Putting on a few...ounces!

Finn is officially back to his birth weight of one pound, 15 oz! We are so excited. It is a small step, but it is something. They have him back on his continuous feeding, so hopefully he will continue to gain much needed weight.

Jim wanted me to mention one more thing about Kangaroo Care. I told him after my class that when a mother is Kangaroo-ing with her baby, the baby's temperature remains constant but the mother's body temperature increases or decreases to whatever the temperature the baby needs. When a father holds the baby, their temperature changes, too, but theirs just increases to keep them both warm. It seems counter intuitive that a baby's temperature would hold steady when they are taken out of their isolette with just a diaper on, but it works every time! They also usually fall into a much deeper sleep when they are Kangaroo-ing, which promotes development and growth! Can't wait to try it!

He still seems agitated to me when we visit, but the staff doesn't seem too concerned. Maybe he is just developing more complex ways of nonverbally communicating with us. He actually cried for a little while today, which of course, just about killed mommy! He seemed a little stressed today when we were there (hence the crying!), so the nurse suggested I put my hands around him to comfort him (one around his head and another on his back or around his butt/feet). Finally, something I can DO to make him feel better. It was great and he held onto my finger the whole time.

Tough visit for Mom

It was Kristine's turn to babysit me today. We headed up the hospital after my Noon pumping. I could tell right away that Finn was agitated. The nurse said they were giving him a blood transfusion (something they told us yesterday would be a possibility for today). During the transfusion they had the cover off his isolette to monitor him. He kept moving around and trying to lift his body off the bed. The doctor came over and said they were a little concerned about his intestines because they appeared to be full (but Finn had a really poopy diaper earlier). They did an x-ray and it appeared to just be air from the CPAP. So, they decided to put a tube from his mouth into his stomach to help vent the extra air out (he didn't like the procedure and cried a little...broke my heart!). After they did that, he seemed to calm down. I think it helped putting the cover back on so it wasn't so bright for him. It was a tough visit for mom.

They did another ultrasound of Finn's head this morning, and while the official results weren't back yet, the doctor said everything looked normal and good. Yeah! They discontinued his feedings until his stomach and intestines are back to normal...but he weighed 1 lb, 14 oz yesterday. Almost back to his birth weight! Keep growing little boy!

The nurse said they didn't want me to do Kangaroo Care during the visit since he wasn't very stable or settled. I was disappointed, but completely understood. Jim and I will be going back tonight after work, so maybe Finn will be more stable then but if not, there is always this weekend.

Kangaroo Care

Just a little update from our visit last night (nothing too serious this time!). I was able to take Finn's temperature and change his diaper (which I love doing). No poopy diaper for me this time! But his little umbilical cord had fallen off into his diaper when I changed it! Just a little thing, but something that happens with all babies. Made me feel "normal" for a moment.

Our nurse said that we can do Kangaroo Care, even though he is on the CPAP, which was really good news. We didn't have time last night (I had to get home to pump, of course), but hopefully today or this weekend. So per Jim's request in the previous post (I didn't know we needed a blog to communicate to each other...ha, ha!), below is some more information I got about Kangaroo Care.

Benefits of Kangaroo Care: while your baby rests on your chest (mom or dad), you will see your baby become very calm and relaxed. Your baby may go into a deep slumber. Research has shown these physical and emotional benefits:
-a stable heart rate
-improved dispersion of oxygen throughout the body
-longer period of sleep (during which time the brain matures)
-reduction of purposeless activity which simply burns calories at the expense of the infant's growth and health
-increased likelihood of being discharged from the hospital sooner
-more regular breathing
-prevention of cold stress (which a preemie becomes too cold, he burns up much needed oxygen and calories to stay warm)
-more rapid weight gain
-decreased crying
-earlier physical bonding
-longer periods of alertness

Parents report feeling more positive about their birth experience despite the fact it may have been difficult (MAY have been difficult?!?!), finding ways to actively parent their baby while still in the hospital, increased confidence about handling their baby and feeling in control.

Why Kangaroo Care works: it creates conditions similar to those in the uterus...sound of parent's heartbeat, their voice, gentle movements of their breathing. It provides a "nest" where your baby can be in a flexed position like they were in the uterus. It offers the baby a break from the isolette and a chance to feel safe, loved and secure.

Overall, there are obviously a lot of benefits and no draw backs. Plus, I think it will allow Jim and me to feel like we are DOING something for Finn other than visiting, taking his temperature and pumping. Anything that we can do to help Finn...sign us up!

One little change: Finn was actually 14 inches long at birth, not 15 inches like we originally told people. The doctors at Abbott told us 15 inches, but his chart says 14 inches...so we'll go with that. Regardless, babies Finn's age are supposed to be between 10 - 13 inches, so he is a long boy!

FYI: the "shun" "unshun" from Jim's post is from The Office...my husband hasn't completely lost his mind...yet! Oh, and Jim is referring to the Gopher basketball game last night against Wisconsin (they won in over time)...for those of you who aren't obsessed with the Gophers!

Finn Win!!

I'm not sure but I think that the Gopher's dedicated their win tonight to Finn (if they needed any inspiration he is it and they sure seemed to be inspired) - I think I've been through enough with the Gophers that even if they didn't dedicate it as such I can do so on their behalf. That's fine by me but as big of a fan as I am of the maroon and gold, I'm even a bigger Finn fan. Probably tougher to cheer in the NICU though than it is in William's Arena but I'll see what I can do.

So I'm waiting for some pizza to cook and don't really have a lot to say but for those of you who come here for some good repartee I thought I'd try to throw something out there. BTW, if you come to this blog for good repartee you're at the wrong blog. =)

Finn looked good tonight. I'm proud of my son. He might be young but that boy's a fighter and as strong as I could have ever hoped full term or preemie. I know that guys have a tough time multitasking, so I expect that he's back on the CPAP because he couldn't remember to eat, grow and breath at the same time. That's OK, multitasking is overrated. I'm sure that if he can focus on each individually he'll be able to master them all at the same time...in time.

Bummer about Stacy's meeting this afternoon but at least it sounds like she got a lot of good info. The Kangaroo Care is really interesting. I'm not sure that I could represent the details correctly so I implore you to ask her to go into them for you (Stacy, I'm trying to talk to you directly here and not really to anyone reading this despite what I may say; that being said, in your next entry, you should give even more of the details about the Kangaroo Care...I thought it was interesting so I can only hope it will be appealing to the masses - shun). If she doesn't I guess you'll never know (unshun, Stacy, they should know, re-shun).

Normally I try really hard to wrap these things up with a nice bow and have a closing and what not but this time forget it (because my pizza is almost done). The end...for now. Ski-U-Mah!!!

Just another day

Finn is doing okay. He was taken off the photo-therapy today, but put back on the CPAP. He was having a lot of spells and needed a break. He didn't have a spell while I was there after they put him on the CPAP. While I don't like that he had to go back on, this is just a temporary set back. I spoke with the doctor today and he said he can barely hear the heart murmur any more (which is really good news).

It was Renae's turn to babysit me today, so she came up to the hospital with me and went to the Preemie Support Class. We were the only ones there, but it was very informational, if not a little overwhelming. The lady leading the class kept referring to Finn as the "Wow" baby when I told her of his progress. I guess that is a good sign (I need to remember Finn's good accomplishments and not just the "bad")! It didn't feel like a "support" group, so I don't really feel the need to go back. Maybe Jim and I can find a true support group to attend together.

I wasn't able to nap today and am pretty tired. We are headed up to the hospital shortly. Then we'll come home, I'll pump and go to bed. Kind of the status quo around here (but I don't mind).

Back at Work = Back in a Routine? Not Quite

Hello followers, friends and passersby. As Stacy stated, I returned to work yesterday. It was somewhat bittersweet. I enjoy my job and it was good to be back and working with people in the office and my other colleagues in the field but at the same time with Finn at the hospital it's not like I'm back to a regular routine by any stretch. I guess that goes without saying since nothing about things day-to-day will be "regular" for a while.

Thank you to everyone at work for the nice emails and kind thoughts and words when I was gone and once I returned. It makes me very thankful for all of the wonderful people I work with and for.

Everyday after work now of course I have (not that it's a chore but more of a need for me) to go visit little Finn. Like Stacy said he's had a bit of a tough day but seemed better when we were there tonight. Our favorite nurse was on tonight so it was good to have her back to update us from her perspective - she explains things very well.

Finn was on the light again tonight but that was expected. While we were there this evening, he seemed to be doing well with his breathing, at least it seemed much better than the reports I heard from this morning.

