Happy 1 Week, Lincoln!!! 8/18

Wow...it's been a whirlwind of a week, but somehow I can't believe a week has passed already. I cried again this morning because, when we arrived, I saw that his IV was yet again in a new place. The nurse assured be that it's nothing odd---babies just don't do well with IVs. It just hurts me to know that he has to keep going through that.

Mom made several little receiving blankets and burp rags for us that we'll now use in the NICU. They encourage us to bring in our own things so we feel a sense of ownership and parenthood in an abnormal circumstance. Mom had to say goodbye to little Link today, as she flew home this afternoon. She was so sad, knowing that he'd grow astronomically before she'd see him again. THANK HEAVEN! I want him to get big and pudgy! Mom has been so great to help us along every step of the way. Thanks, mom!

This afternoon, Lincoln had a cranial ultrasound. It's a standard procedure taken with micropremies (premies up to 32 weeks) to determine if they have any bleeding in the brain. Tomorrow we conference with his care team to kind of get on the same page and develop a plan and go over the results of the ultrasound. Hopefully all is well. Brent and I are currently trying to develop a regular visit plan, as driving the half hour there and half hour back multiple times a day is wearing on us and leaving us with very little time. I may do a single, very lengthy visit instead of twice a day for a couple hours. We'll see. I get so anxious to see him with any long periods of time in between. It's hard. I wont lie. Nothing makes me feel better than just being with my little dude.

OKAY...NEW INFO!!!!!! We just went back to visit Lincoln tonight, and the most exciting thing happened! The nurse that was on at the time was commenting on how ahead of his time Lincoln is and then asked if he had been sucking on a binkie or anything and how much milk I was producing. We let her know that he was indeed doing a lot of sucking and that I was producing plenty. She then decided that we should just try nursing. Usually they don't really do that until 32 weeks or so, but we went ahead and tried and IT WORKED!!!!!!!! Lincoln fed for about 10 minutes and then fell into a deep sleep! It felt like such a victory! He's so young, and is still on a feeding tube, but we're going to get him fattened long before expected if we keep this up! I can't describe really how happy it made us. Better feeding means better progression and therefore an earlier time home. This is soooooooooooooo exciting! It's worth the tears!

Day 6 in the World! 8/17

I was greeted by Lincoln's nurse and doctor both when I went to see him this morning. They were looking unusually cheery. They told me to see if I noticed anything different. NO MORE PHOTOTHERAPY! AND NO MORE NASAL CANNULA! He's becoming more and more independent as we continue on! The doctor said that his only issue is he's kind of a "hard stick" with the IVs. Just like his mom. They can't use his left leg due to his birthmark, so they're limited as to where they can stick him. The good news is that he's tolerating his feedings and they're increasing his amounts every 12 hours. I think he's up to 15 ml per feeding now. If they can continue to do that, they wont need the supplemental vitamins and whatnot from the IV and can stop sticking the poor kid. Unfortuntately, when we returned later this evening, he had his IV in his scalp! I know it sounds terrible, and I cried when they warned me that it had been done, but the truth is that it is very normal and it doesn't hurt. The veins in the scalp are bigger and better. Hopefully it'll stay in this one for awhile. Additionally, they're going to be fortifying my milk...adding vitamin D. Doctor Chen says that no one gets enough vitamin D, so it's normal to do as such. Brent got his first kangaroo care time with Link tonight. SO CUTE! The boys chilled and reclined, and I read to them from Brent's latest book of tales of mountaineering. I also got a nurse who told me that if I wanted Mom to touch him then I had the right to let her. Previous nurses had said only mommy and daddy. So, momma got to lay her hands on him a bit and I think it satisfied her greatly to do so. It was a good day.

