...Blizzard of '16...

Have no fear, we survived (are surviving?) the blizzard of '16. We got around 24 inches of snow in our yard, 29.2 at BWI, which was a record. The most snowfall recorded in history at BWI. Insane. It started in the afternoon on Friday and continued through just before midnight last night. Anyway, on to the important stuff. 

This is how Wyatt spent most of the blizzard.

Let's see... since our last update Wy Guy has packed on the pounds, er, ounces. On Thursday last week he was up to 5 pounds 8 ounces! We were released last week from weekly visits to the pediatrician and instead will just be monitored by the nurse next week, then we'll check back in with the pediatrician the following week. 

That face. It melts my heart.

Last week we also had a visit from the occupational therapist. A referral was made to them because of the feeding issues he had in the NICU. She came out and gave me some things to work on with him in terms of developmental things like tummy time. She did notice he has a bit of a flat spot on the back of his head, but it isn't impacting in the front of his head. We will keep an eye on it and also work on positioning to be sure we balance it out. Our daily routine now includes time to work on positioning and playing on his kick 'n play piano. Tummy time in the traditional sense, which is typically on the floor playing, isn't working right now. Any time I try it with him, he screams. Super ironic because he loves to lay on his tummy on my chest and lifts his head up to look at me or turns to look around the room. Silly boy. 

That hair. And the $50k blanket from Hopkins. Shhh. Don't tell.
(We call it the 50k blanket because that's about what it cost for his time there...)

Please continue to pray that our sweet guy keeps gaining weight, continues to eat well, and has less reflux. 

Love,

Lori, Brian & Wyatt

Oh! These two are pretty cute, too. 

...1/16/16...

It's been another whirlwind week with our little guy. In case you didn't know, we are absolutely smitten with our little man, which makes getting actual things (like updating blogs, doing dishes, taking a shower) done throughout the day. I mean, if I have to choose between laundry and snuggling with this dude? Snuggling wins 100% of the time.

That face. It's just so kissable. Trust me. 

We had a pediatrician appointment this week for a weight check. At that appointment he was 4 pounds 15 ounces. So close to 5 pounds! On Thursday the nurse came for a weight check and guess what?! Our little dude weighed in at 5 pounds 1 ounce! There was a lot of celebrating seeing that 5 on the scale. It's so hard to believe our little man once got down to 3 pounds 9 ounces. When I scroll through photos from his first days of life, I see such a difference in his face. It's hard to believe that this week was my due date. Instead of celebrating a birthday, we are celebrating 5 weeks of life.

Left: 2 days old Right: today
Look how far we've come in just a few weeks!

Wyatt had his audiology appointment this week. Turns out our guy is too little for the hearing test in the office. The initial test they performed showed little to no activity, but the audiologist explained this is very common with babies because it tests for activity in the ear. If there is fluid in the ear, the probe cannot detect the activity. The second test showed activity in the inner ear. It was minimal, but there was activity. The big test was the one that could not be completed. We will return in a month to try the test again. At that time if it cannot be completed, he will be referred to the ENT. The ENT will then help to determine if there is fluid causing the issue and if there is, next steps for that. I had no idea there were different doctors working on different parts of the ear. Such a small part of our body, hugely important for sure, but has two different doctors working on it. Hopefully it's just a fluid issue that will resolve itself before we go back to the audiologist.

Such a sleepy boy!

As far as brady/apnea episodes, little dude seems to be doing well. If he has a brady, it usually is when he is eating. He has not had any color changes in a few weeks, which is excellent! It means his little body is getting stronger and more mature each day.

We found out this week we were denied the Synagis, the RSV medicine. It made me chuckle (the ONLY time I chuckled during the conversation with the insurance company) to hear the nurse say his heart defect is "insignificant". How ironic. Defect, by definition, implies imperfection or deficiency. I'm not sure how any heart defect is insignificant. Certainly there are defects that are much more severe, but his little heart doesn't work correctly. I have yet to speak with the pediatrician to see if we have a case to fight it or not. If we don't, it will mean that we will continue to be diligent about hand washing and keeping him away from as many germs as we can. I just happened to see a post on facebook about a former NICU baby who is back in the hospital because of RSV. I pray this is not us.

