Austin

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-26T21:46:00.000-06:00

Austin shared his first Thanksgiving with family and friends at my Aunt Sheri and Uncle Bob's home in Commerce. He had the pleasure of meeting some new people and trying some new foods, which included mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad and a few bites of cool whip. He seemed to enjoy watching everything that was going on around us but wasn't a big fan of anyone getting too close to him. Evidently, not putting him in daycare also has its drawbacks.

In early December, Austin saw his first winter storm, complete with beautiful fluffy, white snowflakes - a rarity for Texas as we usually get only sleet/ice. Amazingly, we were graced with a second snowfall on Christmas Eve. For the first time, in a LONG time, we woke up to a white Christmas. It was so pretty, but not so great for holiday travel.

In mid December, Austin had his follow-up appointment with his cardiologist (Dr. Wright) to see how everything looks since his cardiac catheterization. Per Dr. Wright, the duct is closed, there is no more murmur, and no obstruction to left or right pulmonary arteries or descending aorta, with normal pressures within his heart. She discharged him and we are now finished with that heart business for good. WOO HOO!

On December 18th, our sweet little boy turned one year old. I can't believe it has already been a year, but OH MY, what a year it has been!!!

Austin ~ December 18th, 2008

Austin ~ December 18th, 2009

We celebrated by having a small birthday party - small because our house is extremely small but also because we didn't want to overwhelm the little guy on his special day. Austin met a few of his cousins for the first time, as well as several other new people. Upon meeting Samantha, Austin uncharacteristically took a liking to her, so we will now forever refer to her as our future baby-sitter. :) Anyway, it was a great day! Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful gifts and a special thanks to Grandma Netz and Grandpa Jesse for all the help and also to Deann for taking pictures. I also need to kick a shout out to all the kiddos who helped Austin open his gifts - he would still be opening his birthday gifts today had they not assisted. :)

Austin had his 12 month checkup this month. He is in the 3rd percentile for weight, 25th percentile for height and head circumference. We were advised us to start introducing more table foods and whole milk to help get his weight up, but otherwise, he is doing great!

He has started taking his first steps. First it was a step or two, here and there, from the coffee table to the couch and back. Now he is getting bolder and he's going for 5-8 steps, usually from mommy to daddy. I imagine that it won't be too long before he is walking. It's so exciting - I can hardly wait! :)

For Christmas, we went to Commerce again. Thanks to Aunt Sheri and Uncle Bob as they were nice enough to host yet another family function in their beautiful home. Austin tried some more new foods (too many to mention) and he even let Grandma Netz and Jeanette hold him - briefly, but still a major accomplishment! I think he might be slowly trying to break out of his shell!?! We shall see though...

Surgery Update - Success!

2009-11-28T15:37:00.005-06:00

On the day of Ausin's surgery, we arrived at Children's Medical City of Dallas at 6:15am and they took us back to the surgery area at 6:45am. They prepped him and got him all ready and then we waited for an hour and a half for the anesthesiologist to show up. Turns out that lectures are on Thursdays, and he was running a bit late. GRRR! Austin was such a good boy the entire morning, despite being extremely tired and hungry. He even had a little energy to flirt with his nurse, who was wearing a very colorful surgery cap. :)

They finally took Austin to the cath lab to work their magic. We were so nervous when they took him away, but we found a spot right outside the cath lab to setup camp and anxiously await the news. We were struggling to come up with small talk to pass the time when a women came up and sat on a chair beside us. We got to talking with her and found out that her daughter was having the same procedure done as Austin. She told us that her daughter caught a virus in her heart two years ago and had to have a heart transplant. She will need this procedure done every year for the rest of her life in order to test the heart tissue to ensure that her body isn't rejecting the heart. The little girl is only 9 years old. She was such a nice woman with a wonderful attitude. We couldn't have asked for a more pleasant distraction to our wait. After about an hour and a half or so, the surgeon (Dr. Clapp) came and told us that the surgery went great.

They brought Austin to the first recovery room where they were constantly monitoring him, while waiting for the anesthesia to wear off. He had a small incident where he started to bleed from the artery they went through in the groin area, but they were able to get it under control and stop the bleeding. After about an hour, they allowed us to go back there and see him. He was still pretty out of it, but he was able to suck down a bottle of glucose water pretty quickly. After they verified that all was good, they moved him to a different room.

When we got there, we were talking to the nurse about what we could expect and she gave us a little run down and some of the things she said implied that he would be spending the night. Well, the surgeon had just told us that he should be able to go home around 3pm that day. So, needless to say, we were a bit confused and asked her to verify with Dr. Clapp. An hour later, Dr. Clapp came up and told us that she never put an order for him to stay overnight, but she also said that she "didn't not" put one in either. Apparantly they had just implemented a new computer program and someone didn't know how to use it yet. :) She put the discharge orders in and we were out of the hopital at 4pm that day. Very long and exhausting day, but we are happy it is behind us. We have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Wright on December 16th for an echo to check his left pulmonary artery and descending aorta. They will also check to be sure that the device is still in the proper position and that the flow through his arteries is normal.

The next day, Austin was one happy boy. There are very few days that both mommy and daddy are home together so he was just eating it up. He was smiling the whole day except when he started to get tired. If there was any pain, he didn't show any signs. The next couple days, same thing, happiness.

Thank you all for the kind words, thoughts and prayers during this time. We are truly blessed!

Almost 11 Months

2009-11-14T13:54:00.000-06:00

Every time we post something on Austin’s blog, we talk about how we need to remember to do it more frequently. However, for one reason or another, time always gets away from us. So, again, here we are and it’s been almost 3 months since our last post. :(

Austin is getting so big. He is 17 lbs 9 oz and he is over 27 inches tall. He is becoming more and more vocal. First, it was “dadadada” all the time. Then it switched to “babababa”. Then to "babamamababamama". Now he mixes them all together and just kind of yells random things. When you smile at him, he likes to giggle. He has been pulling himself up on everything and cruising around the furniture. He often lets go – I think to test himself. It is probably just a matter of time before he’ll be walking all over the house.

He is finally getting a little more hair, but it's so light and fine you can barely see it.

