8-6-08 Officially 1 day old

Mommy and Blake

Mr Blake Pokluda- 40 weeks gestational...Due Date

He fell asleep with his paci in the corner of his mouth like a cigar.

Blake getting his hearing test done....hooked up

So since yesterday was Blake's due date, he is supposed to start over on his corrected gestational age. So he is 1 day old! haha even though he is really 15 1/2 weeks old. I think I already said this but they doubled his blood pressure medicine. It seems to be working and is keeping it stable. I hope I can remember all the updates here. Let's see, he had an MRI yesterday. They gave him medicine to make him sleepy but he woke up during the MRI so they had to give him a second dose. I think he had a bad reaction to it because he got a small fever later and began throwing up every time he ate....basically everything he had eaten. Even when he wasn't eating, he threw up. The doctors last night ran his blood and did an xray on his belly. Everything looked ok. They said they are going to run it again tomorrow morning because there was a slight elevation with one thing but they think it will be fine. His MRI was normal, nothing new which is fantastic. He had an eye exam this morning. Before I had explained about the different phases and stages. Well he is now in a phase 3 where he has his periphreal vision. He began at a stage 1, moved to a stage 2 (where there is some scar tissue seen), moved back to stage 1, down to stage 0, and today was back at a stage 1. So he is going to have to get checked again in a week or two by someone in Houston. According to the doctors, he is on an Apnea countdown. That is where they count down 4-5 days from his last A&B. As long as he does not have any with in those days he gets to go home. So far he has been good. If he has one, we have to start all over which would stink. Tomorrow he is getting "snipped" circumcised. They did his hearing test today and he passed. He might have some damage in his left ear because it took a long time to pass the left side, but he will just have to be checked again when we get home. Tomorrow night they are going to do his sleep study. If there are no problems, we get to go home. They are going to do his car seat study during the last few hours they will put him in his car seat and see how he handles it breathing wise. The Theoflin which is the caffeine with a twist has been helping out so much. He is alert more and feeds better. Over the past few days he has been spitting up more and was constipated. The doctor also upped his Reglin and Prilosec because the dose he was on was from when he was around 3 lbs. He had to have a gliserin supository yesterday to help him potty because he was backed up and in pain. Poor thing was constantly crying and hurting. I think his reflux has gotten worse. When he trys to eat he cries with an actual painful cry, not a fake one, and has tears coming out of his little eyes. He is so hungry but it hurts him to eat. I think the increased meds will start to help. We also decided to try something new. I went and bought the Born Free bottle that is supposed to help reduce air. He used it twice today and it was amazing the difference. I was originally so scared to take him home just because of the discomfort he has been in recently during and after eating and all the spit ups and vomits. Well when he drank from the bottle he didn't get any extra air, rarely had to burp and didn't spit anything up. He also ate 90 cc's both times and wanted more. The nurses and I cut him off because we were scared he would throw it up like he has been doing, but nothing came out. I was so excited. It is funny how the littlest thing makes such a big difference. So if he passes his sleep test tomorrow night, we get out Saturday. We have to do a "room in" where we stay there at the hospital for the night with him in a room and we take care of him. We have to get used to giving him all his medicines. He is going home on four meds and a monitor. So it looks like we are finally breaking out of here on his 16 week birthday! Tonight he got his bath and was 6 lbs 5.9 oz.

Ok so they found more clots in my dad's lungs and have been treating him but he is very stubborn and has not been relaxing like he needs to so the doctors sent him home today after a week in the hospital. They are hoping he will relax better there at home so the medicine can do its job. A nurse is going to go to the house every day to give him meds and shots of Kumadin in his stomach...OUCH! The docs told him he can't fly for several weeks so of course he is livid that he can not come down, but DAD IT IS OK! We will not have the welcome home party till you and mom can come down, I promise! Please please please rest so that you can be top of your game to come visit. Trust me I will let you change all the diapers and give all the feeds in the middle of the night you want haha! And I can tell you first hand your grandson has smelly gas and poops like no other so they are all yours to handle! :) Ok I love you guys and please rest and relax....

Now that I have written a long blog I am going to bed. I have to meet a lady at the hospital at 8 am to pick up Blake's monitor and get trained in how to use it. Night.