So its been over a year since I've lasted blogged. I think its time to get back into the swing of things. I figured this was as good a week as any since we've had a lot of firsts happening this week. We'll start with Norah.
Norah got grounded for the first time last Friday :-( It all started with her and the neighbor boy playing in the large mud hole in our front yard where we had ripped out some shrubs from last year. The fact that she had done it before and got in trouble for it was strike one against her. Then she proceeded to come inside and yell at Jamie and throw a tantrum, including swinging a belt at Jamie. The metal buckle slammed Jamie in the hand and left quite a mark. So, since she's four years old, for four days she lost the right to use the iPad, the right to watch any cartoons, and the killer, the right to play with any of her friends. I know it seems like punishment for her, but spending more time with mom and dad reading should not seem like a punishment. On the brighter side, on Monday Norah whistled for the first time! It was by accident when she was trying to blow on Ethan's face, but it was a definite whistle, I heard it!
As for Ethan, he has lot's of new things happening every day it seems. He is pulling himself up on everything these days. On Monday he successfully moved, while standing, from the edge of the tub to the toilet. Gross I know, but he moved from one object to the other, this is big news in our house! He also is babbling all the time, and I'm convinced that he said "dad-da" yesterday. I'll keep trying to confirm that in the ensuing days.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Memorial Day Weekend
5/28/12
It's been a big weekend here for the Miller's. We have Grandma Miller here from Indiana visiting for the holiday weekend and Norah has just had a blast with her. It is such a treat for us when we have family chose to make their vacation here to MN to visit. Norah just loves her grandma's and grandpa's, aunt and uncles, and most of all her cousins!!!
Our first afternoon entailed taking grandma up to the hospital to see Ethan. We also visited with grandma Arlander too. Norah came home and to her excitement a new balance bike arrived. Daddy put it together and Norah was off riding it up and down the street. Unstoppable :)
Saturday we stayed around the house for the most part. The morning was a little cool but we hung outside with the neighbors for a while and talked while kids rode bikes. Then the storms hit and it rained for hours. So the girls decided to go shopping for a little while. Once the storm lifted we headed to a picnic with Ryan's co-workers. We ate good food and Norah played with her friends. Norah has had a blast playing lots of Candyland and watching movies at night with grandma.
We had a busy Sunday taking grandma to church, McDonald's, Oxbow, DQ, swimming and finally Norah got to send the evening with grandma by herself. Of course the little lady could not keep her eyes open pass 730pm:) Ahhh these are the moments that make memories.
Not sure what our last day will hold for us with grandma here but no matter what it is....it will be fun!!!
It's been a big weekend here for the Miller's. We have Grandma Miller here from Indiana visiting for the holiday weekend and Norah has just had a blast with her. It is such a treat for us when we have family chose to make their vacation here to MN to visit. Norah just loves her grandma's and grandpa's, aunt and uncles, and most of all her cousins!!!
Our first afternoon entailed taking grandma up to the hospital to see Ethan. We also visited with grandma Arlander too. Norah came home and to her excitement a new balance bike arrived. Daddy put it together and Norah was off riding it up and down the street. Unstoppable :)
Saturday we stayed around the house for the most part. The morning was a little cool but we hung outside with the neighbors for a while and talked while kids rode bikes. Then the storms hit and it rained for hours. So the girls decided to go shopping for a little while. Once the storm lifted we headed to a picnic with Ryan's co-workers. We ate good food and Norah played with her friends. Norah has had a blast playing lots of Candyland and watching movies at night with grandma.
We had a busy Sunday taking grandma to church, McDonald's, Oxbow, DQ, swimming and finally Norah got to send the evening with grandma by herself. Of course the little lady could not keep her eyes open pass 730pm:) Ahhh these are the moments that make memories.
Not sure what our last day will hold for us with grandma here but no matter what it is....it will be fun!!!
Beware the Mud Rocket
5/19/12
Tonight it became official. Me being Ethan's dad that is. We all went as a family tonight to see him and we got there right as he was ready to be fed. The SOP for feedings is to first change his diaper. So I volunteered for the job. I got him undressed and took off his diaper. As I started to wipe him down he let out a man sized fart. I kind of laughed toward the nurse and said "that's my boy!" I didn't even get those words out of my mouth when my left hand and the inside of "box" was blasted with what can only be described as explosive pooh. It was everywhere. So there you have it, I declare it official as soon as you get slimed like that.