He is also a drooling machine, hence the bibs in all of the pictures. We think he now has 8 teeth - 4 on top, 4 on bottom. We know for certain he has 7, but we think the 8th just reared its ugly head late last week. Hard to confirm as he is not a big fan of the poking around in his mouth.

Austin and Baxter are starting to play more together. Austin will squeak Baxter's toy bone and patiently await Baxter's arrival. Upon hearing the squeak, Baxter will run to Austin and start a gentle tug of war game, during which Austin just giggles.

When you ask Austin, "Where's Baxter?" he looks all around until he finds Baxter. When you ask him “Where’s mama?” or “Where’s dada?” you get nothing. Guess we know who his favorite is.

In mid-October, Austin had his follow-up appointment with Dr. Wright, his cardiologist. When the nurse was trying to do his echo, he was extremely wild and wouldn't lay still. He is also going through the stranger anxiety phase now so he isn't a big fan of anyone who isn't mommy or daddy. The nurse suggested we help him calm down by giving him a drug, like valium for babies, that they just squirt in his nostril. Let the screaming begin. But then, about 10 minutes later, we could’ve sworn we had a drunk baby. He was so limp, he had a bit of the bobble head syndrome going on and he could not stop giggling. When the nurse started the echo, he just kept yelling “dadadadada” in between giggles. It was the cutest and yet saddest thing I’ve ever seen.

Anyhow...Austin still has his PDA and atrial septal defect so Dr. Wright recommended that he have a cardiac catheterization. This is a procedure whereby the surgeon (Dr. Clapp) will go in with a catheter through an artery in the groin and up to his heart to close those ducts with a device called a duck occluder. This is scheduled for November 19th at 7:30am at the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Both mommy and daddy are extremely nervous, but are hopeful that this will be the last of his major NICU war wounds. Please keep Austin in your thoughts.

Early November, Austin also had his follow-up with Priscilla, the developmental specialist. Due to his stranger anxiety and the fact that the appointment was right in the middle of nap time, it was very difficult for her to assess him. He screamed pretty much the entire time we were there, with the exception of when Priscilla left the room to go write up her assessment, then he passed out in Daddy’s arms.

Per Priscilla's notes, Austin was doing excellent in gross motor, but not so great in fine motor and language. Still not a candidate for ECI, which is great news. We go back when he is 1 year, adjusted, which will be in March.

For Halloween, we dressed him up in his monkey costume and handed out candy to the trick or treaters. He wasn't allowed to eat any candy, but he sure enjoyed chewing on the packages. He didn’t really seem all that impressed with Halloween – probably still a bit too young.

Daddy has recently started helping out with bath time. As you see below, he is still learning. He claims that he was just trying to be productive, washing Austin and his socks at the same time...but I don't buy it. He probably wouldn't have even noticed Austin still had his socks on had it not been for my laughter.

My, how time flies! I can't believe our sweet baby boy is almost a year old!

8 Months

2009-08-23T14:53:00.021-05:00

Wow, we are really falling behind on our blog updates. Evidently, babies are A LOT of work and require quite a bit of attention. Who knew?! Our little monster is now 8 months old and growing like a weed. He is 15 lbs, 25 inches long.

The first week of July, Austin had his developmental follow-up with Priscilla (NICU flashback). Her assessment was that Austin has made nice progress since his discharge from NICU. He is growing nicely and his development is in line or slightly ahead of his adjusted age. He is not a candidate for ECI, which is great news. His next developmental follow-up assessment will be in November.

He really likes to babble a lot and occasionally sneaks in a squeal too. He frequently has small screaming fits when you aren't doing something he likes or when he is bored.

We have been trying all sorts of new foods - oatmeal (LOVES), sweet potatoes (LOVES), peas (HATES), squash (liked a little in the beginning, then not so much), carrots (liked a little in the beginning, then not so much), green beans (does not like), and now we are on applesauce (likes).

Trying peas...

He has been scooting all around the living room. He really picks up the pace when he sees Baxter eating...surprisingly enough, Baxter is really good with him and just wants to play. He doesn't understand why Austin doesn't throw his toys when he brings them to him. I've explained to Baxter that Austin isn't old enough to throw his toys yet, but he doesn't get it and keeps bringing them to him, time and time again.

Kisses from big brother Baxter...

Austin is really starting to gain upper body strength and he brings his knees in and holds himself up, but he just doesn't seem to know what to do when he gets in the crawling position. I imagine it will be no time at all before he's off and crawling all around the house. He also recently started sitting by himself. He's not a pro at it yet, but we are working on it.

The infamous nightly melt-downs are a thing of the past - THANK GOD! We have minor fits occasionally, but I think he's grown out of the major ones. We happened upon a small saving grace - he has developed a complete love for the movie, Kung Fu Panda. When he starts to get a tad crunchy, we just play that movie and he will totally chill out and is all about snuggling up with you to watch the movie. We have tried other movies, but none of them come close to producing the calming affect that this movie has. I don't know...it just works. I'm sure all the parenting books would frown upon this tactic but whatever. We can just add it to the long list of other mistakes we will probably make as first-time parents. :o)

The most recent development is that Austin has two bottom teeth coming in. This might explain the drooling like a rabid dog as well as his constant need to chew on EVERYTHING. So, I guess we can now officially say that he is actually teething! :o)

6 Months and Counting

2009-06-27T16:20:00.011-05:00

Austin had his 6 month check up on June 18th. He is now on the charts in terms of growth for a 6 month old, 10th percentile for most items. With his adjusted age, he's in the 75th percentile for weight and 93rd percentile for length. He weighed 12 pounds, 15 ounces and is 24 inches long. The doctor said everything is looking good and told us to start rice cereal. So far, he isn't taking to it very well. He just rolls his tongue and eventually spits it out. There have been a few times where it looks like he actually swallowed it, but those are few and far between.

We have also started Austin on formula. Enfamel was kind enough to send us a free sample of one of their formulas so we tried that. He's been on it now for about a week and seems to really like it. Which is a relief because we have tried multiple formulas before and he did not like any of them.

