Bryton is always awesome.

Everything is going great with the little man right now. He is getting an albuterol treatment every six hours which is really helping with his breathing and keeping him from de-sating. He looks so great and is tolerating cares really well. They did do a follow up head ultrasound yesterday, but no one has had a chance to look at it just yet. They're going to call when they do, but it might not be until tomorrow. Last night Grandma Cathy came up for a visit and got a chance to help check his temperature and she even helped Mommy change his diaper. He did really great, and he loves attention- which we all know will not be a problem. He is doing so well and we are so proud of our little man. Go Bryton!

WE LOVE BRYTON!!!

So they gave him the extra dose of lasix and everything has been going great since then. There have still been no other changes made and he is just wonderful and awesome as usual. He looks so good! He is getting chubby and all filled out and he looks so good, it's amazing! They don't plan on making any changes tonight, but he will be getting weighed later, so I'll be back on to let you all know how he's doing. Go Bryton!

Nothing big . . .

The little man is doing pretty good, however he has been de-sating a lot this morning. They think it's because he seems to be carrying a lot of extra fluid right now, so they're going to give him and extra dose of the lasix today, and they'll be adjusting it every other day from now on. Also, they moved his intubation tube in another cm so that should help. Other than that, nothing has changed. He's been pretty calm and quiet and they're still pretty happy with everything. They haven't done rounds yet, but we don't expect them to talk about feeding him until at least next week. Mommy and Daddy have some things to do today before we make it over to the hospital, but if anything happens we'll update asap. Have a good day everyone!

Another awesome day.

Today was another good day for our little man. We had a chance to talk to Dr.Tuttle again today, and as usual, she had nothing but good things to say. Since they put the new intubation tube in yesterday, he has gone from 36% to 28% oxygen and they were able to take away 2 of the mandatory breaths he was getting and he is doing great, which is a very good sign that he'll be off the oxygen in a reasonable amount of time, and most likely before he comes home. His lungs and bowel are sounding good, but they still don't want to feed him just yet. They are going to give him the weekend to just relax and be comfortable and continue to grow, and then there is a chance that they'll make some changes to his ventilator settings and they may even try to feed him. Everything is looking good for our little man. He is a special little boy and he knows he has a lot of people loving him and praying for him. Thanks everyone.

1170!!!

Yesterday was a busy day for all of us so there just wasn't much time to update. The new things going on with Bryton are that he got a larger intubation tube, which has made a huge difference- he hasn't de-sated once, and they were able to bring him down to 32% oxygen, which is awesome! Also, he is 1170 grams = 2 lbs 9 1/2 oz!!! He is just putting on the weight! 4 1/2 oz to go and he'll have doubled his birth weight! We are so excited to go see him this afternoon! It is so amazing to see the way he grows and changes EVERYDAY! We'll be sure to get some new pictures today and have them up for you this evening. Thanks everyone!

Bryton Rocks.

He loves to hold his Daddys' finger.

He already makes hand gestures just like his Mommy.

Nothing new in our neck of the woods. Bryton is still doing great. He's close to 1090 grams today. They haven't made any changes to anything- we are still just waiting for him to get bigger, which he's doing everyday. It's so nice to go in and see him and just see how well he's doing and the progress he's making. Daddy and I both have some work related errands to run tomorrow before we go in to see him, but we should be there in the afternoon. Thanks everyone.

1080!!!