On a little bit better note, he continues to get bigger. It may not seem like much because we are always talking about grams, but he's been consistently putting on 20-50grams a day. In fact, today the nurse weighed him right before we fed (after I was baptized) and he weighed in at 1670 grams, or 3lbs 10.9ozs. After his feeding tonight the nurse weighed him again, this time he was 1710 grams, or 3lbs 12.3ozs.
The nurse also mentioned that he had one "spell" early this morning where he dropped his heart rate and O2 way day and need a little help getting back up. He has anywhere from 3-7 of these daily, but he usually brings himself out of them. Last night he didn't. But they weren't too worried and in fact increased his caffeine intake to mitigate it. They said that because he is actually growing so fast, he needs the extra caffeine to help with the spells.
Tonight it became official. Me being Ethan's dad that is. We all went as a family tonight to see him and we got there right as he was ready to be fed. The SOP for feedings is to first change his diaper. So I volunteered for the job. I got him undressed and took off his diaper. As I started to wipe him down he let out a man sized fart. I kind of laughed toward the nurse and said "that's my boy!" I didn't even get those words out of my mouth when my left hand and the inside of "box" was blasted with what can only be described as explosive pooh. It was everywhere. So there you have it, I declare it official as soon as you get slimed like that.
On a little bit better note, he continues to get bigger. It may not seem like much because we are always talking about grams, but he's been consistently putting on 20-50grams a day. In fact, today the nurse weighed him right before we fed (after I was baptized) and he weighed in at 1670 grams, or 3lbs 10.9ozs. After his feeding tonight the nurse weighed him again, this time he was 1710 grams, or 3lbs 12.3ozs.
The nurse also mentioned that he had one "spell" early this morning where he dropped his heart rate and O2 way day and need a little help getting back up. He has anywhere from 3-7 of these daily, but he usually brings himself out of them. Last night he didn't. But they weren't too worried and in fact increased his caffeine intake to mitigate it. They said that because he is actually growing so fast, he needs the extra caffeine to help with the spells.
Paci Time
5/16/12
Tonight we went to go see Ethan as a family. I got to hold the little man for the night and enjoyed every minute of it. He continues to grow bigger every day. Sometimes its only 10 grams, but its bigger none the less. The big news today was that he took a paci for the first time for us. It took about 10 mins to get him warmed up to it, but then he took it and sucked on it for about a half an hour. The great thing is that he was able to keep his oxygen level up while he had it in his mouth.
Tonight we went to go see Ethan as a family. I got to hold the little man for the night and enjoyed every minute of it. He continues to grow bigger every day. Sometimes its only 10 grams, but its bigger none the less. The big news today was that he took a paci for the first time for us. It took about 10 mins to get him warmed up to it, but then he took it and sucked on it for about a half an hour. The great thing is that he was able to keep his oxygen level up while he had it in his mouth.
Three Pound Party
5/6/12
Yesterday we all went up to see Ethan in the afternoon for a few hours. The big goal of the day was for us to help give Ethan a bath. I got to man the camera and Jamie helped our nurse, Andrea, put Ethan in his tub and started the bath process. First, you swaddle him and blankets and then drop him right into the water. After that you:
Yesterday we all went up to see Ethan in the afternoon for a few hours. The big goal of the day was for us to help give Ethan a bath. I got to man the camera and Jamie helped our nurse, Andrea, put Ethan in his tub and started the bath process. First, you swaddle him and blankets and then drop him right into the water. After that you:
- Wash his face first before putting any soap in the tub
- You then wash each arm and leg individually, leaving the others wrapped in the blankets while they are not getting washed
- Finish by washing his head.
- Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
But giving the bath wasn't even the biggest news of the day. He packed on 3 ozs yesterday, putting him in at 3lb 1.2 oz. Hopefully he can continue to put on weight like this. Our goal is that he gets to 5lbs before we leave the hospital so we don't have to go and buy new premie car seats for him. Come on Ethan, you can do it!!!
