Twas the night before Christmas

When all through the house I kept Momma and Daddy up all through the night

I tried to be sweet as can be but the visions of sugar plums were too much for me

I was eating like a good boy for I knew St. Nicholas would soon be here.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Love Miles

The things you do in November

Get forced to take your nunu by your big sister, Isabella.

Relax for my nebulizer treatment (breathing).

Fast asleep in my bed - a great place to be after a long hard day of playing.

Smile - with lots of help from Nina.

Hang out with Daddy. He works my neck muscles out so I can be big and strong just like him.

Where did those cheeks come from?

The first thing everyone says when they see me is 'Look at those cheeks'. It actually looks like I am storing nuts in them for the winter. My last visit to Nina and Papa we had a small discovery. I get them from Papa. Nina showed me an old baby picture of Papa Ray and there is no denying that those cheeks come from none other than Papa Ray!

#2 or is it #1

Being the second child sometimes means taking 2nd place. Some of you may understand what being number 2 means. For instance I am always #2 to use the computer, the second child doesn't have alot of pictures taken. I get to be #1 when it comes to being held.

1st trip to a Pumpkin Patch

What an adventure I had going to pick pumpkins. For my trip to the pumpkin patch I was joined by Aunt Pam and Clarissa who came for a visit. I got to experience the feeling of laying in hay while Isabella talked to me about the pumpkins. After she was finished telling me about the pumpkins she ran off to do some older kid things. That is when Momma helped me pick out my pumpkin. I am going to be a pumpkin for Halloween so stay tuned to see me in my costume.

Learning about Night-Night time

It didn’t take me long to get kicked out of Momma and Daddy’s room into my own room. It just took one long night of grunting all night long and that was it. Since then they are working on having me go to sleep on my own which means no holding me until I fall asleep. I have to have my nu-nu (pacifier) or just cry it out. Each night before I go to bed Isabella gives me tips on how to make it easier to fall asleep. Since she is older and is a good sleeper I figure that her tips must work. I especially like it when she holds me close to her as she tells me the tricks of the trade.

Peace, Love, Rock & Roll and FOOD!

It seems as though I am not having any trouble growing because I weigh 8 lbs and am 20 1/2 inches long. That is almost double my birth weight! Pretty amazing. Before Isabella realizes it I will be retaliating for all of the little squeezes she gets in on me when Momma and Daddy aren't looking. I am getting good with my head control, the dreaded tummy time is paying off. After all I have to hold up my chubby little cheeks.

The Dude

The Dude is in the house. I had my first photo shoot this week. All the girls better watch out for me, so all of you Momma's with little girls my age look out. Because I got it going on, baby.

Adjusting to life at home

Well I have officially had my 1st full week at home. I have been loving every minute of it too! Momma and Daddy are much better at taking care of me than the nurses not that I didn't love them but Momma and Daddy have that special touch. Momma and Daddy are adjusting to my sleeping habits. Since Daddy is back at work Momma gets up with me for my nightly feedings but she is making sure she gets an afternoon nap each day with us. She says it is Daddy who will take care of me at night on the weekend. We will see how that works out.
Isabella has been making certain that I am attended to at all times as well. She makes sure that I don't take too long of a nap and she has a small obsession with my feet. Momma said it is because she loves shoes who knows one day maybe she will be a shoe designer or a podiatrist. She takes very good care of me -- her Brudder (brother). She also likes to tickle me and rub my head. She is working on being gentle and becoming very familiar with the word easy!

Nana came to help with my arrival at home. She took very good care of me and helped alot with making sure Isabella had lots of activities to keep her busy. She also made sure that I was held and pampered all the time with lots of kisses and hugs for her babykins.

9.9.08 WELCOME HOME

I am finally home! I am adjusting to my new pad so I will let you all know more later. I just wanted everyone to know that I am home and loving it! Picture will follow really soon.

9.4.08 - 9.7.08

Momma says I look just like my Daddy in this picture. What do you think?

More importantly, I want everyone to know that I am doing well and I am now just taking the bottle. My tube 'accidentally' came out today so the nurse decided that I did not need to have it back in. I am a little charmer. Every day the nurses tell Momma and Daddy how cute I am. I like to flirt with them, sometimes it gets me extra attention. This has been paying off because there is some talk about me getting to go home. Some steps in getting to go home are:

Getting circumcised (yuck!) - I am NOT looking forward to this at all

Testing out my car seat for an hour to make sure I do not have any Brady's. When they ask for the car seat that is a big deal!

Making doctor's appointments for shots and to have my orthopedic look at my collar bone.

Shopping - yes I have to go buy a gift for Isabella - I want to make sure I am on her good side when I walk in the door!

Keep those prayers coming because Momma is a nervous wreck about me coming home. She said it is a good thing she doesn't need a nerve pill. I have no idea what that is other than her and Aunt Christilynn talking about it. But she knows I will be fine and deep down inside is as excited as Daddy. Daddy is about to jump out of his skin.

