Yes, this is long overdue.... And yes, you probably know why!!!! :) (BTW... you may wanna make yourself comfy for this post..)
After 3 longgggg weeks of having baby Oliver in the NICU, we were finally able to bring him home on August 22nd, Papo's (Dan) birthday! What a blessing and joy it was, one of the happiest days of our lives! We had been waiting the last week in the NICU for Oliver to learn how to take oral feedings (because babies don't just know how to do so if they are 8 weeks early, they learn to suck the last few weeks of gestation...) in order to get closer to going home! The NICU docs told us that he had to take 70% of his feedings orally in order to be able to go home since everything else was looking great! So, there we were having gone through many baby roommates in the NICU, just patiently waiting for little Oli to show more consistent cues that he was ready to suck, swallow, and breath all at the same time... Sidenote: I guess it's notorious that little white boys are referred to as the "Little Wimpy, White Boys" in the NICU because it takes them much longer to learn how to feed, etc. Apparently, African American girls do the best in the NICU and go home a lot quicker.... Crazy to know, right? So, there we were with our little white boy and our eyes were all on him like a hawk, poor child! As if throwing him into the world 8 weeks early and having to survive on his own wasn't hard enough.... He had proven that he was already a little champ, so we had full confidence that Oliver would be able to learn this suck.swallow.breath skill soon! We introduced him to a bottle (breastfeeding preemies is like almost impossible when they are so tiny, for obvious reasons...) and he did great! BUT, preemies tend to CHOKE much easier than full-term babies on milk because their little systems are still obviously immature. It's like their little bodies don't know which way to send the liquid flying... Gross! A sure way to put his already hormonally cray-cray Mommy into shear panic! I hated it, and got to the point where I didn't want to feed him because I was so nervous he would start turning blue! I'll just say that I learned how to use that bulb syringe and yes, I had to use it! NOT FUN! I don't like being nervous around my baby, especially with something that I had done so many times with other babies! In my mind, feeding a baby was so relaxing, fun and sweet.... This had become a process, a fine-tuned skill that we had to perfect to bring our guy home! I may or may not have been more dramatic than I should have when he would make his choking noise... I'm just sayin'! Poor kids head was bobbled a few times in order to make sure the milk went down his pipe! :( So, we had to learn how to feed him while laying on his side and making sure we were slowly controlling the flow of milk. Too much, he'd choke and send us into panic... Plus, the boy wanted to GULP his food, so we had to be extra careful! Oh, my.dear.Lord...
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| See the focus? Feeding meant business people! |
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| His tiny little "baba" |
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| Jes perfected the leaning burp position! |
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| He graduated to a normal bottle at home |
On August 20th I came to the NICU in the morning to bring breast milk and the nurse (Lois..God bless her cat loving soul) said, "You might be going home soon, because did you notice something?" Ok, I admit, I failed as a mother.... (I had no clue what she was talking about..) OH... HIS FEEDING TUBE! IT WAS OUT! How could I not have noticed that? Seriously? I practically fell over because
OH MY GOSH, he's had that since he was born, so that meant one thing, the doc's were sure he was ready to go home! Could it really be? Could it be that quick of a transition? Our boy, he did it! They had faith in him and us that we could start the process of discharge! The NICU reassured us from the very first day that they would not send him home if he wasn't ready! That day Jes and I started making a list of a few last minute things that we wanted to get/do in order to feel ready for this transition! So, after setting up some baby/doggie gates, getting bottles washed, house cleaned, etc. we prepared to spend the last night as just him and I at home! The following night we were able to "nest" in a room that the NICU provided which was set up to basically seem like you were at home. You are in charge of your baby's care, but just in case you have any concerns, the nurses are right outside the door. They do this so that the transition home is a little easier. You can nest as many nights as you want and have rooms available. We felt like 1 night would do the job! We only got about 10 minutes of sleep, but it went great! Jes and I just loved knowing that we would be bringing our baby home the next day! The morning came and we did everything we needed to for discharge. We called Courtney to come meet us at the hospital and then it was time.... The moment we had been anticipating and were anxiously awaiting.. The time we would get to put his little carseat in the special NICU wagon and load up the car to come home! The walk we finally got to take... Leaving the hospital with our baby for good... Since I was put on bed rest, I knew we would get to take him out in a little wagon, and I couldn't wait for his special debut! What a cute and special idea for the families that didn't get the normal "we just had a baby and get to go home kinda experience..." Wow, the things we take for granted and never think we'd have to go through! Oliver was fast asleep the whole time, even on the ride home! We were so blessed to have Court there with us during that special time, and she was able to capture everything on video and took a few snapshots of our special homecoming day!
