Doctor visits and updates

As I type this I have Maggie literally curled up on my chest and I can't believe I'm actually able to type. So here is what is new with miss Maggie. Tuesday she had her 2 month well baby visit. She weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 18 3/4 inches long. The doctor said she looked well and we will return for a 3 month visit. Later the same day she went to Children's Hospital for a visit with their high risk department. It was really nice because the doctor we saw was one of the same doctor's we had seen previously at University Hospital. We discussed all sorts of things and they looked over Maggie. Her weight gain is good, but not great. Nothing to be concerned about at this time, but they want her to get her weight checked weekly with the pediatrician and they will see her again in a month. I discussed with the doctor Maggie's recent feeding troubles. She starts off sucking her bottle good and takes about half of her feed, but then she gets really agitated and arches away and starts to cry. I've tried burping her, calming her, stopping her, and she'll go back to the bottle, suck just a bit and get mad all over again. It's been a battle for about 2 weeks now and she's also decreased her intake by about 15ml. So the doctor's think that she might be having reflux issues and she's starting Prevacid. I'm also going to try giving her a medium flow nipple to see if maybe she is working too hard and not getting enough milk and sucking air...we will see. I've realized since bringing her home...some things are trial and error. We haven't established any sort of routine at home. She feeds every 3 hours, which is easy at night because she wakes for them, but during the day she often has to be woken up for them. She's gone 4 hours over night a couple of times, but nothing consistent, and the doctors want me to keep her on a 3 hour schedule until her weight gain improves. So it will be a while before she is sleeping through the night. Once Jack gets home, we'll probably develop a more defined routine, but for now she kind of runs the show. It certainly isn't how I thought it was going to be, but things rarely are that way.

As for Jack. I have been able to spend a good portion of my morning/afternoons with Jack thanks to Grandpa Jeff! He watches Maggie and I visit with Jack, and it's been super helpful. I hate having to split my time like this, but soon...soon they'll both be home and I'll be begging for extra hands again. Jack is pretty much the same. They tried to extubate this past weekend, and it failed. He simply couldn't breath well. So now the plan is that his antibiotics will end Friday, Saturday and Sunday he will be given steroids and hopefully Monday his extubation will go well. The steroids are to help reduce any swelling that may be blocking his airway and causing trouble with his breathing. This time around, Jack is going to Children's Hospital and he will be admitted and seen by ENT. The thought at this point is that Jack should remain at Children's because they are more experienced and equipped to handle his condition. University is a great hospital, but their NICU is designed for preemies, Jack is still a clinical preemie but he is in need of specialized care and that is what Children's is good at handling. So...we are pushing for his transfer to Children's to be permanent and we will see. I'm excited for Monday, I've been looking forward to it all week. I'm hoping that we can finally move forward. The best case would be that Jack extubates with no trouble, but even if that isn't the case, at least ENT can look at him immediately and hopefully identify what his airway blockage issues are, and we can move onto a resolution. My little man needs to come off the ventilator. The most awesome moment of my week...holding Jack! Brian held him Monday afternoon and I've been able to hold him every day since. I love it and he really calms down when he gets into my arms.

The only other news with us is that we went to the dentist the past couple of weeks and I lost the cavity game. :( I had a small cavity and Brian didn't have any. I got it filled this morning, no biggy. I guess I can't complain too much, 27 years old and only 2 cavities in my life.

I started this post with Maggie on my chest, and half way through I transitioned her into her boppy. It's cute because she is too small to use the boppy the official propped up way, so she is using it more like a donut. Brian is getting our dinner ready as I finish this up. Better eat while the baby is sleeping soundly. The past couple of nights Grandma Charlotte and Aunt Lisa have brought us over dinner, which has been extremely awesome of them! We are lucky to have such great support!

Maggie playing on her mat before getting dressed



Her new bouncer and using the big girl Nuk pacifier


Maggie while Mommy types about her and Jack