Close to Home!!

The boys are really doing good!!  They are doing so good that we might be able to go home soon!!!!  Yay!!!!!!!!!!!  After the move to the other side the boys have been making tremendous strides.  Brayson  hit the 6lb mark with his weight.  Emerson now weighs 5lbs 9oz, Brayson is 6lbs 4oz and Cooper 5lbs 6oz.  On Thursday Brayson got his cannula removed.  He is on room air and is doing good.  Jill and I were very nervous at first but he has been doing a fantastic job.  Yesterday Emerson got his cannula removed and is doing fantastic as well.  So Cooper was the only one with a cannula on but yesterday they moved his high flow cannula from three to two.  Which was really good news!  Well this morning when Jill and I went to the NICU our doctor was there with the boys.  It was then that we found our little Cooper had taking the big step and gotten off  his cannula.  Yes he skipped the regular cannula step and went straight to room air.  Jill and I have been up to check on him several times today and he is doing good.  So now that all boys are off of their cannulas the next step is to not have any heart rate drops.  They have to go one week without any heart rate drops.  Brayson and Cooper have been on some caffeine since birth to help stimulate their lungs well for them to go home they have to have their caffeine levels drop and then not have any heart rate drops for 7 days.  Emerson on the other hand has not had any caffeine and can go home as soon as he can start taking a bottle a little more consistent.  He can take the bottle good, but he just gets a little tired sometimes.  The doctor told us today that Brayson would not be receiving any caffeine tomorrow morning so his levels should drop.  Even if his caffeine levels drop he still has to go a week without a heart rate drop. 

Here are some pictures of the boys.

Brayson

Cooper

Brayson

Brayson

Emerson

Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming.

Jill and Amon

Big Boy Pants

The boys did it!  They made their way down to the annex part of the NICU yesterday.  They have started wearing their big boy pants as the nurses like to say.  Yesterday Jill got the news while I was still at work and she called me immediately to let me know.  Then about 5:30 they made the move.  Emerson and Brayson are doing so good that they got their high flow canulars removed.  Now they are on regular canulars instead of the high flow.  The high flow has heat added to it instead of just regular air flow.  Their canulars are set on the level of two just like they were when they were on the high flow.  The next step will be room air just like we all breath.  Emerson is weighing 5lbs 5oz, Brayson is at 5lbs 13oz, and Cooper is 5lbs 3oz.  Today they are six weeks old and 36 weeks of gestation.  It should only be about four more weeks at the most then we will be going home.  However it could be sooner!  I am thinking maybe around July 10th or thats what I am hoping anyway.

My First Fathers Day

Today was my first Fathers Day.  What a day!  The boys got their dad several different things.  I got a new Polo Shirt, some new sunglasses and last but not least three burping towels with golfing greens on them!  Thanks to all for the first Fathers Day wishes! 

The boys are all doing good and gaining weight.  Brayson is now weighing 5lbs 12oz, Emerson is 5lbs 3oz and Cooper weighs 5lbs 1oz.  Emerson is doing really good in his crib.  He has maintained his temperature very well and his high flow canular is now back on two like it was a week and half ago.  Emerson was turned down from three to two yesterday while Brayson got his turned down to two today.  Dana the man nurse that has been watching the boys for the last few days said that Emerson and Brayson would probably be moved down to a regular canular in a couple of days instead of the high flow canular.  Hopefully in the next week and half they will be completly off their canulars.

Yesterday the boys almost got promoted.  Promoted meaning that they are doing well enough to get out of the more extensive part of the NICU to the calm side of the NICU.  This part is called the annex.  The annex means you are just one step closer to going home.  We were set to go to the annex until we found out that they only had room for two babies.  Jill and I told the nurses that we didnt want to split the boys up so we didnt go.  We have friends here at the hospital that are from Gulfport.  They had twins (boy & girl) and they have been in annex for a couple of weeks and told us tonight that it would not be long and we would be in the annex.  They said that we are at the top of the nurses list to go.  The last part of the NICU before you go home is called progressive care or what some nurses call the fat farm.  The fat farm meaning that you are big enough and are not having heart rate drops or canulars anymore.