In the good news category, he is now eating one milliliter of milk every two hours. They hope they can continue to increase that until he's on virtually a constant feed. Good job Finn - it will keep you growing and getting stronger!

Yesterday I was amazed by him when we were there and talking to him. He had his goggles off and his eyes were so big (see picture below) and he was looking at mommy and daddy when we spoke. It was really cute to see. For such a little guy, he seems to be fairly aware. He was even trying to turn his head to the otherside to look at us if we were on the opposite side he was facing in the incubator. Stacy said she read that they aren't even supposed to be able to lift their heads at that age but Finn seems to be lifting and moving. Pretty much what he does to our spirits when we think of the little guy.
The entire process is getting tiring for Stacy - I guess one can only imagine, she gave birth, left without her child, has to pump every three hours and visits twice a day; just thinking about it makes me tired. She is thinking about going to a parent support group tomorrow which will be good to talk to people who understand what we're going through, and the only people who do are the people who were or are in the same situation. Her strength and love is still inspiring even if she is tired on occassion though.

I'll sign off for now. Thank you everyone for everything.

Ups and Downs

Yesterday was Jim's first day back to work. We headed up to visit Finn as soon as he got home. Finn was very alert and kept looking in each of our direction when we talked to him (a very good sign for his development). He had two pretty major "spells" while we were there, which always makes mom and dad worry.

When I got to the hospital this morning, the nurse said Finn already had 7 spells for her, which is not good. The doctor came while I was there and he said the murmur was still there, but not a major concern. He ordered some lab work just to check on a few things (the results will be in when we visit tonight).

While I know it is very normal for babies Finn's age to have problems breathing, it just worries me. I don't like to see him struggle. When he looks at me, his eyes tell me, "Sorry mom, I'm trying, honest." It just breaks my heart. He really is doing well, and I just need to remember that (it is just hard sometimes).

Some good news is the doctor increased Finn's feedings to every 2 hours and he is getting at least 1ml each feeding (can't remember if he increased that too or not). So very good for Finn to be taking my milk...just grow little boy and get big! The nurse said he had a really poopy diaper for her, so that, too, is good. He has not needed to go back on photo-therapy yet, so that, again, is good news.

No holding since Sunday, but with his spells, they don't want to stress us or him out. Hopefully soon. Continued prayers are much appreciated. It goes without saying, but thank you so much for all the support!

One week old already?

I guess time flies, doesn't it. It really makes me realize how far Finn has come in only one week! I never darned even hope he'd be doing this well.

I just talked with his doctor (he calls once a day with an update). They are going to up his feedings again today! As of yesterday, he was getting 1.5 ml every 4 hours. Not sure if they are giving him more or giving the same amount more often. I can ask when I'm there today. The doctor can still hear the murmer in his heart, but is not concerned. He will continue to monitor it. Also, Finn will probably have to go back on photo-therapy today. It isn't really a "set back" because it is normal for babies Finn's age to go on and off.

My mom is coming to visit today and tomorrow. Jim decided not to go to work yesterday, so we were able to visit Finn before the weather was terrible. He did go to work today, so we'll see what our schedule ends up being. I never know what they will allow me to do when I'm visiting Finn, but hoping to be able to hold him again today. They also promote Kangaroo Care and want me to do that with Finn.

Kangaroo Care is when a parent holds the baby skin to skin. During kangaroo care, the baby is placed on the parent’s chest, dressed in a diaper and sometimes a cap. The baby’s head is turned to the side so the baby’s ear is against the parent’s heart. In this position the baby is able to find comfort in the parent’s heartbeat and feel the parent’s warmth. This procedure is effective, but it is limited to babies whose condition is not critical.

I guess if Finn weren't well enough, they wouldn't want us to do it, so that is good news, too. We'll see if I'm able to do that today or not. We tried only pumping once during the night last night and I don't think my body is ready for that yet. Ouch! We'll see what times work for tonight.

I uploaded quite a few pictures on our picture website (click on "our pictures" link on the right), but didn't have time to dink around with the video camera.

Happy belated birthday to me!

Stacy FINALLY got to hold Finn last night. It was wonderful and magical. It felt like that is what I'm supposed to be doing. I was crying so hard, I kept dripping on him. Oops! Depending on how Finn is doing every day, we can probably hold him once a day going forward. Yeah! Daddy is a little nervous to hold him just because Finn is so small. It has been baby steps for all of us! Also, Jim took Finn's temperature for the first time. I took video of it, but didn't take a still picture. Jim was surprised at how strong Finn is, even for Daddy! Mommy got to change another poopy diaper, but poopy diapers are a good sign that Finn's digestive system is working.

They gave him my milk twice yesterday and he tolerated both feedings. Again, this is great news. If his levels remained the same as yesterday, they may take him off the photo-therapy today. That means no more blue light and no more little goggles. It would be very common for him to have to go back on it every so often, but it is still great news. He is such a fighter!

It is my goal today to figure out how to download video from our camera. I haven't played with it since we got it for Christmas, so it is probably time I do that. Plus, we want to share the cute little clips we've been taking of Finn.

Today is the first day that Jim goes back to work (I think we are both dreading it). My sister Renae was supposed to come and spend the day with me (to keep me company and to see Finn of course!), but the weather is too bad in St. Cloud for her to leave. We always have bad luck with the weather! I plan to do my 11:30 pumping here at home and then head up to see baby Finn. Can't wait. Oh, and they gave me a second set of pumping equipment, so I can now pump at the hospital (allows for longer visits).

Our little trooper

Finn is doing great. Stacey, Sam and Dillon stopped by to see Finn for a little bit (Dillon is too young to come into the NICU, though). They took the CPAP off today, so now he just has a nose tube providing extra oxygen. But other than that, he is completely breathing on his own! I never dared hope he would be doing this well at only FIVE days old. When we were there this morning, he was having a little trouble remembering to breathe regularly, but was able to "remember" after a few seconds. The nurse only had to pat his butt once, which is really good. A "spell" is when the nurse has to remind him to breath. He only had three so far today.

The other piece of good news is that they fed him some of my milk this morning and he tolerated it! Again, babies his age are not supposed to be able to do this yet, so it is great news. They are going to try to give him a little more tonight to see how that goes. The good thing about him taking my milk, is that now he can start to gain weight (not immediately, but eventually). He weighs one pound, 11.5 ounces as of this morning.All the good news worries me a little because I'm waiting for the bad news, but I think that is pretty common. Don't worry, I am enjoying the good news as it comes. They took him off the photo-therapy for a while when were there today and took his goggles off. He just looks like a normal baby and I ache to just grab him and leave (don't worry...I won't!). He even opened his eyes for a long while and looked around and tried to see where the voices were coming from. I could just stare at him for hours.

Finn may be small, but he is strong and clearly a fighter. We count our blessings every day.

Finn's heart

Well, I didn't get to hold little Finn yesterday. I did get to take his temperature and change his (poopy) diaper. He was doing really well. His nurse put him on his tummy while we were there and he seemed to really like that. It is good to get the extra air out of his tummy and it is safe since he is hooked up to the monitors. But with the commotion of rolling over, it would have taken too much out of him for me to hold him, too. She thought I'd be able to some time this weekend.

The doctor called this morning with the daily update. They noticed he has an open blood vessel near his heart. If it gets worse, they will give him an aspirin-type medicine that corrects the problem in 80% of cases. If that doesn't work, he will need surgery to close it, which is only a 15 minute surgery but obviously the last resort. At this point, they are not overly concerned but will continue to monitor closely.

Thank you everybody for all the birthday wishes. It was not the 30th birthday I thought I'd have, but it was wonderful still. The funny moment of the night happened at dinner (El Loro). The waitress wanted to bring me a birthday shot of Tequila! John and Kelsie were like, "NO!" Then Jim said he'd have it for me. How thoughtful. Instead they brought me fried ice-cream, which is my favorite.

We don't have any concrete plans today, but have a feeling we will be making a few shorter trips to the hospital today so people can visit Finn. Others are only allowed to visit 10 minutes every hour, so sounds like many small trips will be called for. Oh and I wasn't able to get pictures or video uploaded yesterday. Will try again today!

It is Auntie Kristine's birthday today. Happy birthday! I won't say how old she is, but she's two years older than me. Ha, ha!

Stacy's First Birthday with Finn

In case you didn't know, today is Stacy's 30th birthday. I teased her that she would be in her thirties before she had a child after she found out she was pregnant; but Finn was determined to make a liar of me.

