Weight on the board is 1880! 

He is on 25% oxygen, nurse today is one we haven’t had for a while but she has had him quite a few times back before surgery.  She is excited to see how big he is and how well he is doing.

We do cares, temp is 37.3, just pee. He is comfortable, we keep him on his nasal mask.

Occupational therapist comes by,  she does some stretching with him,  he isn’t sure he likes it this time,  hip stretches. He does some angry face,  then realizes the stretch feels good and smiles this happens for each different stretch. She moves him nice and slow. She talks about his negative experiences with his mouth,  and how he might have some issues to work through to make him enjoy feeding. Encourages us to start making happy experiences with his mouth. Getting closer to starting training for feeding, breathing,  and sucking! We tell her we have been doing this and so far he does not have any aversion that we can tell.

(I don’t really see the negative experiences he has had effecting him yet.  He enjoys getting his mouth suctioned out cleaned out with a swab. He loves sucking on milk sponge on a stick,  he seems to like sucking on his binky some too.)

We tell her he has been doing this lower lip quiver thing lately where italmost looks like he is shivering but he isn’t cold. She says it’s likely a tired jaw muscle. Like when you hold your hand a certain way it can start to shake after it gets tired.

She mentions he is getting to the age where he might start to do the pouty lower lip quiver when he cries.

We laugh,  then tell her he has been doing this since he was a few weeks old.

She says this is an advanced cry and normally won’t happen till later on.  RT is advanced for his age in something!

I feel like he figured it out earlier on to express how he felt while intubated, he couldn’t make sound so he had to use other ways to express him self.

He is strong emotionally!

After stretches are done we wrap him back up.

Lunch time. I extend our hotel reservation.

Back to NICU.  He is on 26% oxygen.  We hang out.

Then do cares temp 36.8, some poop. Some gets on the clean diaper so I swap it for a new one. Mom helps contain his arms.  As I’m grabbing the new diaper I have his diaper slightly too open. He ofcourse seizes the moment and pees. It starts to shoot out,  some of it actually makes it out of the port hole on the incubator before mom is able to get her hand in the way to stop it from going everywhere and close the diaper up! Silly boy.

Whoops,  guess he is getting new linnens.

Swap out his diaper.swap to nasal prongs.

Time for skin to skin, my turn!

Transition is smooth,  he turns his head back and forth, he can’t decide which way he wants his head.  Pretty sure he is looking for milk. Nothing here sorry buddy.

They swap his linnens while he is on me. Smells like RT made his diaper dirty again!  The respiratory therapist goes and talks to the Dr. He gets permission to wean his settings. Nava level turned down to 1.8! Awesome! RT does excellent all skin to skin.

1700 comes too quick.  Time to put him back. Cares temp is 37.1.

My nose was right,  big poopy diaper.  Mom changes it out without incedent.

He settles down quick after cares.

Dinner time.

Back to NICU 23% oxygen. Shift change.  Nurse today is one we have not had before.

Blood gas at 1800 was good,  although his blood sugar was slightly high. Hopefully it is just stress, plus it was only a half hour after his feeding ended. They will keep an eye on it.

RT is slightly upset with a 200 bpm heart rate so I look at him,  his bean bag to help give him containment is resting on his leg,  I move it off and he calms down.

2000 care, temp is 36.6, just pee. Swap to nasal mask. Some binky time, he does a couple good sucks.  We swapped up to the next larger binky size.  Green to orange!

After cares down to 21% oxygen! Awesome job buddy!

He isn’t derecruiting his lungs on lower support!

Maybe swap to CPAP tomorrow!? Open crib soon too!

You’re one amazing little boy!

Mom loves you RT!