Landon has been doing great in the open crib. Here’s a picture:
Landon in his open crib
Landon’s NICU buddy has been doing great too. We took a picture of the two of them just “hangin’ at the crib” (okay at the isolette to be exact)!
Landon and his buddy
Check it out and let us know what you think. A few things to take note of:
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-I have to edit some of the older post as the pictures were messed up a bit. So if you see missing pictures are other things in the older posts, they will be fixed eventually.
-Yes I am very proud of that picture of the Golden Gate Bridge, and yes I took it!
-Let me know via comments here if there are any problems, I expect there to be some, there always are!
Landon made it into a open crib today! At about 2:00 last night they transferred him into the open….and so far he has been holding his temperature like a pro. It will take him a couple of days to prove he can still gain weight while keeping up his temps…but so far so good. Our big test will be tonight when they weigh him. If he is still gaining weight then we are doing well. If he doesn’t gain weight, they will simply put him back in the isolet for a few more days. He is now 1580 grams or about 3.5 pounds. Yeah Landon, we are so proud of you.
Not much has changed from yesterday besides Landon’s weight. He is now 1525 grams, a 25 increase from yesterday. It is now looking like an open-air crib may take awhile longer, as he needs more fat to better maintain his body temp. His major change from yesterday is that we can now put him into the smallest of preemie clothes. Although they are very baggy, it actually appears that he will fit quite nicely in them by next week.
Landon has now reached a huge milestone…1500 grams. That means he is 3 pounds 5 ounces. He is definitely growing and gaining weight each day now. He still has not made it into an open crib, but they are in the process of trying to get him there. Unfortunately, he was too cold when they lowered the temp. in his isolet to even risk putting him out in the open, so he will stay in his isolet for awhile. How long that will be is hard to tell. It may be a few days or could be even longer. He was so cold last night dad couldn’t give him a bath…but he did get one later that night. For now we sit and wait for him to grow bigger and stronger to come out into the open. Jay and I are really thankful that of all things prolonging his stay in the NICU, it is only his temp. which we know will be solved in short time.
Today Landon weighed in at 1475 grams. He seems to be gaining weight like a big boy now and it definitely shows. More importantly, he began his transition today from his condo into an open-air crib bed. He is not in the bed yet, but could be there as early as tomorrow or perhaps by Thursday. Right now they are slowly lowering the temperature on his condo to match the NICU’s room air temp. Once he shows he can stay warm in blankets, they will transfer him to the open crib. Once there it will take a couple of days to see how well he continues to hold his temp. Our hopes are high as stability in an open-air crib means a few short days until home coming. So lets all route Landon on in holding his temp over the next several days.
Landon is free of all support. He still has his monitors when unattended, however, we had him completly unplugged!
Today is Landon’s 2nd month b-day…and does he have a big day ahead of him! He began the day with his normal Lab checks, all of which came back good. Next, he had his air cannula completely removed so he is now breathing entirely on his own. So far, he has done very well. It is the first time we have seen Landon with no tubes…I mean none. He has a completely wire free, tube free, gear free face. Of course there will be pictures tonight.
Landon’s day continues with Immunizations (a total of 3 shots =(…) and a head ultrasound which should be his last before he comes home. Then we have a meeting with a consultant to help with breast feeding, assuming he can stay awake after all his shots. There’s still more…
As if this is not enough, they have also turned down the temperature on his isolet condo and now wrap him in blankets instead. This is to prepare him for his transfer to an open crib which will happen sometime this week =). ALSO, he now gets to eat whatever amount he wants. This means they have stopped giving him extra boost calories and are now giving him as much breast milk as to his heart’s content. He should really begin packing on the pounds now.
Landon also had a bath scheduled for today which I kindly asked to be postponed until tomorrow. This way dad can go in and bath him and Landon will have a little extra rest after this long day. Woo, it took a lot of energy just to type all this stuff that our boy is going through today. Oh ya, Landon gained 30 grams yesterday so he is now at 1445. Way to go Landon, and happy b-day little guy.