Yesterday, last night, and this morning have all been good for our little man. Yesterday Daddy was lucky enough to be the first one to clean Bryton poop! It wasn't exactly in the diaper yet, but we wont go in to to much detail! This morning his nurse said that everything is looking and sounding good, and that a cloudy substance was in his diaper, which very well could have been a blockage causing all of these bowel/feeding problems, so we are anxious to see if the attending doctor makes any changes during rounds this morning. As of last night, he was 1080 grams which = 2 lbs and a little more than 6 oz !!! In 8 oz he'll have doubled his birthweight! It's so amazing to see the progress he's made in these 7 weeks, but especially more recently. As they continue to add calories and fats to his IV fluids, he continues to make tremendous progress. We, and the doctors/nurses, are equally impressed with how well he's doing, not to mention incredibly happy, humbled, and excited. He makes everything look so easy, and if he can do what he's done, there is nothing we can't do. Daddy and I will be starting our new jobs soon, and we cannot wait to start getting ready for our little miracle to come home. We realize that we are in for an even bigger lifestyle change when he is with us, but we welcome it with open arms. You can never truly understand or appreciate the joys of being a parent until you experience it yourself, and we know that it's not all sunshine, giggles and bubbles and all the fun, cute stuff, but having our son with us is all that matters. This whole situation has put an entirely new spin on parenting for us, but we are so looking forward to it. You have all been so amazing, and I cannot stress enough, how much all of everyones love, support, prayers, and kind words mean to us. We have been incredibly fortunate to have all of you, each other, and such an incredible little boy. When he comes home we know we are going to be limited in where we go, what we do and who we see, but we can't wait for you all to meet him. Thank you so much everyone. You are all awesome and very appreciated. Go Team Bryton!

Bryton is awesome!

At last . . .

Daddy finally got to hold Bryton tonight!!! It was meant to be because he had a good day and then one of our favorite nurses' was here tonight and it all went really well. It was definitely one of the most awesome moments for us. The little man finally has some meat on his bones and he looks so great today- it's amazing. He is filling out and looking more like a not-so-preemie baby every day. It was an awesome experience for all of us- especially the boys and we can't wait to make it a regular things, maybe once or twice a week. All is well here at Christiana tonight- his lungs and bowels sound good and he is just hangin out like a good little man. Yay Daddy and Bryton! 

It's official!!!

The little man officially weighs more than 2 lbs! As of last night he is 1020 grams which is 2lbs 4 oz!!! We are so excited- he has almost doubled his birthweight!!! He had a wonderful night and is having a wonderful day today and we can't wait to see him. Daddy and I are going to stay at the hospital tonight, so we wont be going in till a little later. One of our favorite nurses is there today so hopefully Daddy will finally get a chance to hold him!!! He is down to 36% oxygen and tolerating it really well, but no other changes have been made. His bowel sounds are pretty normal, but we are still playing wait and see. Tomorrow we will have a chance to talk to one of the attending doctors so we will have a little more detail then. Thanks for everything you guys. You are all awesome and your love and support means everything to us. Go Bryton!!! 

Yet again . . .

We didn't get a chance to go in to see Bryton today because of transportation :( We have all been having a good day today. He is down to 36% oxygen and tolerating it well. Nothing else has changed. Hopefully we'll get to spend some time with him tomorrow. Unfortunately we will probably be having more days like this, as Daddy and I have both found jobs, which, on the other had, is fortunate, especially in this economy. Everything is good right now. If anything changes, I'll be back on asap.

Maybe today?

Nothing has changed with the little awesome man. He had a pretty quiet night and is still resting comfortably. Today we have one of the nurses we are much more comfortable with so as long as Daddy and I make it to the hospital before she leaves, I'm really hoping he'll finally get a chance to hold our son for the first time! We have a few things to take care of and we're not sure if there is a driver here today, but we're going to try to make it happen. Cross your fingers everyone!

good morning world!!

Bryton had a good quiet night. Nothing has changed. No rounds have been made yet so no changes have been made as of now. He is quiet and comfortable as usual not to mention totally handsome and adorable!! He has been getting bigger by the day since the doctors increased his fats and calories its amazing!!...he's amazing!!!!

Nothing new . . .

Daddy and I finally made it in to see our little man and everything is looking good. He's at 38% oxygen and handling it really well. He only de-sats when he needs to be suctioned on when he wiggles around and they can't get and accurate reading. He hasn't been weighed yet tonight but he looks so big! How weird is it to call a person that weighs less than 2 lbs, big? It's the truth though. He just plain looks really good tonight. They are still holding off on feeding him, but the nurse said she heard excellent bowel sounds and there was a smear of stool in his diaper during the day so who knows what's going on there. There wasn't an obstruction series ordered for tomorrow morning, but they may decide to do one  in the morning during rounds just to see what's going on. We'll be here for a while in the morning but we have more errands to run tomorrow so we don't know how long we'll be here.  If there's more to know, you'll know it.

