Babynapping is real

I experienced terror this past Monday:  a nurse tried to steal Clayton.  Thankfully, the security at Methodist Germantown is wonderful.  They caught her as she was in the tunnel between the women's pavilion and the main hospital.

Maybe she wasn't trying to steal him......
We were taking another field trip to radiology for a swallow study.  It makes me chuckle that we have to have a security escort.  Everything with the study was normal....

How much does he have to weigh to come home?

I get asked that question often.  If it was based on weight alone, Clayton would be home.  Preemies aren't in the NICU only because of weight.  Several factors make a ETD a very fluid thing.  When we accepted the babysitting service (it's expensive, I wouldn't recommend it), we were told there are 3 requirements for leaving: breathing on his own, maintaining his own body temperature, and taking all feedings by bottle well.  Check off the first two.  Over the weekend, I thought we could check off the third.  Clayton has taken his time with bottle feeding well.  About four weeks ago, I asked a nurse how much of a warning I'd get when it's time for Clayton to come home.  She told me that I might be told the day before but there were things that would happen in the week before that would clue us in to the fact that it's almost time.  Those things include (but aren't limited to) circumcision, hearing screening, a car seat test, the NG tube would be out.  Slowly, these things are being put into motion.  His NG tube is already out (he pulled it out Saturday night) and his circumcision is happening tomorrow.  All of those things could happen right this second, but if he drops his heart rate or oxygen saturation while feeding, he can't come home.  So, while we're getting very close to coming home, I can't know when until it happens.  This information has been nurse approved...thanks, Callie :)

Butter

Ok, this post has nothing to do with Clayton.  Contrary to what people tell me, EVERYTHING will not revolve around Clayton.  For example, apple pie.  Clayton can't eat apple pie but it would be crazy to think of me not dreaming of apple pie daily.  I foresee making one in my near future.  Back to butter... I get tired of running out of butter.  Sometimes (most times) I enjoy baking on a whim.  It is so frustrating to get everything ready only to realize I don't have butter.  Yet, every time I'm in the grocery store, I always tell myself I'll wait until the next trip--surely it will be on sale then.  Thus, I never have butter--it drives me crazy when it's over $2.50 for a pound.

I was very proud of myself last Saturday when I thought to but butter from Sam's.  It was a lot of butter for $2.40/lb.  When Craig saw all the butter, his eyes lit up with thoughts of cookies and cakes. 

So...it appears that Clayton's stay at the NICU is coming to an end and I wanted to bake cookies for the nurses (wait, how did this get back to Clayton?  maybe people are right).  I checked all my baking supplies--they were dangerously low because of my baking hiatus this summer, but I had just enough flour, sugar, and vanilla.  I grabbed a pound of butter from the fridge so it could soften on the counter.  When I opened the butter, I was shocked to see it was a one-pound block--no sticks.  Boo!  Had I known the butter was in 9 big pound chunks instead of 36 nicely wrapped sticks, I wouldn't have bought it.  Of course, I cut the butter into four pieces, but I'm still not happy about it.  The cookies, however, didn't know I was upset.....they turned out perfectly :)

Feeding

Just when you think Clayton has turned the corner on bottle feeding, he will get so excited about eating that he'll drop his heart rate.  I feel like we're walking on glass--I have my fingers crossed every feeding.  He made a lot of progress last week with the bottle, but he had episodes also.  On Friday, the speech therapist said she would make a decision about a swallow study (to see if he is aspirating milk into his lungs) on Monday morning (today) based on how his weekend went--if she does decide to do the study, it'll be done this afternoon.  Friday afternoon and evening were not so great, but since then he hasn't had any episodes.  He pulled out his NG tube Saturday night and it hads't been put back in--we hope it won't have to be!  I'm hoping that the next few days will show that he really has turned a corner and we'll go home soon :)

Can I make it 3 posts in 3 days?

Discharge rounds (where the doctor, nurse practitioner, and all interested parties--therapists, pharmacists, social workers, etc) were canceled yesterday because of a critical admission.  I spoke with the speech therapist and she told me her recommendation to the nurse practitioner:  increase bottle feeding to every other feeding so there can be consistency.  After she sees consistency, she'll decide on a swallow study.  

Clayton did awesome with his feedings yesterday.  He took his full feedings (every other) by bottle without any episodes of low heart rate or oxygen saturation--this is so wonderful!  I'm hoping something has clicked for him, but I'm cautious to get too confident.  

I hope he has another day of feeding perfection :)

Nursery

I've been waiting to post pictures of my nursery until I took a picture of my glider.  That still hasn't happened, but here are the other pictures anyway....

The little monkey sitting next to the lamp was on my first birthday cake.

The framed card was one I received from a good friend, Tina Anglin.  It was too perfect not to be framed and put in the nursery.

The bear sitting on the toy chest was given to me from sweet Christy Lampley--it's made from alpaca wool (SUPER SOFT!).  She bought it while in South America this summer.  We love it!

My glider sits in that space between the book shelf and the chest of drawers.  The framed picture above is not what is really framed.  We chose a picture of our hands to go there (see below).

The little rocking chair was mine when I was little.  My mom painted it green to match the room.  The last picture shows a canvas painted by a very sweet woman at church, Roberta Pledge.  That canvas is very special to me--thank you, Roberta!  You may notice the hand print above Roberta's canvas--that's not Clayton's print, but we've got one to go in it.  I don't do anything without my mama here :)

My mom did everything except put the furniture together.  She painted, repainted, and repainted things to my picky liking.  She sewed the curtains and turned a trash can into a hamper by sewing a matching liner.  She knitted the blanket sitting on top of the toy box below the window.  She organized everything for me.  It was the best week I've ever spent with her!  I can't wait for her to come back when Clayton comes home.

Two posts in two days is big for me--I think I'll go sit in my extremely comfortable un-photographed glider and give myself a break :)

Ok, an update

I've been slacking a little with my updates.  I spend most of my day at the hospital but I don;t usually take my computer with me...and I'm too tired once I get home to update the blog.

Where to begin?  Today, Clayton weighs 4lb 6.2oz.  He usually gains about an ounce a day.  His progress is where it's expected to be.  While he has made a great deal of progress with bottle feeding, he is far from perfecting it.  A speech therapist is working with him on the bottle feeding.  I'll know tomorrow if she is going to recommend a swallow study (to see if he is aspirating the milk).  Some feedings he does great but at others he drops his heart rate and oxygen saturation. 

Several people ask what the magic weight is--how much does he need to weigh to come home.  It's not about weight though.  Right now it's about bottle feeding--he has to master this without any episodes. 

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for my 6-week check-up.  I'm hoping to start back at Curves next week...I hope it doesn't kill me!