This is a long one...

A really, really long one. So if you just want to skip to the end to see the pictures, feel free! Again, what a crazy couple of weeks we have had. Lots of ups and then lots of downs. Little Baby Davey initally was doing really well after his first round of antibiotics. They kept him on three different medications for 7 days and during that time he was awake and alert and just doing great. They started feeding him again as well. It's a very slow process-they started at 3 mLs every six hours (one teaspoon=5mls) then bumped it up to every three hours, then started increasing it by 1 mL every six hours. He initially needed a little help pooping, but after only one suppository he also started having some good poops all on his own. All this meant he was digesting his food and that everything was going great. On Friday afternoon I came back from the hospital so excited about everything. He was awake and alert with me, he was already up to 21 mLs (his goal is 32), he had a big poop all by himself, yay yay!! Then Friday night Josh and I went to the hospital together and things just went downhill. When we got there we asked to hold him so the nurse took his vitals first. He had a temperature of 100.4 and just did not look good. His temperature probe had come off so the nurse assumed his incubator had heated too high. So we took him out and held him anyway and he was seriously on fire. We checked his temp again and now he was up to 102. So they called the doctor and she decided that it was most likely another infection. This meant blood draws again, as well as a lumbar puncture and a urine sample. The lumbar puncture involved a needle into his spinal cord to rule out meningitis and a urine sample involved a catheter of course. My poor poor baby boy. They gave him a sedative, but my experience with sedatives is that they don't take away the pain at all, just make it so you can't kick the doctor (more of THAT story to come later). I just pray he didn't feel too much. They immediately started him on antibiotics again and also stopped all milk feedings. His stomach became distended so they took an xray of it and found out that his bowles were dilated, which is a pretty serious issue for him. Basically his digestive system shuts down when he has infection and this can leave food in there to sit and bloat and cause all sorts of bad things. Because of this they had to put this horirble tube down his mouth into his stomach and it sucked out the air/gross juices from his intestines/bowels. He was SOO uncomfortable with this. He had a hard time sleeping with it and it was always making him gag. They found out that the infeciton was in his PICC line, so they had to remove the line. Because they stopped giving him milk, ALL of his nutrition was supposed to be coming through his PICC though, so this meant that he had to have an IV. Actually 2 IVs, because one of the medications they started him on had to be in a seperate line. Again, my poor poor baby boy. It is a constant battle with a preemie to find a vein and when they do find one, it doesn't last for long before it "blows." And when the baby has an infection, the veins tend to blow even faster. So he has had multiple IV's put in him over the past few days and he is still on his antibiotics. But the good news! His most recent IV has lasted almost 48 now, which is honestly a miracle, especially because it's in his wrist. They are hoping to avoid another PICC line. His bowels look great, he even had a few poops yesterday, which is amazing because he really isn't getting any food in his stomach to poop out. They started him on my milk today and since he would be almost 34 weeks, they even gave it to him in a bottle and he did great with it! The goal for him is to be on milk only by Sunday and then they will stop the IV fluids. He should also be done with his antibiotics on Sunday as well, so if we can just make it until then, no more IVs either! YAY!!! They are concerned with his low red blood cell count and low iron levels. The poor guys has had his blood drawn at almost once a day for 3 weeks now and it's started to affect him. But if they can keep him ok until Monday and he is on only milk, then they'll give him a shot to help encourage blood cell production and hopefully we can avoid a blood transfusion. But that's still up in the air for now. Anyway enough of the novel, lets see some pictures!

I was going through my mom's pictures and I came across this one of little Carden:

Holy Cuteness!

One week old...

And what a tough week it has been for this poor guy! I think he really regrets that decision he made to leave early...little turkey.

Well, after a couple of really hard days with not much good news, we have now had two days of good progress from little Davey Gravey. Where to start...they started him on the medication for his heart and were supposed to give him 3 doses of it. But unfortunately, Baby David started having a hard time. He was having way too many apnea episodes and also was unable to maintain his body temperature like he had been. He also had been acting lethargic and just not himself. They ran a quick blood cell count and came to the conclusion that he had developed an infection.

So, they started him on antibiotics that night and took some cultures to see what the infection was and where it was located. Because of all the problems going on and the antibiotics, they decided to not worry about that last dose of the heart medication. I also remembered that I had a cold sore a few days before I delivered him and because of that they also decided to give him some antiviral medication, just in case I had infected my newborn child with HERPES. So sad. All of this was really just preventative stuff, because they didn't really know for sure what was going on.