Given this was my last work day not at work I took the opportunity to sleep in. I did wake up long enough though throughout the night and morning to help Stacy with he pumping process; which is indeed a process.

We went to Target in the afternoon to pick up some things we didn't think we'd have to worry about for the next couple of months. Good thing though that Stacy made us register a month ago when we did because at least I had been orientated to the baby section a little bit.

After we got home from Target, Stacy was back at it pumping again and then we went to see baby Finn with our bag of liquid gold. The doctor was there when we arrived and gave us an update on the little guy's progress. His chromosome check came back normal and good - beyond checking multiple other items they confirmed that he was a boy. A fact that I little doubt about after seeing him when he was born. But apparently with preemies of this age they have to confirm it.

One of the two major concerns being born so young in addition to the potential lung problems is with brain hemorrhaging. They did an ultrasound today to check for that. We were pleased to hear from the doctor that the ultrasound showed no signs of any bleeding in his brain. In addition, there didn't appear to be any brain abnormalities. This is great news and as the doctor says this is generally a good indicator that hopefully there won't be major developmental issues. He is due for another one at two weeks to a month of age which is even a better indicator.

After visiting Finn (and pumping again) we went to El Loro for Stacy's birthday dinner and then returned home to continue celebrating with more family and friends.

It is difficult getting back into a regular routine while we know Finn is still at the hospital. But we know that he is in the best place and that we have to be here getting ready for when Finn is big enough to join us.

Until then we'll count our blessings for having a wonderfully strong son who continues to fight and a many family and friends and countless others whom we don't even know that are thinking about us and praying for us.

Happy 30th Stacy, I love you!

Last night's visit

Jim, Becky, Austin, Renae and I headed up to visit Finn last night after dinner. Becky made us pot roast, potatoes, carrots, onions and gravy for dinner. Not sure if it was meant to be our homecoming meal or not, but it was really good (no more hospital food!) and much appreciated. I knew the NICU had a "sibling play room" but didn't know the rules or anything. Well, since Austin can't visit Finn (you have to be 16 and he isn't very close to that!), we went in there and they provide supervised child care in a room full of a million fun toys and activities for FREE! This place is amazing. That way both Becky and Renae could visit Finn with us instead of taking turns watching Austin. And the good news is that Austin LOVED it and didn't want to leave. Makes it easier for Becky to visit Finn now!!

Finn is still doing really well. They were able to put in a long term IV in his right arm so they won't have to keep putting in IV's all the time (a normal IV only lasts about 2 days in a preterm baby, so he'd have to keep getting poked all the time). That was good news. I didn't cry as much last night, so I was able to talk to him for quite a while. And all of his nurses have been to informative and kind and wonderful. At least if we can't be there, I know he is being well taken care of by people who genuinely care about him. Takes a special person to be a NICU nurse.

AND I got to take his temperature! It was a little scary, but he did really well. He is surprisingly strong for how little he is. I had to hold the thermometer under his arm and hold his arm down on it...but he kept resisting. A little stubborn maybe?!?! Then I "helped" while his nurse changed his diaper (okay, I just took the little tabs off, but still!).

Jim had to run over to Abbott because we forgot a couple things when we left yesterday (of course!). While he was gone, I got to pick Finn up! Not "hold" him, but when the nurse changed his diaper, he had pooped (a good thing for a preterm!) and she got a little on his blanket. So I put my hand under his butt and neck and lifted his straight up about 4 or 5 inches in the air while she replaced his blanket. What a wonder experience. He was lighter than I thought he'd be, but since he weighs less than 2 pounds, I guess that makes sense. Nobody was around to take a picture, but hopefully if I hold him today, there will be plenty of pictures.

Thank you everybody for the wonderful birthday wishes on here and that have been emailed. It is hard to care about my birthday (even if it is a "big" one) when we have so much more important things going on. When we got pregnant, Jim told me that I'd be 30 when we had our baby but he'd only be 29. I guess he was wrong for once in his life! (although, I wish he had been right so Finn could have grown a little bigger) Not sure what today will bring. I need to run to Target to get some supplies and I think I'm going to treat myself to a mani/pedi. I think we'll only get one visit in today with Finn (sad!), but I guess it is only right to at least acknowledge that it is my birthday. They are going to give me a second set of pumping accessories so I can pump there at the NICU (that way visits can be a little longer). Have I mentioned how amazing Children's is?

I have a few more pictures and some video. I will try to upload them to our pictures site today. Not sure if we can do video on that site...if not, then I'll just put it on here.

Leaving Finn

After a 12 day stay, I was discharged from the hospital around 10am this morning. Obviously, it was very bitter sweet for us. We went over to visit Finn before we left. They had to put an IV in his hand because the vein in the umbilical cord wasn't working (they said why, but we don't remember). So now he has a big bandage on his left hand. They also added a tube to his mouth. For now, it was suctioning "green stuff" out of his stomach (common for preterm babies like Finn to have). They are also going to attempt to feed him some of my milk today through that same tube. But the doctor said that he might give it right back (which again is normal and they would expect him to do so). Too funny.

So, while he is doing very well, he has more things hooked up to him. I took a short video while we were there. Jim wasn't up to touching him, so we just talked to him for a while (or I tried, but really I was just crying). I think he is still scheduled for him brain scan tomorrow, while will tell us a lot more about is over all health and status.

We had some house keeping things to take care of (confirm admission information for Finn, get a parking pass, etc). We did that and then left for home...after we were able to find our car. After 12 days, we weren't sure where it was. I had to pump about 25 minutes late by the time we got home, so that wasn't fun. I had not idea pumping was going to be so painful, but I'm more than willing to do it for Finn.

While it is nice to be home (after making me lunch, Jim has been sleeping all day!), it is obviously tough to be away from Finn. I guess we will get used to it or at least adjust to it.

Boring Housekeeping Items Update

Just wanted to relay some news about some minor changes to our blog in case you didn't notice.

1. We've changed the pregnancy ticker to Finn's age counter; assuming everything goes well Finn would be coming home some time around 100 days of age.

2. For those of you who have had difficulty posting comments to our entries or just want to write a note quickly, we've added a Quick Comment gadget in the right margin. Simply enter your name in the "Name" field and your comment in the "Message" field; you don't need to enter anything in the "Website" field. When completed, click the "Shout!" button at the bottom of the gadget and your message will be posted. If you prefer to leave comments in the traditional manner you may of course still do so. Also, the Quick Comment gadget can be used to chat with other people who may be on the site at the same time as you; to do so simply leave messages back and forth for each other.

3. We've updated our pictures which can be found under the "Our Pictures" link in the upper right; there are many new pictures in there of Finn and from the hospital. Stacy continues to update the albums daily with tags (so you know who is in the pictures) and quick descriptions of the pictures.

4. You can now sign up to receive an RSS feed of our blog under "Subscribe to our Blog"; this would allow you to view the blog entries immediately after they are made from Google, Yahoo and other sites without having to navigate to our blog page.

5. Visitors can now link to other blogs maintained by our friends and family - again this can be found in the right margin.

That's it for now. We will be leaving the hospital tomorrow morning (Finn will still be in the NICU for some time yet) but will continue to update everyone on Finn's progress and anything else interesting (and some things maybe not interesting) that is happening in our lives.

Again, we can't thank you all enough for the support!!

Wednesday night

We decided that we will spend another night at Abbott tonight (Wedendsay, 1/7). We will most likely be discharged Thursday AM. If anybody wants to visit Jim and/or me, any time after 6pm should work (or if you come earlier, you'll have to wait in the waiting room from about 5:30 to 6)...but please let Jim know just so we aren't packed like sardines. Just a reminder, you will most likely NOT be able to visit Finn, but we can request to view him via TV monitor.

Touching my baby

Jim, Ron, Lynn, Stacey and I went to visit Finn this morning. It is so emotional for me to see him both because he is doing so well and because he is so little and has so much growing and learning to do. He is one strong little fighter.

When we were there, his nurse let me touch him! I didn't even dare hope that I could. I asked if she could put her hand next to him so when we took a picture, there would be perspective, since he looks so big in the pictures, but he really isn't. Then she said that she could do one better and I could put my hand in with him. I tried to get him to hold my finger, but he wasn't having it! He is already stubborn. Ha, ha.
Awesome. I ache so much to touch, hold and kiss him, but this is one step closer. As you can see, he was completely off the CPAP for awhile when we were there so we could see his face! What a wonderful moment. He did really well while he was off the CPAP and completely breathing on his own. We're hoping Jim can touch him next time we visit. Plus, she said that I might get to HOLD him on my birthday, which is this Friday! That would be the best birthday present ever. He needs to continue doing as well as he has been doing for that to happen, but here's hoping!

