Happy Sunday!

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend! Here is a quick update on Alexander.

He is growing everyday! I didn't realize how much has grown until I looked at pictures taken of him when we first came home from the hospital. When we came home 7 weeks ago, Alexander weighed just over 6 pounds. Today, he weighs 8 pounds 10.5 ounces and is fitting into his 3 month old clothes (he's not even 3 months old yet!).

 Besides gaining weight, Alexander has also been working on lifting his head during tummy time, reaching for his toys in his bouncer, and learning to take naps in his own bed.

Over a week ago, we received a pulse oximeter  and it has been such a stress reliever. Wes & I check his oxygen levels every morning and whenever he seems to not be acting like himself. He has been maintaining his oxygen levels in the low 80's, which is just fine. He had a cardiology visit on Thursday and it went well. Alexander's cardiologist is pleased to see how Alexander is growing and is hoping he won't need a blood transfusion every month (she's not the only one!). She did state that his next procedure, the Glenn, can occur anytime between 3 months old and 10.5 pounds. We are definitely getting closer to that point and I'm starting to stress about it, but a date hasn't been set yet. I am just not ready to see him hooked up to a bunch of machines and pain killers. I'm also worried about how the surgery will  go, given his current record. I just want him to be healthy and at home!
One of the hardest parts of being a parent so far is watching your child being wheeled away for surgery and then to come out of surgery with a bunch of machines hooked up to them, keeping them alive! I don't want to go through that again!! Ugh! The one thing keeping me from breaking down every time I think about it, is the outcome. Once he has his Glenn, there will be no more inter stage; no more staying cooped up in the house like hermits because we want to limit his germ exposure. We will be able to take him out in public and show off the handsome boy!

Okay, enough venting for now. On a lighter and more positive note..two weeks ago, Alexander got a visit from his Great Aunt April. He was a very happy boy around her and she seemed to be in love with him! They got to spend lots of time together.

Last weekend, we went to Ventura (needed to get out of our house) to hang out with Alexander's G-pa, G-Ma, and Auntie Kasey. Alexander finally got to watch NASCAR with his G-Pa! :)

We have another cardiology appointment in 2 weeks, as well as his pediatrician appointment. Until then, we will continue to be teaching Alexander different things to keep him thriving! For any of you interested in joining us on June 9th for the Congenital Heart Walk at Griffith Park, please register yourself under Team Baby Alleman Superman Heart. If you can't join us and want to donate money, that's great too! http://congenitalheartwalk.kintera.org.

Positive thoughts and prayers are always appreciative and needed for our little Superman to stay strong!

Congenital Heart Walk - Greater Los Angeles Sunday, June 9, 2013

Dear Family and Friends:

As many of you know, on October 1st, Wes & I foud out Alexander was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect (HLHS),which has forever changed our life. That was 6 months ago and despite some  challenging times, he is doing great! To recognize this important time in our lives, we are starting Team Baby Alleman Superman Heart to benefit the Congenital Heart Walk. I would like to ask for your support by either joining the team or sending in your tax-deductible donation today!

Here are just some of the facts: Nearly two million children and adults are living with a congenital heart defect (CHD) in the United States. Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born with a CHD, making it the country’s #1 birth defect. At least 10% of all congenital heart defects are first found in adulthood. Thanks to increases in survival rates, the number of adults living with a CHD rises by 5% a year and adults with CHDs are living longer, fuller lives than ever before.  Your support will continue our progress.

The Congenital Heart Walk is an exciting joint effort between the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) and the Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF)! This effort will raise funds to help both organizations continue their missions to address the needs of both the newly diagnosed and long-term survivors of congenital heart defects, in a truly inspirational day of sharing, caring and fun.

As you have read, fighting congenital heart defects for our family is personal. Please support our efforts by joining the team or making a donation today at http://congenitalheartwalk.kintera.org. The walk is on June 9th at Griffith Park.


Thanks in advance. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Yours truly,

Jess & Wes

5 weeks in the hospital, 5 weeks home and then back in the hospital for 4 days

The past week and a half have been busy! Two weeks ago, Alexander had his pediatric appointment. All was well until his doctor tested his oxygen saturations using a Pulse Ox machine (a band is placed on either hand or foot to gain a recording of the oxygen saturation) and the results showed 72 (oxygen level was at 72%), in which Alexander's levels are typically in the high 80's. The pediatrician wasn't concerned because Alexander was healthy and his color looked great. I, on the otherhand, was not comfortable with that, so I emailed his cardiologist to inform her of the results. I didn't hear back from her, and since she wasn't concerned, I relaxed...