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| Oliver's Roommate Nicholas and his Momma, Nadine! |
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| No TUBE!!!! |
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| Last bath at the NICU |
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His special little crib pod! Decorated by the Brown girls in Hawaii and
NICU staff who made him scrapbook pages! |
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| So peaceful knowing he gets to go home! |
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| All packed up and ready to go! |
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| The going home parade! |
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| His first wagon ride! |
You shoulda' been here when we walked in our front door... We brought him in in his carseat, let the dogs sniff him, set him on the table and just looked at him like, ok now what? hahah! Does everyone do that? Hope so! Do we let him finish sleeping? Get him out? Where do I put the little guy? When did we feed him? When will we feed him? Do we change his diaper yet? hahah! We were obviously making it way more complicated than it needed to be... We forgot that he'll let us know what he needs! His little list of to-do's wasn't very long or complicated! He just wanted to be loved and at home.. Right where he belonged! Life changed at that very moment for us, for the better... And we couldn't have been any more happy to begin the next chapter in our lives! We were in my eyes, now "officially" a Mommy and Daddy! I know it sounds strange, but having your baby in the NICU makes you feel so helpless and almost like your Mommy/Daddy duties were swept out from right underneath you! Even though he was getting the best care and exactly what he needed, I didn't like it... Not one bit... I didn't like leaving him.... Or having to go to a hospital to see him... especially in the Intensive Care Unit...No one would, no one would feel happy about having to just visit your baby, then leave....But we didn't have a choice, neither did Oliver and God helped us get through it every step of the way! I realized that we didn't go through what some of the other families were going through with their babies in the NICU... We were one of the lucky ones actually! We were blessed that he did so well for being a "32-weeker" as the Nurses called him.
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| We're home!!!! |
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| Our little bundle of love |
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| Thanks Pitcher's for the yard decor! |
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| The mastermind behind the welcome home decor! Love our Aunt Coco! |
Having a newborn at home has been quite a transition from doing what we want, when we want, to what baby wants and when he wants it.... Let me tell you, one of the nurses in the NICU said that having a baby is the best thing for A-type personality people... Well, I couldn't agree more! The days of having everything in order and in its place are over! Piles of stuff is the new way of decorating the house and cooking like I used to has been placed on hold! The first few nights that we were home with Oliver was hilarious! That's all I can describe it as really. Jesse and I were still trying to resume the normal life as we knew it and trying to take care of little Oli boy at the same time... This resulted in many occasions during the night that both of us would catch ourselves getting up even when it wasn't time to get up... To feed... Or change him...??? WE WERE ZOMBIES! We still spend our nights asking each other, "Babe, when did we feed him last?" "Did you feed him, or did I?" When you have two people who sleep like rocks and like to sleep talk, that makes it one tough task to be coherent in the wee hours of the night! Because Oliver was used to sleeping in a crib in the NICU, we felt like it was best for him and his little back to sleep in his crib on a firm mattress... We would either hear him all night peeping and grunting in our room, or all night on the monitor... It takes a little more work on our part to have to get up, go downstairs to get his bottle ready and then drag ourselves back upstairs to change and feed him, but it's the best for everyone! It works! And I'm happy to say that we are on a schedule and not breaking free of that anytime soon! The A-type in me set up an area in the kitchen designated to Oliver... That way at 3:00 am, I can quickly find a clean bottle, all parts in-tact and ready to go... This has saved my life many times, because I am a walking zombie at that hour and I'm sure I'd probably try to feed him with a breast pump part if I could! This is where it would be nice to be able to breastfeed him, but that's ok... He needs to be supplemented with Neosure to put on some fat, and I can surely be flexible and realize that all plans don't go accordingly... I will pump, pump away for my lil' guy!
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| Our New Little Family of 5 |
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| Momma Loves |
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| Aunt Coco Snugs |
I think having Oliver in the NICU was like a fake reality if you know what I mean!? We were there when we could be and cared for him as much as we could... But it's different when they are actually with you 24/7... I know I'm preaching to the choir because most of you are Moms, but I literally couldn't remember how to do simple things for the first week he was home. I couldn't remember what dresser drawer my shorts were in, how I did my makeup, where things were in the kitchen, what food I used to eat prior to hospital food, etc.... It felt like I had gone away from civilization for ten years and forgot how to survive on my own, without everyone doing things for me! I don't know if it was the combination of just moving here and everything was in new spots/ I lived in a hospital bed for a 3 week stretch/suffering from new mom syndrome or what! I was going a little nuts to say the least... and I knew I was, which made it worse! Jesse was worried too I think... I'm sure he wanted to re-admit me to the hospital because I was a definite looney-bin that he had never seen before. All I would hear from everyone was that it was normal to feel this way, that everyone who has had a baby goes through weird changes physically, emotionally and hormonally... Well, I did just that, that's for sure! Our poor dogs even had a rough time adjusting to a baby being at home! Their sleep schedule was interrupted too, and their little daily outings and treats, were minimal and even forgotten... Poor babies! Brixie felt so unloved and neglected she convinced us that she was so sick and needed to go to the vet.... Well, about $700 later, I came to realize, she was suffering from "New Mommy Syndrome" too and she tricked her Daddy so good.... She was working herself up, not eating just like I was, getting no sleep because she would go check on Oliver with me, and on and on....She did however get a little ride out of it and some extra treats and lovins because we felt so bad for her...
