Above birth weight!!

Yesterday we had another pediatrician appointment to check on his weight gain...and he is up to 6lbs8oz!!   My little baby is getting bigger already.  So this takes some of the pressure off from sticking to a strict feeding schedule.  Waking a sleepy baby in the middle of the night is not as easy as one would think. 

Overall things are going well.  We did have first trip to the ER earlier this week because C wasn't maintaining a high enough body temperature.  At least we didn't have to go to the regular ER with god knows what kind of scummy idiots.  Instead we went to the local children's hospital, which was absolutely wonderful.   They put him under the warmer for a few hours and ran bloodwork as well as a urinalysis (which required a catheter...I'm not sure if that was more traumatic for me or him).  Everything came back fine, so we weren't admitted.  We've kept him double swaddled most of the time since then.

We also had his newborn photos taken this morning and I can't wait to see the proofs.  As I expected, C wasn't thrilled when we tried to place him on his tummy, but I think we got some really good shots anyway.

36 weeks...old?

That is still his gestational age anyway.  So hard to believe my little guy is over a week old already.  I think we've done amazingly well since he has been home.  While pregnant, everyone always tells you to sleep when the baby sleeps, and that you'll never know sleep deprivation like you will after having a newborn.  Well, I suppose we have to attribute some of the ease to extra sleepiness from jaundice, but we are both still functioning on a regular day and night schedule.  The only time I reached the borderline of delirium was last Saturday, after a long day at the hospital...we came home and I told R that I had to lay down.  Our current night schedule is worked around 3 feedings 11-12ish, 2-3ish, and 4-5ish.   I usually head to bed early after pumping and R stays up to do the first feeding.  Then I take over for the next 2 feedings, then head back to bed and sleep in while R takes over around 6.  Colton is increasingly alert and awake in the early hours of the morning though, so we'll see how long this schedule works.

We are still having follow up appts with the pedi, and the NICU requires bi-weekly home visits from a nurse for the next two weeks, but everything appears to be on the right track.  His bilirubin levels are dropping again, and his weight is starting to increase.  He is now back up to 6.04lbs, from a low of 5.13 in the NICU.  The pedi did tell us today that she would have liked to see him gain a little more, so we need to adhere to a 3 hour feeding schedule a little more closely. 

He is home!

A week ago I walked into the maternity wing at the hospital with a baby in my belly.  Today, I rolled out with a baby in my arms.   We were given the option to have a wheelchair escort or the nurse rolling the crib from the NICU to the entrance.  I opted for the wheelchair and holding him (in the carseat, odd rule but hey, I still had a cute baby in my lap) and while I was not being discharged with the flowers and balloons, I still got the exit I had always pictured.

The pets have done really well so far.  The dog just did a sniff check and wanted to go back outside.  My youngest cat, whom I assumed would immediately confine himself to the bedroom closet...is absolutely fascinated.  Colton is sleeping in the pack n play at the moment, and I suppose it must look like a giant cat carrier, because, as you can see, he is watching it intently. 

Very cute.  My older cat is a little more wary, but he is still being affectionate to me, so I know he isn't too upset.

Tomorrow we have our first pediatrician appointment and we have to go get Colton bloodwork in the morning because his bilirubin levels were 13.7 today and 14 is the highest they want to see it for his age.  If it goes up much more, he may have to go back in to the hospital or have some type of home treatment phototherapy again, but he won't be readmitted to the NICU, so we are done with that part of our journey.

Hello

I figured it was time to start a new blog geared toward our family as we get the hang of this parenting thing.
To those coming over from my other blog, you'll find this one a little less blunt, but hopefully a interesting read none the less....I think?  Much of this will serve as sort of a diary or log for Colton's (and future children's) milestones, experiences, etc., but I do promise lots of cute pictures.

For the sake of convenience, this post and a few that follow are actually back dated here to match when they were originally written.  To bring new followers up to speed, we welcomed our first child into the world 5 weeks early on June 1st.  He came home from the NICU 6 days later and has been amazing us ever since.