He cried a little bit when she took the CPAP off because it is very tight. His cry was so cute. Jim said it is like comparing a cub's wimper to a lion's roar (if a full term newborn's cry were the roar). Makes a mom ache to hear it and not be able to do anything. Eventually!

I have been attempting to pump since yesterday afternoon. It can take several days for anything to come, but luckily, I've been getting a tiny bit every time. And this morning, after two pumping sessions, we had nearly four syringes full! While in reality, it is a small amount, it is several "meals" for Finn, since he only eats about the size of the tip of your pinky with each meal. Right now, they are giving him other fluids and are adding more protein today, which helps with growth. They will start giving him my "stuff" in a few days. The nurses call it "liquid gold."

We took several more pictures and I will be uploading them to the picture website shortly. Check them out when you have time. Thank you again to everybody for their many, many prayers and kind thoughts. If wealth were measured by the friends and family you have, we would be kings. Thank you so much. We love you all.

News from the NICU

Finn's doctor called this morning at about 10:00 am to let us know that he is doing "excellent". At about 1:00 am this morning, they took the ventilator off and replaced it with a CPAP, a breathing tool used for apnea which is a common condition for pre-term babies. The doctor said that Finn is tolerating it very well thus far but they will continue to monitor him closely. Within an hour or so, we will be going over to the NICU with our parents to visit Finn; if we learn anymore at that time I'll post another update.

Finally, we are weighing whether or not to go home yet today (Stacy only of course not Finn). The nurse stated that if Stacy feels well enough she could probably be discharged today. If anyone was planning on visiting later this afternoon or during the evening please check with me first to ensure we are still going to be here. You can call my cell phone or try our room at the hospital directly at (612) 863-2604.

Before I go here is a picture of Finn - find more pictures at the link to the right titled "Our Pictures".

Baby Finn

Hi everybody. Below is a video of Finn. We recorded this from Stacy's TV in her hospital room where we can view a live feed of little Finn from his incubator at Childrens' Hospital. You'll notice that he has shades over his eyes - they didn't really say why but I'm guessing it's because his future is so bright!

A few more stats on our little guy: he was 15 inches long and weighed one pound and 15 ounces. These are both much larger than what we had expected. Needless to say this was a pleasant surprise! Also, according to www.howmanyofme.com there statistically are five or less people named Finnegan Thomas in the United States.

If anyone would like to come visit, Stacy is in recovery and doing quite well and you are more than welcome to do so. You probably won't be able to see the baby in person but we can have the monitor turned on so you can see him. Stacy's expected discharge from the hospital is 10:00 am on Thursday; Finn will be here yet for two to three months. Thanks for the continued prayers as Finn and the rest of us commence in the next stage of this journey.

The Wait Is Over

Finnegan James Thomas was born this morning at 5:24 a.m. Mom did great and delivered in less than 20 minutes! Baby was trying to breath when he was born but as we knew he went on the ventilator. He was just transferred over to Childrens' Hospital also as expected - they said that he was doing good. I'm a bit shell shocked so that's about all I know at the moment. I'll update more as I have more information.

Station 64

Good morning, afternoon, evening depending on when you are reading this. Unfortunately the contractions I mentioned in my previous post did not subside. They have escalated in frequency and intensity - I'm sure that's easy for me to say.

As such, we have been transferred to Station 64 which is labor and delivery. The pain was getting quite bad for Stacy but she was just given some medication which seems to be helping somewhat. An epidural would be the next step if this doesn't help enough.

At this point, we don't know if this will continue to escalate until delivery in the short term or if it might wane and return to the stable condition we were in before. Obviously we are hoping for the latter.

Fortunately throughout the night and early morning Stacy has had one of the nurses which we both really like. She has been very attentive and supportive.

We have nearly reached 26 weeks which is much more than we had anticipated when this adventure began. We aren't conceding that there will for sure be a delivery, but we are counting those blessings which we have been given.

If anyone was planning on visiting for the remainder of this week please check with me first either via email (stacy.thomas97@hotmail.com) or by posting a comment to the blog.

Captain's Blog Supplemental

Back in the saddle - it has been a while now since I posted an update. I was letting Stacy have all the fun since she has been up to using the laptop and catching up on a few things.

Stacy and TJ continue to remain about the same as before. Stacy did have two contractions this evening while she was on the monitor and they have continued for a little bit but unless they continue at regular intervals the doctor and nurse said there is no cause for concern; we'll just continue to do as we have done though and take it one hour at a time. More learning in this regard as apparently the contractions have to happen on occasion in order to continue to make room for the baby as he grows. So hopefully that's all it is.

Speaking of making room and growing, etc. we took another picture of Stacy's tummy as we have done on a regular basis so we can see it grow as the pregnancy progresses. As with our other pictures, you can see these by clicking the Our Pictures link on the upper right corner of the blog. Interestingly enough though after Stacy's water broke you could actually visibly see that her tummy shrank. Here is a picture from a week or two before we came to the hospital:


And here is a picture from yesterday:


As you can see, there was quite a change.

We were able to watch the Viking game yesterday as you might surmise from Stacy's garb. Despite the outcome we stayed nice and calm and didn't get too wrapped up in what happened. I was impressed since Stacy is such a big fan; but I guess being in the hospital helps put things in perspective.

I was able to spend a night at home on Saturday. Thank you to Becky for staying with Stacy so that I could do that. While it was nice to have a break, I missed being here with Stacy and TJ and couldn't help but think that it's unfair that Stacy doesn't get a break.

We continue to fill our time with guests, movies, reading and games. Stacy and I are now tied at one game each in Trivial Pursuit - we'll have to play the rubber match soon. Today we received a game from Jessica called 30 Second Mysteries - it was a nice change of pace and very fun; maybe more so for Stacy because she kicked my butt.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful new year thus far!

Pictures

In case anybody is interested, I just uploaded pictures on our picture website (link on the right hand side). It is mainly pictures from Christmas, my 24 week preggo pic (much bigger than I am now!) and pics from the hospital. I didn't have energy to add captions, but will get to that eventually.

One more day

Another day and night. Yeah. Things are good here and with many visitors, not too boring either. Becky volunteered to stay over night with me last night so Jim was able to go home and sleep in his own bed. He hadn't slept well the night before, so he was pretty excited. He is on his way back now, so I haven't heard the report on how nice it was to be in our bed. Becky was a great care taker and didn't get mad at me for going to the bathroom every 10 minutes (it was really 3 hours, but Jim was tired!). Too funny.

Not much else new to report, which is always a good thing for us! It looks absolutely gorgeous outside (bright blue sky, sunny). I know it is cold, but since I don't go outside, that doesn't really bother me!

We have a few visitors planned for today. And of course the Vikings play at 3:30pm. Becky even brought my jersey up for me to wear. They allowed me to watch the game last week, but had to promise I would shut it off if I got upset. I'm much more stable this Sunday, so I didn't have to make that promise! Go Vikings!

Oh and one more thing. I thought when you signed up to be a "follower" of our blog you would be emailed updates, but found out yesterday that is not the case. The purpose of a follower is to have all your blogs in one spot when you log into your account. Jim looked into it and if you want emails when there is an update, you need to follow the RSS feed. I don't know how to do this, but if you're interested, I'm sure he can set it up for you (just email or call him!) or you can look around and see what it takes. Just trying to help!

Oh Happy Day

It is Stacy, finally! Well, I woke up this morning around 7am and couldn't help but think about that time last Saturday. We were at North Memorial, I was in full labor, contractions every 5 minutes apart (or sooner) and was dialated to a 4 and for all points and purposes, we were delivering a baby in the near future. It was probably the scariest day of my life and also the saddest. I didn't know what was going to happen and I was so scared for our little guy (everybody has been calling him TJ for Thomas Junior since we won't tell the name we picked!). I never dreamed to hope a week later, we'd be at arguably the best hospital in the midwest for preterm labor, TJ would be still "hibernating" inside me and we'd be settling into a routine and life here at the hospital.

Which brings me to my next thought. God has definitely been smiling on us, with no doubt. I do not think we would still be here in the Garden if it weren't for all of your heart felt prayers and loving thoughts. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful, caring people in our lives. This just proves the power of prayer. The saying "my cup runneth over" has never had such a profound meaning to me before. Every person who has read this blog and said a prayer or sent us good wishes has made a difference and Jim and I can never possibly fully express our gratitude and appreciation.

