Final Countdown...Going Home!

It's the final countdown! Praise God we are going home today! We are going full circle the neo that will be discharging us was one of the noes from the beginning of our journey. He was the neo the day I broke down with tears of frustration from not being able to help Sky. He was the neo who had to tell us that same day in rounds that one more thing would likely push Sky beyond his limit to live and he was the neo to offer condolences at the first set of rounds after Sky had passed. (The neo who was with us when Sky passed stopped by to see Keller yesterday. He hadn't seen him since the week Sky passed. So now all of our favorite noes have seen our big, strong boy.) This morning when the neo popped in he asked us when we wanted to go home. I replied, "Now" & Micah said, "Yesterday." The neo said, "I'm glad I'm here to discharge him." and now we can't wipe the grins off of our faces! This has been such a long journey, one we're excited to close and begin ours as a family at home. Don't tell the boys! We're surprising them! Pictures to come.... Lots of Love, Shelly

Surgery

Today has been a long day and it's only 1:30. Kelly had his surgery this morning at 10:30. When he went in we were expecting to have his left hernia fixed, exploration of a possible right hernia, & if all went well a circumcision. Praise God, all three were complete with an added surprise of a pretty good sized hernia on the right as well. The surgeon came in around 1 to tell us things went well & Keller did great. He's getting settled into his space in the NICU and we're waiting in the family room here at Swedish. Once he's settled they will come get us & we will get to go back & see him. We can't wait! My mom is at home with the big boys today so Micah & I both could be here. It's been such a blessing to know all is taken care of at home. We were joking this morning about this being her opportunity to fulfill her dream of being a stay at home mom. I texted her and asked her how living the dream was & she said, "Clean." Go Mom! I am living the dream of having a wife at home, it's quite nice! Thank you all for your prayers!! Lots of Love, Shelly

Quick update

Last Friday I took the day off of work to pick up Keller to bring him home but on the drive to the hospital we got a call from Evergreen saying that they were worried about Keller’s hernia and that he would not be able to come home with us and they were planning on surgery.

Fast forward to today…

110 days ago Keller was born at Evergreen weighing 2lbs 3oz .  Today Keller weighs 9lbs 1oz and is ready for his next adventure. He was transferred today to Swedish NICU for his surgery tomorrow at 10:30.   He is having his hernia fixed.  Shelly and I are very hopeful that this will cure the pain that he has been in.  He is such a happy little guy and it breaks our heart when he is in pain.

The need for a hernia surgery is common for preemies but it usually happens when they are older but the doctors feel his pain level justifies the risk to do it now.  We met the surgeon today and we feel comfortable that will be in good hands.

If all goes as planned we are hopeful that he will be coming home in 5 days.

Please pray for his surgery and speedy recovery.

Thanks

Micah

Almost home

Auntie Kyle here...

As you all know Shelly posted yesterday that Keller was scheduled to come home today. However, he is still really miserable and the doctors think it's his hernia. He will not make it home today and will be under the watchful eye of the doctors.

Please pray that he gets better quickly and can come home SOON.

Thanks,
Auntie Kylah

Happy Due Date!

