Happy 3 month B/day Sean!

Today Sean turned 3 months old.  Sean now weighs 7 lbs. 6.5oz!  It's hard to believe that once upon a time he only weighed 2 lbs. 4 oz.  We are glad Sean is home with us, but miss our friends in the NICU who helped Sean get healthy and bigger.  We don't ever want to forget Sean's journey to home.  We will always be so grateful for all that was done for him in the NICU.  We plan to visit our NICU friends sometime next week. 

As far as his journey at home.  For the most part, things are going well.  Daddy & Mommy are adjusting to our new journey as Sean's parents.  We are learning that babies need a lot of care and attention. 

Sean had a "little procedure" done this week that had him out of sorts.  He's beginning to be more like himself again. 

We are enjoying parenthood, but quickly learning that it is a process to find balance between work, baby, housework, errands, quiet time and eachother.

Thank you for your support and prayers for baby Sean. 
Mommy & Daddy

Baby Sean 9.27.11

Sean has outgrown his newborn clothes.  He is now wearing 0 - 3 months. 
Daddy & Mommy gave Sean a bath tonight.  He cried.  He usually enjoys his baths.  As soon as it was over he was relaxed and content. 

Sean is doing good.  His eye exam showed his eyes are still immature.  Doctor said only one more test for the eyes in a couple of weeks.  

Sean has a Pediatrician appointment tomorrow.  Hopefully, he has put on more weight. 

I'd like to write so much more, but it's late and I'm sleepy.  More to come soon...

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

New Vocabulary 9.24.11

Since bringing Sean home, Mommy & Daddy have been speaking a "new language".  Mommy has also been teaching Sean a little Portuguese.  Daddy is learning along with Sean.  

New Vocabulary for Mommy & Daddy since Sean's homecoming:
Baba = Bottle
Binky = Pacifier
Portuguese:
Mas? = More?
Acabo? = Finished?
Nana = Nap

We took Sean to the Pediatrician on Friday.  Sean is doing well overall.  He put on a couple of ounces since leaving the hospital.  Sean's weight is now 7 lbs. 3.5 oz.  Length is 19.5 inches. 

We are enjoying our time at home with Sean.  Daddy goes back to work on Monday.  Mommy will be home with Sean for several weeks before returning to work.

We are trying to establish a routine.  First week went well overall....

Sean has an eye exam on Monday afternoon. 

Thanks for your support and prayers!
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Poopy Diaper 9.22.11

It's almost 9 PM on Thursday evening and I am wiped out!   I didn't know such a little one could zap me of so much energy.  Daddy had a project he was working on at home today, so Mommy took over Sean for the day.  He's a good baby, but it still takes a lot of energy to feed, bathe, change his diapers, physical therapy, laundry, cleaning, and more. 

The title of today's blog is referring to yesterday 9.21.11.  Daddy & Mommy were so excited when Sean had a poopy diaper.  Why?  Because it had been 3.5 days since his last stool and Mommy was a little concerned.  Sean had recently started a new formula added to breastmilk and we think that is what was causing less frequent stools.  We stopped giving him the formula and sure enough Sean pooped!  We were so happy!   It's funny the things we get excited over now that we are parents.

Sean is doing well....eating, sleeping, observing, listening, cooing, smiling...
We are so blessed to be Sean's parents.  We look forward to the next chapter in Sean's journey as he transitions from the NICU environment to the HOME environment....poopy diapers and all!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Parenthood 9.21.11

Wow!  Are we blessed or what?  Sean is a good baby.  So mellow and content. 
He is happy as long as he has a clean diaper, enough to eat and enough rest and sleep. 

We have been enjoying our time with Sean at home.  We miss our friends at the NICU, but are happy he is home with us! 

Sean has taken a couple of trips in the car in his new car seat.  He did really well.

Daddy is home with Mommy this week!   Thanks to Daddy's awesome boss who gave him the week off!  Thanks Kevin.  :)

It has been such a great week.  We are enjoying every moment with Sean. 

This morning Daddy did physical therapy exercises with Sean.  Such as Neck rotation, shoulder flexion, hamstring stretch and hip adduction.  And more.... Sean loves his exercises. 

Sean also had some tummy time.  Tummy time strengthens his neck muscles.  We purchased a couple of colorful tummy time toys.  Toys are also placed in front and to the side of Sean to enocourage head lifting and looking.

Grandma & Step-Grandpa came for a visit this week and asked if we had a  rocking chair for Sean.  We didn't.  The next day, Step-Grandpa came over with a rocking chair.  The same rocking chair Grandma used for Daddy when Daddy was a baby. 

Thanks for your support & prayers!
Sean's (Happy) Mommy & Daddy

Sean's Journey Home 9.19.11

So much has changed since our last posting.  Sean is home!   He came home on Saturday!   He left the hospital weighing 7 lbs. 1.4 oz. 

Daddy & Mommy are so happy (and tired).  Sean is so worth it!   He's a mellow baby.  Sean only cries when he is hungry (usually around 2AM in the morning).  Daddy & Mommy are learning how to work as a team...now more than ever. 

