NICU Rollercoaster....

We are on the NICU rollercoaster of ups and downs and are hanging on for dear life!! Grant had a bad day today, he had alot of apnea episodes today (apnea is when he stops breathing) and they had to put him back on the SiPap Machine to assist him in breathing. It gives him a rate of 15 breaths a minute and he seems to be doing better. They are checking for infections and doing a complete work up on him to make sure something serious isnt causing the apnea. Now the issue we had with his weight seems to be doing alot better. He now weighs 3lbs 8oz!! Holy cow!! Mike also got to hold him for the first time this morning before he started having issues and loved it... Its weird to think that Grant was more than 3 weeks old before he got to hold him... We just have to get used to the idea that we may not get to hold him every day and he may not be home as soon as we would like...but we rather him get all the help he needs and be watched 24/7!! We are keeping our heads up and know that tomorrow will be a better day!! Cant express enough for the thanks we feel for those who have prayed for him. We know Grant needs them and apreciates them. Keep em coming!!!!!

.update.

Quick update on Grant.... He is still doing fairly good... The main concern right now is that he is having trouble gaining weight. When you have a preemie they go off of your gestational growth chart to see where they're at. When Grant was born he was 90% for his height and 90% tile for his weight... he was BIG for his age at 27 weeks and 5 days! (and he was only 2 15!!) Well now he is 90% tile for his height..who woulda thought! :) and only in the 50% tile for his weight! They did some tests and discovered that his sodium content was really low... and this may be why he isnt gaining like he should...so they put him on sodium yesterday morning and when they weighed him at night he gained 40 grams!! (a little over an oz!) Thats HUGE compared to the 10 grams he was gaining or losing every day!! So I think we fixed the problem and he should start fattening up! He weighs 3lbs 3 oz and is 3 weeks old today and gestation age is 30 and 5... they tell us to expect him home anywhere between 35-38 weeks gestation!! It has been so hard not having him home but we know he is where he needs to be... we cant wait to be together as a family again and we are so thankful that despite the weight issue he is doing so well.. he is such a miricle!

.New Pics of Grant.

Grant folding his hands together!! So precious!


I love it when he opens his eyes....


Seeing my hand next to him really shows how small he is...
my thumb is bigger than his upper arm...


Perfect...Just Perfect!

14 days in the NICU down...keep it up bud

We are so proud of Grant! Not only did he break the 3 pound mark today he is breathing on his own again!! We went down at his 2 o' clock feeding today and he was doing so well that I got to hold him for the 4th time... We will go back tomorrow and it will be Mikes first time holding him..he has been so patient and great about wanting me to bond and be the one to hold him first...I love him so much! Oh and he just turned 24 on the 20th of May..Happy B day hun!!!

Rough day....

Well our little Grant is such a fighter! He had a really rough day in the NICU yesterday. He was having trouble breathing all day and had two really bad episodes where they had to intervine and help him get going again. They now have him on a machine that helps him breath...its kinda in between a ventalator and a cpap machine..it breathes 10 times a minute for him and he does the rest! We love him so much and know that he will win this fight! He still isnt back up to birth weight but we hope he will get there soon! They have been telling us that it will be 2 steps forward and 1 back for a while!! We know it will be a long road but we are doing our best to be patient and enjoy the ride...love to all!!! Thanks for all the prayers!

My Knights in Shining Armor

Being the only Princess isn't too bad! I'm such a lucky damsel in distress!!

Grant oh Grant!!!

We got Grant's brain ultrasound results today and we got fairly good news. Grant's Doc told us that Grant has 2 stage one bi-lateral brain bleeds today. He said that even though we didnt expect him to have any because he was doing so well, we should be thankful that its only stage one.. if they are stage 3 or 4 its more of a concern. He says its much like his heart murmur, and they should go away on their own. I think the words scare me more than the actual problem. I was at the hospital alone when he told me the news and it was almost like my mind went blank. I couldn't think of anything to say or any questions to ask. I called Mike, he was at home with the 2 boys, and I told him he had to call the doc cause I was to scared to ask what it meant for our little man. Mike called him right away and the doc said we should be relieved thats its not worse and he should be just fine! They will check his brain again right before he comes home to make sure that they are gone. We are so happy that Grant is doing so well and know that hes a fighter and anything that comes his way he will fight it and be okay!