Day 67

Today was just another "typical" Saturday for us. Claire and I slept in while Trever started mowing the yard. We shipped Claire off to grandma's house and Trever and I headed to the hospital. Kelson is one of the healthier babies right now so there are very few changes happening. However, we have noticed some fussing during his bottles so we are switching up his diet once again. We are going to see if some gentle formula will help. This is something a parent of a "normal" newborn would deal with too. We are getting Kelson's room ready for him but we have a ways to go. The poor kid finally has a few diapers, a new bottle, and some clothes hanging in his closet. I guess the pains of being the second child are already starting. We are still hoping to have our family of four under the same roof by the 4th of July. We aren't real sure what the doctors have in mind for us yet but it shouldn't be much longer. In the mean time we will keep trying to be present for Claire, keep making our house a home, work as many hours as we can, be with Kelson at the hospital and continue to live the dream.

Today was a pretty good day. Kelson has been eating up a storm. He enjoys getting the good formula and wants to eat all of the time. I stopped to stock up on some supplies at home (diapers, wipes, etc). This afternoon Kelson was a bit fussy, so he got a dose of Tylenol in case he was having a little pain. They did another chest x-ray today, and everything still looks clear!

Dad also got released today. He seems to be doing well also, and goes back to the doctor on Monday.

Tonight we met with the developmental doctor. He examined Kelson, and saw absolutely nothing wrong. He said after reading his chart, he was amazed Kelson had survived. They will continue to monitor Kelsons development, as we will not know any long term effects until his brain continues to develop.

Hopefully we can get a discharge date soon, so we can make plans for next week!

Pig show

Today all three of us left home early to travel to Springfield for the CPS Summer Pig Show. Our niece Maddi from Ohio was participating in the show. It was a great way to spend a hot summer day. Claire had a blast playing with her cousin. Krista and I left for the hospital around noon, and left Claire with my mom so she could play more.

Kelson had a great night and day recovering from his surgery. He had a dose of tylenol after surgery, and again at 7 PM last night, but since then has not needed any pain meds. It continues to amaze us how strong our little man is. He also hasn't missed much in terms of eating, and is pretty much eating on demand, or every 4 hours, whichever comes first.

Today the doctor decided to skip a step in the formula transition, and put him on straight EnfaCare today. As long as Kelson continues to thrive we will be coming home Tuesday or Wednesday, July 3rd or 4th.

As ready as we are, it will be strange leaving the wonderful people we have grown to love in the NICU. They are truly a special class of people, and we are forever grateful to them.

Surgery

Today Krista and I arrived at the hospital around 9 AM for Kelsons surgery. When we got there he was already on a special warmer that he would ride in to go downstairs, and had an IV in for fluids. We spent about an hour and a half cuddling with him. He was very calm, even though he hadn't eaten since about 1:30 AM. The surgeon arrived at about 10:30 and did his assessment. He was still able to feel the hernia, so they started prepping him for surgery. We were able to ride down with Kelson to the second floor before they took him into the OR.

We stopped in for a quick visit with my dad and he seems to be doing well. Then we picked up lunch and went back to the OR waiting room to eat. The time passed pretty quickly and the doctor came to talk to us. He said everything went great and he would see us in August. We then headed back to the NICU to see for ourselves.

We had expected Kelson to be very tired, but he was very alert. He definitely had some pain, but seemed to be tolerating it well. We spent the majority of the afternoon holding him and trying to keep him calm. Krista gave him a little sponge bath, and we were able to put some clothes back on him. Finally, at 6 PM he was able to eat again, and boy was he hungry!

Hopefully he continues to eat well, heals, and tolerates the diet change...then we can relearn what normal is!

Today was a bit more normal for us. Krista and I did our normal routine with me going in early, and Krista going in after lunch. Kelson is still eating well, taking about 60-100% of the total amount he is supposed to eat.

Dad is doing ok, but is in quite a bit of pain. Hopefully he recovers quick because he doesn't sit still well.

Tomorrow Krista and I will head in together to be with Kelson before his surgery. He is scheduled for 10:30 AM. They said the entire process will take about an hour, but the actual surgery should only last about 15 minutes. Hopefully all goes well and we will be one step closer to home!

Long Day

The alarm clock was set early this morning so I could be at the hospital by 6:30 AM. However, today Kelson wasn't the first patient for me to visit. In March, my dad had an elevated PSA test, and learned that he would need his prostate removed...today was his "lucky" day. Lucky for us, he is at the same hospital Kelson is at, just on a different floor. They took Dad in for surgery about 8 AM, and then we went to visit Kelson.

Kelson continues to thrive and improve on his feedings. He eats more "on demand" every 3-4 hours, and can take as much formula as he wants...within reason. This afternoon Krista was feeding him and he finished one bottle and started working on his second. He had never been offered much more than 65 mL, but before we knew it he had consumed 87 mL! I'm pretty sure he would have taken more, but the nurse advised us to hold off. We thought for sure he would spit up, but he managed to keep it all down.

Originally we thought we would be sent home on the "special formula", but the doctor today informed us that he wants Kelson to be eating regular preemie formula (EnfaCare) before they release us. They have already started transitioning him over to EnfaCare more today, and expect it to take 9-12 days before he is completely transitioned. That would put us getting discharged between July 3-6. That is still assuming everything goes to plan. It is exciting to have some goal dates in mind.

As for Dad, the surgeon said everything went as well as could be expected, and he seemed to be recovering well this afternoon. Hopefully the medical drama is nearing it's end in our family!

No more tubes!

What a great Sunday morning!

Everyone woke up well rested and in a good mood. Claire was excited to go see Kelson today, but had to play nurse first. I was the lucky patient, and her cat Congo was the doctor. It was hilarious listening to all of the things coming out of her mouth.

We got to the hospital around 10:30, and Kelson was asleep in his swing. Claire thought it was neat to rock him in it. At 11:30 we gave Kelson a bath, and Claire was able to watch and help. The nurse also removed Kelsons feeding tube, so he is now 100% tube free. The only thing attached to him is the heart/respiratory monitor.

Kelson ate the majority of his bottle at noon. As we were finishing up the feeding, the flight nurse Sara asked us if we wanted to tour the helipad/helicopter that Kelson rode in. We took the elevator up to the roof. It was really neat to learn more about how they transport babies, and how everything works.

Kelson took another full bottle at 3 PM, and stayed awake for a long time. We left the hospital around 5 and went to Menards to buy Claires swing set. If anyone had 7-9 hours of free time, you are welcome to come assemble it for us!