A week ago, Alexander had his cardiologist appointment. When we arrived, Alexander was sleeping in his car seat and so the nurse suggested to leave him in the car seat and that the pulse ox would be placed on his hand. The test showed a 58%! So, the nurse placed the band on his other hand (we don't always get a good reading the first time), and the results showed in the 60's. So she suggested to place it on his foot, well that required him to be woken up, which was fine with me, because I was beginning to worry. Waking him up however, upset him, so now the readings had been taken from both feet, several times, and were jumping around from the 70's to the 80's. The nurse then wrote down 82, because that was a number she was getting more often. When the cardiologist came in, she stated that she might check his oxygen again at the end of the visit because it was varying. After she completed her check up, I asked her if she received my email about Alexander's oxygen sats being at a 72% at his pediatrician appointment. She replied she hadn't received it and that in the future, if I don't hear back from her, it means she didn't get it and to email or call her because she always responds back. She replied that his oxygen sats shouldn't be in the 70's because if they are, then he is ready for his next surgery! (I'm not ready for that by the way!).  We (Grandma Jeannie & I) then left the visit and went downstairs for lunch. As I was eating my lunch and watching Alexander sleep in the car seat, I felt a little unsure about his oxygen levels and decided to get another test done. I went back into the cardiology office, talked to his cardiologist, who said that we could test his oxygen levels again. Sure enough, he was bouncing from 60's, to the 70's to 80's, to 60's. With that, she suggested for him to be admitted  overnight for observation.

Alexander was placed on oxygen, had another echo cardiogram done (which he didn't like and screamed loudly because the tech was pushing on his pacemaker, trying to get a clear view of his Pulmonary Artery). The echo cardiogram showed that Alexander's blood flow going through the Pulmonary artery, where his PA band is, has slowed down because a muscle behind the heart is somewhat blocking the blood flow. They suggested to put him on beta blockers, but to wait until a baseline was retrieved of his oxygen levels.

Friday came with still no answer of why his oxygen and pulse rate were fluctuating. The talk of going home with an oxygen tank was discussed or possibly having his Glen procedure sooner than later-which began to freak me out! The doctors took blood and did a chest x-ray to rule out other possibilities. The blood test showed that he was slightly anemic and needed a small blood transfusion ( I believe this would be number 7 for him). As you know, Alex has had several transfusions, all which have helped his oxygen level increase during our previous stay. When preparing for the transfusion, a lab tech came in and took blood using a needle and then an IV line was placed in his foot (which he screamed). The transfusion happened over night and on Saturday morning, I woke up to a lab tech waking Alex up to take blood to test his blood count. As I watched, the  lab tech had pricked Alexander's heel and was squeezing the blood out, making Alexander scream! When I asked why she couldn't just use the IV line that was in his foot, she said that wasn't possible and "how else should she take blood, by a needle?" UM YES!!! I told her that another tech did yesterday and he barley cried. She just continued with what she was doing and said this was the way it had to be done. I then find out, that  using a needle to pull blood is a better procedure than what she did! I was one upset mommy! After that mess, Alexander's oxygen saturation were in the high 80's to low 90's and the talk of heart meds and going home with oxygen was off the table. We were discharged Sunday morning and have being doing good since!

So happy to be home!

We are trying to get back into a routine now. The routine that was in place was more because Alexander's oxygen levels were low resulting in him sleeping more and eating less. Even though this was occurring, he was still gaining weight and as of Tuesday, he finally hit 8 pounds! He weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces yesterday! I'm so happy he has finally reached 8 pounds, that he is much more alert now, and I hope it continues for the next couple of months. We did ask the doctors if a blood transfusion was going to be needed again next month an they said that most 2 month old babies have low blood count and that the next couple of months his red blood cells should be maturing. We are working on getting a pulse ox machine to have at home, to check his oxygen sats when we see a change (which I did a few weeks ago but thought it was just him being a baby and constantly changing).

I've learned to always have an overnight bag in my car (as i was in the same clothes until Friday night) and to follow my mommy instincts. Hopefully we get it the Pulse Ox machine soon and before our visit to the cardiologist next week.

Sleeping with a smile!

Smile starting to appear!

Alexander is beginning to smile when he is awake! (he always smiles when he is sleeping). Looking forward to seeing more of that! 