Just not time yet.

Bryton was fed 1 ml of breast milk at 3 this afternoon and he didn't tolerate it very well so they did another obstruction series this evening and they still aren't very happy with it. They did go up on the glucose and fats in his IV and his levels were a little out of whack yesterday but they have leveled out since then. Nothing else is different. He's at 40% oxygen and tolerating it just fine. Also, he is officially 2 lbs!!! Weighing in at 910 grams, we finally hit that milestone. Go Bryton!! Hopefully we'll know more in the morning.

He's tough.

Early this morning our little man was de-sating quite a bit so he got an albuterol (inhaler) treatment because his lungs were tensing up. They had to go up on his oxygen from 38% to 44% which isn't bad, and she was going to start weaning him back down when his sat level was back up in the high 90s. Also, his sugar levels were a little high because they added more glucose and fats to his IV so that he might start growing for us, so they'll keep an eye on that. He's supposed to have another obstruction series done this morning so we should know a little more about what's up with his bowel. At this point they wont even consider the barium study because he's so small, so we're still playing wait and see. Other than that, all is well. We got to spend some time with him last night but Daddy still hasn't had a chance to hold him because we are having some nurse issues. I get the feeling we know more than them sometimes. We might not make it in today so hopefully tomorrow will be better. I'll be back on when we hear about the obstruction series.

peaceful as usual...

Happy Tuesday.

Nothing new here in Delaware. Daddy and I are going to be heading into see the little man in a few hours and we're hoping that today will be the day Daddy gets to hold him! Bryton had a mellow night and a pretty good day so far. Not much has changed- they still don't want to feed him just yet and he wont be getting another obstruction series until tomorrow, so hopefully we'll have some good news then. I'll be on later with new pictures of Daddy and Bryton!!

Not today

Daddy didn't get a chance to hold Bryton today because he was in the middle of a blood transfusion when we got here and the nurse said it probably wasn't a good idea to mess right now. Tomorrow is another day though, and we are crossing our fingers that we will be good to go then. The little man got an eye exam today and all they had to say was that his retinas are premature which is how it should be. Also, we are definitely making progress in the bowel area. His nurses have all noticed meconium in his diapers, better bowel sounds, and when they change his diapers it is notable that he is trying to push. Overall, it was a pretty good day for all of us. We didn't get to hang out with the man for very long, but we'll take what we can get.

We need more good days!

It was a good night and a good morning for everyone. Mommy is feeling much better, Daddy as doing good, and our little man is still awesome. Nothing has changed since last night. The nurse that did his cares this morning said she heard normal bowel sounds and there was a good amount of meconium in his diaper so that's a very good sign that things are finally starting to move along. His belly isn't distended or discolored anymore, but we wont know how it really looks until they order another obstruction series. Mommy and Daddy have a few errands to run this morning so we wont be going to the hospital until a little later but we will update you as soon as we can. 

Surprise?!

Mommy ended up having some postpartum issues today, so after that was all taken care of we got a chance to spend a few minutes with our little miracle. Nothing has changed today and he's looking really good. He opened his eyes for a few minutes while we were there and he was looking around. We didn't get to stay for long and we weren't exactly prepared so Daddy didn't get to hold him, but tomorrow will be the day. One of our very favorite nurses is there tonight and she really knows what he likes and how to keep him happy so hopefully it will be a good night for all of us. Sweet dreams everyone.

He's just awesome as usual.

Last night our man was de-sating a lot so they made some changes to his ventilator settings and everything is fine now. They did a chest x-ray to take a look at his lungs just to be safe but everything looks good and not much else has changed. He is just awesome as usual. I don't think Daddy and I are going to make it in to see him today because of transportation again, but tomorrow we should be good to go. We can't wait to get Daddy in that chair! I personally can't wait for Bryton to grab Daddys' chest hair and just latch on! Now that we are holding him, it's going to be hard to get us out of that place! It's so nice to finally make that connection. We'll be calling to check on him a lot since we can't be there today so if anything changes, I'll be back on to update you.

Holding Bryton . . .