The magic number today is 1420…grams that is. Landon gained 20 from yesterday, not bad after his 50 from the day before. He is now 3 pounds 2 ounces. His air flow was lowered to .1 which means he is so close to being tube free. What great pictures that will make. He has also continued to eat all his feeds from bottles with very few desats. Keep it up little guy…in no time you will be in preemie clothes and on your way home.
Today Landon is 1395 grams = 3lbs 1 oz. He remains at .2 flow for air (mainly because the doctors are too busy with the other babies) but were not pushing him this time. As of 5pm today Lando LakesTM will have gone 24 hours taking all feeds by bottle! Landon has been doing so well in fact, that we were able for the first time to let Grandma She and Grandma Connie come hold him. I think they were both thrilled to say the least!
Well Landon was stinking up the joint so we decided to give him a bath. This was the first bath we gave him (well Sarah gave him to be exact). We’re saving the video of it for his wedding!
It’s hard to believe, but Landon is still 1345 grams. He is simply stalling on becoming 3 pounds. He must be burning more calories than we can imagine with all the bottle and breast feeding. We are hoping he will be 3 pounds tomorrow, but he had a really big day today. It started with a bottle feed (hold the vitamins please) which he really enjoyed. Around noon, he had his first eye exam, which he hated. They classified his eyes as “Immature” which is completely appropriate for his age. He will be examined again in two weeks. Tonight when we go back he will get a bath and change into his new outfit from the Burke’s. For a little man, he’s had quite the day. Hopefully he has had great napping opportunities in between where he can gain those grams.
Today Landon is 1345 grams…just 15 more to go before he is 3 pounds. He also continues to do well on his air flow, so they are lowering it to .2. Before we know it he will be off the cannula altogether. He continues to bottle feed and today he got the first taste of the vitamin enriched milk. He hated it and pursed his lips together in protest of eating. Eventually he drank the bottle, but not before spitting a lot of it out. It really was comical to watch. The breast feeding continues to be a challenge, but perhaps after the vitamin-bottle experience he will learn it tastes better. We will see tonight.
Landon continues to work miracles. He is now at .3 flow on his nasal cannula and has had no reported desats for several days. Simply marvelous. Today he has gained no weight (still at 1305 grams) which means the 3 pound goal continues to elude us. Because of his learning how to bottle and breast feed….plus his baths and outfit changes, he seems to be burning up all his calories on everything but growing. Perhaps they will raise the amount of his feeds tomorrow. The sooner we hit near the 1500 gram mark (which means he can enter an open crib), the sooner he will be coming home. He should be getting his eye exams this week too which was postponed from last week (busy doctor). Hopefully we will have the results from that later this week. In the meantime, enjoy more pictures.
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Today Landon is 1290 grams or 2 pounds 13.5 ounces. He is getting closer to our next goal of 3 pounds, but some days he takes his sweet time. Last night, and again this morning, he got to try breast feeding. This will not be as easy as the bottle feeding; it is definitely something mom and baby have to learn. His air flow on the cannula is down to .4 and I am expecting it to be at .3 by the time we go in tonight. In other big news, Landon is now at the stage where they want us to dress him everyday. It is not easy dressing a squirming and very tiny baby, but both Jay and I are getting better at it. We will post pictures tonight of Landon in his outfits (which should only last another week at most). Everyday he gains weight and is looking more and more like a preemie (no longer a micro-preemie).
Landon gained 35 grams today (total of 1280 or 2 lbs 13 oz). He needs another 80 grams to get to 3lbs. Landon gets fed by us twice a day and tonight he might get to try a new feeding service for him “Direct to Breast”! We’ll keep you updated, but don’t expect any pictures of that!
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Landon is still doing very well….daddy was just too lazy to post yesterday. Although only gaining 5 grams…we both got to bottle feed Landon yesterday for the first time. We will post pictures and more information about Landon\’s progress later.