Positive thoughts and prayers for a healthy Alexander are always needed!

Guess who is 2 months old today!

These past few weeks have blurred together but we are all doing good! Alexander is doing great with gaining weight. He currently weighs 7 lbs and 7 ounces! He continues to keep us on our toes, with him changing every day. Last week he had his mommy worried because for 5 days straight (7 lbs. 1 oz), he wasn't gaining or losing weight. Then the nipple shield that was used during nursing was removed and with the 3 bottles a day being continued, he is now gaining weight at a great pace.

Over the past few weeks, Wes & I have been working on getting Alexander into some sort of routine and we are still working on it. It seems that as soon as Wes and I get comfortable with a routine, Alexander changes it. Sometimes he sleeps all a day, sometimes not; sometimes he wants to eat every 2 hours and some days he has to be woken up to eat; some days he vomits and some days he doesn't; and so the ongoing question: is this a normal baby thing? or a cardiac baby thing?

Alexander having one of his "moments"

Being a mommy is GREAT but  challenging! I know all moms will agree with me on that, but I feel as though having a cardiac baby is a little bit more challenging. When Alexander cries for a reason I can't figure out (feeding, cold, hot, tired, and diaper changed, have all been ruled out) I wonder if something is hurting him internally. I could give him Tylenol but I don't want to give my son drugs if he doesn't for sure need them...so he cries it out, turns a red, blue, purplish color until something distracts him (usually this involves going up and down the stairs or playing heavy metal or country music!). The part of not knowing why Alexander is crying after all variabes have been ruled out is what I don't like dealing with but have been told "that's normal..."

Our life saver!

 

Alexander"s  cardiology and electrophysiologist (pacemaker doctor) appointment he had  two weeks ago, went great. Both doctors were pleased to see how well Alex is doing. Alexander's Cardiologist stated she almost didn't recognize him! :) We go back to CHLA next week for another check up with his Cardiologist.
This week we were down at CHLA for an Ophthalmology appointment. We had the appointment because during his previous MRI (before his surgeries) the NP saw that his right optic nerve looked small.  His opthamologist stated that his optic nerve was small, but that he is small and that it is common for babies to have small nerves at this age. She also said that Alexander is far sighted in both eyes. Again-kind of normal, but she wants to see him in 6 months, to see how his eyes are. Overall his opthamologist said that there was nothing they could do about his eyes right now because he's so young and was surprised the NP suggested for him to come see her. So, the appointment was kind of a waster of time, kind of not. Tomorrow, Alexander sees his pediatrician. Alexander has been coughing and sneezing a lot more, so hopefully it is nothing and that his appointment goes well.

Wes went back to work last week and has been fighting with his allergies ever since. Lucky for me, that even though he may not be feeling the greatest, he is still helping me out and being a great dad. G-Ma Jeannie came to help out last week and Auntie Jenn helped us out this week. 

We are hoping Alexander will continue to gain weight at a good pace.We've been having play time during the day when not sleeping, eating, or being fussy and hopefully soon Alexander will start smiling at us during play time.

The positive thoughts and prayers are always needed for our little superman, to continue to stay healthy and grow! 

Boys "watching" NASCAR!

Easter picture!

After being home for 1 week...

I apologize for not updating our blog sooner, but sleep, nursing, and eating have taken over my days. If I'm not nursing, I'm sleeping when Alex is sleeping or I'm trying to eat something while Alex is sleeping. Our first week home has been uneventful (hooray!) and has consisted of attempting to get into a routine, get the house put back together and catch up on the never ending loss of sleep. Here is a quick recap of what's occurred over the week:

Sunday- Alexander's First Saint Patrick's Day!

 

We went for our first walk around the neighborhood. Then Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Randy brought dinner over for us. Alexander's Uncle Dustin and Auntie Maira joined us for dinner too.

Monday- We met with Alexander's new pediatrician at SC Pediatrics. He was pleased at how Alex looked and that he had gained weight! When we left the hospital, Alexander weighed 6 lbs. 1 ounce. The pediatrician weighed him at 6 lbs. 5.5 ounces! :-)
We continued to deal with adjusting to some sort of sleep and feeding schedule. Wes and I decided to try and feed Alexander by bottle, every 8 hours, to get three bottle feeds in and try to nurse twice in between those bottle feeds.

