I have a few minutes this morning, so before I get chastised for not having a recent update, I'm getting to it!
My fat little baby is just getting fatter. He is weighing in at about 3 lb 14 oz right now. Unfortunately he is really, really swollen from the IV fluids still, so we expect him to lose some ounces in the next few days as they take him off the fluids. They'll give him a chance to pee it all out before they intervene with a diuretic. He's just about up to his full feeding level of 29 ml of milk every 3 hours, and things seem to be moving through his digestive system just fine. I just hope everything stays that way because I don't want him to have to start over again!
His ultrasound on Friday showed that his kidneys are clear of fungus, and all his cultures are coming up clear. Now the docs are re-reviewing the earlier ultrasounds to make sure that what they saw were actually fungus balls in the first place before they decide how long they'll keep him on anti-fungal meds. Since he's on full feedings, they can give him the meds orally now so he should be losing his IV in the next day or two. I'm happy about this since he's been stuck like a pincushion and the only good veins left are in his head. While I don't mind seeing him with IVs in his head, it's just a bad reminder that he was sick. Plus, I want him to have a round head, and he's limited in the positions they can lay him in with it there.
He got a new isolette yesterday, and hopefully it's the last one he has to have. Because he's nearing 4 lbs, he's close to being able to regulate his own body temperature. Pretty soon they'll start weaning the temperature inside the isolette to match the room air. After that, he'll be in a crib where I can hold him more often!!!! I can hardly wait. It's so hard being limited to holding him for only a few hours every-other day since John and I take turns each day. Yesterday was my turn, and he loved it! His oxygen needs go way down when he gets held, which is a sign that he is content. When that happens, it is really the best feeling in the world, and yesterday was no different. I got to hold him for just over two hours. It's crazy how fast sitting in one spot for two hours can fly by. We just cuddled and napped together for most of it, but the best part was when he was awake. He would open his eyes, look at me for a few seconds, and then get the biggest grin on his little face. I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that when babies smile, it's just gas. I've had gas. It did not make me smile. I know that my baby knows me, loves me, and smiles to let me know it.
Since little John is doing so well this week, I am too. I'm finally hitting the point where I don't need to collapse in exhaustion as soon as I get home. No more naps for me. I have more time and energy to devote to work and am ready to start exercising, cooking dinner, and getting my house in order. It sucks that it took 6 weeks to get here since I had no time to relax and recover, but I suppose it could be worse.
Other than that, everyone else is doing great. On Saturday the nurses let Marcel and Sascha sneak into a back hall of the NICU and peek at their brother through a window as I held him up out of his isolette. The smiles on their faces were priceless! Hopefully this will tide them over for another month or so until he comes home.
Yesterday we got word that John will be going back on full-time orders with the guard in the next month. He's also going to be getting promoted to Sergeant First Class (E7) soon. We took a big financial hit when his last position ended in October and he had to go back to his civilian job at Geneva. Then the civilian job had a layoff, and John had the option of accepting a layoff or relocating to the Layton plant. He's been driving to Layton every day since, and has been racking up the miles in my poor little Bimmer since it's way too expensive to drive the truck that far. Then all of this happened with the baby 3 months early, and I'm now temporarily working on a limited basis. It's been a serious test of faith, but now that he is going back to the guard with a promotion, I know everything is going to be just fine. Aside from the financial side, I'm so excited that he gets to go back to doing a job that he loves.
Our family is so blessed!
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