After much anticipation, Landon got his first bottle today!!! We have been waiting quite awhile for this great moment. To show his daddy what a big appetite he has, he finished the WHOLE BOTTLE. For those of you who don’t realize what a big deal this is, let me explain: Most babies only eat 1-2 CC’s their first try on the bottle. They mostly spit up the milk or become distacted by the whole “breath, suck, swallow” process. But our little guy was able to successfully eat his whole bottle on his very first try…a whooping 20 CC’s. “Look out dad…I’m gonna get a belly like yours!”
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Landon started with the preemie nipple, but he spit up a cc or two.
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The nurse switched over to the big boy nipple and he went to town!
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Here he is all wiped out.
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That’s right, the cool (or cruel depending on your perspective) preemie parents that we are, we dressed “The Don” for St. Patrick’s Day. He was such a hit, that some of the nurses want to take him out for a green beer after work. Just like his dad, smooooooooth operator!
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We also decorated his condo:
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Today Landon is 1225 grams…just over 2 pounds 11 oz. According to the doctor, he is in the 10th percentile on premie growth charts. They are happy with his progess because he was always in the 10th percentile (even in utero). Guess we really do have a little guy on our hands. As I was leaving they lowered his flow from .8 to .6 (they would like to now try increments of 2 because he is doing so well). If all continues to be well, he will be off the nasal cannula in a few short days. He, so far, has only been desating (his oxygen level drops a few points) and fixing it on his own….which is a big improvement from the apnea spells. This has occured for the last 3 days and we are so proud of him. He really is making huge strides.
Just one tonight:
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Due to dental work (which I want to have done before Landon comes home…cleanings, fillings…) I haven’t had a chance to visit him yet this morning. But, I did call in to the nurse for a quick update. Landon has gained another 30 grams so he is now at 1200 grams..or just over 2 pounds 10 oz =). Emma’s and Zach’s wishing and praying are obviously keeping our little guy on track with the weight gain. He is also still holding up with the low flow cannula and is now at a flow of .8/1.0. Landon is such a good boy, the nurse even conveyed that he did his massive “duty” for her instead of saving it for mom and dad. Yeah Landon….we need all the free yucky diaper changing we can get until you come home. By the way, I know a lot of you are curious about projected coming home dates. Babies can come home as early as 35 weeks gestation…which is about 2 1/2 weeks away for us. But, I am holding my breath because Landon still needs to grow to around 3 1/2 – 4 pounds, take all feedings by bottle and have no apnea spells by that time. I am hoping he will come home between 36-37 weeks gestation, but really it is all about his progress. Really, his homecoming should be right around the corner. And, thanks to everyone’s praying, Landon’s roommate is doing fine. He still has a long way to go, but things are going well and moving in the right direction. Someday, Landon and his roommate will be best buddies and they will never know why. There is nothing like the bonding of NICU parents. And Omi, Landon can’t wait to wear his new hat!
On the high flow cannula, the last few days have been very successful for Landon. So, the doctor is ready to try him out on the low flow cannula this afternoon. This will be the second attempt to get Landon ready for breathing on his own. As soon as the cannula is switched over, it will be set at .9 out of 1.0. This was the amount he had trouble with last time, but after several days of growing, the doctors are anticipating that he will be okay. And, if he struggles, it is no big deal…they will just put him on the high flow once again and let him grow even more. And when I said “several days of growing” I wasn’t kidding. Landon gained another 35 grams today so he is now at 1170 grams which is slightly over 2 pounds 9oz. As for Jay and I, tonight we refresh our infant CPR skills so that we will gain confidence for when Landon comes home.
“Wandin” (cousin Zach’s version of Landon) gained 5 grams today. Not a huge gain, but a gain none the less. His cannula flow level was lowered to 1.0 last night and so far he seems to be doing okay. He did seem to have a few desats while I was holding him, but it was hard to tell if I had his neck in funky positions or if the desats were from the pressure being lowered. Either way, non of them were severe and I don’t think they were even written down in his notes. Because of his recent weight gain, they also raised his feeds to 20 cc’s…which means he eats about 5 oz of food a day. Pretty soon he will be nearing the 1200 gram mark.