He still likes to babble a lot and drool all over the place. His new thing is putting everything in his mouth that he can. Burp clothes are a favorite and his new toy is the remote control with the colorful buttons. He just loves that thing. The one thing that he should be chewing on, he likes to wear instead. Out of 100 babies, I bet 0 actually use teething rings for the intended purpose.

His break downs have been much better. It could be that magical phase that Dr. An told us about because he pays attention to things around him. He has little break downs here and there but nothing like what Shelly posted in the last blog.

Grandma Lisa and Grandpa Kenny sent a box of clothes down for Austin. In the box, were a few items that Shelly used to wear which had been crocheted by her Great, Great Grandma Trimmer. We thought it would be cute to put on Austin, so that's what we did. He must have known it was mommy's at some point because he was one happy kid. Sorry Austin, pink was the only color available.

By far, one of the coolest things is when Austin first wakes up. He is soo happy in the mornings. When he's ready to wake up, he starts making noises and starts looking all around. When he finally notices you, his face lights up with a huge smile. Talk about an amazing feeling when he looks you in the eyes and smiles that big!

But I love my baby...

2009-06-06T09:40:00.005-05:00

Ok, so let me preface by saying this...I know that Ramsey and myself are both first time parents and I accept the fact that we are just simply ignorant when it comes to parenthood. Not to mention the fact that we both had very limited interaction with babies/infants before the arrival of our blessed little angel. With that being said, I also felt confident that two fairly intelligent human beings, faced with adversity, could take whatever life threw at them, work through it and eventually figure it out. We managed to survive the NICU and all of the challenges/struggles it presented and I thought "Wow, how great will it be to finally get him home where we can continue on with a "normal" life?!" I was totally unprepared for the completely different set of challenges this would bring and I had no idea that my definition of "normal" was about to change forever.

In the baby books I've been reading, they say that babies have several different cries, each representing a different need and that after time you will be able to tell the difference between your baby's different cries. Apparently, Austin doesn't follow that theory because in my vast 2 1/2 months of experience with him at home, I've come to realize that he has two cries. One is a kind of whimper-type cry, usually signaling boredom or a precursor to the big show. And the other is the ear piercing, holding my breath, squeezing my eyes shut, turning purple, I am dying, there is no consoling me scream that is always present during what we in the Sutten household lovingly refer to as the Melt-Down. The other thing that I’ve come to realize is that I have no idea what Austin wants by his type of cry as I cannot differentiate between a tired, hungry or Melt-Down cry. Whoever wrote those books must have had the text book baby and we do not.

Through this entire ordeal, we've been trying to figure out what is working as opposed to what isn't, especially with his feedings. We've been given many suggestions by the doctors, nurses, friends and family - most we've tried, some we haven't due to the guidance of our pediatrician. People tell me that every baby is different and all parents go through this until they find out what works/doesn't work for their baby. I cannot begin to tell you how many times Ramsey and I have said to one another, "I think we've finally figured it out," and then just as those words are leaving our mouths, all hell breaks loose in the Sutten household. I'm beginning to think we aren't ever going to figure it out.

Since Ramsey's last post (after the visit to Dr. An), we tried the new plan. No waking the baby, no tracking, no schedules, etc. Well, this presented it's own set of challenges for us because even before the NICU turned us into an OCD parents, we both had our little bouts with OCD. Those who know us well, know all about the Sutten family spreadsheets and me and my "schedule" issues - enough said! BUT, I was extremely proud of both of us for managing to discontinue the use of the tracking spreadsheets and just go with the flow. We did try to keep a semi-routine for the last feeding of each day so that we were able to put Austin to bed on a full tummy and we could all get some sleep. We had about 6 days of heavenly bliss...Austin happy, Mommy and Daddy happy! No screaming during feedings, no major melt-downs, you get the picture - all was smooth sailing...until it wasn't.

Up until this point, we've usually been able to point the finger at one or more particular variables that were more than likely the cause of either the feeding issue or the Melt-Down, whether it be parent error or otherwise. But this time, we are completely at a loss. All of a sudden, Austin started having HORRIBLE feedings and more Melt-Downs. Things were going so well and Ramsey and I said to one another, "I think we've finally figured it out." I believe that's where we went wrong...yet AGAIN. Now, his feeding issues are so much worse than they've ever been and he's having two melt-downs a day. During his Melt-Downs, Ramsey and I have to take turns attempting to console him by any means necessary. In the past, his Melt-Downs would last a good 45 minutes and we thought that was just horrible and it only happened once a week. Now, we are at twice a day and usually the early one will last about 45 minutes, but the evening one can go for an hour and a half to two and a half hours, depending on Austin's mood. Let me just say that whatever slim chance Austin had of getting a sibling has diminished to 0%. My mind was pretty much already made up before Austin arrived...I only wanted one child. However, my loving husband, who always wanted several children, has decided that there is no way he can go through this again. One will have to be enough! :o)

Due to Austin’s prematurity, I wasn’t sure what the timeframe should be for him to begin teething…some say to go by his adjusted age (almost 3 1/2 months) and some say to go by his actual age (almost 6 months). It was a shot in the dark, but we decided the other night that we should look up some signs for teething and try to figure out if he is at the age where this could be the problem. Ramsey looked it up and found that most babies start teething around 4-6 months and below are some of the signs:

Irritability - CHECK
Refusing to eat - CHECK
Excessive drooling - CHECK
Rash on face due to excessive drooling - CHECK
Trouble sleeping - CHECK
Shoving fists in mouth - CHECK

We are convinced that he’s been teething for the past 3 months. :o) Hopefully, we will see some teeth soon!

Austin has become more vocal and "talks" a lot. He is also smiling more and recently started laughing. He can roll all the way over from his stomach to his back and from his back to his stomach. He is getting so big...it's hard to believe he was once so tiny!

Grandma Sutten, Uncle Ritchie and Jordan came to visit Austin this week. Austin, of course, put on some stellar performances - I hope he didn't scare them off. :o) Anyhow, Grandma Sutten brought Austin a lot of new toys and he just loves them! Thanks, Grandma!