Something else I am thankful for...having the best husband in the entire world. He will be embarrassed by that, but I can't say enough how wonderful Jim has been through all of this. I can not think of one other person in the entire world I would want to be going through something like this with (well, I mean, if you HAVE to go through something like this!). While he has always been a wonderful and loving husband, he has never shown me the depth of love he has over the last week (or TJ either for that matter). His patience, willingness to help out whenever or however needed (which is a lot) and level headedness has been my rock and inspiration. I will never be able to express it appropriately in words, but I just wanted to try.

Thank you everybody for all the wonderful emails and comments. Jim reads them to me every few hours and they make me feel calm and surrounded by love. Also, thank you to everybody who has been able to come and visit. It is wonderful to see everybody and it helps the day go by a little faster.

Well, we are at 25 weeks and 3 days. While we are grateful to just be this far along, we can't help but hope for more (God can do anything, right?!?!). If we can get to 28 weeks (Jan 21), it will be a miracle. Of course, that is too far away for me to think about and dwell on, so every night I go to bed, I remember how blessed we are to still be pregnant and just hope to get through each night. So far so good...but anything can happen. I'll just remember to count my/our many blessings whenever that does happen.

With much love,
Stacy

The Art of Healing

Stacy was finally able to get out of the room. I'm sure that it is a joy for her considering when she showers and lays on the couch for the two minutes it takes for them to change her bed linens she is happy because she gets a different perspective of the room.

Right now she is in the Station 54 Central Circle Group Area which is the middle of the rooms. She is joining the other women in the long-term antepartum unit (the Garden) for a relaxation and anti-anxiety course called The Art of Healing Program. It is hosted by the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing and is geared to help the patients here "cope with stress, anxiety and other feelings about their unique journey through pregnancy." They will be making a collage which is supposed to be representative of lowering their stress and anxiety as well as their child's in the womb.

Personally it sounds very new agey to me; but given the circumstances I've learned a lot I would have hoped to have never learned and am open to anything that might possibly help which I may have laughed off in the past. The instructor is an Integrative Medicine Practitioner who has been giving Stacy theraputic massage every other day - that has seemed to help with her bed rest so hopefully this will help as well.

Additionally, we saw someone else from Integrative Medicine this morning and talked a little bit about accupuncture. Since they don't do massage below the hips for pregnancy this would potentially be a good option to help Stacy with the knee pains she has been having from laying on her side.

Our pregnancy ticker continues to accurately let us all know how long through the gestation period our baby is; obviously though the number of days left isn't accurate because regardless of what happens they won't let the baby go to full term. We are now hoping for 61 more days as a best case senario. At that point, she would be at 34 weeks and they would induce labor. The next big step though is getting to 28 weeks which is still 19 days - that would put us at January 21. At 28 weeks, many key risk factors go down and the baby would have a lot better chance of breathing on his own. Given where we were last Saturday, the fact that we are still here is a miracle and we are still taking it one hour and one day at a time.

Stacy was on the monitor this morning for a little longer than normal. They spotted a rhythm blip just as they were going to take it off. After leaving it on though and comparing it to the previous tracings where there were problems and we moved back upstairs, they were completely different and didn't give the providers any cause for concern. This is good because Stacy had just gotten the IV lead taken out and she wasn't looking forward to having another one put back in right away which is what would have happened if there were problems.

Before Stacy went out to the group session, we were watching the movie Burn After Reading. It stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney - oddly enough I was the one who picked out the movie and not Stacy considering the leading men. We haven't finished it yet but it is a very odd movie.

Alright, I think at the point that I start talking about movies it's time for me to finish. So, that's it for now.

Growing in the Garden

Sorry that I haven't done any updates today until now but it has been a busy day - in a good way.

We've had a lot of visitors today - so much so that I had to put together a schedule so there weren't too many at once! Thank you to everyone who took time out of your holiday to stop in and say hi to us. The guests make the time go much quicker than when I'm doing something like reading take out menus and store directories to Stacy. Don't ask why I was doing that; it's not a very interesting story.

Things remain pretty much the same as they have been as of late. Stacy and baby remain stable and from the title you can tell that we are still in the garden. Stacy seemed to have more energy today and even ate all of her lunch for once.

I was able to get a full night's sleep last night using my air mattress. One of the multiple reasons I'm happy we're back at Station 54 - certainly not the most important though.

While I enjoy updating the blog and like to make it interesting, I hope that my upcoming entries can be as bland as this one with little new news to report. With what will hopefully be a continued lack of eventful occurrences, I'll have some more time to think up some witty quips to include to keep things fun. If I start telling knock-knock jokes though tell me to stop. Our best to everyone and as always thanks for the support.

3...2...1...1...Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! In case you thought I was going a little too stir crazy and forgot how to count based upon what I wrote for the title of my post there is some meaning to it. In the event you didn't hear, there is an extra second this year. Sorry for the lame rhyme, but I'm trying out my prose in case I want to become a poet when we are done with this journey. Anyway, there is a leap second that is added to all of the official times immediately before midnight - not sure how the ball in Times Square will handle that one.

Stacy remains in good condition and spirits. She beat me at Trivial Pursuit tonight - I only had one pie when she won and for you naysayers no I didn't just let her win!

Thankfully we won't be getting an extra tax deduction for the baby this year - hopefully he'll stay closer aligned to his original due date of tax day on April 15 than anything else as it relates to that subject.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us, prayed for us and been so thoughtful. It has been a shining beacon of happiness and hope in what has otherwise been a sad close to 2008.

Here's to 2009 - I hope for the best for everyone!

Back to the Garden

Big day so far and it's not even close to over. Yea, we made it back to the garden - same room as before; that move happened at about 12:30 this afternoon. It's good to be back here - it is so much more comfortable. The move came so quickly I still forgot to take pictures of the critical unit; I'm sure people will start thinking that I'm exaggerating the difference so I really want to get those pictures!

The morning started at about 6:45 am when the transport took us over for the ultrasound. That lasted about 40 minutes or so. It was good to see the detailed ultrasound again. They gave us a few printouts and I hung a couple on the railings of Stacy's bed and put one on the white board. The results of the ultrasound showed that the heart looks good (DeAnn will be happy, and yes we told them about the heart history in our family!), there is very little fluid (no surprise there), baby is about one pound nine ounces (with a plus or minus error margin of four ounces), and his size is estimated to be in about the 48th percentile.

The overall score that baby got on the ultrasound is 6/8. I guess that's OK but 75% isn't that a C? They said if it wasn't for the lack of fluid it would have been an 8/8 - I guess he'll have to take his Fluid Sciences courses a bit more seriously. I'll have to have a talk to him about that! The resident that we see everyday said that the score was actually pretty good but beyond that we don't really know what the score means.

We have been seeing some visitors again so if you were planning to come today or anytime forward you are definitely welcome and we can't wait to see you. Keep in mind we are trying to keep visitors to no more than two at a time though and only between noon and 8:00 pm. Even though we are back in the garden right now please call before visiting to make sure the time is good and to verify our location. Since we've been changing rooms so much and because I don't really want to post a phone number in the blog please call the hospital and ask for Stacy's room to check (our cell phones aren't supposed to be used so if you do call our cell phones leave a message and we will get back to you).

That's all for now. Happy New Years to everyone. Meaningless bowl game in Arizona tonight, but it is a bowl game (not sure if we will be able to see it or not), GO GOPHERS!

I was told to get some rest, but can't...

...so I opted to write a quick update instead.

Stacy felt some more tightening this morning which got us both up around 4:00 am; she went on the monitor for about an hour. They took it off about half an hour ago. At 7:00 am, transport comes to take us to a level two ultrasound which is a bit more detailed in terms of measuring the size of the baby, fluid levels around the baby and the like.

When that is completed, we may know some more about what is happening and what to expect; but like with everything else my assumption is that regardless of what they find out that the only thing that we should expect is not to know what exactly to expect because every case is so much different. I am hoping though that we can see the baby doing some more practice breathing for a more sustained time period.

I'll follow my instructions now and try to get about an hour of rest before the transport comes - at least Stacy is sleeping now again which is good. I'll post another update once we find out more information from the ultrasound or if anything changes.

Back to the Future II

We are still in the critical pre-birthing unit but the doctor recently read the fetal/maternal tracings and decided it was safe to take off the monitor for now. That decision was made before the IV was attached to the line - poor Stacy though she just had the first one removed about three hours ago and then they placed another IV line and it never even got used.