Sarah
Not much changed today except his weight went up again (1130 Grams, +30 from yesterday: 2lbs 8oz). All breathing apparatus is still at the same settings so far. He hasn’t had much in the way of apnea/desats. So he’s had a good weekend of relaxing and growing!
Landon is doing great today. He hit the 1100 gram mark (exactly) 2lbs 7oz. He’s hanging at a flow of 1.5 on the high flow cannula, but he hasn’t had any apnea for the past couple days. One of Landon’s ladies was moved to the PICU (Pediatric ICU) because she’s doing so well and they needed room! Soon we’ll be catching him trying to sneak out of the NICU so he can go see her!
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Today we had another first, Comment Spam. Basically “robots” look for blogs and then post in the blogs comment section with links to their own sites. This basically helps to raise their site’s ranking in Google and other search engines. So if you happen to see one of these spammers (there obvious when you see them) in the comments please ingnore it and don’t click any of their links. I will delete it when I find them.
So I got to swaddle Landon today for the first time (mom got to yesterday). He really seems to like it, and he doesn’t end up all covered in my hair after either!
Landon gained 10 more grams today so that he is now at 1080 grams, which is 2 pounds 6 ounces. Last night, they turned his cannula flow down to 1.5 and he is doing great (no reported apneas since the switch back to the high flow cannula). I had a long talk with the head doctor about Landon’s last few days and the doctor was very happy with Landon’s progress. Apparently, even with the apnea he was previously experiencing, he is doing well because he is not on Caffeine like most babies (even the older ones). The current plan is to let Landon rest at the flow rate of 1.5 for the next couple of days and then turn it to a flow of 1. If he does well at 1, then they will try switching him back to the low flow cannula. I was worried about pushing Landon too soon, but the doctor said that with some babies it only takes a few days for them to become stronger in their lungs. We will just have to wait and see how Landon does. As far as physically, they are happy with his progress because he responds appropriately to poking and prodding. And, in a little over a week, they will be checking Landon’s eyes for development as well. Our little guy is really growing now and the pace of things is beginning to pick up.
Here’s Landon’s sophisticated temperature control system. His condo’s air temperature is usually kept around 31-32 degrees C or 88-89 degrees F. Kind of like being in Hawaii in July!!
Landon (and parents) are having a much better day today. He started the day by weighing in at 1070 grams….30 higher than yesterday. He also had no reported apnea spells since they switched him back to the high flow cannula yesterday. With the better oxygen, he looks more pink and he was awake for a longer period of time with his eyes wide open. I also held him in a swaddled position instead of Kangaroo style. He and I really enjoyed it. While he was awake, I was able to really talk to him and look into his eyes. His heart rate came down and he fell into a nice, deep sleep. He was also fed through his tube while I held him and had no apneas! He tends to get apneas during feedings, but he did so well all wrapped up.
On another note, one of Landon’s NICU buddies (he is Landon’s size and about the same age) has had a really bad last few days. Please pray, wish or think of him and his parents during these difficult times. With love and support, he will pull through.
Well, after a rough morning for Landon, they had to switch him back to the high flow nasal cannula (and the doctor had just told me he was doing well this morning). After I left this AM, His heart rate was (and continues to be) high and I guess he’s had more apnea spells, so they decided his lungs were working too hard. He is back on the high flow at a flow rate of 2. They say this sometimes happens, where you take the baby off one cannula only to put them back on it after a couple of days. It is the old one step forward, two steps backwards routine. This is actually the first time that they have had to switch his cannula back, so all-in-all Landon has done quite well. I think he may have gotten too excited becuase he is now right across from his girl friend and he likes to peek in on her. Hey Landon, try and impress her by showing her how big and strong you can grow, and how to breath without desats and apnea spells =).
Landon seems to be doing well. He has gained another 5 grams and his air cannula remains at 1. The doctor seems to think he is doing a little better with his breathing today too. He is still having a few apneas, but mostly they have decreased in depth and frequency. Again, with the weight he is gaining, he is starting to show more of his features. Today, his facial features really seemed to resemble Jay. Add my forehead to that (Jay’s is so small) and you’ve got Landon. Oh, and although Jay and I go back and forth on this, it seems like we are growing a “Little Red”. Each day, his hair seems to be a little lighter and redder. Jay thinks it is a very light brown, but I am thinking he wants to be like Uncle Brian. With the florescent lights and the green-hued pictures, it is hard to tell what color his hair really is. When we get him out into the natural-sunlit world, the answers will be shown.