I got to hold Bryton today!! Daddy is next!! It was so amazing to finally hold him and feel him breathe and wiggle around! He handled it really well and Daddy and I both were enjoying the time with him out of the incubator. The nurse put an adorable little blue beanie on him to help keep his head warm. It was a really awesome experience for all of us and it went very smoothly. We have to sit in the chair right next to the bed and while one nurse picks him up and moves him to whichever one of us is going to be holding him, the other holds onto all of the tubes and cables and brings them over with Bryton and then she tapes the tubes to our arm and they help get him all situated and comfortable and then is just our time together.  This is most definitely one of the best days of my life and I will remember it always. Even the nurses were excited for us because they know how long we've been wanting to hold him, but we just had to wait till the time was right. We had agreed to wait until the replogle tube came out and he weighed 2 lbs, but it just didn't work out that way. The tube came out last week, and last night when he was weighed he was 900 grams, but 907 is officially 2 lbs so we asked if they could weigh him again this morning, and he actually went down to 830 because he's been urinating so much, but we decided to just finally do it. We were so tired of waiting, and everyone talks about how good it can be for both him and us- it just seemed silly to wait any longer. And we are so glad we decided to do it! Only one of us allowed to hold him a day, so we are going to take turns  and Daddy was awesome enough to let me go first. It was just so amazing! I am still excited! Now we can't wait to get Daddy in that chair! As long as he is doing ok, we can hold him for as long as we want which is really nice. I only got to hold him for about 30 minutes because of our transportation situation, but next time we will be more prepared. Not much has changed otherwise. His belly is a little less distended and it's not very hard so they are still keeping an eye on it, but it's not a source of serious concern right now and everything else is looking good. Thanks for all your love everyone. You are the best.

Not knowing sucks.

Early yesterday morning they ordered another obstruction series because Brytons' belly was a little more distended than usual and they weren't impressed with it so they started him on antibiotics but only for 2 days so he'll be done with that tonight at midnight. They did another obstruction series this morning and the nurse said it didn't sound like much has changed, but we are waiting to speak to the attending who should be coming around for rounds any time now. Not much else has changed. Last night he was 900 grams so daddy and I are talking about when to hold him. 907 is officially 2 lbs so we are debating and wanting Dr.Tuttles' opinion. We want to hold him soo bad but we just don't want to push our luck. 

A mellow day today.

Nothing has changed with our man. Daddy and I just got to the hospital and hopefully we'll be speaking with a resident soon. They did do the abdominal x-ray this morning, but they haven't made any changes, so we are assuming that not much has changed for now. Hopefully we'll know more soon. The nurse said he's been doing well. He tolerated his cares really well and he hasn't de-sated a whole lot. He is just sleeping and taking it easy for now. If something changes, I'll be on so you'll know.

We're gettin there. . .

So the little man lost 20 grams, but lets not get discouraged. He is getting lasix every other day now so he is losing more fluid which could have something to do with it. Also, every nurse weighs differently- some pick up all the wires, others don't, it just depends. Everything else is still the same- he's tolerating his cares well and his desating isn't to bad. As soon as his bowl starts working a little better they'll start feeding him and before to long he'll be packing on the pounds! We are still just so happy with how well he is doing in general, we can't ask for much more. They are going to keep a close eye on the way his bowel is progressing because if something doesn't change soon, it could be a more serious situation, but they don't think it has come to that just yet. Prayers and happy thoughs everyone. Daddy and I went on our fishing trip and we had a great time. We went to White Clay Park and it was pretty awesome. There were burgers and hot dogs and all kinds of good food and friendly people. Daddy even caught a fish! We had a really great time and we're so glad that we went and had a chance to be outside and spend time with some awesome people. So all is well right now. Have a good night everyone!

Gone Fishin'

It was a good night and a good morning for everyone. They did an x-ray on Brytons' abdomen and chest this morning and his bowel has made a little improvement, but not enough for them to start feeding him. Maybe tomorrow. They also ordered an every other day dose of the lasix to help relieve any fluid that builds up in/around his lungs. Nothing else has changed. He looks very cozy in his snuggle up just being handsome and adorable and perfect as usual. Mommy and Daddy are going on a fishing trip with the house today, so we are really looking forward to that- it should be interesting. Our little man is supposed to be weighed tonight so hopefully we've hit that 2 lbs, and if not, that's ok too. We want to hold him so bad, but we don't want to push it, and the most important thing is for him to just get bigger and better. Go Bryton!! 

