Some of Sarah's many faces

While we were dying Easter eggs Sarah was entertaining us with some of her many faces.

The "who me?" look

"I'm about to get into trouble"

"I'm too cute to get mad at me"

Being silly making fish faces

Easter Eggs!

This year was the first time that we let Drew dye Easter eggs. He had a great time and thought it was so cool that the eggs changed colors. Sarah wasn't too happy that she didn't get to join in the fun, but I really didn't want colored water thrown all over the kitchen!

Sarah checking out the eggs before we started

More posts coming - I promise!

Haven't had time the last couple of evenings to post anything new, but I did finally get all the pictures off my good camera today. Only about 500 pictures to go through from the last 2 weeks! Big posts including Easter, the big kids playing in the yard, and new pictures of Ryan coming soon.

Here is a quick picture of each of the kids to keep you all happy until I can get new posts up.

Drew on Easter morning

Sarah eating Candy Easter morning

Ryan on Tuesday getting ready to go to the pediatrician's office

April 16th - Ryan comes home!

Ryan finally got to come home! Of course we spent the morning waiting around for the doctor and nurses to get all their paperwork together, but finally around 10:30 they had everything done and we were on our way home with our baby boy!

Cuddling with mommy while we waited

Hanging out with Daddy

Trying out his carseat

All buckled in and ready to go home!

When we got home Drew and Sarah were waiting for us and couldn't wait to see their baby brother.

Sarah getting her first good look at her baby brother

Drew's first time getting to hold Ryan

Trying to get a picture of me with all three kids was a little difficult

April 14th and 15th - A Change of Plans

Tuesday morning I was up bright and early to get down to the hospital at 8 to feed Ryan. We were also waiting to hear the results of his latest bili level. When I got there one of the doctors was reviewing Ryan's chart and writing his orders for Ryan for the day. We were hoping to hear that Ryan would be going home the next day, but the doctor said that he couldn't go home until at least Thursday! While he was telling me this Ryan was crying ready to eat so I didn't question him on why he had to stay so long, I thought his bilirubin level must still be high so he would have to stay on the lights longer, but when I got back from nursing Ryan his light blanket was gone. I asked his nurse his bili level and she told me it had dropped back down to 10. Now I was really confused on why he had to stay.

After talking to Eric and my mom, I decided to have my mom come down with me at noon and find out why Ryan had to stay so much longer if he didn't have anything wrong with him anymore. We finally found out that this NICU has a policy that a baby has to stay for 5 days after their last oxygen desaturation, and since Ryan needed a small amount of oxygen on the 11th after getting his first feeding he would have to stay until Thursday the 16th :(

So the rest of the 14th and all day on the 15th I spent driving back and forth to the hospital to be there for all of Ryan's feedings except for the two in the middle of the night.

April 13th - Moving into the Progressive nursery

Monday morning Eric had to go back to work so I was on my own going back and forth to the NICU. I called to check on Ryan first thing in the morning and found out from his nurse that she was expecting the doctor to order for Ryan's IV to be taken out and that he would be allowed ad lib feedings.

I went to the NICU for his noon care time and was thrilled to find out that his IV was out and that I would be allowed to breastfeed him! I got to spend 30 minutes in the breastfeeding room feeding my baby and kissing and cuddling him all I wanted! Of course he was a champ at nursing and had no problems and was a very happy boy after getting all the milk that he wanted. I wished we could have stayed there all cuddled up longer, but he needed to get back under his bili lights in order to get his levels down so he could go home.

No more IV!

Since he did so good at nursing I was told that I would be allowed to nurse him at any care time that I was there for. So of course I was back there at 4 when he was allowed to nurse again. After his 4pm care time his nurse told me that she was moving him to a crib and that by the evening he would be moved over to the Progressive Nursery. He was working his way out of the NICU and getting closer to coming home.

Eric came with me for his 8 pm care time and we got to cuddle with Ryan more and I was able to nurse him again.

At that time we thought that all Ryan had to do was get his bili levels lower and show that he was continuing to nurse well and that he would be discharged but that all changed the next morning.