8.29.08 - 9.03.08

It has been a long time since I have let everyone know how I have been doing. I am now eating 3 bottles a day, sometimes I finish a whole bottle and sometimes I have to finish it through my nasal tube to my belly. The important thing is that I am getting better at taking the bottle. I am gaining weight as well about an ounce a day so now I am 4lbs 12.5ozs! At this rate I will be 7 lbs before too long. One day when Momma came I had pulled out my feeding tube from my nose and she was excited that to see me without it. But it had to go back in, poor me.

I finally let Isabella hold me this weekend, Momma made sure she stayed strapped into her stroller in case she needed to get me away fast. Luckily she didn't, because Isabella was as loving as ever.

This past week with Hurricane Gustav blowing into the New Orleans area my Aunt Cindy, Aunt Angela, Andrea and Aida blew in for a visit literally they came for a day to visit us. Isn't that crazy? Aunt Domini is our house guest this week helping to take care of Isabella while Momma and Daddy come to the hospital to visit me. I know all this help has been great for Momma and Daddy. But I am ready to go home so I must get my rest before Momma gets here at 3PM for my bottle feeding. Sweet dreams to all who enjoy and afternoon nap with me.

8.25.08 - 8.28.08

Hello everyone, I have been really busy the last few days figuring out this whole bottle thing. I think I might have it figured out but it is still taking alot of my energy to get it mastered. So please keep praying that I learn how to use the bottle. Right now I am on track with my progress, I have been gaining weight and I now weigh 4lbs 6oz. As you can see the changes I am having with the new weight gain. Momma and Daddy continue to visit me everyday which is my favorite parts of the day! They are getting really good with doing my 'cares'. My cares are: taking my temperature, changing my diaper, getting me undressed to be weighed and feeding me. It is much more fun to have them there for my cares instead of my nurses. Alot of time that is the only time they get to hear my voice because I am so mellow the rest of the time. I really do not like getting my diaper changed so I make sure I scream and cry really loud so they hurry up with that part of my cares. My big sister Isabella loves to make sure her hands are clean with the 'lotion' also known as hand sanitiser in my room. It is a source of entertainment for her along with the heart also known as a stethoscope. Boy am I going to have my hands full with her!

8.22.08 -8.24.08

This weekend has been a busy week for me in the Progressive Nursery since I have been trying to master eating from the bottle but I am having some trouble. I seem to get tired about half way through my bottle. I am working hard to get it down but these things take time. I am gaining weight currently my weight is 4lbs 1.8oz so I am slowly getting back to my birth weight. I have had many visits from my big sister Isabella and I think she is getting used to the idea of having me as a little brother. She gives me lots of kisses and always asks if I am ok if I make even a peep. I have been having a few Bradycardia's* (Brady's) but I have been coming out of them on my own. The goal is to not have any Brady's!

*Bradycardia - this occurs when your heart beat is lower than 60-100 beats per minute.

8.19.08 - 8.21.08

8.19.08 Today my resident Melissa told Momma that I would get to go to the Progressive Care Nursery in a few days but Momma thought she said tomorrow. I got to have my PCVC removed so now I am exclusively on breast milk. Tonight when Melissa made her rounds and we asked about Progressive Nursery she said no I said in a few days. Momma just got so excited about the words Progressive Care Nursery that she said oh that is tomorrow! So I was all excited all day for nothing. Nurse Betty took care of me tonight she was my very first nurse here in the NICU and I really like her.

8.20.08 The big day! I moved to the Progressive Care Nursery at 10AM! It sure is nice over here, I have my very own pod aka room. There are no loud beeping noises either. It is really relaxing in my new room. In order to move from this Nursery to HOME I have to be able to do the following:

*have all my feedings by bottle

*maintain my body temperature

*be able to eat, suck and breath all while maintaining my heart rate

So keep praying that I master all of these tasks soon because I am ready for my own bed! Tonight while Momma, Daddy, Isabella and Aunt Pam were here Nurse Betty came over for a visit since she thought she was going to have me again tonight. I was sad not to get to play with her again but this is a big step and she was excited for me. She was my first and last nurse in the NICU so she will always be very special to me.

8.21.08 Today I am up to 3lbs and 14 oz so I am growing and eating well. I have had 2 bottle feedings today with only a few milliliters left in the bottle that I could not finish. All of my parts are working well I have had no problems with my poop! I am working hard to do everything that I need to do to go home but I have to also make time for my very important rest just like Momma does because it is going to be a whole new life when I get home.

