Monday, March 28, 2011

Sunday, March 28, 2011





I can't wait for real spring weather. Caleb has another cold and was a drippy, crabby mess last week. He didn't drink much of anything from the bottle until Saturday and is still throwing up a decent amount.

Hopefully, he will start recovering from the cold this week and can get back to forward progress. He is getting better at sitting up on his own though and did drink better from a bottle yesterday and today.

This week marks the one year anniversary of our heart journey and the one year mark of the blog. What a year it has been!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011


Caleb always looks like he is surprised by something (and is always drooling)


Caleb sitting up on his own and playing with his tube


This week has been full of good milestones.

Caleb is now seven months old and things are pretty normal. Phil and I were discussing that back in September, we never thought we would ever get to normal.

On Tuesday, Ella was playing with Caleb on our bed and he rolled over from his belly to his back twice. He can only do it on a soft surface because it is a violent process. He throws himself down as he pushes off. It isn't pretty, but it is effective. He was nice enough to do it for Phil and I later in the evening.

Several times this week, he has finished half of his bottle. He nearly always drinks some from the bottle now and is steadily improving. On Wednesday, he pulled out his NG tube as soon as we got to the office. We made it through both feedings and he finished nearly all of his milk - it just required feeding him hourly. Because it still takes a lot out of him and he still needs all the calories he can get, we are not pushing him that hard. It is easier to be patient when we can see the progress.

On Sunday, the kids thought he needed to wear shoes to church. When we sat him up with the shoes on, it gave him a sturdier base and he was able to sit up on his own for a little while. We found out it also works without shoes if we put him in the right position.

Today, Caleb had a doctor's appointment with the pediatrician. He had his six month check up at seven months of age and got his four month vaccines. He weighed 13 pounds, 12 ounces which is what a statistically average three month old would weigh. How's that for some confusing math? The pediatrician was very happy with his growth and his overall physical condition.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Caleb is fine, but I did not have time to post a real update last night. I will do it tonight and will have some new photos.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Sunday, March 13, 2011


First feeding without the NG tube.

Before you get too excited, there are extenuating circumstances involving Caleb finishing a bottle without his NG tube, but it has happened. I had to snap a picture before I put it back in.

Caleb had his cardiology appointment last Wednesday. We weighed 13 pounds, 7 ounces (0.4 percentile) and was 26 1/4 inches long (25th percentile). His oxygen saturation was between 79% and 84%. His blood pressure was 80/56 and his heart rate was 135. The cardiologist was very happy with how he is doing. Both the nurse and the doctor commented how good his color is with an 80% oxygen saturation.

Caleb has been making more progress with the bottle. Now it is rare that he takes less than 20 mL by bottle at a feeding and 50 mL is not uncommon.

As I mentioned earlier, Caleb did finish one bottle. After the cardiologist, I had to take him with me to the accountant. While there, I accidently pulled out his feeding tube. It got stuck on the chair and when I stood up, I pulled it right out. It was time for his feeding when I left, so I fed him what he would take from the bottle (30 mL). When we got back to work, I figured I would try again before putting in the tube and he ate another 45 mL. This left 15 mL. I decided that I wasn't going to put the tube in for that little amount. About 15 minutes later, I tried him again and he finished the bottle. It took 2 hours and three tries, but he did it!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Sunday, March 6, 2011




This week, Caleb tried carrots and started wearing 9 month clothes!

Caleb had another good week. There is not too much to report, because he is doing so well! The nurse checks on him once a month now, so no new weight or oxygen saturations. He didn't have any doctor appointments, so nothing to report there. He is getting to be a normal baby with a feeding tube and a wicked scar.

Caleb is enjoying tummy time more each day and is getting pretty good at pushing himself up off the floor. He is also using his legs to move himself around when laying on his back. He is still a couple of months behind on things that require large amounts of muscle, like rolling over and sitting up, but he does seem to be catching up some now. His therapist was happy with his progress in the last two weeks.

Caleb's major accomplishment this week has been with the bottle. He has taken 55 cc's several times in the past week. That is nearly 2/3 of his bottle. His suck is getting much better and he enjoys taking the bottle now. Things look very promising for getting rid of the NG tube before he is ready for a cup.

As I have mentioned before, it is very comforting to meet and talk to other parents that have babies with similar heart defects. Another one of our new friends goes in for his second stage surgery this week. If you could keep baby Ted in your prayers (Ted lives in England and his mom and I have been corresponding online), it would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for following this increasingly boring blog (thank goodness!) and have a great week.