Day 5 in the World 8/16

We had a lot of new stuff to learn today! I went the NICU and pumped first thing. Okay, maybe it's TMI but it's a huge part of life right now and so essential for Lincoln. The nurse on at that time said that she looked at my milk supply in the freezer and was shocked at how much there was after only five days. Yay! Lincoln will not starve!!! I got to do "kangaroo kare" time again. Love it. I feel as though it's so therapeutic for both of us. Later I learned to give Link a neonatal massage. Preemies have a hard time with all the overstimulation in the world...touch, sounds, everything can be stressful to them. The massage helps them recognize that touch is good and it really soothed Link. You could see him relaxing not only physically, but on the monitors as well. It was fun, and we'll do it every day now when we visit. I took his laundry home and washed it and added some of our blankets and clothes to the mix. They encourage parents to do as much of that "normal" stuff as possible to help us feel needed. It was fun to do a whole load of little baby things! This evening I visited again accompanied by our good friends Tim and Hayley. It was so fun to just hold him and visit with friends. Tim and Hayley are so wonderful and they just love the NICU, as she is a dietician/lactation specialist and he hopes to be a neonatologist. Naturally, they were smitten by our handsome little guy! I managed to make it through today without getting any post-partum tears at all, so that's an accomplishment! I feel overwhelmed with optimism concerning Link's condition, as it has been reinforced countless times by his care team. I know the Lord loves him and is watching over him. And, though the wait is long, I know that someday Lincoln will be here at home with us...just hanging out...and we'll be a happy little family forever!

Day 4 in the World

I got to have "Kangaroo Kare" time with Link today. It was AWESOME! Extensive studies have shown that skin-to-skin contact between baby and mommy dramatically increases the health of little preemies. It is said to help with lactation, breathing, sleep, weight gain, creating antibodies for the new environment, etc. So, today, I got to hold my little guy against my bare chest and recline in a comfy chair and just enjoy. It was fantastic, and it made Lincoln so calm and content. We did it again at my evening visit, and it proved to be equally satisfying for both myself and him. Link's nurses continue to comment on his vigor and good health. They call him "feisty" because he likes to wiggle so much. They curl all sorts of rolled up blankets and shaped pillows around him to make him feel contained as though in the womb. He's now taking 6 ml of my milk at feeding times, and seems to be gaining weight! Brent helped me in a difficult moment to recognize a blessing in the midst of this hard time. Had Lincoln not come early, that's two months less that we would have had to enjoy his little Spirit. Sure, he would have been in the womb...but the bond and reality of a child-parent relationship obviously grows far more once the little guy comes into the world. We get bonus months!!! I love my boys.

BOSTON MARATHON 2010

Back in October, Brent ran the St. George Marathon with a finishing time of 3 hours and 6 minutes, which qualified him to run the famed Boston Marathon. So, this April, we braved the humid and cold Boston weather and joined some good friends for the race of all races in a city that we had never previously visited. We had a blast eating lots of delicious fresh seafood, visiting historical sites, seeing a performance by The Blue Man Group, and paying a visit to Harvard over a four day weekend. The race, of course, was the highlight of the trip. Brent had a great run and really enjoyed the immense support along the race course. The Wellseley girls even formed a screaming tunnel for all the racers to run through and offered kisses to those weary at 17 miles. Brent, of course, declined respectfully. Here are some pics.

Minnesota fun!

I had a lovely time in Rochester with Steve & Liss and the kids over my spring break while Brent was tirelessly studying for the boards. They really treated me! Liss took me to an amazing flower show and showed me around Minneapolis. I got a personal tour of the Mayo Clinic from Dr. Steve. I got to jump on the trampoline and play with the kids in the yard. We ate at fantastic venues and made some fantastic meals of our own. I know this was awhile ago, but I couldn't let it slip off the list of events this spring! Thanks to the Minnesota Fowlers and their impeccable hospitality!

Another Children's Theatre Production!

We're just about ready to open our second annual Children's Theatre Production here at Eaglecrest High School. I love doing this show, because I take the high school kids out of school for two whole days and we take our two little shows around to neighboring elementary schools for their enjoyment! It's such a blast to see our "big kids" step up to the plate and be role models for the little ones. The elementary schools kids just adore them!