8.17.08 - 8.18.08

8.17.08 I am still hanging out in my Isolette to keep my body warm. The doctors said that I am where I should be for my age. Since it takes so many calories to keep my body warm, I do best when I am in the Isolette instead of the bassinet. That way I can use my calories to learn how to use the bottle. Today (Sunday) Isabella came to visit with Momma and Daddy after church and I was able to get out of the Isolette for a long time so Isabella and I could play. She even let me hold her finger like she does to Momma and Daddy all the time. It was nice to bond with her.
8.18.08 Not much going on today other than some weight gain. I am now up to 3 lbs 14 oz. Daddy has been visiting me early in the morning before he goes to work so we get some 'man time'. I have been a big hit with the ladies in the NICU, they all love me! Today Nurse Ashley called me a ladies man.

8.14.08 - 8.16.08

On 8.14.08 which was Momma's birthday she did her first ever Kangaroo Care.* This was really nice because I could really hear her heart and it reminded me of being in her belly. I began bottle feeding today, but it takes an awful lot of calories. All in all today was a good day for me, because I am officially out of my isolette and into a bassinet. This means that I have learned how to keep my temperature. My temperature still gets low sometimes, but my nurses make sure I have a nice warm blanket to help maintain that perfect temperature range. My bilirubin level is now 6.5 even though Momma and Daddy thought I looked a little yellow last night it seems to be regulated for now.
On 8.15.08 I finally was able to see Isabella again and to hear her sweet little voice. I really miss hearing her sing songs to me everyday. She even comforted me when I got a little fussy. Aunt Christilynn came for another visit too. She really has been helping Momma and Daddy alot with Isabella so they can come visit every night which is nice because they have been able to give me baths.
On 8.16.08 I had a setback by not keeping my temperature in the right range so I have been placed back in an isolette. This has been really hard on Momma and Daddy because they have not been able to hold me at all today. I have also had some trouble with my feedings because I have had more aspirates, so we are back to praying for poop, just in case this is part of the problem.

*Kangaroo Care - Giving skin to skin contact with the baby and the mother/father.

8.7.08

Hello everyone

This is my very first post and this will be my only one for a while until I come home from the hospital. Since I was born at 31 weeks I have to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Levine Childrens Hosptial until I am strong enough to come home. I was 4 lbs 2 oz and 17 1/4 inches long when I was born on August 7th at 4:39PM. I came out crying which Momma and Daddy were glad to hear.

Here is a recap of my activities up to today:

8.8.08 I am breathing on my own with out the need of the oxygen any more. I had one major miconium poop.

8.9.08 I am still doing well breathing on my own. I had my first taste of breast milk through my feeding tube to my stomach and I took to that quite well. Daddy got to hold me while I was eating my first meal. They inserted a PCVC* tube into my leg to near my heart to give me fluids and nutrients, this way it gets where it needs to be faster. My weight is now 3 lbs 15 ozs.

8.10.08 I am doing well. I have been having some trouble digesting Momma's milk but they are watching me very close. I have had a couple of episodes of apnea.** I am under the bili lights becuase my bilirubin level is 14. My weight is now 3 lbs 12 ozs.

8.11.08 I am having some problems with digestion, I have too much bile*** in my system that is not getting out fast enough. I had an X-ray of my stomach today to make sure there were no blockages and it came back clear! I had one big poop just after I was born and now I am holding out. I have been taken off of breast milk and they have increased my nutrion through my PCVC.

8.12.08 Thank you for all the prayers for POOP! For they were answered. I had 3 poops today and I even had one for Momma and Daddy to change. I also had NO aspers****. Momma and Daddy gave me a bath together. My daddy says, "S#!* Happens" isn't always a bad thing! My weight is still at 3 lbs 12 ozs.

8.13.08 Today was a big day! They finally took that bright bili light off of me, because my jaundice has gotten better. I also was able to spend some time in a regular but I got cold, so they put me back in the incubator. I also had good poops, and the nurses increased my breast milk. Momma and Daddy noticed that my right collarbone looked a little different and the doctors decided to take an x-ray of it. We will find out more about it tomorrow, but the doctors think that it did not form correctly because the as the bone was developing it probably lost blood flow and some of the cells died. When it healed, it grew into the shape of an "S" with a mass of cartledge to connect the two pieces of bone. There is nothing that they can do now, but will probably require surgery and a bone graft after I am a toddler, but before I go to school. It doesn't hurt me, and I think that I can move my right arm just like my left one, so that is good news!

*PCVC: Percutaneous Central Venous Catheter is a tube placed inside a large vein. A PCVC is made of flexible plastic and is 2 to 8 inches long and is used for to give IV medicines, frequent blood testing, IV Nutrition or continuous monitoring of vital signs.

**Apnea: a prolonged pause in breathing, making the breathing pattern irregular. The heart rate drops.

***Bile: Yellowish-brown or green fluid secreted by the liver and discharged into the duodenum (small intestine), where it aids in the emulsification (digestion) of fats, increases peristalsis (contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract), and retards putrefaction (decomposition of animal proteins).

****Aspers: When they suck out the breast milk he has been fed through the feeding tube through his mouth to make sure that he has digested the previous feeding.