Out of the NICU
5/4/12
This afternoon Jamie dropped off Norah with Dacia so she could go see Ethan and spend some time with him. But when she got to the NICU, surprise, he wasn't there. He was moved down to Methodist. He was doing so well, combined with the fact that there were a lot of new babies that needed to be in the NICU, they went ahead and moved him. So Jamie had to hop on the shuttle and come downtown.
Now that we are at Methodist we have our own room which is soooooo much nicer. The NICU nurses were amazing, but its just a lot more chaotic. Now that we have our own room its quieter and much more relaxing.
On the medical front for Ethan, he got his oxygen tubes taken out of his nose today and is breathing completely on his own today. Also, they are continuing to turn down the temperature inside his little incubator. On Wednesday I know it was still set at 30.2°C. Today they have it set down at 28.3°C. All good signs. He weighed in at 2lb, 14.8oz. I still have no idea how long he is, one of these days I'll remember ask.
One other thing of note, I got to change my first of many, many diapers. Good times.
This afternoon Jamie dropped off Norah with Dacia so she could go see Ethan and spend some time with him. But when she got to the NICU, surprise, he wasn't there. He was moved down to Methodist. He was doing so well, combined with the fact that there were a lot of new babies that needed to be in the NICU, they went ahead and moved him. So Jamie had to hop on the shuttle and come downtown.
Now that we are at Methodist we have our own room which is soooooo much nicer. The NICU nurses were amazing, but its just a lot more chaotic. Now that we have our own room its quieter and much more relaxing.
On the medical front for Ethan, he got his oxygen tubes taken out of his nose today and is breathing completely on his own today. Also, they are continuing to turn down the temperature inside his little incubator. On Wednesday I know it was still set at 30.2°C. Today they have it set down at 28.3°C. All good signs. He weighed in at 2lb, 14.8oz. I still have no idea how long he is, one of these days I'll remember ask.
One other thing of note, I got to change my first of many, many diapers. Good times.
Day 8 Update
4/29/12
Today was a big day for Ethan. He was able to get the last line that was running through his belly button taken out. He was getting TPN through that line to supplement his milk feedings. So its good that they were able to take that out so he lowers his chance of getting an infection. He had the UV light pad removed today.
He also weighed in at 2lb 11oz's, up from yesterday so that is good. When I sat with him yesterday they were feeding him 11mL of milk every two hours. Today they were up to 14mL when I was sitting with him. Its just incredible to think what tiny amounts we are talking about, but it makes such a big difference for him. Our next goal is to get him eating 15.5mL every feeding so that he can get out of his incubator box and into a bassinet.
While I was sitting with him tonight I talked with the mom in the next station over. Their daughter has been in the NICU for 13 weeks. She was born at 24 weeks. She was mentioning all the things that they have had to deal with and all the complications. It made me realize how lucky we are with Ethan and how well he is doing. She even mentioned tonight that "he's strong, he's a fighter. We never hear alarms going off his machines." And its true. In the 4 days that we've been there I think I've only ever heard any of his monitors beep, and that was because the nurse pulled one of the cords out by accident.
Today was a big day for Ethan. He was able to get the last line that was running through his belly button taken out. He was getting TPN through that line to supplement his milk feedings. So its good that they were able to take that out so he lowers his chance of getting an infection. He had the UV light pad removed today.
He also weighed in at 2lb 11oz's, up from yesterday so that is good. When I sat with him yesterday they were feeding him 11mL of milk every two hours. Today they were up to 14mL when I was sitting with him. Its just incredible to think what tiny amounts we are talking about, but it makes such a big difference for him. Our next goal is to get him eating 15.5mL every feeding so that he can get out of his incubator box and into a bassinet.
While I was sitting with him tonight I talked with the mom in the next station over. Their daughter has been in the NICU for 13 weeks. She was born at 24 weeks. She was mentioning all the things that they have had to deal with and all the complications. It made me realize how lucky we are with Ethan and how well he is doing. She even mentioned tonight that "he's strong, he's a fighter. We never hear alarms going off his machines." And its true. In the 4 days that we've been there I think I've only ever heard any of his monitors beep, and that was because the nurse pulled one of the cords out by accident.