We are enjoying our time with our sweet baby boy.  Sean is doing well.  We just need to be super careful to keep him out of "germs way".  His lungs are good, but if he becomes ill, it can turn into something very serious like RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus), which causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages.  It is a major cause of respiratory illness in young children.

Today Daddy & Mommy took Sean to his first Pediatric appt.  Sean is doing well so far. 

We will do our best to keep the blog updated. 

Thank YOU for your prayers and support!
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Goodbye CPAP...Goodbye feeding tube...Goodbye nasal cannula....Goodbye NICU Staff...9.16.11

Daddy & Mommy spent the night at the hospital last night.  We roomed in with Sean.  He's off all equipment!   We can finally see his sweet little face....all of it!   We fed him, burped him, changed his diapers, held him, sang to him.... Our first sleepless night!  We slept a little, but not much.  We are headed back to the hospital to room in with our baby again tonight. 

Sean now weighs 7 lbs!   We fed him last night and watched closely for any change in his color.  He did great!  No color change....we took our time feeding him, so he didn't choke.  He sucked, swallowed and remembered to pause and breathe!   We could sense that he loved having us with him all night.  He was so content hanging out with Mommy & Daddy. 

Sean's eye test was good.  His vision is good. 

We love our sweet little baby!   We are so happy to be bringing our baby home soon.  We will miss our new friends in the NICU.   The staff has been incredible!  The Doctors, RNs, Respitory Therapists, Lactation Consultants, other Preemie parents and their babies.  Sean has received excellent care and we are grateful!  We will always remember Sean's Journey to home.   The NICU experience is coming to an end.  On to the next chapter of our lives...being Sean's Mommy & Daddy.  Our lives are forever changed.  We are blessed to be Sean's parents.  We are looking forward to this journey with our precious baby boy.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  God is so good to us! 
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

The countdown is on! 9.15.11

Sean is getting bigger & better!  So much better that they want to send him home!   Daddy & Mommy will be spending a lot of time at the hospital the next few days.  We'll do our best to keep you posted.

Pray that Sean learns how to feed without any episodes (Apnea/Brady/DSATs).   The episodes only  happen when he is sleepy while eating.    Other than that he is doing great!

We don't have the results back yet from Sean's Tuesday's eye exam. 

Thanks for your support & prayers!
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Our little miracle is coming home!...soon 9.13.11

I don't have long to write because we are headed to the hospital to feed Sean.  We are taking Sean's car seat along with us....why?  Because we were asked to bring it to see if Sean can tolerate sitting in it.  They want to make sure he doesn't have any Apnea/Brady/DSATs while sitting in it for a long period of time. 

Today was a big day for our little miracle.  The feeding tube has been removed.  This means that Sean is now nippling all meals.  They are giving him 60 cc's of breast milk + 24 calories of formula.  Sean weighs 6 lbs.  13.01 oz!  

Suck, swallow....suck, swallow....suck, swallow....pause....breathe....etc.  This is what Sean does when he drinks from the bottle.  The important part is that he remembers to pause and breathe.  If he doesn't, he may begin to lose oxygen and begin to turn blue.  This is what he needs to outgrow.  He may outgrow it at the hospital or at home.  Sean DSATs only during feedings.  And it happens when he is sleepy.  They will discharge Sean when Daddy & Mommy are comfortable.  We need to be comfortable enough to know what to do.  We help Sean clear his airway by turning him on his tummy and patting his back.  We then let him catch his breath and begin to feed him again. 

Most full term babies are born knowing how to suck, swallow and breathe.  Preemies need to learn how. 

Daddy & Mommy will be spending a lot of time at the hospital the next few days.  We'll try to write, but if we don't, it's because we are busy preparing for Sean's homecoming.

Stay tuned....we will provide an update when we can.

Thank you for your prayers and support!  

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean's Journey 9.12.11

Sean is doing good, but he is not quite ready to come home just yet...
He is nippling all meals.  In other words, the RNs are now feeding him by bottle.  If he doesn't finish his bottle, they are feeding him via feeding tube.  He will soon get the feeding tube removed.  Stay tuned...

Sean weighs 6 lbs.  12oz.! 

He is doing so much better with his breathing.  He only DSATs during meals now.  Sean will need to outgrow the DSATs before he is discharged.

Daddy gave Sean a bath on Sunday night.  Mommy helped. 

Tomorrow (Tuesday 9/13) Sean gets his eyes tested. 

Thank you for your prayers.
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean's Journey 9.10.11

Sean has been doing so much better.  From Thursday night to Friday night, he had only ONE Brady/DSAT.  And the reason for the one was because the RN fed him with too big of a nipple and the milk came out too fast and Sean choked a little.  Sean can only handle the "slow flow" nipple.  He can not keep up with anything faster. 

Sean is being fed 52 cc's of milk + 24 calories of formula (to help him put on weight) every 3 hours.  Today Sean weighs a whapping 6 lbs.  8.8oz!   It's amazing to watch him grow into a regular size baby.  The RNs & Docs at the hospital have done a great job of taking care of Sean.  We are incredibly grateful! 