Something Magical

2009-05-19T12:50:00.010-05:00

Austin is still having problems with his eating. He is still fussy, screamy, wormy, arching, screaming, farting, pushing, crying, screaming...you get the picture. We decided that we would take the next step and schedule an appointment with Dr An, Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He basically told us that the NICU turned us into OCD parents. We were tracking how much he took at each feeding, weighing him twice a week and kept him on a feeding schedule which are all things we learned in the NICU. He said that since Austin is gaining weight, he's in the 50th percentile for weight and height, there is nothing to worry about. He even kind of laughed because Austin has a double chin and said he has a little cushion to work with. He also told us that there are two things you never do: 1 - never wake up a sleeping baby, 2 - never wake up a sleeping baby. We had already started to let him sleep through the night a couple weeks ago, but we were still waking him up during the day if he had gone more than 4 hours without eating.

So we have a new plan:

Do not push him if he doesn't want to eat
Let him sleep through the night but don't let him go more than 12 hours without eating
DO NOT wake him up
Do not weigh him, that will happen at the scheduled doctor visits
Do not keep track of how much he eats
Do not worry, he is doing well

Shelly mentioned that she read something on the internet and Dr An's response was, "those people on the internet are dumb, D U M". We knew at that point that we liked Dr An! He was probably the coolest doctor we have worked with to this point, and that's saying a lot considering the numerous doctors we have seen. He was extremely friendly and professional but also talked to us without the doctor jibberish. He told us that babies go through a magical phase (no scientific evidence which is why he said it was magical) when they turn 3-4 months old. He said they are much calmer and are less fussy, mainly because their senses are enhanced. Instead of focusing on stomach pains, they focus on things around them that they see, hear and smell. Let's just hope that the magical something that he talked about happens soon!

Dr. An was also quick to pick up the fact that Austin likes to be held. Whenever he would pick him up, he would quit crying. When he put him down, he would start to cry. We mentioned that most of the time, he will not sleep during the day unless he is held. He is still sleeping on his wedge at night, but just does not want to be back there when it's daylight. On several occasions, we tried putting him in the crib on his back and he does well for about 15 minutes. But then he starts to move a little and throws his hands back, like he feels like he's falling. This is a natural instinct that is supposed to go away with time, but it wakes him up and scares him and then he won't go back to sleep. We told Dr. An that he loved to sleep on his stomach in the NICU, but of course they tell you not to when you take him home. Dr. An told us that his son would only sleep on his stomach so that's how they let him sleep. Since Austin already sleeps on his stomach with the wedge, is it really that much different? Dr. An said it's ok and since he already does it with the wedge, we decided to try it. We put him on his stomach in the crib when we got home and he's been sleeping for almost 2 hours! He has even woken up a few times and he looks around at his sheets (which have a lot of colors and animals), then went back to sleep! We have a fan on to keep the air circulating and check on him reguarly though, because of all the bad things we have heard about with SIDS.

So all in all, it was a good trip. We'll let you know how he does with this new plan over the next couple weeks.

Toxicodendron radicans

2009-05-09T20:28:00.011-05:00

For those of you who don't know what Toxicodendron radicans is, you don't want to. Daddy thought it would be a good idea to go out and pull weeds last week. I was really proud of him because the yard looks really good. But then daddy started to complain...then complain more. By the first signs of it, he thought it was a bug bite because there were a few small red dots, almost like a fire ant bite. Then it got worse and worse. A rash broke out and then oozing started. He and mommy thought it was an allergic reaction to the bug bite so daddy fought through it for a week. Then mommy remembered something...grandma Netz said she thought she saw poison ivy in our backyard the last time she was here. Now why mommy failed to mention this to daddy, we will never know. Why daddy didn't see leaves of three and think, hmm, maybe I shouldn't pull this with my bare hands, we'll never know. Come to find out, poison ivy was growing all over in our backyard. Daddy pulled a few of them but when he went out today to look, there was still quite a bit out there. Luckily he was able to get into the doctor on Friday to get a steroid shot before the weekend started. But things are getting worse and worse and the rash is spreading to more body parts. Remember, beware of leaves of three. Luckily, neither mommy nor I have not been affected by it.

I have my little routine down. I eat, then hang out in my bouncy chair and I'm really happy. I smile and try to talk to mommy and daddy but I don't think they understand what I'm saying.

To help pass the time, I read the book that mommy got me.

After I get done reading, down to the floor I go. I usually do tummy time first, then I swat at the three weird animals in front of me that make noises and move (thank you Jordan!)

Once I'm done playing with that, I like to look at myself in the mirror. I must be funny because I like to smile and make noises to myself. After that, I get a diaper change then I'm off to sleep before the whole process starts over again.

Just a few random pictures of me smiling. I now weigh 11 pounds.

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2009-04-29T08:47:00.007-05:00

So, Austin and daddy were talking the other day while they were watching Austin's favorite movie, Transformers. Austin told daddy that he loves Bumble Bee so much, that he wants a car like him. So daddy being the best daddy ever said sure son. For those that have not seen Transformers, you need to. The car Austin wants is a 2010 Camaro, which is inspired from the late 1960's body style. Below is a picture of the exact car that Austin wants.

In an effort to make Austin's dreams come true, daddy got a second job. He is now a loan officer, so if you are ever looking to buy a house or refinance or know someone who is, give him a call. He'll give all friends and family a really good rate. He's committed to getting Austin his very own Bumble Bee. Please help a little boy's dream come true and pick up the phone today! OK, daddy is the one that really wants the car but he plans to let Austin drive it when he's older. Every boy needs a car with over 300 horespower as their first car. Don't over-analyze it, it just makes sense.

Austin has learned to hold his rattle and shake it around. It was all fun and games until yesterday when he decided to thow his hand towards his face with rattle in hand and smacked himself right in the lip. Daddy thought for sure that tears were coming next, but they never did. Besides the big eyes and looking around like who did that, he wasn't phased by it at all.

Lovin bathtime still. But not lovin it as much when he get's out. Shortly after he is out, the crying game begins.

Austin is starting to grow more hair. He has enough now that he has a duck tail in the back. The hair in the front is so light that you can hardly see it. He is still holding on to those blue eyes, but we are not sure how much longer he'll hold on to them. Mommy has brown eyes and daddy has hazel, so we are not sure what he'll end up with.