Please continue to pray for our boys to get better so we can go home.

Thanks

Brayson sporting his hat Mrs. Sharon gave him.

Emerson in his crib

Cooper

Amon sporting his new shades in the NICU.

Brayson

Amon burping Cooper yesterday.

Jill and Amon

Emerson in a Crib

Cooper

Emerson

Brayson aka "One eyed Willy"

Coopster

Brasonator

Emerson in his crib

Last night Emerson made the big move.  He was the last to take the big step but he did it!  Yay they are all in a crib now.  Emerson also reached the 5lb mark yesterday.  He now weighs exactly 5lbs.  Cooper is not far behind at 4lbs 15.8oz.   Brayson now weighs 5lbs 9oz.  On a recent post I said Brayson weighed 5lbs 12oz which was wrong.  They are all three doing good.  They are ready to go home but still have about 3-4 more weeks.  Their parents can't wait.  I was personally hoping for the best and first Fathers Day ever by them going home!  It will come. 

Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming.

Jill and Amon

Coopster is now a Cribster!

Cooper is now in a crib!!  Yah!!  Yes when we went to our last class which was the car seat safety class, I went into the NICU to check on the boys.  They were getting Cooper's crib ready then.  This is awesome news!!  We just have one more to go to the crib and everyone will be in a crib.  Emerson told me he was ready but the doctors say he is not.  It will be soon! 

Here are some pictures.

Cooper in his crib

Cooper

Emerson

Brayson

Emerson and I

Brayson

Classes

Jill and I started our class assignments yesterday.  We took the "Homeward Bound" class which has many topics.  It started off teaching us about "Shaking Baby Syndrome", then we covered "RSV".  RSV is a virus that happens mostly in the winter time to babies that are mostly born premature.  It covered the RSV vaccination that is given throughout the winter up until the baby reaches two years old.  They tought us all the do's and don'ts of having a premature baby.  After the Homeward Bound class we took "Infant CPR".  I have been certified in CPR a couple of years back but it was a good refresher class for me.  We learned how to give CPR to our babies if they should ever need it.  I hope we never need it but it is good to know.  We also learned how to help a choking baby as well.  They gave us practice dolls and we had to watch a DVD to learn these important steps.  Today, Wednesday we will be taking a "Car Seat Class.  I'm sure there are some important parts of car seat safety that we need to know.  In the NICU before you are discharged the doctors make an order for you to bring your car seats in and have the baby sit in them for an hour.  During this time they watch the monitors to see how well your baby does in a car seat. 

The boys are doing good.  They dropped Emerson's air flow back down to three yesterday and will continue to do so until he stops having heart rate drops.  Brayson is still doing really good in the crib.  The boys are still gaining weight.  Brayson is now weighing around 5lbs 12oz, Emerson is up to 4lbs 9oz, and Cooper is 4lbs 13oz.  Jill talked to the head neonatologist last night when leaving the hospital.  His name is Dr. Whitehurst.  Jill was asking him when he thought that Emerson and Cooper would be in a crib like Brayson?  Jill told him how much they weighed and he said "I do not know why they have not tried them in a crib yet but he would check on it for us".  So I think in the next week we should all be in cribs.  That would be a huge step.

I've got to go to the class and will update pictures later.

Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming.