Tuesday- We made an unplanned visit to CHLA. :-(  During his midnight feeding, I noticed a pimple on one of his incisions and became concerned because Alexander's discharge paper work stated that if there was any redness, swelling, or puss pockets, to call the cardio surgical team. So, when we called at midnight, the doctor on call stated to call in the morning and make an appointment. When went to CHLA that morning, we were told by the NP that it was just a pimple! (phew!) and to keep an eye on it. In addition, since we were already at CHLA that day, the NP went ahead and did his check up, so we wouldn't have to come back down in Friday for our planned visit. The NP was pleased to see his weight gain and stated to continue as is with his feeding schedule.

Wednesday- Alexander slept all morning (which means I slept most of the morning) and was awake in afternoon. He got sick in the morning and spit up twice in the afternoon. This had me concerned because I don't know what's normal baby stuff or cardiac related. He didn't do it again, so I can assume that it was nothing to be concerned about and that he just over ate (let's hope). Alexander was fussy later that night when grandparents were over for dinner. Grandma Cindy had the "touch" to calm him down.

Thursday- Alexander and I slept most of the day, waking him when it was time to feed him and him waking up when it was time to be changed. When we weighed, he weighed 6 lbs, 9 ounces!! Woo-hoo, keep it up Alexander! Wes took care of the house hold chores and phone calls of coordinating stuff for Alexander. What a great dad! :-)

Yesterday (Friday)- Alex slept most of the day, which resulted him being up for a good portion of the night. Hopefully we aren't already entering into the phase of sleeping baby during the day and awake at night...His Great Grandma Jeanette and Great Grandpa Harold came over to meet Alexander for the first time too!

Today- We are going to Great Grandma Dodie's house for her birthday! It will be the first time her and Great Grandpa George will hold Alexander. Additional great aunts, uncles, and his grandparents will also be there! Pictures to come later on :)

Alexander is also starting to fit into his newborn clothes, no more preemie! :)We continue to pray and have positive thoughts that Alexander will continue to thrive at home and gain weight! I want him to be a chunky monkey :) Next Thursday, we meet with the cardiologist-hopefully that will be another positive visit as well.

Recap of the past week

Going home!

Yup! I'm a little miracle!

Wow! It's been a long week, with lots of events occurring. Here is a quick review of what occurred over the past 6 days. On Sunday during rounds, the NP (same one we had on Saturday) said that Alexander's NG tube could come out because he had gained weight and they wanted to see how he would do with exclusive breast feeding. We were told that if he did well and gained weight, we could go home Monday or Tuesday... Monday was not good. It began with Alexander's lips turning blue after his bath. The doctors ran test and since everything came back fine, they seem to think he was just cold and upset about having the bath. 2 hours later, Alexander aspirated on his medicine I was giving him by mouth ( with the nurse training me). His oxygen level dropped down to 51%, he turned blue and collapsed into the nurses hand. All I could to was shout his name while the nurse got him to breath and get his oxygen back up. I was so thankful that my mom was there with me since Wes was still at work. Alexander got better as the day went on but this mommy was an emotional wreck! The positive for the day (besides Alexander acting more like himself), was that Wes got another 2 weeks off from work! Tuesday, Alex's meds were discontinued, breast feeding exclusively continued and close monitoring occurred. Wednesday, Alexander continued to do well and lost a little weight. It was decided to begin introducing a bottle, twice a day, (which had me on edge because of the last time I gave him something by mouth) because it is hard to determine how much Alex is intaking when I nurse. However, nursing would continue though. The OT worked with Wes, grandma Jeannie, and I on how to feed him by bottle. He also started his vitamin D by mouth (another moment of being on edge) because I can't provide it through the breast milk. Thursday, Alexander gained weight and it was decided that we would incorporate 3 bottle feeds throughout the feeding and I would still nurse. On top of that, we were told we could go home!! We have to monitor Alexander's weight and see his pediatrician on Monday. Then, meet with the cardio team next Friday, followed by the cardiologist the following Monday. If he loses weight while home, fortifying the breast milk will be discussed again. The pediatrician and NP will be in close contact in regards to his weight. Yesterday, we had help from both grandma's to help us get things into some sort of routine. Alexander eats about every 2-2.5 hours and we have incorporate bottle feed every 7 hours. It was an exhausting day but I'm sure once we find a routine, Alexander will thrive more than he already has. Today was a quiet family day! We are beginning to get the house in order and our life into some sort of routine. Alexander gained weight this morning too! (we weight him every morning). After 5 nights straight of sleeping in the hospital and many nights of being at the Ronald McDonald house, it is SO nice to be back in my own home! Keep praying and sending positive thoughts our way that Alexander continues to gain weight and be the little Superman that he is!