We'll be here again in critical for at least the night and hopefully things will stay stabilized. I'll try to get some sleep on my mini cot again - so much for the the full airbed I just bought to use on top of the uncomfortable, spring ladden, thin mattressed but larger hide-a-bed in the garden. That's definately the least of my concerns though and hopefully I'll be able to use it later. It is not necessarily common but also not unusual for people to move back and forth between the garden and critical. But like I said before it doesn't matter where we are as long as the baby and Stacy are OK.

I said in my first post this would be like a roller coaster and it definately is - at least I accurately defined the expectations for myself. Feel free to write comments and continue to send emails. I read them all to Stacy and she enjoys hearing them.

Back to the Future

Unfortunately we were just transferred back up to the critical pre-birthing unit - moved down three rooms from our previous location. Stacy is getting an IV put back in right now and the fetal/maternal monitor will remain as long as we are in this unit.

When they monitored the baby in the garden this evening, he was presenting heart beat variations which in and of itself isn't bad but requires closer monitoring. It can be a sign of contractions even though Stacy has felt none and is not in any pain.

They did an ultrasound immediately when we got back up here and the baby was demonstrating a good heartbeat, good position with his head still down and other positive signs including he was practicing his breathing motions. Unfortunately there is, as we know, very little fluid left which can exacerbate the condition since it constricts the umbilical cord at times depending on the baby's position which can in turn contribute to the heart rate fluctuations. Thankfully they continue to watch us closely and have us in the best place for the current condition of mom and son.

We appreciate all of the visitors and think that it has been very helpful for Stacy, the baby and me. I think that it has put us in a better state of mind, helped the baby progress in a positive manner and certainly made the time pass faster. That being said if anyone was planning on visiting please check with someone first to confirm that Stacy can have visitors at the time you were planning. A good way to check is by commenting to this blog and waiting for our response or emailing us at:

stacy.thomas97@yahoo.com

Obviously at this juncture the ongoing prayers are appreciated and undoubtedly helpful.

Station 54 Where Are You?

Station 54 is one of the units in the "garden" where early term babies not yet born go to continue to grow. We are so thankful for many reasons to be transferred here earlier today most of all is the fact that the transfer means the baby is still getting bigger and stronger!

Because "I'm bad at taking pictures because Stacy is usually the one who normally does it" I unfortunately don't have any pictures of our previous accommodations to use as a comparison but I have included some pictures of our new room in the garden.

While the care was great in the critical pre-birthing unit, the room was a bit small. Our current suite has plenty of room for guests, it's own bathroom with a shower and on a selfish note a full pull out bed for me instead of the fold down cot size bed I had before. It also has a DVD player and nice TV as well as a stereo which will help us pass what will hopefully still be a great deal of time.

Stacy and baby continue to do as well as we can expect. She is now off of the IV support and taking nutrients and medication orally. She also no longer requires the continuous fetal monitor which is now only done twice a day.

Our greatest hope is that we can be here for as long as eight to 10 weeks before delivery but we know that it could still happen at any time since the labor hasn't technically been stopped and the risk of infection which would induce active labor is still quite high. Even so we're still very thankful that we've cleared the first 48 hours and take comfort in the fact that the baby's lungs are maturing with each passing moment since that time.

We've had some wonderful emails and comments from many of you and they are all greatly appreciated; as are the countless other thoughts and prayers.

If anyone has any questions about anything that they would like me to respond to or would like to inquire about coming to visit please post a comment here on our blog or email us at:

stacy.thomas97@yahoo.com

Hurry Up and Wait!

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are still cleared to move to the garden but it doesn't seem as if there is an opening right now. The nurse practitioner came over from Childrens' Hospital and let us know that she normally sees about 15 women during the day and today she had 27 so their volume is way up. She also said they have about 14 rooms in the garden and it doesn't look like anyone will be leaving today and there are three other women who are waiting to get in as well. One of those women is waiting for triplets! While I hope we get in soon I hope that everyone else who needs their deliveries to be delayed as well get their wish. We're fine though for now where we are although it's a little cramped here. The important part though is that the labor is still on hold and as long as that stays the case I guess it doesn't matter where we are at. Hopefully we'll have some pictures to add for the next update but we'll see.

Moving to the Garden to keep growing the baby?! We hope!

Well, we have made it through the first critical stage - it has now been over 48 hours since the baby had the medicine to help develop his lungs. Whether he is born sooner or later his lungs should now continue to progress faster than they would have so he will be better situated to either avoid the respirator or come of it it sooner.

The second stage has now begun as Stacy is off of the magnesium. As I noted in the previous entry, this is the medication which slowed the labor. Thankfully now three hours after that stopped she has still had no major contractions and the doctor thinks she'll remain stable. As such, he has placed the order for us to move to the "garden" at noon assuming there is a room available and nothing changes before then.

When we move to a new room, I will confirm the move for people who have been visiting so they don't go to the old room. Likewise if anything changes before then I will also update here if I have a chance.

Day Two: More Waiting!!

Thankfully there were no changes today thus far. Stacy remains stable although a bit sore from having to be in bed on either her right or left side 99% of the time; the baby's fetal monitor tracings are looking good and we're happy, given the circumstances, that we aren't yet officially parents.

We're getting ever closer to the end of that first vital 48 hour period since the baby was given the steroids to help develop the lungs faster. Hopefully we will make it to that point (6:00 am Monday morning) in our current condition and when we do we will engage upon the next critical stage.

At that point, assuming no changes prior to then, Stacy will go off of the medication (magnesium sulfate) which has been preventing the contractions and delaying the labor process. She will remain in the critical pre-birthing unit until at least noon for observation after that medication ceases.

During that time (or anytime after of course) it is very possible that the labor may continue to escalate as it did prior to the magnesium in which case we'll move forward and prepare for delivery. It is also very possible that the labor might remain stalled and stable as it has been - in that case we will move to the "garden" which is a unit outside of the critical pre-birthing unit where women who are in Stacy's situation go for their "baby's to grow".

We are of course hoping that the labor doesn't escalate and we can go to the garden and our baby can continue to gestate.

For those of you wondering at this point, if taking her off of the magnesium might move the labor forward then why the hell are they doing it there is a sensible answer. Infection, which is a high risk right now since there is little fluid left to protect the baby, can cause the labor to move forward; the magnesium could prevent the labor even if there is an infection; delivering the baby as opposed to allowing an infection to escalate is a better option - hence, if you followed that, the best move after the baby has had the 48 hours with the lung medication is to stop the magnesium and primarily hope that the labor process remains stable or else deliver if it advances. Got that?

Hopefully you haven't stopped reading because given the last critical hours of stage one (until 6:00 am on Monday) and the critical hours beginning stage two we hope that you will all continue with your thoughts and prayers as it relates to this transition.

Stacy wasn't really into dictating because "she likes to type the message" so there is no entry from her today like I had hoped but she says hi and thanks for the support.

Captain's Blog Hospital Date 1.125

Still at Abbott in the critical pre-birthing area and thankfully no delivery yet. Stacy just remarked how it's strange that your life can slow down from counting days, weeks and months to minutes and hours.

Every extra hour without delivery is good. The baby just got a second dose of medication that will help his lungs develop faster - he needs to hold off from being born for at least 48 hours from the first dose, which happened yesterday at 6:00 am, for the medicine to have the most effect. He will still need to be on a respirator when he's born but it will hopefully reduce the amount of time before he can breath on his own.

If by some miracle he can hold off being born until about 28 weeks the chances go up greatly of being able to breath on his own and having less problems. Keep in mind though we are only at 24 weeks and 4 days today so while we're hopeful we can wait as long as possible for delivery we're taking it one hour and one day at a time.

That's all for now - if Stacy's up for it later today I'll see if she wants to dictate an update to me from her. Thanks for all the support.

Forget what the pregnancy ticker says, these things happen at their own pace.

Well, so this is my first post and unfortunately it doesn't get to be a fun one. Stacy went into early labor this morning. Needless to say if you've been looking at the ticker our little baby boy is really LITTLE.

At this point, they won't be able to stop the labor or delivery but they're trying to do everything they can to delay the delivery as much as possible. That will give the baby extra time to continue to develop and he needs every hour and hopefully day that he can get.

Right now I'm writting this from Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. The eventful day began at 4:00 am on our trip to North Memorial Hospital - I only passed one car in a no passing zone - didn't go over 45 mph and only ran two red lights. When it was determined that the baby was going to have to be delivered and it is only a matter of when the decision was made to transfer to Abbott this morning at 10:00. This was a bit safer of a trip in an ambulance with lights and sirens - Stacy in the back and me in the cab. No they didn't let me drive or even hit the siren or horn buttons.