Catching flies while sleeping.

A couple of people have said it's difficult to get a perspective of his size by looking at photos. Here is some perspective. The pacifier in his mouth is a normal pacifier. It is approximately two inches in diameter.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. We are so lucky to have so many people in our lives who are following our journey. Please continue to pray that little man grows, grows, GROWS!

Love,
Lori, Brian & Wyatt

...update...

Phew. I thought we were busy going back and forth between home and the hospital, life with a newborn at home is just as busy! It certainly doesn't help that I would MUCH rather cuddle our little dude than sit down at the computer and whip out a blog post. I mean, he's just so cuddly and the computer, well, it's cold and not snuggly. However, I've heard from a few of you that you're dying for an update. Ask and you shall receive. (Although I suspect some of you really come here for the photos. I don't blame you. Honestly.)

Mr. Wyatt has gone to a few appointments the last week or so. During that time, we were mostly focusing on weight gain. As of today, Wyatt weighs in at 4 pounds 15 ounces. He is so close to breaking the 5 pound mark! 

This little guy is starting to spend more of his time alert, eyes open, scanning the room. Of course, his teacher mother tries to make him learn all the time, practicing scanning the room, looking toward different directions, and stretching and kicking those legs. Poor kid. Can't catch a break with a teacher mommy 

This week we have an appointment with the audiologist. Wyatt failed his newborn hearing test once with his right ear and once with his left ear, passing the opposite ear each time. The NICU team shared it's not terribly uncommon, and chances increase in c-section babies because they are more likely to have fluid in their ears. We will cross our fingers that's the case and we can get it cleared up soon. 

Mommy and daddy are adjusting to life with a baby in the house. The dogs sre, too. So far, Duke just loves giving drive by kisses and Gracie only wants to cuddle. Some things never change, I suppose. 

Wyatt celebrated his 1 month birthday on Saturday. So hard to believe that this little guy has been in our lives for a month. It seems like he's been here forever, but it also seems like just yesterday. I suppose when you've dreamed of holding your sweet baby for so many years, it's easy to feel like he's been part of your life forever. 

We thank each of you for your continued support and prayers for our little guy. He's still a little dude and needs to grow, grow, grow. We also need to get through cold and flu season. What is just a minor inconvenience for relatively healthy adults, can be life threatening for a tiny baby. We are crossing our fingers and toes that insurance will approve him for the RSV vaccine, which will provide some support against the scary illness. RSV in a preemie and a baby with a heart condition can be life threatening. So please pray that we can keep those germs to a minimum this season. 

With love,

Lori, Brian, & Wyatt

...1/2/16...

Happy New Year! Wyatt spent New Year's Eve partying it up & staying up late!

The bib is bigger than he is!

We have adjusted well to our little guy being home. He is a good sleeper (crossing my fingers he stays that way!) and is a pretty relaxed little dude. My mom is here still, so she is helping us to get adjusted while Brian is working midnights. 

Wyatt's favorite thing to do, taking a nap. 

We had our first pediatrician appointment today. He did not gain any weight which wasn't a surprise, as the home health nurse was here yesterday and she weighed him and he was 4 pounds 9.5 ounces. The doctor and nurse explained that there is some variability among scales but to be sure, we will continue with a weight check later this week. I am hopeful that once he settles in, we find that he grows like a weed. 

The dogs are trying to adjust to having this little human in their home. I am very surprised at how calm they have been, given they are both still puppies themselves. Gracie appears to be pretty protective (in a safe way!) of Wyatt, while Duke likes to enjoy him from a distance, with the occasional drive by sniff/kiss. 

For now, we will continue to do everything we can to encourage our little dude to grow, grow, GROW! Nana and I are convinced that means extra snuggles and LOTS of kisses. 

Love,

Lori, Brian & Wyatt