag on Cole. He has stepped up and become a loving father overnight, realizing that suddenly your priorities have changed and a little life now depends solely on you. While we were gone, he got a crib mattress and put it in the bed and put the sheet on and got out the blankets that matched, and hung some wall decor. So proud of him!
keep the prayers coming, as we will surely need them!

Carter is making leaps and bounds! He had two bowel movements yesterday, which indicates he is digesting his food. His feeding tube is now in his nose instead of his mouth and they forced an amount of formula into his stomach that would simulate the amount he would take in during one feeding. Until now, they have been giving him food but just letting it trickle slowly in so as not to overload his system.  And normally when you have a baby at term, your body is ready to breastfeed. Not so when they come early, so that has been an issue, but we think things are working good at this point.
The nurses have told us that now that he seems to be stable and doing well, they don't want him stimulated any more than necessary. They are trying to mimic the womb and keep his incubator covered most of the time, and only touch and hold him at feeding time. Doing that will allow him too sleep most of the time and let his body concentrate on growing and maturing.  They gave him a binky and he sucked on it really well - another good sign. We are so thankful that he is doing as well as he is. One nurse told us that statistically, white male babies do the poorest of all, but that Carter is changing that stat!
Getting ready to go up today.
Courtney walked from the parking lot all the way to the nicu yesterday- a great feat for her! This is a good thing because I was fired from steering the wheelchair after running over Cole's foot and banging into a few walls!  Thank goodness I don't drive that way!

Well, it's 11:30 and we just got Courtney settled at home so she could get a good night's rest and be ready to head back to Springfield tomorrow.  My heart ached for her as we had to leave the hospital without a baby. I think we all cried. He is in the best place he can be, getting round the clock care, but it doesn't lessen the feeling of helplessness any. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Why does God allow these things to happen? A question we may never know the answer to. I only know He promises to walk with us and carry us when necessary. It seems so overwhelming right now to think about the next few weeks and how we will do what we will have to do.  One day at a time, thinking only about how to get through the day at hand I suppose.
We checked out the newly opened Ronald McDonald house in the hospital. Not exactly what we had expected. It's pretty much a hotel room in a kind of desolate part of they hospital, and I wouldn't want to stay there alone. And Courtney isn't strong enough to get from there to the nicu on her own and there is no one to help her. So for now we will take turns taking her up every day and see how that goes for a while.
Carter is doing very well. He has begun sucking on his hand which is a good thing, indicating his sucking ability is progressing. And today the moved his feeding tube from his mouth to his nose, which is also an improvement. The nicu nurses are saints. They are very comforting and answer all the questions without complaint. As frustrating as it is, we know we are lucky, as the baby in the next room is continually filled with nurses rushing in and monitor alarms going off all the time - little Carter is holding his own, and for that we are thankful.
Courtney is feeling a little better each day, but very weak and she tires easily. I am hoping she feels a little better after getting some rest at home-seems hard to actually rest in the hospital.
On a lighter note, we were sitting at the stoplight on the way to the hospital, and right beside us is a guy on a Harley jamming to Huey Lewis and the News, and...it's the doctor who did her C-section! And he's wearing a Sturgis shirt! Not that doctors can't ride Har ley's, but it wasn't what I expected.
More to come.

The First Day

So, I've never "blogged" before - bear with me.  Just thought it might be nice for there to be a central place for updates to how Carter is doing.
We had just spend Labor Day weekend at the lake, and were worn out and looking forward to getting back to a normal week.  Courtney had a doctor appointment on Tuesday, Sept. 3.  That, however, was not to be.  She called us about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning to say her water broke.  So, there we were, looking like the Marx brothers trying to gather our stuff and get on the road to Springfield, hoping we wouldn't be too far behind Courtney. Turns out, we were right behind them (or maybe we drove a little fast) and got there at the same time.
They took her in and did some assessing and decided they would keep her there for about 2 weeks to try and hold off delivering the baby until it reached 34 weeks.  But after a short while, she began to labor.  They gave her medication to try and stop it and it reduced the severity for a while but then started up again.  So, after about 8 hours of contractions coming every 2-3 minutes and growing stronger, they finally decided they would deliver the baby, who was breach, by C-section. 
Carter was born at 5:40 p.m.
We were all concerned for the health of the baby, but I have to say, as Courtney's mama, I think I was more concerned about her at this point.  I had tried so hard to be positive and strong for her, but eventually the tears could no longer be held back.  I went out in the hall and cried a few times and then re-composed myself and returned to her room.  But when they said they were ready to take her back for the surgery, I couldn't help but cry as we hugged before she was taken.
We had all teased Cole prior to this day that when the time came for her to have this baby, he would have to have a bed too, or would be passed out on the floor, but we were so proud of him!  He was such a trooper and so supportive of Courtney throughout this long day.  He did all the right things while she was in pain, and tried to help her as much as he could. 
Carter was 8 weeks early, but doing very well, considering.  When we first got to see him, he was just so tiny!  And tubes were going here and there, we were afraid to actually touch him. 
Courtney's brother was so concerned about his big sister!  This is the same guy who used to smack her in the head with whatever he could find.  Once, when they were scuffling I actually put them outside and locked the door and told them not to come in until they had made up.  After several minutes of them rolling around the yard, I decided my plan had failed and made them come back in! I worried they would grow up and hate each other, but I thank God they are true pals now.
So, we all survived the birth and have now begun our journey to do what we can to take care of this precious gift from God and get him home as soon as possible.  We know it will be a long process, and covet your prayers for our family. Little Carter has lots and lots of people who already love him bunches, and are ready to do whatever is needed to see that this little guy knows his family is there for him.
More updates will come!