The good news is that Abbott is associated with one of the best childrens' hospitals around and is connected to them by tunnel. Immediately after the baby is born he will be transferred over to Childrens' Hospital's NICU where hopefully if things go well he'll stay until he gets stronger and gets discharged at would have been between his 36th week or delivery date.

It will be a bit of a rollercoaster and we will try to keep everyone updated with all the ups, downs, twists and turns.

Your pregnancy: 24 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How your life's changing:

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball. [it feels like it is sitting really high, but last time my doctor measured, she said it was in the "right" spot...I'll take her word for it!]

Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. [I have this screening at my next appointment, which is on Tuesday. I have to drink a ton of "juice" which I'm sure it gross. Hopefully all is well. Will update after the appointment.] This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.

I've gained a little more weight than I'm supposed to (maybe 4 or 5 extra pounds), but I'm blaming that on Christmas (I was doing so well beforehand!). I ate WAY too much. Getting back on a normal schedule will probably help (and getting rid of all the yummy Christmas cookies and treats!).

We just found out our friends Steph and Steve are having a girl (Steph, hope you don't mind me sharing!). Think pink! It is funny because Jim and I were positive we were having a girl and they were positive they were having a boy! They are due two weeks after us, so if they only lived in MN or we lived in KS, our babies could be best friends. Boo, hoo.

Merry Christmas to all!

Jim and I want to wish all of you a wonderfully merry Christmas. Our Christmas plans start today. We are going over to my sister Kristine's house near Maple Grove. Then on Christmas morning, we are traveling to Ortonville to Jim's parent's house. We will be stopping in Benson on our way to see my mom's family (we didn't get to see them for Thanksgiving).

This is the first year we haven't celebrated with the Thomas clan on Christmas Eve, but we are rotating every year going forward. It's only fair since both of our families celebrate on Christmas Eve. We are staying over in Ortonville Christmas Day night and then probably heading back to the Cities. Should be a fun time with family.

On a baby update, I've been having some pain in my lower abdomen. I'm thinking it was intestinal related, as it went away and I'm feeling much better today. I have a doctor appointment next week, so I can talk to my doctor about it then, if it persists (or I'll call her sooner if it comes back!). In the meantime, I'll be sure to eat lots of fiber!

Merry Christmas!
Love,
The Thomases

Fun Fact: Little lightweights

The average newborn weight in 2005 was 7 pounds, 5 ounces, almost exactly what it was in 2004. About 8 percent of babies born in 2006 were low birth weight (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces) — also basically unchanged from 2005. The low-birth-weight rate has risen 19 percent since 1990. Induced labors, cesarean deliveries, older maternal age, and fertility therapies are reasons cited for the earlier trend.

I'll be prefectly happy with an average sized baby (I'll be prefectly happy with ANY sized baby, but my body would be happier afterwards with an average sized one!). Just as long as Baby T doesn't take after daddy and want to be one MONTH over due! Seriously, I don't think they will even let you be that over due any more (hopefully!). If Nicki (due May 11) has her baby before I do, I will NOT be happy. Ha, ha.

We finally registered!

Okay, for those of you who have been asking...yes, we have finally registered at Target (link to our registry). While it isn't fully complete, it is a good start (hopefully Babies R Us will be following shortly!).

By posting this website, Jim and I by NO means expect anybody to buy us anything. I just wanted to make it easier for those of you who were wondering and have been asking about it. I put a link on the blog on the right hand side (under Helpful Information), so you can refer to it any time. Again, we appreciate any and all support from our family and friends and while that includes monetary items, we appreciate all the emotional support much more! We are very blessed.

Fun Fact: Boy power

Boy babies outnumber girl babies, with about 1,049 males for every 1,000 females in 2005 — a ratio that's stayed about the same over the past 60 years.

We should have guessed he was going to be a boy! Ha, ha. In both of our families, this baby tips the balance boy/girl ratio over to the boys' favor. We better start having some girls!

Your pregnancy: 23 weeks

How your baby's growing:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

How your life's changing:
You may notice that your ankles and feet start to swell a bit in the coming weeks or months, especially at the end of the day or during the heat of summer [well, don't have to worry about the heat of the summer! No swelling yet, but I'm sure it is just a matter of time]. Sluggish circulation in your legs — coupled with changes in your blood chemistry that may cause some water retention — may result in swelling, also known as edema. Your body will get rid of the extra fluid after you have your baby, which is why you'll pee frequently and sweat a lot for a few days after delivery. In the meantime, lie on your left side or put your feet up when you can, stretch out your legs when you sit, and avoid sitting — or standing — in one place for long periods [much easier to do when you don't have a job!]. Also, try to exercise regularly to increase circulation, and wear support stockings (put them on first thing in the morning) and roomy, comfortable shoes. You may be tempted to skimp on liquids to combat swelling, but you need to drink plenty of water because staying hydrated actually helps prevent fluid retention. While a certain amount of edema in your lower extremities is normal during pregnancy, excessive swelling may be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Be sure to call your midwife or doctor if you have severe or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, swelling in your face, or puffiness around your eyes.

Baby has been moving a TON. Not regular enough for others to catch the movement and feel it (other than Jim), but I'm sure that won't be long. We are hoping to start our registry today, but we've been trying to do it for a while now. If Jim is up to it, we will be going after work. And I know in a few months, I'll think I'm crazy, but my belly is HUGE! It is weird how for months, nothing and then in a matter of a couple weeks...pop! I'll take an updated picture next week.

Fun Fact: The waiting game

Over the last three decades, women have been waiting longer to become moms. In 1970, the average age for a first-time mother was about 21. In 2005, the average age of first-time moms was 25.2 years.

The average age of a first-time grandparent in the U.S. is 45.

I guess I'm a little behind the curve ball, but I don't mind (I'll be 30 when baby is born)! Good things come to those who wait! I couldn't find stats on the average age of first-time dads.

Baby is moving!

Jim felt the baby move last night! For about the last week, I thought I could feel the movements on the outside, but they are very sporadic and when it is your body feeling it inside and out, you can't be sure which one you are feeling (in the stomach or on the hand!). Baby kicked a few times in a row after we went to bed, so I grabbed his hand and put it over that spot. About 15 seconds later, he felt it! Very cool.

Fun Fact: Some like it hot

More newborns arrive during the late summer and early fall months of July, August, and September than during any other time of the year. It makes sense if you think about what happens nine months earlier in most of the country — the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors with their sweeties. Also, some people plan their baby's birth to coincide with summer vacations, especially teachers and other people who get summers off. August had the most birthdays in 2005 at around 369,000, and February had the fewest at about 310,000.

I can't imagine being pregnant during the hottest part of the summer, though! Although, there really isn't much else to do during the long winter in these frigid climates. Ha, ha.

I picked Jim up at the airport Friday night around 7:30, we stopped by and picked John, Kelsie and Dixie up and we headed to Ortonville, despite the many warnings about the possible bad weather. On Saturday, we had Christmas Lunch with Granny and we headed out of Ortonville at 3pm. No bad weather either way. Today, however, is a different story. It is raining here and it is -6 with a -35 wind chill in Ortonville right now with white out conditions. Glad we left yesterday! The rain here is supposed to turn into snow in a couple of hours, which is never a good thing. Hopefully we can all sit tight.

Kristine and Grace are coming over today to decorate gingerbread houses with Becky, Austin, Jim and I. John, Kelsie and Dixie are over, too (the Vikings play at 3pm!). Should be a fun day.

Fun Fact: Twins

These days, about one in 32 births are twin births. This rate has gone up 65 percent since 1980, and it's more than double the rate among women who conceive without medical assistance — one in 89.

Meanwhile, the likelihood of having identical twins (when one fertilized egg divides in half) is about one in 250. This rate hasn't changed over the decades and is remarkably constant all over the world.

Your pregnancy: 22 weeks

How your baby's growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

How your life's changing:
At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. It's perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you'd rather they didn't. [at this point anyway, I don't mind...but then strangers can't really tell I'm pregnant with all the winter gear on] And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate. What's important is that you see your practitioner for regular visits so she can make sure your baby's growth is on track.

You may start to notice stretch marks on your abdomen as it expands to accommodate your growing baby. [none yet, but I'm sure it won't be long!] At least half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks by the time they give birth. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color). Although they most commonly appear on your tummy, stretch marks may also show up on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. There's no proof that lotion helps prevent stretch marks, but keeping your skin moisturized may help with any itching. [my belly had been a little itchy, but could be the dry weather, too]

I uploaded current preggo pics! Click on the "our pictures" link on the right to view. Man, my belly went crazy over the last two weeks. I'm DEFINITELY showing now! Jim is out of town on business and gets back Friday night. Then we are driving straight to Ortonville from the airport for Christmas with Granny (Jim's great grandma). Back on Saturday and decorating gingerbread houses with Becky, Austin, Kristine and Grace on Sunday. Busy few days. Good thing I don't have a job to get in the way of all of my plans!