All Smiles and Coo's

2009-04-21T16:38:00.006-05:00

Austin is interacting with us more now. He looks at us and listens, then smiles and coo's. It usually happens right after his feedings, when we get all the burps out and put him in his bouncy chair.

Austin had his 4 month checkup with the pediatrition today. The doctor was happy with his progress and gave him an A+ on his report card for both physical and development areas. He has gained over 2 pounds since the last time he saw him despite his feeding issues. He said that since he is gaining weight, we should keep doing what we have been. He now weighs 10 pounds 3 ounces, is 21 1/3 inches long and has a head circumfrence of 14.8 inches.

Austin also had a followup appoinment with the cardiologist last week to see how his heart murmer is coming along. They found that his PDA and atrial septum defect are the exact same size as the last reading. The doctor said she is not worried about either one as he shows no signs of distress. She doesn't want to see him again until he is one year old and feels that Austin can close both on his own. She said if they are both still open at one year, they will close it through a percutaneous interventional method. This is a process which they go in through the femoral vein or femoral artery and place a coil to make an embolus, which closes the PDA without open heart surgery. She said it has a really high success rate (99.95% I believe). So we hope he closes it on his own, but are also comforted with the fact that there is a non-surgical procedure with a high success rate if he cannot.

He also had his best day of eating yesterday and finished 20.9 ounces. He usually does bad after he burps because it hurts him and a little bit comes back up, then he loses interest. So we decided to let him keep going and finish his bottle before we burped him. This strategy works really well even though it goes against all the books on how to properly feed a baby. We asked the pediatrition today if this strategy was acceptable and he said absolutely. So we are crossing our fingers that we found a way to feed him that is more comfortable for him.

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-14T13:27:00.019-05:00

Austin's first Easter was a pleasant one. He got a stuffed bunny and a chocolate bunny stuffed with carmel (which mommy and daddy will help with).

He also got to meet Grandpa Kenny and Grandma Lisa for the first time. They drove all the way from Nebraska and even had to drive through fire in Oklahoma to get here. We thought they were going to turn around and leave on Thursday night when they got here, because Austin was having a bad night. The next couple days though, he was much better and did not cry too much. Things have been much calmer around the Sutten household, we are proud to say.

Grandma Lisa and Austin smiling at one another.

Grandpa Kenny and Austin hanging out.

Mommy and one passed out Austin

The Sutten family on Easter Sunday

We finally finished Austin's room. Thank you grandma Netz for all the help!

He has a jungle themed room, with pictures of the animals in the pattern hanging on the wall. He really loves the 3 hanging above his changing table. They keep him distracted while Mommy and Daddy change his diapers.

The animal on the wall is a monkey...looking down while Austin sleeps.

A picture from the hallway looking in.

Hanging out after a huge feast. Austin now weighs 10 pounds, 3.2 ounces.

I think Daddy got confused. Your supposed to hold me, not the dog. Silly Daddy!

Best friends...

Enjoying a little bathtime with Mommy.

Chillin after bathtime...

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-31T12:22:00.023-05:00

Austin has been home for 13 days now. The first couple days we got him home were interesting. He must have been trying to transition from being at the NICU to being at home because he was quite fussy. Actually, that is an understatement. He was uncontrolably fussy and we couldn't do anything to soothe him. We tried every trick that we had been told, read about or made up and nothing seemed to help. He would just scream at the top of his lungs for hours at a time. Talk about feeling absolutely helpless - not knowing why he was crying and not being able to soothe him. Needless to say, the first couple days were pretty stressful for all.

During the first week, we did a lot of reading to find out what we could do to soothe the little guy. One of the articles we read about talked about gripe water. We asked our pediatrition and he said that has no side affects and can be given per the directions on the label. This stuff actually seems to work pretty well. It's an herbal remedy which takes affect in 5-20 minutes. We now add this to his feedings twice a day. Once the bottle is done (it last two weeks), we are going to see what he's like without it.

He's doing well with his feedings. It took us about a week, but we got him back to 100% breast milk. He's been doing really good on it too, and has many more bowel movements. The Enfamel AR that they had him on is known for causing constipation. He seems to be much happier on the breast milk and has a movement many times a day now, instead of going 2 or 3 days without one. He weighed 9 pounds yesterday.

We started tummy time with Austin about a week ago. He likes tummy time, especially rolling over. It only took him a couple tries once we taught him to get the roll down on his own. He can usually get 3-4 rolls in before he gets tuckered out.

For those of you who have been around Baxter, he likes to bark, sleep and play. He has a squeeky bone that he loves to play with. Whenever we get on the floor for tummy time, Baxter runs to get his bone. The funny thing is, he drops the bone by Austin's hand and barks at him, then waits patiently for him to throw it. Every once in awhile when Austin is moving his hands, he gets close to the squeeky bone and Baxter gets ready to run to retrieve the bone. When Austin doesn't throw it, Baxter starts to bark at Austin. This lasts only a few minutes until Baxter gives up then brings the bone to us, but it's still hilarious.

This is a pic of the RES-Q wedge (taken from the website) that Austin sleeps on at night. They prescribed it because of his reflux. Which is odd since the tests showed that he had no reflux. He used to spit up and throw up a lot at the NICU, but has not done so since he's been at home. We don't know if this is a result of the change in prilosec doseage or if it's related to something else. He likes sleeping on the wedge but we are not sure it's really necessary.

Here are a couple of pics of one of Austin's favorite sleeping positions when he's on his back.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Graves.

Grandpa Jesse and cousin Codi chillin with Austin on the couch.

On the day he was born, Grandma Netz and Grandpa Jesse sent some balloons to the delivery room. A couple months into it, the balloons were still flying high. We made a joke that the balloons were going to wait until Austin came home before they dropped. Sure enough, 90 days later they were still floating. A couple days after he was home, they started to drop one by one.

It's been quite a transition and a big change for all of us, but we are happy to all be at home together.

BREAKING NEWS!!

2009-03-18T13:13:00.015-05:00

The big day has finally arrived!!!! Ausin made his trip home at 11:00 AM this morning.