Here’s a couple pictures by request from Emma. Landon did okay tonight. He had a couple little desats and one pretty big desat with apnea when he had dinner. As his hermatocrit (amount of red blood cells) has droppped a little the apnea and desats seem to be occuring a bit more frequently. Again, the doctors are not worried, but we don’t like seeing him apnec!
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Landon is hanging tough today. He gained 30 more grams so he is now at 1035. He did have a lot more apnea spells than usual between yesterday and this morning so instead of lowering his nasal cannula flow, they upped it from .9, back to 1.0. Hopefully, he can have a few days of rest at a flow of 1 so he will not be overworked. As he grows, his lungs will become stronger and the apnea spells less likely. We were also informed that Landon is not yet ready for breast and bottle feedings. It may be a couple more weeks. He needs to show more interest in feedings by sucking on the pacifier more intently and staying fully awake for longer periods of time. Most babies begin to show interest somewhere between the ages of 32-34 weeks gestation, so Landon has a couple more weeks to grow and gain interest in this area. We were so looking forward to his feedings, but this is the game of the NICU; sometimes we make steady progress, sometimes we fall a lttle backwards, and sometimes we remain level. Just keep growing little guy, we will get to feed you bottles soon.
Yahoo….Landon finally made the 1000 gram mark! Today he weighed in at 1005 grams which is slightly over 2 pounds 3 ounces. He looks great. His ears are getting more cartaledge in them so they stick out more (they used to fold in half and be flat against his head). His little toes are becoming quite bulbous and fat, rather than skinny and long. His nails are growing, he is staying awake for longer periods of time and he has really leaned to suck on the pacifier. There was no bottle for him today, but we know that is coming this week or next. Times are getting exciting. Soon I will be spending a lot more time at the NICU feeding Landon and even putting clothes on him (that will be in a few weeks…but it feels soon). And, because he is still doing well with having very few apnea spells, they are turning his air flow down from 1.0 to .9 sometime this afternoon. If all goes well, they will probably turn it down even more tomorrow. Since it is Monday, he also had all off his lab/blood work done and things look great. I can’t wait to visit with Jay tonight because I know any visit now will be his first breast feed (it depends on how the nurse feels for the day and how Landon is doing).
Well as I type, Landon is getting his new nasal cannula. Yep, our big boy is switching to the last step of cannula’s. The new cannula has a pressure of 1 and lower….so soon he may not need a cannula at all. And, with the new cannula, he can begin bottle feeding soon. The doctors will also be able to increase the size of his feeds…which is good because he only gained 10 grams again today (980) and the doctors want him to start gaining more weight now. In no time we will look back and won’t believe he was only around the 1000 gram mark. Let’s all hope Landon exceeds 1000 grams for tomorrow.
Lan the Man is doing great. His flow is still at 1 and he is maintaining good saturation levels (blood oxygen). Landy has been having very few desats or a’s and b’s these past few days. Our Lil’ Pounder put his 10 grams back on today. He likes to tease us a bit before he puts weight on. We’re so excited that he’ll be starting to nipple soon, we can barely contain ourselves.
Landon continues to thrive in his new condo. He did lose 10 grams from yesterday, but we think that’s because he felt he needed to try and fill up the new diaper. The night doctor also went ahead and turned his cannula down to a pressure of 1 (a little scary after the last attempt at such low numbers). While the day doctor said he probably would have waited, since the orders were given, the pressure went down. And… good ol’ Landon seems to be holding his own. He should remain at a pressure of 1 now for a few days and then they may switch him to his very last kind of cannula. On the last cannula, they have the ability to lower pressure to levels below 1 (like .8, .6 and so forth) until he no longer needs breathing help. Once he is on that cannula, he will be more easily transported so that Jay, Landon and I can sit in more private areas away from the other babies and commotion.