Jill and Amon

5 Pounds

Sorry the Ronald McDonald Houses internet has been down the last couple of days.  Saturday night we found out that Brayson had broken the 5lb barrier.  He now weighs 5lbs 1oz.  He finally broke it and his brothers are not that far behind him either. As of tonight Emerson now weighs 4lbs 9.8oz.  As of last night Cooper  weighs 4lbs 8.8oz.  Cooper's nurse had not weighed him for tonight but was about four grams more than Emerson.  Brayson and Emerson had the same nurse tonight.  During the day shift we had a nurse named "Sue" from Gautier, MS.  Sue was  the nurse for all of them today.  This was kind of odd because we have never just had one nurse before!  Sue was older than most nurses and was really good.  She let Jill and I feed Brayson and Emerson with a bottle while she fed Cooper.  I actually did the whole feeding for Brayson.  I fed him, burped him, and then I changed his outfit.  Changing an outfit is pretty challenging with all their wires that they have connected to them.  Sue kind of helped me a little bit, but I did the majority.  You should have seen the way Brayson took his bottle.  He is really good at taking a bottle! 

All of the boys are still on their high flow canulars.  Four is the maximum amount they have all been on and one is the lowest.  Well Emerson last week was on two and they tried him on a regular canular.  He did not do very good on the regular canular so he had to go back to the high flow.  When he went back to the high flow they had to start him back on four.  Last week before the change he was on two and was doing really good but it is the hospitals policy to go back to four and start going down from there.  Brayson's high flow canular is set on three and Cooper is still on three.  Emerson is doing good so far and should be back down very soon.

Jill and I are doing good!  We are just ready to go home.  We have been here a little more than a month now.  Not as long as some of our fellow RMD(Ronald McDonald) house guests.  We were talking to a couple tonight that has been here for seven months.  They were talking about their baby might be ready to go home around the 20th of this month.  We were happy to hear that for them!  I think we probably have another month or so before we can go home.  Please continue to pray for our family to get better so we can take them home. 

Check out these pictures from the last couple of days.

Cooper

Brayson

Brayson

Emerson

Brayson taking his bottle

Jill and Amon

Crib Time

Brayson made the big move today!  Yes he has put on his big boy pants and has moved on from the isolette to the crib!  This is a big step for Brayson and will be a big step for Cooper and Emerson as well.  All he needs to do now is maintain his temperature.  So far so good.  Everytime he has been checked his temperature has been around the 98.5 degree mark which is perfect.  Brayson now weighs 4lbs 13oz, Emerson is 4lbs 5oz and Cooper is 4lbs 4.6oz.  In order to go to the crib you have to weigh over 4lbs which all of them do.  Brayson is 1oz from gaining a pound since birth.  Emerson and Cooper have already made it past this mark. 

Brayson in his new crib

Amon reading "The Little Engine that Could" to Emerson

Cooper

Emerson

Please keep the prayers coming for our family.

Thanks

Jill and Amon

Diaper Change

On Tuesday night I had bragged about how good I had changed Emerson's diaper earlier in the day.  Well after my post last night I got another chance of changing Brayson's stinky diaper.  I went to change him and was doing a pretty good job.  Well all the boys are in isolettes, which have doors and hand holes.  You can either leave the door open or use the hand holes to change diapers.  Well when I was changing the diaper since it was a stinky one I decided to leave the door open so I would have plenty of room to move around.  As I was lifting Brayson's legs and wiping him down I got a little surprise.  Yes Brayson started peeing!  Since the door was open he was aiming and peeing all over dad!  I didnt realize what was happening but felt something hitting my chest when I said "Oh shut!"  I said it loud and every parent and nurse in the NICU heard me.  Everyone started laughing including my beutiful wife.  It was not a great experience but I have a feeling it want be the last time.  My mom and dad when I mentioned it to them said "thats pay back!" 

Jill got to give Brayson a bottle tonight.  He did very good and took his entire feeding through the bottle.  She also burped him.  We held Brayson and Cooper.  Cooper was wide awake the whole time.  I started singing songs to him and then he made me a stinky diaper.  I changed it and did a good job.  Emerson had a bad day so we didnt get to hold him tonight.  Emerson had a bad day because he had been changed on his air flow canular several times. He is fine just needs a little more time with his current air flow.  As of tonight they had not written down their weights so I could not tell their weights but have a feeling they gained.  I will find out tomorrow.

Check out these pictures:

Cooper styling in his hat

Bottle feeding

Burping

Coopster

Family picture from Tuesday night. Jill holding Brayson and Cooper and I am holding Emerson

Keep the prayers coming! 