Correction from the prior posting:  Sean is still in newborn diapers.  Wishful thinking on Mommy's part that he actually out grew them already.  He outgrew the Preemie diapers.  The #1 diapers are actually the newborn diapers.  These are the biggest diapers they have in the NICU. 

Sean smiles and loves being held.  He is a mellow baby.  His personality is already developing.  We love our baby boy!  

Thank you for your continued prayers.
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean's Journey 9.8.11

Sean is doing well.  :)   He is now nippling 6 of 8 feedings.  The other two are tube feedings.  Sean is getting bigger!  He now weighs 6 lbs. 4.3oz.  He has outgrow the newborn diapers at the hospital and he is now in #1 diapers.  Not sure what the #1 stands for, I just know they are bigger than the newborn. 

He is having very few DSATs/Brady.  He is outgrowing these episodes.  It's so much more peaceful to go in and visit without the alarms sounding whenever he has an episode.

Sean's eye exam results came back.  His vision is still immature.  No sign of ROP.  Thank God. 

Daddy had a lot of one on one time with Sean last night.  Daddy burped Sean & changed his diaper.  Great job!  No one would know he is a new Daddy!

Daddy, Mommy & Avo (Grandma) took a infant CPR class last night at the hospital.  It was good and informative.  We plan on taking a refresher course just before Sean is discharged.  Avô (Grandpa) will join us for the next class.

We are enjoying our time with Sean.  He is a good baby.  He will be home with us soon.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Dear Sean 9.6.11

Dear Sean,

Mommy & Daddy love you and look forward to getting you home!  We are so happy and excited to be your parents.  We know you are trying your best.   We will keep praying for you. 

You had your eye exam today, but we don't have the results just yet.  The results will be back in a couple of days. 

Your feedings have been increased to 52 cc's every 3 hours.  You are growing more and more each day.  It's hard to believe you weigh 6 lbs! 

The nurses are bottle feeding you and you are doing a great job!   You will soon be nippling all meals and then you will be ready to come with Mommy & Daddy.

God bless you our son....

Love,
Mommy & Daddy
xoxoxoxo

Sean's Journey 9.5.11

Our baby boy now weighs 6 lbs!   He is drinking 50 cc's of breast milk + 24 calories of formula every 3 hours.  The RNs are now feeding him 6 bottles a day.  He is doing well with remembering to suck...swallow & breathe. 

Today Daddy bottle fed Sean for the first time.  Daddy did great at feeding Sean.  We have to watch closely as he drinks from the bottle.  Full term babies know how to suck, swallow & breathe.  Preemies need to learn how to do this.  We watch Sean carefully to make sure he remembers to breathe. 

Sean continues at 21% oxygen (room air).  The nasal cannula was removed today!  Sean seldomly has a Apnea/Brady episode.  He rarely DSATs anymore...he does sometimes during feedings. 

He will be ready to come home after he nipples all meals and when Apnea/Brady/DSAT episodes stop completely.  We think he may be ready in a couple of weeks.

Daddy & Mommy helped Sean with his physical therapy exercises today.  He did neck, shoulder, hip and ankle exercises.  These exercises will continue after Sean comes home. 

The Docs stopped giving Sean his water pills today.  We are hoping that he has stopped retaining water.

We enjoyed our time with Sean this weekend!  We are looking forward to his homecoming!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean's Journey 9.3.11

Sean weighs 5 lbs.  14.5oz!  He eats a total of 8 times in 24 hours.   Four of the feedings are now bottle fed, the others are tube fed. 

He continues at 21% oxygen (room air), but did need to be placed back on the nasal cannula yesterday because he was DSATing during and after some of his feedings.  The nasal cannula helps get a little extra air into Sean's lungs. 

Today when Daddy & Mommy arrived at the hospital, Sean was awake and active.  He was hungry.  After he was fed, he slept for a long time.  He looked very content. 

Daddy & Mommy are busy preparing for Sean's homecoming.  We are waiting patiently for the day when we are told..."Sean is ready to come home.  Bring his car seat!"

Thank your for your continued prayers & support.
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

What a way to start the month! - 9.1.11

Go Sean Go!  We are so proud of our baby boy.  Today Sean was taken off the nasal cannula!  They said one week,  instead it turned out to be only a couple of days!   Sean is breathing all on his own.  He still has an occasional Brady and some DSATs.  One of the nurses said she thinks he may be ready to come home in a couple of weeks.  We will wait and see.  He will let us know when he's ready. 

Sean weighs 5 lbs. 13.01oz!  He continues to tolerate his feedings.  He is nippling three times a day.  The goal is to get him to nipple all his meals before being released to go home. 

The results from his eye test came back.  We received good news.  His eyes are immature and there is no sign of ROP. 

Daddy held Sean tonight.  Sean smiles when he hears Daddy's voice.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Sean's Mommy & Daddy