Almost there!!!

We are closing in on 2 lbs fast!!! As of last night our little hero was 1 lb 14 oz so we are almost there and almost ready to start with the Kangaroo care! We are sooo excited and we cannot wait to hold our little man!!! So we just got to the hospital and had a chance to speak with the resident. The official reading on the head ultra sound is the same as before- everything is looking as good as we could possibly hope for. The bleeding is resolving itself really well and it really looks like not much damage was done. Only time will tell though. We know that we will only really know what we're looking at when we start making and missing milestones. He has a little fluid in/around his lungs so they're going to be giving him a dose of lasix to help with that. The major concern right now is that not much has changed in his bowel. There is still a large area of bowel with a pocket of air that isn't moving properly. There is a little bit of movement, but there might be as blockage or a stricture that isn't allowing the air to pass. They are going to hold off on feeding him today and wait and see if anything changes by tomorrow morning. It is however a good sign that he's not "acting sick" - his heart rate, blood pressure, and ventilator settings are all pretty normal and in a good range. It's back to wait and see. Lets just keep the prayers and happy thoughts coming everyone. They have helped us get this far and he needs as much love and support as we can give him. We are staying at the hospital tonight so if anything changes, you'll know.  

Good morning all!!!

being bashful

such a big little man

looking surprised!!!

All is well with our favorite little man. They took out the replogle tube so we are just waiting to hit that 2 lb milestone and we are going to start kangaroo care. Yay!!!! The radiologist took a look at his head ultrasound from last week and said everything is still looking good. They haven't ordered any changes today- so we think they just want to give him a little more time before they make any changes. He is looking good and moving around and looking at us when we talk to him, so he's definitely making progress. We will be here for a few hours so you'll know if anything happens. Go Bryton!!!

Happy 1 month and Happy Mothers day!

As of yesterday our man was 1 month old! It was an awesome day for us. We are so proud of how well our little man is doing. 1 month was a really important milestone for us. We have been trying to take Brytons situation in stride and trying to stay strong for him and for eachother, but it has been really hard and we have our moments, and we are so lucky to have eachother, and all of you. We can't believe the way he has overcome one obstacle after another. Like Jaad said, someone has a big plan for such a little guy. He is doing as well as we could hope for and the Drs' are telling us nothing but good things. His bowel movements are imroving everyday and things are finally starting to move along. We had another head ultrasound and the unoffical report is that everything is looking good. We will know what the radiologist has to say tomorrow. Thank you everyone so much for the phone calls and beautiful cards- I couldn't have asked for a better first mothers day. I didn't get to see my little miracle today because of transportation, but I'm so excited to go see him tomorrow. Saturday morning in the NICU, March of Dimes did a Mothers Day brunch and our mothers day gift was a pillow case that says "Sweet Dreams Mommy" and we put Brytons foot prints on it. It was an awesome gift and I can't decide if I want to frame it or not when he come home. It's so nice to have something with his foot prints on it though. Thanks for all of your love everyone. It means so much and we hope you know how much we appreciate it. Happy 1 Month Birthday Bryton! And Happy Mothers Day mommies!

closing in on 2 lbs!!

Our buddy is doing really well today! Bryton is weighing in at 800 grams=1 lb 13 oz and he is getting stronger by the day and putting on weight consistantley. The doctors would like to start feeding him pretty soon and they say he will be putting on weight fast once he starts with the breast milk,and we are sure he cant wait for that!! Lets keep the prayers coming because buddy is doing great!! More good news to come!!!!

He is just so cute!

big yawn

Daddy and I are still hanging out at the hospital with our man. His nurse said that he's obstruction showed some improvement. Also they are still hearing some bowel sounds and when I changed his diaper earlier it looked like he had a little tiny poop smudge. Everything is stable and looking good.

Still good.