By the way, because Landon’s name has no easy nick names….people have been creating all kinds of things…like Lanny, Lan, buddy, little guy, and so forth. Though you can feel ftree to call him what you like, I kind of like the one Omi just came up with….Landy. What do you think Daddy…does Landy sound good to you? It’s original.
Landon moved into his new condo. It’s not as spacious as his last place, but it has a great view. He can look right off his balcony right into baby Jessica’s window! She’s a cutie, 1 foot 2 inches tall and a slim 4.5lbs. She has that Halle Berry short hair thing going on too.
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Real-estate is a hot commodity in the Santa Clara NICU right now. Since it is a sellers market, Landon has decided to cell his Giraffe Mansion and trade it in for a Portable Condo…yes that’s right…Landon is moving to a new isolet (the kind for more stable babies).
We got the word a few days ago that Landon would soon be moving into a new isolet. This isolet is the next step towards his journey home. The new isolet is a place for babies who are doing well and who don’t need all the fancy equipment attached to the giraffe’s. So, not only will Landon be making a move, but he will have one less cord attached to him too! Landon could have spent a few more days in the giraffe, but apparently they need a giraffe for incoming patients, and Landon has been doing so well he was the next baby to move. We are so proud of our little guy! He is now that much closer to coming home. As long as the mortgage goes through (he remains stable throughout the next few hours), Landon will be in his new condo when we visit him tonight =).
In other news, Landon also gained 50 grams today (guess he was tired of losing weight the last few days). This could be because they increased his calories to 28 per feeding. So far, he seems to be liking the new calories. They also lowered his cannula pressure to 1 1/2 last night. Guess he didn’t stay at 2 for long. He seems to be doing very well at 1 1/2. When he makes it down to a 1, they will change out his nasal cannula for a new kind which he will keep for awhile. But, once he is on the new kind he will get to try bottle feeding. The new nasal cannula usually comes with the Condo’s, so we will see tonight if he stays with the old cannula or gets the new one. Either way, it looks like bottle feeding is in our future.
There is just so much good stuff happening right now…we like it when the roller coaster is smooth.
Here’s a link that explains some of the NICU Terminology.
Of course desat is not in there so let me explain a few common ones.
“Desat” refers to desaturates of blood oxygen levels. Landon always has an Sp02 sensor on (the amount of oxygen in the blood aka saturation). Typically his “sat\” should be between 85%-95%. A desat is when he drops below about 80%. It’s not too concerning until he gets to the low 60% or below. This is when he’ll start to not look so pink.
Desats are closely related to “A’s and B’s”. A = apnea (not breathing) B = bradycardia (slowing of the heart rate). Sometimes he gets apnec and desats, sometimes he gets bradycardia and desats and sometimes he just desats (and then gets an A or B). Desats often are related to feeding, pooping, being uncomfortable….
For tomorrows class there will be a test on all material in the terminology link above!
Here’s a few pictures to tide you over:
I cannot believe it is March 1st. Time seems to move so slow at times, but in retrospect, it is amazing to me that it is already March. We are expecting/hoping for Landon to come home in 5-6 weeks which would put us in the month of April. I really can’t wait for April. Landon continues to do very well. Today has, so far, been a repeat of yesterday. Landon is down 5 grams again and his cannula pressure remains at level 2. He is just doing so darn well, we are so proud of him. The weight loss is no biggie and we are relieved they are keeping his pressure at 2 (last time they dropped him too fast, his lungs partially collapsed). However, things change in the NICU so quick that by the time we see him tonight his pressure may be down to 1 1/2. Whatever the pressure, we know Landon will do well because his desats are so few (if he gets them at all). Landon continues to give signals that he wants a bottle. Besides still trying to dislodge his feeding tube, he is beginning to suck very well on a preemie pacifier that his Aunt Kelly gave him. It is so cute to watch him try so hard to get food out of the pacifier that is almost as large has his whole face. Just keep growing Landon; someday you won’t believe how small you really were.