Keller is no longer measured gestationally! He's now a full term baby and has an adjusted age of 0. It only took us 104 days to get here! I'm really not that bitter...I'm actually for the most part doing well. Well, actually kind of feeling fabulous right now, but cautiously fabulous. You see Keller is now off of oxygen. I was afraid to say anything because I wasn't sure if he'd really stay off this time. He had gone off once only to return to 1/64 but he's been off for a whole week and he is doing great! The second and final try happened by accident. He kept pulling his cannula down and into his mouth so when the nurse went to double check his weight from the night before she took off his oxygen planning on putting it back on afterwards. During his weight check he woke up and decided his was madly hungry so she quick dressed him and handed to me to nurse. Once he was calm and eating I noticed that we had forgotten to put his cannula back on and he was sating at 100%. So we decided to let him eat and then we'd put him back on if he needed it. He didn't and hasn't. I guess he knew something we didn't. This has become a bit of a theme for him....
Yesterday, right before I got here he pulled his feeding tube out. Since he was once again starving (it had been about 2 1/2 hours since he last ate after all!) we thought we'd just see if he would be able to take a full feeding by mouth and he did!!! 46cc by breast and 30cc by bottle. Ummm...for those of you that don't know that's kind of a big deal. Once he can take all of his feedings by mouth consistently (& doesn't have any events) he can come home!!! He has been tube free for the second day now and is doing great! We're so close! I've been nervous about getting too excited because I don't want to get really disappointed if he ends up staying longer than expected. We haven't been given any dates so I can't tell you when he's coming home so please don't ask. It's hard on us to have people constantly asking us when he's coming home. Soon. That's all we know but we can see the light and it is close! Trust me when I say that everyone will know when he's coming home. We will be singing it from the mountain tops!
Since he's so close and my mom is going to come help me with Kell and the boys she has started coming in for bottle training. It's totally different than feeding a full-term baby so there is technique and a bag of tricks involved. Last night was not only her first bottle training session but also her first time holding Keller. She did a really good job for her first time. She was so nervous that she was hardly breathing and didn't look comfortable at all. Kell wasn't too sure since she was so nervous so he didn't eat, but tonight she's like an old pro and he's chugging down his bottle as I type this.
Micah and my mom will be in charge of bottle feeding because we want Keller to think there is only one way to get food from Mama. Pray that he continues to nurse and that my supply will increase with his needs. My supply has been a struggle lately and it's been really tough on me.

Thank you all for your prayers & support!
Lots of Love,
Shelly

Praises:
Off oxygen
Eyes are mature! No surgery!!! Wahoo!!!
Keller was tongue tied and had a procedure to correct it today and it went well.
Taking his feedings well.
8lbs. 9 oz.
52 ½ cm long

Prayers:
Continued growth
Feedings continue to go well
Milk supply increase!

*New picture will come later....the wireless here is taking forever!

Day 91 update...

1st Walk...no hands!

Somewhere I got off count....ahh my brain foils me once again! Blush....Kell is now 38 weeks not 39, but he's still 91 days so I did get that right. Keller went on his first walk yesterday. A lactation nurse had recommended using a Moby wrap until he gets bigger (at 7 lbs. 4 oz. today it won't be long until he is BIG!) and has more body control to use the Ergo. Moby's are a little tough to get the hang of so I'm getting some Moby lessons here in the NICU. After my first lesson we took Kell for a little spin around the NICU. The lactation nurse pushed the oxygen tank and carried a portable monitor and I carried Kell in the Moby. It was another terrifyingly awesome experience! I was so afraid to take my hands off of Kell that the nurse kept pulling my hands down and telling me to relax my shoulders. It was hard to do, but I did it! We went to visit Dr. Lawson and Kell's old hall then back to our hall and down to the big window so Kell could see that there is a world outside of the NICU. It was kind of a big deal.
Today I was warned today that if the unit fills up again with level 3 babies we will be bumped into the other hall. (I think of it as the graduation hall.) Kell is now considered a level 2 baby and if all goes as planned he should be going home sometime in April. Just incase you weren't aware...it's APRIL!!! So we're talking this month! WHAT!?! I just can't believe it! It's so exciting to think that I'll have all my boys under one roof, but also a little nerve racking thinking of what Kell's needs could be. But I'm not thinking ahead, I'm not thinking ahead...today's mantra.
Overall, today was a good day and I'm thankful for the blessing!

Lots of Love,
Shelly

Prayers:
His feeds have once again been upped so he's now at 65cc. I'm praying my production will keep up with his demand.
Healing of his eyes.
His hernia is starting to bug him more often so while this kind isn't supposed to heal itself let's pray for a miracle or at the very least comfort.
For his overall development is typical...mentally, emotionally, physically.
For the adjustment our family will go through as the "big day" arrives....smooth transition, happy Dolen boys that feel loved and secure, an energetic Mama and Daddy to keep up with all the demands of life in the Dolen Household.