Nothing has changed. Our man is stable and doing well. Daddy and I are getting ready to go hang out with him for a while. He had an obstruction series this morning so I'll be back on later to share the news. Thank you Heather and Hannah for the beautiful card and picture! You made my day and I love them so much! Thank you!

All is well here in DE

Bryton is doing just fine and staying stable. He has had a really awesome nurse the last few nights so he's been doing really well, getting lots of rest and handling his cares like a champ. He's getting another obstruction series this morning and some blood work, but nothing big. We are still so happy about the good news. He opens his eyes when he hears Daddy and I talk to him and he still can't exactly focus, but he tries so hard to look at us. He is such a little miracle. I'll be on if we hear anything new. Thanks everyone.

770

COME ON CHUBBY CHEEKS!!! He is 770 grams (1 lb 12 oz) as of right now! And his belly girth has gone down from 21 cm to 18.5 cm just today. We need more days like today. He is doing really well tonight- he is very comfortable and all of his levels and vital signs are looking good. His nurse decided that he needed a big boy diaper because he pees so much that he totally fills up the little ones! The diaper itself almost consumes our man, but at least he's comfortable. GO BRYTON!

It's about damn time . . .

We got some good news!!!! A surgeon came over from A.I. Dupont to take a look at Bryton and the x-rays of is belly/bowel and it's better than we thought, but it's not done with yet. He said that it seems more like a problem with irritation and immobility as opposed to a serious infection. He just plain isn't ready to tolerate being fed, so for now the plan is to go on with another 10 days of antibiotics and see how it goes from there. They will be doing x-rays every day to keep track of everything until it's resolved. For now we don't have to worry about any kind of procedure or anything like that. It's back to the wait and see method.  And the best new of all . . . we spoke to Dr.Tuttle and she said that the radiologist that pretty much specializes in head ultrasounds took a look at our little miracles ultrasound, and he said that the bleeding is a lot less extensive than we originally thought it was. The blood is very localized and well organized pretty much just in the area right around the ventricle- it hasn't spread to any other parts of the brain- therefor we are looking at much less extensive damage. THANK GOD! This is the best news we've had in the last month. She really made it clear to us that it is not a typical Grade 4 bleed. Also, she said the radiologist is not one exaggerate or paint a rosy picture- it really is better than we thought. We really needed this today. Especially after last night, which by the way, has been better explained to us. Basically what happened last night was that part of his lung collapsed as a result of being on the ventilator. All is well and stable now. He is opening his eyes all the time when he is awake 31and looking at us as much as he can. He doesn't have full control his eyes yet, but he's working on it. He really is such a miracle. I'm sorry in advanced if I seem to hog him all the time when he's ready to be held. I already know I'm not going to ever want to let go of him. He is my hero. Thank you so much everyone, for everything. All of your love and prayers have brought us a long way, and I don't even know how to express in words how much we appreciate you all. You are amazing. Thank you so much.

you win some, you lose some

Yesterday was definitely not Brytons best day. Our little guy went through a lot, but he's doing much better now. Yesterday he had another Echo and a chest x-ray because before they wean him off the dopamine they want to make sure his heart is functioning properly. He also had an obstruction series yesterday afternoon. Nothing has changed. The biggest issue last night was they found that there are bubbles in his left lung that are causing air to release into his abdomen- this caused pressure on his heart and made his heart rate drop so they had to go in manually and release the air and then when his heart rate still didn't come back up, they gave him epinephrin, which did the trick. The bubbles are just part of his prematurity and it's something that should go away but they will definitely be keeping a close eye on it for now. It was very hard to see him so distressed yesterday, but we know that they are just doing what they have to do to keep him with us. We knew this would not be easy, but we all have to be strong for him right now. I know it's hard on all of us, but just hang in there. He has already come so far, and as Robs' awesome Aunt Connie keeps telling us, we just have to " keep on keepin on". The best part of yesterday was that Daddy got a chance to hold Bryton in his hands for a minute! He held him up so the nurse could change the blanket that he peed on! It was an awesome moment for all of us. We can't always have good days, but these are moments to live for. They haven't done rounds yet this morning, but we are expecting a call when they get to him. We are going to stay at the hospital tonight, so I'll definitely be on later. Thanks everyone.