His trip to the NICU lasted exactly 90 days. He was born at 29 weeks, 4 days gestationally speaking. Today he is 3 months old. He weighed 2 pounds, 10.3 ounces when he was born. Today he is 8 pounds, 4.4 ounces. His birth length was 16.25 inches and he left at 19.3 inches.

He left with an umbilical hernia and a hydrocele on his left testicle (fluid around the testicle). He also still has a moderate PDA and an atrial septal defect (hole between the upper two chambers of the heart). We were told that all of these are normal for a premature baby and that they should resolve on their own with time.

With a couple sniffs, Austin and Baxter became brothers. The two hit it off...well they could really care less about one another at this point. Barking doesn't seem to bother Austin at all, which is a good thing since that is Baxter's favorite past time.

Thanks to everyone's prayers, words of encouragement, assistance and just being there for us, we were able to make it through the past 3 months. We can't thank you all enough. Up to this point, it's been surreal. We always knew we had a son but we never actually felt it. Mommy and daddy are happy to now feel like they have a son. And trust us, it's a good feeling!

Boiling Point

2009-03-17T08:41:00.012-05:00

Daddy has finally reached his boiling point with this whole ordeal. Up to this point, he's been the positive one who tried to keep mommy from jumping off the cliff. But the past couple days, the roles have reversed. Hopefully the end is in sight...

About a week ago, the nurses finally convinced the doctors to order a suck / swallow study. The test is to check how the milk is swallowed to ensure it's going down the right pipes. They also did an upper GI to ensure everything was fine there. Both tests came back and they were negative. That's when things went downhill. The next day, they changed to formula. They wanted to rule out the possibility of cow's milk protein allergy. Neither one of us really understood why they thought mommy was a cow, but we decided to go along with it (since they had already started it by the time we got there). The formula smelled very bad and according to Austin's reactions, it must of tasted really bad too. He no longer enjoyed eating and would scream at the top of his lungs everytime you laid him down for more. Daddy noticed on the bottle that it said to use within one hour or discard. He mentioned it to the nurses who just came up with some story that it only related to formula that had spit in it. Daddy not knowing anything believed her and just dropped it. The next day, daddy read the back of the box and it said very clearly that any unused portions should be refrigerated or used within 2 hours as it spoils quickly. The problem with all of this is he was eating every 4 hours. So we are convinced the formula was spoiled which gave him an upset stomach (screaming) and tasted bad (no longer liked to eat).

Mommy and daddy also read up on the cow's milk protein. What we read even pissed us off more. The articles we found on it said that breastmilk fed babies are at low risk of developing the allergy. If it did start to develop, the best thing was to keep the baby on breastmilk and keep mom away from dairy, which she had started to do on her own about a week before all of this. Not to mention the fact that they had stopped adding additional calories with a formula fortifier, which was based on cow's milk protein. So we had already reduced or eliminated the cow's milk protein the previous week.

Now to the really frustrating point. The week before starting this new formula when they stopped adding the formula fortifier to the breastmilk and mommy stopped eating dairy, his averages started climbing. His averages went from mid 30s, to 40s, to 50s and the last day, he jumped up to the 60s. He finished 2 of his bottles and did really well on all the others. Best day he had by far. A couple more days like that, he would of been coming home. So why did they decide to change everything when he was doing so well and the day before was his best day? Good question, one we still do not understand.

So after the couple days of the new formula, Dr. Green came in and changed everything up. He took out the feeding tube that went from his nose to his stomach because he thought it may be irritating things. They also placed a wedge in his bed so he sleeps at about a 45 degree angle and ordered Prilosec twice a day to help with any reflux. They changed his feeding amount to a minimum of 75cc. They changed him to a new formula that has rice cereal added to help with spit ups. And finally, they had us get Dr. Browns bottles. These bottles reduce the amount of air they swallow when feeding, and they seem to work. Again, not a plan that they ran across us before starting, but we liked this plan much more. He's been on this new plan since Saturday and he has been doing really well. He is completing bottles left and right and enjoys eating again. He's been finishing 80 and yesterday even finished 85. He's finally making progress on his last action item!

Austin had his car seat study last night. They put his pulsox back on then placed him in his car seat. They left him in there for an hour and a half and monitored his oxygen levels, heart rate and respritory rate to ensure he has no problems sitting upright for that long. He had no apneas, bradycardias and slept most of the time. From what we understand, he passed the test but we will find out for sure when we go in today.

He also had his circumcision a week on the 6th. He didn't seem to be bothered one bit by it.

He weighs 8 pounds, 4.1 ounces.

Hopefully the next posting will be about Austin breaking free of the NICU :-)

Time for Change

2009-03-03T08:54:00.019-06:00

Every week, the doctors and specialists meet to discuss each baby and their progress. Well, Austin has been a hot topic of debate. Half the doctors want him to have heart surgery to close up his PDA (heart murmer) and the other half don't think he needs it. The half that want surgery say his endurance problems with eating are directly related to his PDA. The other half that don't want surgery say he shows no signs of cardiac arrest or repiritory distress during feedings and all his vitals look good. Dr. Green came up with a plan...try everything possible first before surgery. So a new plan was developed. He changed Austin's feeding plan from every 3 hours on the dot to a cue baby, which means they wait until Austin says he is ready. In between feeding times, they let him sleep and if he doesn't wake up, they wake him up at 4 hours and feed him. They also changed the nipple they use on the bottle, the amount he gets and they added thickner to the milk as well. Since they changed to every 4 hours, he get's 6 feedings a day at 4, 8 and 12 and his bottle feedings are back to back at 12 and 4.

I've been doing better with the nippling. My average was around 30 ml, but now I'm up to the lower 40's. I have a long way to go considering I get 65ml when I nipple now.

Today I weighed 7 pounds 3.4 ounces. March 1st was my original due date and tentative date to go home, but there has been no talk of me going home anytime soon. :-(

Yesterday daddy signed the consent form for my circumcision. Just when I was really beginning to like daddy...

I was outgrowing my basinet so they moved me to a big boy jail crib. They did this so I could be in a crib with all my toys and stuffed animals that I've collected over the past couple months.

And a big step (which mommy and daddy are a little nervous about)...they stopped all medications yesterday. No more diuretics, sodium chloride or iron. Now, I only get vitamins and prilosec.