It may have been a rumor...

Friday...

Friday was an emotional day for this mommy because Alexander was fussy majority of the day. He would fall sleep for about 5 minutes and then wake up, crunch up his legs, and cry for awhile before falling back to sleep. I'm thinking he had gas and was given medication for it last night (which seemed to help). The beginning of the day started off interesting. During rounds, we were informed thatAlexander gained a little bit of weight! :) I discussed with the team, that since there was a rumor of us going home next Friday, what would be going on with some of the feedings(would the NG tube still be there? Was there was going to be an increase in Cc's?). The NP and rest of the team, were all surprised to hear this and therefore, the date isn't accurate. The NP said that if we went home next Friday, that would be great but probably wasn't going to happen. So our date to go home is still unknown. The NP also stated that I could increase the breast feeding time to 10 minutes during the day and at night, his bottle feeding would continue. The NP told me that an increase in Cc's wouldn't happen because they are still watching his respiratory rate and the NG tube will be removed prior to going home, if he can keep his weight up. She then came in after rounds and informed me she could relate to where I was coming from because she is also a new mom that is breast feeding! I wonder if she found my blog-because why the change?

Today was a much better day! He slept most of the day, only waking when his vitals were checked, needed a diaper changed, or when I woke him for feeding. Today, we had a new NP  (actually she wasn't new because she saw Alexander while in the ICU) and she stated to put the bottle feeding on hold, and breast feed around the clock, every 3 hours.Talk about a change in doctors! So tonight, Wes and I are staying at the hospital, so that I can breast feed every 3 hours..just like if I was at home. Bottle feeding was attempted last night but Alexander couldn't be woken up at the two different feedings- he was just to tired. Alexander did lose a little bit of weight, but the team didn't seem worried about it and that he seemed to be staying in the same area. Breast feeding went well today too! He latched on for 10 minutes each time. Some of the nurses think that if he continues to do well tonight, into tomorrow and has gained weight, that the NG tube might be removed! :) Hopefully this is true!..

Snuggle time with daddy!

Feedings....

What an interesting past two days! Alexander is doing very well with his oxygen, but his respiratory rate has been fluctuating, so doctors are watching it. The main focus now is his feeding, which is going okay. I say okay, because he's losing weight :( but he is getting better with taking the breast and tolerating his feeds through his NG tube.

Yesterday, the doctors said to start bottle feeding him... As much I as I prefer Alexander getting used to the breast first, I really don't want to go home with the NG tube and he's going to need the fortified formula for his calorie intake. So I said okay. So, to start the bottle feeding, the doctors said to have Alex breast fed 5 minutes before his feeding, then to bottle feed for several minutes, then to continue with the feeding through his NG tube. What a mess that was!!  He went from my breast (where he can control the flow), to a bottle (where he had NO CONTROL and milk was just pouring out of his mouth), to his NG tube, where he doesn't have to do anything. After all was exposed, he vomited when the tube feeding started! :(
During the next feeding, OT arrived  and said NO to feeding breast and bottle at the same time..it just confuses him (which I completely agreed with!). So it was decided that during the night, Alex would be fed by bottle 2 times, out of the 4 feeding sessions throughout the night and during the day only breast feeding and tube feeding. Yesterday's positive was that Alexander is completely off the morphine and can be given Tylenol if needed, which he hasn't! :) He also got to see his daddy and both his grandmothers too!

This morning,started off pretty good, with Alexander doing very well with latching during the breast feeding. During rounds, I found out that the bottle feeding never occurred over night because it wasn't in the case notes!!!! They have told me that it will be started tonight ...we shall see.
 During each feeding today, Alexander latched and with each time, he latched for longer periods of time! We are up to about 7 minutes now without taking long pauses! I'm very pleased and hoping we can still prove the NP wrong. Tomorrow I will be inquiring what the plan will be if he continues to lose weight, why his volume hasn't been increased (we are still at 40 cc's) and when the feeding tube will be removed. Especially since they are estimating that our discharge date be March 15th-next friday!!!! I'd be happy to leave next week, but i don't want the feeding tube to go with us! Hopefully I will get some answers.

I also got to give my baby boy a bath today! First time bathing him and first time seeing him with no lines!! Very happy moment! Since today was a better day than yesterday, I hope that tomorrow is better than the past 2 days and it leads into a great weekend!

