Full moon over the NICU

There must have been a full moon over the NICU yesterday because quite a few babies had some issues....and Thomas was no exception. After spending a day and a half on the cannula, Thomas had a few episodes (heart rate and O2 saturation dips) and was switched back to CPAP. (TJC mom and dad also requested that Thomas's room be switched away from his room with a window to be a little closer to the action...we want as many eyes looking at our little guy as possible...and fortunately the NICU staff was happy to comply with our request). The switch back to CPAP is a little step backwards, but has resulted in a very happy, rested, and fat Thomas. After gaining 55 grams yesterday, Thomas is now weighing in at 1,555 grams, or 3 lbs, 3 oz. The little guy seems determined to grow, and the doctors and TJC mom and dad are more than happy to sit back and let him do so. TJC mom and dad are, as always, very proud of Thomas's progress.

Below are a bunch of pictures over the past few days... we've been having a good time enjoying Thomas's new chub and dressing him up in some new outfits. Enjoy!

We'll be back soon!

-TJC mom and dad

56 days....and growing

As of today Thomas James is 56 days old and weighs 2 lbs. 13.8 ounces. TJC mom and dad have been told (by pretty much every nurse and doctor in the unit) that this is good growth for the little guy....and we're eagerly awaiting the three pound mark.

A few notable changes from the past few days....

Thomas is continuing to cycle between the CPAP and cannula, and is now cycling with three hours on each - and tolerating his cannula sessions very well. In fact, he seems to be happier on the cannula than on the CPAP, so his nurse is going to push for longer on the cannula tomorrow. I'm sure Thomas would be happy if she got her way....

Over the weekend, Thomas was able to switch rooms. While he remains on "intensive" status due to his size, he is no longer in the most critical wing of the NICU. While TJC mom and dad were a little wary of the move as they've become a bit superstitious over the past weeks, Thomas seems to be adjusting quite to his new room. And while the quiet of his new room has taken a little adjusting to, TJC mom and dad are thrilled with the quiet because as of today Thomas is in a CRIB! We cannot explain how amazing it is to be able to look at our little boy in a crib instead of his isolette. We are, as always, extremely proud of our little guy!

Thomas and TJC mom and dad would like to say a special thank you to our friends in Mrs. Laura Guerrera's 2nd grade class at the St. Raymond School in East Rockaway. We have read all of your letters and are grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers for both William and Thomas. You are special children to be thinking of our family in such loving way.

Below are some new pics of Thomas - enjoy!

We'll be back soon - thanks for sharing.

-TJC mom and dad

Previous posting

For means of clarification, the previous posting (the one dated May 11th) was posted this morning, May 14th.


-TJC mom and dad

49 Days....Grow baby grow

As of this morning, Thomas is weighing in at 2 lbs 7.6 oz.....cupcakes, brownies, pizza with blue cheese - keep those fat thoughts coming! TJC mom and dad have been busy this week enjoying a number of "firsts" for Thomas - which we are now very happy to share.

This week Thomas began "cycling" between the CPAP and nasal cannula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cannula. Thomas is currently on CPAP for 3 hours and then one hour on the cannula - meaning he's on cannula for 6 hours a day - and he's been tolerating it rather well. Breathing with the cannula is the next step towards breathing room air - so we're very excited for Thomas. The cannula is also a lot more comfortable on Thomas (in comparison to the CPAP, the nose prongs are more narrow and there are no tubes on the sides of his head). It also means that Thomas is able to be held a lot more easily - TJC mom and dad are holding him just about every time he's on the cannula throughout the day - and we couldn't be more happy about it!

Thomas's temperature probe (a probe attached to his belly which signalled to his isolette (incubator) when he was too hot or to cold), was also removed this week - which means that Thomas's isolette is no longer automatically adjusting to his body temperature. The temperature in Thomas's isolette is now manually adjusted (if needed) when his temperature is taken by thermometer every three hours. This might not seem like a big thing - but in the NICU this means that Thomas now gets to wear clothing!!!! The removal of the temperature probe also indicates that Thomas is beginning to be able to regulate his own body temperature - which he will need to be able to do to come out of his isolette and into an open-air crib.