After they removed all oxygen support, I was always between 97-100% oxygen saturation levels so they decided I no longer needed to be monitored. They took my pulse oximeter off so I have one less cord to get tangled in.

One Action Item Left - Finish Bottles!

2009-02-24T10:04:00.029-06:00

Time sure does fly by. Austin is now 39 weeks old (gestationally speaking) and has been in the NICU for almost 10 weeks. He is doing really well on everything except for eating. He has finished only 4 bottles in the past 4 weeks. He does seem to be doing better, but still has a long way to go before he finishes 6 - 8 bottles a day. Once he starts finishing his bottles, he gets to come home.

DeAnn has been dying to come see me. She was finally able to find a time that she could make it and mommy was available, which is not an easy task.

I had my second brain scan last week. They were checking the structure of the brain and also to see if there was any signs of bleeding. Everything came back normal and there were no concerns.

I have not had a true brady since February 15th, which is a big deal.

This morning, they weaned me from all oxygen support. So no more nasal cannula!

Today I weighed in at 6 pounds, 9.6 ounces. Is that a double chin I see??

Grandma Sutten, Uncle Ritchie and Aunt Amy came up to see me. Cousin Jordan was also there but it will be awhile before I get to meet him. I've changed a lot since the last time they saw me, which was shortly after I was born. Grandma held me for close to three hours and I don't think she ever took an eye off me. I slept most of the time but she just kept staring at me anyway =)

Just hangin out with Grandma and Uncle Ritchie.

The nurse practioner told us that we need to spend more "fun" time with Austin. Which means less work and more play. So the nurses get to bottle feed him while we get to spend time talking to him, massaging him and just having fun time with him. We still bottle feed him once a day, but the rest of the time we just hang out with him, which is really nice!

Just rubbing the back of my head...

Fun time with mommy...

Mommy and Daddy stopped by to see me before going on their big Valentine's Day date.

First Eskimo and Valentine's Kisses

2009-02-14T09:17:00.023-06:00

My first Valentine's kiss!

Grandma Netz came up yesterday to see me and to bring some things for my room. She loves sewing so she bought patterns and made me sheets, blankets, wall pictures, curtains, etc for my nursery. Daddy and mommy said it's almost complete and looks great, but there are a few minor things to finish up. Thanks for everything, Grandma Netz!!

The occupational therapist was nice enough to take a picture of all of us.

Just hangin' out after bath time, which I LOVE!

I had another eye exam this week. They said everything is looking good and my next follow-up will be in a year.

My chest x-ray they did on Friday was the best they have ever seen. Which means the fluid in my lungs is going away, most likely from the diuretics. So I'm having a much easier time breathing. My oxygen levels have been at room air and my oxygen saturation rates have been close to 100%, which is really good.

The other night, I couldn't stop looking at daddy. Daddy said he really liked it and thought it was a neat experience.

Today I weiged in at 6 pounds! I am now 18.1 inches long.

On Thursday, the nurse practioner told mommy that I wasn't really progressing on the nippling and that I had been doing the same for the past couple weeks. They normally find that babies progress pretty fast when they start to nipple. Mommy already knew that I wasn't doing that great, but broke down when she told her. And not only was the nurse practioner there, the regular bedside nurse and the lactation consultant were in the room as well. Mommy didn't really know why she was crying since she already knew I wasn't doing that great with the nippling, but the fact that she was crying in front of 3 other people, made her cry more. Mommy felt bad for the nurse practioner because she could sense that she felt uncomfortable because it was probably something that she said. Ever since then, the nurses have been really nice and upbeat when delivering news. I wonder why =)

I'm happy to say, that I am doing better with the nippling though. The occupational therapist came by Friday and Saturday and scolded mommy and daddy for letting me develop bad habits. They said that nippling isn't sleep time, it's time to eat. So they gave us some new tricks to try and they have been working. I now average about 32 cc of milk, up from 16cc. I'm supposed to be taking 45 each time, so I'm almost there.

In preemies, the valve that stops food from coming back up usually isn't closed yet. So food is constantly coming back up, unless I'm elevated a little. Well I hit the gestational age where I should no longer be elevated so they put my bed level. Since then, I've had a few accidents where food comes back up. So they started me on Prilosec yesterday to see if that helps. Mommy and daddy think they should just elevate my bed instead, but what do we know?

My first eskimo kiss with the best mommy ever!

Updates

2009-02-07T21:04:00.019-06:00

The echo revealed that my PDA went from "small" to "moderate" and the left ventricle was slightly enlarged. This means that the left side of my heart is having to work harder due to the PDA. As a result, the doctor is putting me on fluid restriction and starting me on diuretics to help lessen the excess strain on my heart. So, now we are just waiting to see if the PDA closes on it's own. The doctor said they will not perform another echo unless I start showing signs of respiratory distress or they notice something "off" with me. However, the doctor did order chest x-rays every Tuesday and Friday to check my progress. Friday's chest x-ray looked good and the diuretics appear to be working well.

I am holding steady at 1 liter, 21% (room air) oxygen and my saturation levels have been in the high 90's, which is great! I'm also only having 1 brady every couple of days, which the doctors say is really good. I now weigh a whopping 5lbs, 8.3 oz. I'm up to 44 cc's of food and I'm also attempting 3 nipples daily. I'm averaging 12-20 cc's when I nipple.

I get so tuckered out during my nipple feedings that I usually fall asleep before it's over...

Daddy and I hangin' out on Super Bowl Sunday...

Nap time after my dinner...

Because of the respiratory distress and oxygen, I am very tense. The developmental nurse and OT showed mommy and daddy some stretches and exercises to help me relax. We've been "working out" for about a week now. According to the developmental nurse, the stretches are working and I don't seem so tense/tight anymore. Keep up the good work, mommy and daddy!! The nurses also showed mommy and daddy some new exercises to help me get stronger for my feedings and they call it "play time". Mommy and I had "play time" for the first time today and I had so much fun! I was wide awake (and not fussy) and felt so relaxed afterwards.

After "play time" with mommy...

I grew out of my first bath tub so mommy got a new big boy bath tub and brought it to the NICU. I had my first bath in my new big boy tub on Thursday. I really like bath time!