Jill and Amon

4lbs

Sorry, I have not posted in the last couple of days!  All the boys are doing good.  They all are weighing over 4lbs now!  Yeah!!  Emerson now weighs 4lbs 3oz, Brayson is up to 4lbs 10oz, and Cooper is weighing 4lbs 2oz.   Cooper was the second child to reach the 4lb barrier and was doing pretty good up until he went to the bathroom.  Emerson stayed under 4lbs for a couple of days and then had a big jump from 3lbs 13oz to 4lbs 0.3oz.  Brayson kind of followed in Emerson's foot steps by not having a weight gain then he jumped to the 4lbs 10oz.  He stayed around the 4lb 7oz for a couple of days. 

Jill and I have signed up to take a few classes for next week that are required before you can go home.  They the "Homeward Bound", "Car Seat Safety" and "CPR". 

Last week Jill got to give Brayson a bath well yesterday she gave Cooper a bath.  She said Cooper was really good through the whole process and never cried.  I think he is getting a hang of this bathing stuff.  This morning I went to check on the boys before work and got a huge surprise.  I was there when the nurse was about to give Emerson a bottle.  Well she gave him the bottle and was doing so good that she wanted me to see how well he was doing.  So I got to give Emerson a bottle this morning.  Not only did I give him a bottle I got to burp him as well!  I have never done this before.  It was awesome the way he grasped onto the bottle and took his milk. 

Cooper had a stinky diaper on Sunday that guess who got to change.  It was bad!!  I have not changed one this bad.  He had the poop running down his back.  It was nasty!  As I was changing him he also decided to pee on himself which made things even better.  I eventually walked away and let Jill finish the diaper.  However today after work I went to see the boys and got to hold Emerson after Jill fed him.  Well Emerson gave dad a good stinky.  From gaining experience with Cooper on Sunday I did an awesome job changing Emerson. 

Check out these pictures.

Cooper

Jill bathing Cooper

Cooperster all clean

Amon and Emerson

Brayson

Hat sideways

Please keep our boys in your heart and prayers.

Jill and Amon

Growing

The boys are still growing.  Cooper now weighs as much as Brayson did at birth.  Cooper's weight is 3lbs 14oz.  Emerson is not far behind at 3lbs 13oz.  And Brayson is weighing 4lbs 6oz.  It want be long and all babies will be over 4lbs.  Emerson has had the biggest percentage of weight gain with a 24% increase from birth weight.  Cooper's percentage of weight gain is 22% and Brayson is at 13%.  Jill and I went to see them this morning and they were all doing good.  Cooper had just got fed by our favorite nurse or one of our favorite nurses.  His name is Dana.  I mentioned him in an older post.  Cooper was wide awake and alert when we got there.  Then we met with Emerson's Resident doctor, Dr. Epson.  She was very nice and very knowledgable about premature babies.  As Dr. Epson was examining Emerson, Emerson woke up and was wide awake.  We visited with Emerson and Cooper for a while and then went to see Mr. Brayson.  Brayson was getting fed and was awake as well.  That was awesome seeing all the boys eyes.  Last night when we went to see them they were all getting some sleep.  They seem to be doing better with the heart rate drops but they are still occuring.  I am ready for them to stop!!  But it will take some more time. 

Jill and I are doing well.  We are going over to a friends house today that live here in Mobile.  They used to live in Ocean Springs but moved a year or so after Hurricane Katrina.  Jill and I lived with them after the Hurricane for about a week.  They have a labordor retriever like our dog Logan.  Her name is Layla.  Logan and Layla were really tight after the storm but got separated when they moved.  Jill is wanting to going shopping with Melissa, while Chris and I catch up on old times.

Check out these pictures from this morning.

Brayson

Emerson

Cooper

Cooper sleeping after he talked with mom and dad.

Thank y'all for all the prayers and keep them coming.

Jill and Amon