We moved to CV Acute! :)

Yes, as of Sunday night, we moved to CV Acute! 

Yesterday, was an adjustment day. Wes went back to work, Alexander's Grandma Jeannie has been helping me out and I began learning the new routines the nurses and doctors complete (a little different than the ICU), with many moments of frustration occuring!
 When rounds started yesterday, our nurse asked me if I had any questions for the doctors. I stated that I wanted to be included in rounds and she said "oh, well we've already conducted rounds but I'll recap you". (First frustration of the day!). Second frustration-the nurse practitioner told me that I wouldn't be able to do any bottle feeding because Alexander's respiratory rate was high. I reiterated to her that I wanted to breastfeed first before bottle feeding and she told me to not set the expectations so high! This all occurred within 2 hours. Then we were told that within the hour, we would be switching rooms because his monitor wasn't reading his pace maker correctly. The switch of new rooms didn't happen until that night! Then an x-ray technician showed up and said that he was going to conducted a chest x-ray, which was news to me! Our nurse then informed me that a chest x-ray was ordered because he hadn't received one in a week. Luckily, I had noted when his last x-ray was and was reassured that it was okay and not unnecessary. On a good note- Alexander's morphine has decreased to every 12 hours. OT arrived and assessed Alexander on his sucking, swallowing, and breathing coordination and he did beautifully! She began the assessment by putting breast milk on finger and feeling his sucking, then breast milk on his pacifier, followed by breast milk in the nipple of a bottle. Since he was doing so well, we put him to my breast and he latched!! and continued to latch on and off for 4 minutes!!! Very happy and relieved mommy! :)

Today was a much better day-but busy! The nurse informed me of when rounds were to begin and I was included in his rounds. The nurse practitioner still prefers bottle feeding than breast feeding. However, she did state that I could continue to try breast feeding for 5 minutes prior to his feeding. Alexander's been taken off the morphine and his feeding has been increased to 40 cc's (a little over 1 ounce) every 3 hours. The OT came in today and observed Alexander breast feeding. After assisting me and providing me with suggestions, he latched on for 4 minutes and latched again for 4.5 minutes during his second feeding later on in the day! Woo-hoo!! Making progress!! :) I told Alexander we are making a goal to prove the nurse practioner wrong! :) Alexander also had his stitches removed (which he didn't like) and had his hearing tested, which he passed. Overall, a very busy but positive day! Hope that tomorrow brings more positives, but maybe not so busy, so that I can get his daily blog done. ;)

Today could be the day...

Alexander had another good night and has had a great day! He's finally breathing room air-no more oxygen support! :-) Happy parents here!

Now that Alexander is off of the oxygen, he is continuing to be weaned off the morphine and increasing the volume of his breast milk. Since Alexander was born, he has gained 1 pound! Not bad for a boy that has just started eating! :)

 Tomorrow I will get a chance to talk to the OT breast feeding and hopefully she'll be able to help me with getting Alexander to latch on. I'm also hoping she can help me keep him calm when I place him on my chest, for skin to skin contact. Lately, each time I place him on my chest, he cries and immediately calms down when I cradle him. I keep reading how skin to skin contact is great, but I seem to be having trouble with getting him to like it (at least when his chest is against mine). Anyone have suggestions? I'm sure all you moms do...

A few hours ago, our nurse informed us  that she was working on Alexander's paper work to be transferred to CV Acute and that there may be a room opening up for us by the end of today. Let's hope! Wes goes back to work tomorrow and would like to be in the new room before he leaves. You know it's time to leave when doctors and nurses are commenting "You're still here!?". Keeping our fingers crossed....

The wait continues...

 Alexander had a good night last night and woke up when we arrived this morning! I got the chance to work on feeding this morning. He seemed to latch on occasionally and was very comfortable with being in mommy's arms. He even stayed awake for majority of the time too.  Hopefully my approach to breast feeding is correct and that I'm not taking a step backwards. Guess I'll find out on Monday when OT comes to reassess him.

Wes held Alexander during his second feeding, in which Alexander fell asleep and stayed asleep when Wes put him back into his crib (something he doesn't do with me...daddy's got the touch apparently).

 Alexander's agenda for today is to continue to be weaned off the oxygen and morphine, and increase his calorie intake by fortifying the breast milk. We are still on the "waiting list" to be moved to CV acute. We (Wes & I, doctors, and nurses) are just waiting for a room to be available and then we can go. Let's hope it's soon!