One Crazy Week
4/28/12
Well, this has without a doubt been one of the most eventful weeks of my life. It all started last week when I was contacted by Microsoft, wondering if I was interested in interviewing. I'm always open to hearing what other places have to say, so I said sure. The only catch is that the jobs they were interviewing for are in Redmond, WA. So Jamie has been living in denial ever since. Until I get an offer and we actually have to choose, she will continue to live in her happy place. My interview was on Wednesday, 4/25. Soooo, I should know more by next week sometime.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg. On Monday, 4/23, I got a call from New Life. They informed me that there was a baby born on Friday, April 20th, and was currently in the NICU at St Mary's Hospital. It was a boy and we were on the top of the list, so if we said yes, he would be ours. All we knew was that the baby was born at 29 weeks, weighed under 3 lbs, and would be in the NICU for 6-8 weeks. So here we are, 2 days away from my Microsoft interview, with this laid on us.
Should we adopt? How will this affect the interview? If we do adopt, should we really move halfway across the country with a brand new baby? Will choosing the baby essentially kill my chance at an offer from Microsoft? Just a few of the 100 or so questions that went flying through our minds.
On Tuesday, April 24th, my birthday, we did decide to say yes to the adoption. We both felt completely overwhelmed, but we decided to take a deep breath and make the first decision that was in our control. Yes or no on the adoption? In the end it was a no brainer. We both felt good about the decision and were confident this was the right decision. Whatever happens with the potential job move is of secondary importance.
So this past Thursday we got to meet our son for the first time. It was amazing! We named him Ethan James. We both spent about 2 hours with him on Thursday afternoon. On Friday Jamie and I went up over lunch to see him and she ended up holding him for about 4 hours, just getting some good mommy/son bonding time. Then today she went again and held him for about an hour before her shift at the hospital. When she got off, Norah and I met her in the NICU so Norah could meet Ethan for the first. They then left and I got to sit with the little man for about 2 hours.
This post is running long, so I will post more details about his condition tomorrow. In the meantime, you can get your fix of pictures by visiting the Shutterfly website I created. http://ethanjamesmn.shutterfly.com
Well, this has without a doubt been one of the most eventful weeks of my life. It all started last week when I was contacted by Microsoft, wondering if I was interested in interviewing. I'm always open to hearing what other places have to say, so I said sure. The only catch is that the jobs they were interviewing for are in Redmond, WA. So Jamie has been living in denial ever since. Until I get an offer and we actually have to choose, she will continue to live in her happy place. My interview was on Wednesday, 4/25. Soooo, I should know more by next week sometime.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg. On Monday, 4/23, I got a call from New Life. They informed me that there was a baby born on Friday, April 20th, and was currently in the NICU at St Mary's Hospital. It was a boy and we were on the top of the list, so if we said yes, he would be ours. All we knew was that the baby was born at 29 weeks, weighed under 3 lbs, and would be in the NICU for 6-8 weeks. So here we are, 2 days away from my Microsoft interview, with this laid on us.
Should we adopt? How will this affect the interview? If we do adopt, should we really move halfway across the country with a brand new baby? Will choosing the baby essentially kill my chance at an offer from Microsoft? Just a few of the 100 or so questions that went flying through our minds.
On Tuesday, April 24th, my birthday, we did decide to say yes to the adoption. We both felt completely overwhelmed, but we decided to take a deep breath and make the first decision that was in our control. Yes or no on the adoption? In the end it was a no brainer. We both felt good about the decision and were confident this was the right decision. Whatever happens with the potential job move is of secondary importance.
So this past Thursday we got to meet our son for the first time. It was amazing! We named him Ethan James. We both spent about 2 hours with him on Thursday afternoon. On Friday Jamie and I went up over lunch to see him and she ended up holding him for about 4 hours, just getting some good mommy/son bonding time. Then today she went again and held him for about an hour before her shift at the hospital. When she got off, Norah and I met her in the NICU so Norah could meet Ethan for the first. They then left and I got to sit with the little man for about 2 hours.
This post is running long, so I will post more details about his condition tomorrow. In the meantime, you can get your fix of pictures by visiting the Shutterfly website I created. http://ethanjamesmn.shutterfly.com
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