For the past couple of days things have been looking better. He hasn't been having as many apnea episodes (he is on caffeine to help with it though), his blood cell count looks good and he seems to have more energy. Also, so far all of the cultures have been negative, so it may have just been a little bug that got him. They haven't repeated the echocardiogram yet to see if the vein in his heart has closed, but the nurses don't hear a murmur, so they may not need to give him the 3 dose.

He still isn't taking any food yet, just his IV. The doctor thinks that they can start feeds tomorrow or the next day if his apnea continues to look good. So, basically we are still a LONG way from taking him home.

Loving some cuddle time

Isn't that IV on his head the saddest thing ever?

And I can't forget this cutie!

Davey is a week old? WOW!

Baby Davey

Just a few updates on David:

They have been trying to give him some of my milk through a tube over the past couple of days, but he hasn't been digesting it, so they stopped the feeds. They noticed a heart murmur yesterday and did an echocardiogram and found out that a little vein that's supposed to close at birth hasn't closed yet. This is causing some extra stress to his heart and lungs and makes it so that his blood isn't going where it's supposed to (like to his digestive tract). They started him on a medication to close this vein, so hopefully in the next couple of days they vein will close and he might be able to try eating again. For now he's getting all of his nutrition through his PICC line.

When I saw him this morning they had put a new IV on the top of his tiny head for the medication, since all of the veins in his arms and legs are too small. So sad! But he did seem to have more energy. He was opening his eyes and kicking his little legs, so hopefully this medicine is working and his poor heart won't be working so hard.

These are all typical preemie issues that we're dealing with, so nothing to be too alarmed over. We are very greatful to everyone for their support and prayers!

Welcome home David!

He's here and healthy, just a little (ok a LOT) early! Born 3-11-11 @ 8:13 am, 3 lbs. 8 oz. He was on a venitalor, but they took him off after only 12 hours and he's been doing great since then. He came out screaming and didn't stop for awhile so we knew was a fighter. They put in a PICC line yesterday and also started him on the billi lights, but that's all pretty routine for a premie. Every doctor/nurse who works with him says he doesn't act like he's little, so we're hoping he takes after his big brother and chunks up fast so we can bring him home.

Here are a few pics!

Yeah, I'm cheap like that...

I have a new addiction. Couponing for me has now almost reached obsession level. But sometimes, I get such a good deal, I just have to brag about it. Like this:

I got THREE (3!!) boxes of these Pampers wipes for a grand total of $1.83! That's 61 cents for a box of 720 wipes.

And then I got a box of 84 newborn Pampers diapers for FREE! I seriously feel like I could go on and on about how many awesome deals I get. Josh thinks I'm a nerd, but is just happy that I find these deals so that I don't make him go to cloth (which I still would be ok with).

Just one more couponing story, I promise... I went grocery shopping a couple days ago and my total was $84. Not so fast though! I handed her my coupons and brought it down to $22. Seriously. 60 bucks in coupons? Other than the diaper deals, I think that was my best shopping trip yet.

Carden is NOT a fan of my couponing though. I have to limit my computer time to when he's sleeping and he thinks our shopping trips take way too long (I'm sure Josh would agree, too). And then I don't let him throw my coupons all over the room. I know. Mean Mama.

30 weeks and counting....

I've been really bad about blogging this pregnancy. I don't know if it's because of the move or the one year old who thinks he's two and throws WAAAY too many tantrums and all of a sudden decided to boycott FOOD, but it just is hard to find the time and energy to blog. But I'm going to try and be better! And show you some belly pics!


I have once again had a very easy pregnancy. I was sick one day during the first trimester, felt great all through the second, and am still doing good now. My hair and skin are awesome again, no food aversions this time ( I couldn't eat chicken, spicy foods, or orange juice with Carden), reflux just started a couple of weeks ago (I had it from day one with Carden) and so far I still have energy and don't feel too much like a whale. I hope we have a girl one day just so I can see if there is a difference, or if I'm just lucky.


Here I am at 30 weeks with nameless baby:

And just to compare, here's one of me with Carden at 30 weeks:


Good to see my veins are popping out all sicknast again.