April 12th - Easter and a great day for Ryan

Since it was Easter we decided to stay home in the morning and try to keep things more normal for Drew and Sarah. (I have pictures of them from Easter that will get posted in a later post) Around 9 I called into the NICU to find out how Ryan did overnight and how his morning was going. His nurse told me that he did great overnight and that by 8 am his breathing was slow enough that he was allowed to have his first bottle! He took a 15 ml bottle without any problems and they were able to turn off his oxygen.

We made it to the NICU in time for his bottle at noon and I got to feed him. For that feeding they upped his bottle to 30 ml (1 ounce) He sucked that bottle down and was looking for more.

Mommy feeding him his bottle

Content after getting a full belly

At his 4 pm care time we decided to take Drew into the NICU to see Ryan. He had been begging to see him everytime we left the house. Drew was so well behaved that he got to stay past the normal 15 mintues that siblings are allowed once a day. He got to talk to Ryan, watch us change Ryan's diaper, and watch him get a bottle.


Ryan was also started on phototherapy that afternoon since his bilirubin level was getting high. Drew thought it was really funny that Ryan was wearing sunglasses and wanted to take lots of pictures of him.

Drew took this picture of Ryan

At his 8 pm care time Ryan was awake and waiting for us when we got there. We got to hear him cry for the first time since the delivery room. That night we got to hold Ryan while he took his bottle. It was so nice to get to cuddle my baby again. I held him and gave him his bottle and then let Eric take a turn holding him. It was the first time since the delivery room that Eric got to hold Ryan.

No more tubes or stickers on my face!

April 10th and 11th - Still hanging out in the NICU

Friday April 10th

That morning we went down to the NICU for a quick visit before we had to be back in my room for me to get discharged from the hospital. Ryan was still under his oxygen hood but they were able to turn down his oxygen when he was calm. He had started out at about 45% oxygen and by that morning they had it down to about 35%.

A few pictures from that morning

When we went back around noon they had dropped his oxygen even more. He down to about 25% oxygen. The air that we breath has about 21% oxygen so he was slowly working his way down off the oxygen. By the time that we were leaving from the visit his nurse had turned his oxygen off, but he was still hanging out under the hood because she wasn't sure if he would stay off the oxygen. He was still breathing fast, but he had stopped making the grunting/whiney noise.

After our visit at noon I was discharged from the hospital and we went home to visit with the Drew and Sarah. We had some severe thunderstorms come through the area while we were home but thankfully they stopped as it was time to make the trip back down to the hospital at 4. When we got back to the NICU Ryan was back on a small amount of oxygen (25%) but they were going to try to wean him back off after he calmed down.

At his 8 pm visiting time my mom came down to the NICU with me while Eric stayed home with the big kids. His nurse for the night said the Ryan was worn out and she had turned his oxygen way up. Thankfully they weaned it down a little bit over night.


Saturday April 11th

After a long night with very little sleep we missed going to the hospital for Ryan's 8 am care time. I called to check on him around 9 and his nurse let me know that she almost had him off his oxygen and that she was hoping to get him off his oxygen hood today.

When we made it down to the hospital at 12 we came in to see him out of his hood. It was so nice to get to look at and touch his cute little face! She also told us that the doctor was allowing feedings to start. Since his breathing is still too fast they had to do it by a tube down his mouth, but at least he is finally getting something to eat. He was so happy to finally have something in his belly! Eric and I got to spend quite a bit of time talking to him and touching him while he had his tube feeding. It was so nice to not have him under that hood! He had a rough time getting used to breathing with a full belly so they did have to start him back on a small amount of oxygen, but he was able to get it through a nasal cannula so that way he didn't have to go back under the hood.

So happy to be out of the oxygen hood

Getting his first tube feeding

So relaxed with a full belly

At his 4pm visit my mom came to the hospital with me again. Ryan was still on a small amount of oxygen, but his breathing was getting easier and he was starting to slow down his breathing

That night for his 8 pm care time I was so tired I almost sent Eric by himself. Once we got there I was so happy that I went. I was able to hold Ryan for over an hour while he got his tube feeding. It was so wonderful to have my baby in my arms and be able to kiss and cuddle him all I wanted.