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| Sweet Winston boy |
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| Our neglected fur-baby |
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| Watchdog! |
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| Helping Mommy |
Since we have gotten life back on track and figured out our new daily "to-do's" we have settled into days filled with snuggles, kisses and lots and lots of love! Oh, and lots and lots of sprinkling wee-wees and poopy diapers too! Instead of making casual trips and errands around Scottsdale, my days are filled with bottle and pumping part washing, doing baby laundry, changing diaper after diaper, and mixing the perfect concoction of 90 ML of breastmilk with 1 tsp. of Neosure... Yes, there are harder days than others, and yes there are times where I feel like I am a prisoner of my own home. But I feel blessed that God has chosen me as Oliver's Momma and us to fulfill the big responsibility of raising this sweet little boy into a fine little man of His own! Oliver's life could have been taken as quickly as it was given, and I have realized that this child of ours is a miracle and has a big purpose on this earth! There is no other place I would rather be in the world... I love staying at home with Oliver and am forever grateful to be given this opportunity and to have a husband that is willing to work so hard so that I can.
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| Some daily priorities |
Oliver has seen Dr. Sotelo, our Pediatrician twice now and is doing great! As of September 4th, he weighed 5 lbs. 12 oz and was 18.8 inches long. He got his Hepatitis B vaccine since he weighed more than 5 1/2 lbs. and was checked for Anemia which came out negative. A nurse from the Neonatal Intensive Care Program came to our house to check Oliver's developmental progress since leaving the NICU and she was very impressed with how well he was doing for again a "32-Weeker." She couldn't believe that he could hold onto his paci upside down or that he left as early as he did from the NICU, so that surprised me! He's probably gifted!!! Teeheehheee!!! Just Kidding! I go for my 6 week post-op appt. tomorrow and am healing up just fine! I'm looking forward to getting the go-ahead to be able to work out and lift more than 20 pounds! Bed rest is no good for toning those muscles..... I have become a flabby-mcflabberson and I'm not a fan!
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| 1st Doctor's Appt. at 1 month old |
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| 5 lbs. 3 oz |
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| Cute toesies |
We are looking forward to a couple things that are coming up! First of all, we find out what Aunt Jasmine and Uncle John are having tomorrow!!!!! I'm gonna go ahead and cast my vote for a girl, but we shall see! :) Also, Aunt Coco is coming back on Friday for a training, so we can't wait to snuggle up with her again soon! She might even be babysitter for a night so we can have a much needed date night! Gam and Papo (Deb and Dan), Darby, Jazz and John come to visit at the end of this month and my parents come at the end of October....We can't wait!
A Few Favorite Memories:
- True story: Oliver burped so loud one night that he scared himself, armed went flailing and he yelled! I laughed so hard, I couldn't stop! Cutest thing I've ever seen!
- When he is hungry, he turns his head back and forth so fast, looking for any and everything to suck on! It's so sad to see him become so content if he latches onto something, only to find out a second later that there's no sweeties coming out!
- He makes the cutest little faces: Worried looks where his head wrinkles up, adorable little smiles, and the famous cross-eyed baby look
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| Loves his tummy time! |
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| Maybe workin' on a poop? |
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| He could be a tall guy like his Daddy! |
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| Daddy's drafting buddy |
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| 1st Niner's game vs. Packers... |
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| Yup, they won |
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| Cutest dang smile EVER. |
- He loves being in his carseat... He falls right to sleep and stays asleep! He loved our first walk... and by loved I mean slept through the whole thing.
- Brixie loves coming up to Oliver to sniff him, lays under his crib, and helps feed him! She is his other Mommy and just adores him! She perks up every time when he cries to see what's the matter!
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| Just makin' sure he's ok guys! |
- Bath time is his favorite and he'll stay there for days if we would let him.
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| Why did they put me in a flower? |
- His dimples have made their appearance! They are too cute for their own good!
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| Showin' off his dimples! |
- Peepee Teepees are a new accessory! Changing him has become a race now... He loves trying to get us any chance he can... Sometimes he misses and gets himself, poor guy! RIGHT IN THE EYES AND EARS.....! Oh boys!
- Watching Jes feed, change his diapers, pick out outfits, and burp him makes me smile! He is such a seasoned Daddy I feel and it melts my heart every time to see him hold his boy! A little Heaven on Earth if ya ask me!
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| I spy Daddy on diaper duty! |
Oliver is going on 39 weeks this Friday and is 6 weeks old tomorrow! Oh how time flies when you're having fun... But Oh how I wish it would also slow down! Our little guy is growing so quickly and the days of wanting him to pack on the pounds will surely become the days we wish he was so tiny and flopsy! We love you, Oliver Reid! You are the answer to so many of our prayers!
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Love my boys!
For laughs and giggles... This may have been the reason why my water broke... I should not joke around next time! (Notice who my accomplice was in both pictures?) |
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| Fake Labor... |
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| The Real Thing.... |
