Friday, August 7

CPAP Attempt Numero Dos

A little out of the blue this morning the docs decided to give Bryce another try at CPAP. It was just two days ago they were saying the plan was for next week. I rushed over just in time to catch them trying to calm him down after all of the commotion. It's been non stop since then.

He's trying really hard and I don't want to jinx it but my feeling is that he's not quite ready. I hope I'm wrong and that he just needs to settle into it but his oxygen needs have been between 70 and 100% since extubation, and he's still only saturating his body with between 80 and 90% oxygen. He's also had a couple of serious desats (59% to 69%) that he's taken a long time to come back from.

Feeds went up again today and so far he seems to be tolerating that very well. But he was supposed to eat at noon and didn't due to his still being so upset. If they have to reintubate they don't want him to have a freshly full belly.

I'll update more as I know more.

Wednesday, August 5

Shane

Unfortunately, Caleb's big brother, Shane, passed on in the early morning hours yesterday.

Shane was one of those people that was always bigger than life. He pushed the boundaries relentlessly, took chances many of us only dream of and lived a life so full of daredevil acts that we can only look back on his life in awe, with a smirk on our faces.

Whether he was scuba diving for ancient relics off the coast of Bahrain, trying to land the big one out at the lake or hunting for arrowheads in the hill country, Shane did everything with a sense of adventure and enthusiasm I've always envied.

We are so sad that baby Bryce will never get to know his uncle Shane and his crazy ways. Shane told Caleb that he wished someday he could throw a football with Bryce. Shane, we wish the same - more than you could know even from where you are now.

But we find peace in the knowledge that Shane is back to his whole self now. He's somewhere up above or all around. I like to think he's watching over us all; willing us to take a few more chances, travel a little further, laugh a little louder, love a little harder and give in to this crazy ride that we call life.

Thanks, Shane. We love you and will forever miss you.

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Visitation to be held at the Dripping Springs Methodist Church on Ranch Road 12 in Dripping Springs, TX from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday Aug. 6, 2009. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. and followed by the burial at Phillips Cemetery also in Dripping Springs. Lastly will be the receiving of friends and family at the First Baptist Church of Dripping Springs' banquet hall.

Surgery Recovery Going Well

Bryce's surgery was deemed a success by the neuro team yesterday and his recovery continues to impress us all. He seems quite comfortable, focused on sleeping and growing. He'll have feeds started back today and we've got our fingers crossed that he will tolerate them well. Maybe he'll even be back to full feeds tomorrow. We can hope.

Monday, August 3

Back by Popular Demand...


Pictures of Bryce

Bath time...Bryce is not a fan...


Bryce looking at Mommy's hand intently while contemplating extubating himself (again)...


Bryce all dressed up for the first time. Daddy trying to calm him down after his bath with his paci. No that is NOT a dress - that's a size preemie shirt!
Still not happy, notice the movement of his right foot - the leg kicking thing is how you know you've really made him mad.

Finally calming down thanks to his paci. Now if he could just get that person to stop pulling on his ear he'd really be happy. He has no idea that person is him!
And this one is for the ladies!

Full Feeds

YEAH! Bryce began full feeds yesterday. Full feeds means he is getting all of his necessary nutrients from my milk! This is so exciting for us because it shows he is able to tolerate my milk and process it quickly enough to eat every three hours just like a full term new born would do. They're even adding a protein fortifier to his milk which adds 2 whole calories to each feeding for a grand total of 22. I liken the fortifier to a free boost from Jamba Juice - it's a little powder they mix in to make it even just a little more healthy than it already, naturally is.

He was on the full feeds all of yesterday and last night and has had little to no residuals. Every time the nurse feeds Bryce she puts a syringe on his feeding tube (that goes down his throat into his tummy) and pulls back to see what, if anything, hasn't yet been processed from his last feeding. The first sign of feeding intolerance is "high residuals" but Bryce hasn't had any!

Unfortunately, Bryce's surgery is tomorrow and so he will have no food for 4 hours prior. We're not yet sure what time they will schedule the surgery for and probably won't know until this afternoon sometime. After he comes back from surgery and begins to wake up - a couple more hours - then they will likely start him back on half the amount of food he is getting now. If he tolerates that first feeding after surgery well then they'll probably go right back to full feeds every three hours with the very next feeding.

Caleb and I hope and pray that baby Bryce tolerates this surgery as well as he did the last. If he can come back on about the same ventilator settings as he leaves for surgery on (like he did last time) then the docs will most likely try to extubate him to CPAP again sometime around Friday. And if he comes back and goes pretty much right back to full feeds he'll be even bigger and stronger on Friday - and hopefully better equipped to stay on CPAP than he was last time. He's already so much bigger than just the week before last when they tried the first time. But only time will tell.

My sincere apologies for taking the weekend off from updates. We were so busy between the hospital and visiting with Caleb's brother while we still can. We also managed another "vacation" to home on Saturday evening. It was our most relaxing yet, maybe because we cooked and cleaned and so it genuinely felt like home. Of course, walking into the NICU feels more like home than any other place right now. When we're not at the hospital all we think about is being there. We laid in our seeminly gigantic bed on Saturday night, where there is an ocean between us (so nice!) and imagined Bryce laying there with us some day. I cried.

There is simply nothing in the world I want more than to take our little bundle of cuteness home with us. And I can finally say that I feel in my heart we will get there, we are all going to make it to that glorius day. And as G2 said so many weeks ago - we'll break out the brass band the day Bryce goes home!