Clothes Organization & Christmas Tree

My sister Renae was visiting for a few days and was kind enough to kick me in the butt. I've been wanting to organize my room and transition my pre-preggo clothes out and move in the maternity clothes for over a month. But, if you have seen our bedroom, this is a much bigger task than it sounds. So, she helped me move the pre-preggo clothes into the spare bedroom closet. Then I tried on Becky's maternity clothes to see which ones fit me and then I hung all of the maternity shirts up. It feels good to be able to go into my closet and see what clothes I have to pick from. I'm still in transition with the whole pants situation, but I wore a pair of my old size 12's last night and they were pretty comfortable (but they won't be fitting me for long!). Sad to think they used to fit me when I wasn't pregnant! Glad they aren't my normal size any more.

We FINALLY started decorating for Christmas last night by putting up our brand new pre-lit LED light tree! So pretty...except four branches won't light up! Jim and I did everything we could think of to fix it and nothing worked. I'm really disappointed because it is a really pretty tree. Hopefully a call to the manufacturer will shed some light. I plugged it in for Austin this morning (he was in bed when we put it up last night) and he LOVED it. So fun to see Christmas through a child's eyes. Now I just need Jim to bring up all the decoration boxes for me.

Fun Fact: When Babies Arrive

Super Tuesday: The most popular day for babies to make their entrance? It's still Tuesday, which boasted 13,169 births in 2005. That's 16.2 percent more babies than on the average day. Sunday was the slowest day, with 7,374 births. Scheduled labor induction and c-sections may be part of the reason babies were much less frequently born on the weekends.

[Grandma Thomas has requested a Friday, I believe, so I'll see what I can do! I wonder what days Jim and I were born on...]

Christmas, names and preggo update

Well, I probably shouldn't have, but I bought a video camera the day after Thanksgiving for our Christmas present to each other. I got a really good deal, but given our financial situation, I feel like maybe I shouldn't have. But, I know I will be really happy I have it once baby is here (and it is one less thing we'll have to get later on). I'm wrapping it up so we have something to open on Christmas! Too funny. I justified it because we didn't get each other anniversary presents, either, so I figure it is a deal!

If I wasn't in the Christmas spirit before this weekend, I should be now. It snowed on and off all weekend and the ground has a good covering of snow. Plus, it has been fairly cold (around 10 degrees during the day!). Hopefully the white stuff stays around for Christmas (then it can go away for all I care). Now if only we had our tree and Christmas decorations up, I would definitely be in the mood. Maybe I'll bust out the radio and listen to Christmas songs today. I LOVE Christmas songs.

We've been thinking about names and have a "short" list, but nothing for sure. For some reason, I feel a lot less pressure in naming a boy than a girl. I guess that is a good thing since we are having a boy! We are very open to suggestions, as long as feelings aren't hurt if we don't chose them.

As far as the pregnancy, our baby is getting huge and kicking more and more regularly. I still am not sure if I'm feeling the movements on the outside or not, but our doctor said probably not until after the first of the year...so probably not. I still am a little tired, but sleeping in until 8 or 8:30am every day sure helps that. In the last week, I've started getting heartburn, which I hear is a common symptom associated with pregnancy. It probably doesn't help that I haven't been eating extremely healthy either. It is hard to do that this time of year when there are so many goodies around. Doesn't help that I'm craving sweet things, which I didn't really eat much before the pregnancy. Oh, well. What baby wants, baby gets! I have been trying to drink more water regularly, though.

Oh and I tried the Bella band on Saturday. My pants stayed up (yeah!), but I had to constantly adjust the band. I guess it is better than your pants falling off.

Fun Fact: Eye & Hair Color

How is the color of my baby's eyes and hair determined?

These characteristics are determined by the genes he inherits from you and your partner, and certain "laws" of inheritance apply. With respect to eye color, for example, brown is dominant over blue, so if your baby gets a brown gene from each parent or one brown gene and one blue gene, he will have brown eyes. However, if two brown-eyed parents each carry a blue gene that gets passed on to their baby, that child will have blue eyes. Be aware that a newborn's eye color can change in the first nine months. And your baby may be born with hair that falls out and grows back with a completely different color and texture.

At birth, almost all babies have blue eyes because the iris has not yet made brown pigment (called melanin) that colors the iris (although some babies can have very dark eyes at birth). This is also why even the skin of black babies can appear lighter than it will eventually be.

[I really hope our little guy has daddy's bright green eyes...I guess we'll have to wait and see! Mine are hazel/blue/gray, so there is a chance.]

Fun Fact: Uterus Size

Maybe not a "fun" fact, but interesting none the less.

Before pregnancy, your uterus weighed only about 2.5 ounces and had very little space inside. By the time you're full term, your uterus (not including what's in it) will weigh almost 2.5 pounds.

Your pregnancy: 21 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. [I swear I felt him move on the outside twice two days ago, but I might have felt it inside and thought I felt it outside. I think it is a little early for external movement] You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.
How your life's changing:

You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. [overall, I'm doing good, still a little tired, but the extra sleep from no job sure helps!] You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints. [Oh joy, I can't wait!]
That's not to say you won't have some minor glitches to deal with now. For example, increased oil production may contribute to the development (or worsening) of acne. Don't take any oral acne medications — some are very hazardous during pregnancy — or use any topical acne products without first checking with your practitioner. [Hasn't been a problem so far, I'll keep my fingers crossed]
You're also more prone to varicose veins now. As your pregnancy progresses, there's increasing pressure on the veins in your legs; higher progesterone levels, which may cause the walls of your veins to relax, can make the problem worse. You're more likely to get varicose veins if other family members have them. [a few family members have them, so I'll have to be careful] Also, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you age. To help prevent or minimize varicose veins, exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, sleep on your left side, and wear maternity support hose.
You may also notice so-called spider veins (a group of tiny blood vessels near the surface of your skin), particularly on your ankles, legs, or face. [nope, nothing yet!] They may have a spider- or sunburst-like pattern with little branches radiating out from the center. Though they may be a bit unsightly, spider veins don't cause discomfort and usually disappear after delivery.

For the record, my belly button has not popped yet. It is getting flatter, so I'm sure it is just a matter of time before it pops out. Renae calls it a "snooze button." Swelling/water retention has not been a major issue, either (other than when I eat too much salt, of course). I can still wear my wedding band, but not my engagement ring (both rings were uncomfortable). I know swelling gets worse the further along you are, so I'll have to keep any eye on it.

Doctor Appointment

Jim and I went to our monthly doctor appointment this afternoon (Jim's flight got in at 2:50, he picked me up and we still make it to my 4:20 appointment!). Pretty routine appointment. She said my weight gain is right on track (right at 10 pounds) and my tummy is looking good. Baby's hear rate was 138...a little lower than before, but still within the norm. We discussed the family heart problems on the Thomas side (DeAnn emailed me a description of it all, which I gave to my doctor). She said there is probably nothing to be concerned about since Jim and John were fine, but it is good to be aware of any potential problems. She will know more after she sees the heart from the ultrasound (she hasn't received them yet from the ultrasound last week). Our next appointment will be in 4 weeks, at which time we will go over the ultrasound results and I will take the diabetes test.

Oh and due to the many suggestions I received, I bought a Bella Band today after the appointment at Target. It was a little more expensive then I thought they would be, but if it makes wearing pants comfortable and possible...it will be well worth it! I'll let you know.

Maternity clothes

Okay, maternity clothes are frustrating. Especially the pants. I tried on lots of pants and found a pair that I thought fit great (secret fit belly from Motherhood Maternity). Then I tried actually wearing them somewhere. Let's just say they didn't stay up! So I thought maybe they were just too big and I'll grow into them. Then I got another pair with the low belly instead of the big panel. They fall off too (not quite as bad, though)! So, I've been wearing one pair of pants for over a week now (a pair of cute sweatpants Becky found at Motherhood Maternity...thank goodness!). I need to break into my box of size 12's to see if they fit. Argh.

And now that we know we are having a boy, I really need to train myself from calling him "It." I did it several times yesterday and everybody kept catching me. I guess before we knew, I didn't want to say either one so I got used to saying "it." I'm sure it will sink in soon!