38 & 12

Relaxing

Day: 86
Gestationally: 38 weeks
Chronological Age: 12 weeks
Weight: 6 lbs. 10 oz.

Favorite Song: Santa Monica by Everclear
It was the only song that I knew all the words to that popped into my head. He particularly likes the base line I do.

Favorite Game: Blow Hand with Daddy & Kissy Hand with Mommy
Basically same game...Kell puts his hand up by our mouths Micah blows a puff of air at his hand and I kiss his hand. He keeps his hand there until the game is over. If we stop before he has decided the game is over he puts his little hand on our mouths.

Favorite Place to Be: Breast
On it, under in, next to it...it's his happy place.

Favorite Food: Breast milk
Like I said it's his happy place. We're working on him getting a full feed there. So far his best intake is 32cc and his full feed is now 58cc (2 oz is 60)

Favorite Nightcap: Breast milk in a bottle
WHAT!?! Yes, our big boy is working on bottle feeding!!! In fact he ate a full feed from the bottle for the first time last Saturday night. They made a little sign for our door and everything. I was so excited when I saw the sign I did a little dance as I walked into the room. He went for the encore on Wednesday night and has since been close to a full feed but inconsistent. He has to be consistently taking a full feed by mouth before he can go home. They will not send him home with a tube so that's going to be the big challenge to get him to eat consistently. Another prayer request!
Micah was given a bottle feeding lesson on Wednesday. It was the first time either of us had witnessed a bottle feeding let alone administer it. (All of his bottle feedings usually happen when I'm not here.) Feeding Keller a bottle is nothing like feeding the other boys. You have to him positioned away from you, tilted on his side, with the bottle titled just right, a finger ready to support his chin, and be on alert for any changes in his skin color or noises. It's not a relaxing process. Micah and I were both sweating after he was finished.

Tuckered out after feeding

Eye Update: I was able to be here for his eye appointment and I was really glad I was....some where along the line we were given some miss-information last time...both eyes are Stage 2, Zone 2 his right eye is just slightly worse than his left but the eye doctor said it was so slight that it didn't really count as a difference. There wasn't any change from two weeks ago so that is good news. He'll be back to check Keller's eyes in two weeks. We're praying that this week's no eye change means that they will start healing themselves. So please pray, pray, pray!

Kell had a few days where he didn't have any desats and was down to 1/32 of a liter on his oxygen and was eating like a champ. It was very exciting! Yesterday he started getting dippy again and is having several desats an hour. They don't last long at all just long enough to get his bell to ring and then he pulls himself up. His oxygen level is bouncing from 1/16 to 1/32 depending on how many dips per hour. The nurses are great at keeping him at the lowest level of oxygen that he needs. They think it is his hernia that is making him extra gassy which is causing him discomfort which is causing him to desat. He has been squirming more and will give a little cry out. This is hard for me because he's not a crier so I know when he does cry he means it.

I've had an emotional week. Basically, I can cry at the drop of a hat and will sometimes do so. I know its fatigue but I still hate it. I don't like being a cry baby but I think 86 days in a NICU will do that to you. I was stressing myself out with long to-do lists, reading the "going home" sections in the preemie books that list all kinds of scenarios that most likely won't even apply to us and we'll handle it if they do, missing Sky, feeling sad for Kell that he even has to go through this, etc. The first line of my devotional yesterday was, "Stop trying to work things out before their times have come." Nothing like the Word to call me out and put me back in my place. So my goal is to pray each morning and ask God for my to-do list and then not worry about anything else. You can pray about that, too!

Kell is calling for me so that’s all for now!

Lots of Love,
Shelly

BTW thank you to all that have signed up for our extended meal schedule! We REALLY appreciate it!