Thomas also "made" his first Mother's Day card for TJC mom. One of Thomas's favorite nurses made a card -with Thomas's hand and foot prints on it - so we can always remember our first Mother's Day together.

We have a lot of new pictures to share - but our blog is misbehaving. We'll have them out to you as soon as we can.

...take care

-TJC mom and dad

Wahoooooo - 2.1 Pounds!!!

TJC mom and dad are pleased to share that Thomas James reached 2.1 pounds over night.....and today's he's beginning to look like a proper fatty. To celebrate, Thomas's nurse this morning hung up the following poem in his room:

I reached the two pound mark today
I think its time to go out and play
But all I'm told is "reserve my energy"
So I can gain pounds to equal "3"

And a little update on Thomas's other progress....
Over the weekend Thomas developed symptoms of a small infection and was told he had a low blood count. (the low blood count occurs periodically because micro-preemies are unable to produce enough blood cells to support themselves. As Thomas James grows and becomes stronger, his body will be able to begin to produce the blood cells it needs to support itself.) As a result, the doctors immediately ordered a blood transfusion and antibiotics. The idea is to treat the situation as serious, and hopefully decrease support after finding out it is not.

Fortunately, Thomas responded immediately to both the transfusion and the antibiotics. He'll be on the antibiotics for a few more days....but while Thomas may have developed a bit of an "ick", the doctors are not concerned at the moment about any major infection.
One good thing to come out of this episode, was that Thomas received another chest x-ray to see if the infection somehow worsened his lungs...and not only had it not, but his lungs showed a tiny bit of improvement.
TJC mom and dad....as always...could not be prouder of their little guy.

Here are some pics from the last few days showing off his newly grown fat.
Enjoy!

We'll be back soon - thanks for sharing!
-TJC mom and dad

We thought we'd give a little background of the biggest issue facing Thomas at the moment - Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35017#whatis
BPD is a chronic lung disorder, and is very common in 24 weekers. In the last post, we mentioned that Thomas had graduated to CPAP -but we didn't say exactly why this was such a good thing. BPD is exacerbated by intubation (having a ventilator tube blowing air right into the lungs) - and so to have the ventilator tube removed - is really just a very good thing. (every time a child is extubated (tube removed) in the NICU it's obvious, b/c all nurses and doctors do a little celebration) Every day Thomas is not intubated, his lungs have a chance to recover. Even so, Thomas has months of recovery in the hospital, as well as possibly years of recovery, in front of him. Only time will tell how well his lungs will function - but the good news is that there is a good change of recovery to pretty normal lung functioning within a few years.

So each day the oxygen Thomas is given is monitored - and an increase in the oxygen requirements means a possible worsening of the lungs (but it also could mean a variety of other things - such as needing to be suctioned b/c Thomas will not learn how to swallow for about four more weeks). Today is O2 requirements are a little less than yesterday (little hooray!) - but as they fluctuate - a little less one day doesn't give any more information than that it's down today from yesterday. But TJC mom and dad, while knowing things to take things one day at a time, are learning to celebrate the little victories. It would be hard to look at this little guy and feel anything but unbelievably proud.

And while TJC mom and dad to not take news of a lung disorder lightly, we've recently been given good news about cardiac and neurological issues which Thomas had been facing - and so having to watch Thomas fight only one issue is fine with us for now. Thank you to all of our friends - and we're learning you're all over the place (California, Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, Canada, Israel and Egypt)....please keep the positive energy going!

Thomas James is currently weighing in at 1 lb. 13.6 oz - and they've just upped the calories which are added to his yummy breast milk. (everyone think fat thoughts - Thomas's second biggest issue right now is that he needs to gain some serious weight!) Thomas is fed through a tube which goes directly into his stomach - and currently this is the only invader of his body. The last IV was removed a few days ago - and having no IVs means the chance of infection is cut dramatically (a strong positive). And as all things go in the NICU - just because it's removed today, does not mean it might not have to be put back tomorrow - but it's out now....and that's a good thing.

That's it for today....

Here are a few favorite pics from the past two days...enjoy!

We'll be in touch soon...
-TJC mom and dad