6 Weeks Old

2009-01-30T21:50:00.013-06:00

Today I weighed 5 pounds, 1.9 ounces. I completed my bottle for daddy this morning and I also completed it for mommy tonight. I usually tucker out and can't finish my bottles, but I did really good today.

The doctors decided to reduce my oxygen flow a couple of days ago. I am now down to 1.5 liters of oxygen, I was previously on 2. I'm doing pretty good with it, but they have had to increase the percentage to 23% - 30% at times to help keep my saturation levels up.

I am doing much better with my brady's. Which means I no longer get my daily shot of espresso at 9PM. That's right, they took my caffeine away. It takes about a week to get out of my system, so we'll know in a couple days how things turn out.

Now that I'm in my big boy bed, mommy and daddy feel much more comfortable about things. So they allowed Grandma Netz to change my diaper and feed me yesterday. It's been a long time since she changed a diaper, but she did a good job.

Yesterday, the nurse told mommy and daddy that my legs were swollen and that I was retaining water. So they gave me a dose of diuretics last night to help with it. This morning, they performed my third chest x-ray to check for fluid in my lungs. The results showed that things were kind of cloudy, meaning that there was some water. So they ordered my third echo and did that today as well to check my heart murmer to see if my PDA is getting bigger. We are still waiting to hear the results, but we should know tomorrow how things are progressing.

Nipple Trial

2009-01-24T13:18:00.019-06:00

On Thursday, we were told that Austin was ready for a nipple trial. Up to this point, he has been receiving his feedings through a gavage, which is a tiny tube that is inserted in his mouth and goes all the way down to his stomach. Right now, he is getting 35cc over 60 minutes for gavage feedings. The nipple trial is his first bottle feeding to see how he would do with it. During his trial, he finished 30 of the 35cc within 30 minutes, which everyone said was really good.

At first, he starts off strong...

Then, not so much...

Now that his nipple trial is over and he did well, the doctor ordered bottle feedings twice per day. So we are doing one at 9am and the other at 6pm. They also moved his gavage tube from his mouth to his nose, so that he can get the suction needed on the nipple. We have never seen such a tuckered out little boy, he is absolutely exhausted after his bottle feedings. The occupational therapist told us to go home and suck on a bottle so we can see how much work it is, but we'll just take her word for it.

The occupational therapist also showed us some infant massage techniques. We mainly focused on the ones that helped relieve gas and encourage bowel movement because Austin has been full of it!! After the therapist was done, mommy changed his diaper and let's just say it worked because he had the fullest diaper we have ever seen!

Daddy's first hold...

Firsts

2009-01-20T20:45:00.015-06:00

First off, my eye exam results came back normal. They are going to check things out again in 3 weeks.

Now I lay me down to sleep...

Today I weighed 4 pounds 8 ounces.

Last night I had my first real bath. And guess what, mommy was the one who gave it to me! I did really good too. There were a few moments when I didn't know what was going on, but I really liked it. And mommy did a good job!

Daddy, help me!

Now what are you doing?

Singing in the rain...

After my bath...

And again...

Tonight I got my first massage. I've had really bad gas the past couple of days, probably due to the increased calories and introduction of formula. The doc told mommy and daddy to move my hips around, move my legs up towards my chest and to lightly massage my stomach to help with my issues.

Oh, and another first happened tonight. Mommy noticed that she didn't have her ring on her finger. She couldn't remember if she took it off at the hospital or if she left it at home. She called her mom and found out that she did have it on during the day. So mommy started to freak out. She and the nurses were digging through the trash frantically trying to find it. Daddy decided to check mommy's jacket pocket again and guess what, it was there. So he went to go find her and when he came back, mommy was a mess. The nurse saw that and asked mommy if she wanted to hold me. Mommy has never just held me, it's always been kangaroo-ing. So she picked me up and held me in her arms. It was very nice!

Big Boy Bed

2009-01-17T21:37:00.011-06:00

I got moved to a big boy bed! I'm now in an open crib. Which means I get to maintain my own temp, with the help of some clothes, blankets and a hat every once in awhile. So far, I've been doing really good. My old bed is on the left and my new bed is on the right.

Me in my new bed in between diaper changes.

My eye exam was scheduled for the 19th, but the doc decided to come up today. The nurse wasn't able to tell mommy and daddy the results tonight, but said we could get them tomorrow morning when the doc was in. We'll let you know what we find out.

Tomorrow I turn 1 month old. Time flies when your havin fun! I've gained a 1/2 in length since I was born. I'm now at 16 3/4 inches. And I've almost caught up to my big brother Baxter in weight. I'm up to 4 pounds, 3.7 ounces. He's just under 5 pounds, so I should have him beat in no time.

You decide...Big hand or small Ausin?

One proud momma!

Daddy's favorite picture. Hmm...I wonder why?

Pics

2009-01-13T21:53:00.009-06:00

Tonight was the first time that daddy has changed my diaper since I started wearing clothes.

Wrapped up like a burrito
The cloth bear over my eyes smells like mommy. She wore it before she brought it up to me so that I could always smell her scent.

Hi everyone!

Camping out with my lion

Today I weighed 3 pounds, 13.7 ounces. They increased my feedings from 30 cc to 32.

Today they decreased my oxygen from 2.5 liters to 2. Sometimes I get 0 liters like in the pic below.

Roarrrrr!!!

2009-01-11T18:34:00.015-06:00

Where to begin...

Grandma Netz and Grandpa Jesse came to visit me yesterday. Mommy and daddy usually forget to take pictures when people come to see me, but this one time they remembered.

The nurse told mommy and daddy that I get to wear clothes now. So they rushed off to the store to get me some.

And, mommy got me a Lion too. Roarrrrr!!!

Today I weighed in at 3 pounds 10.2 ounces. Up a whole pound since I was born!

Yesterday, the doctor ordered some more tests for me. He ordered a chest x-ray to check for fluid in my lungs and an echo (pic below) to check my heart murmer. The doc said I have a small PDA and he thinks it's one that will close up on it's own, but they are going to keep an eye on things. To help reduce the amount of fluid in my lungs, they are going to add formula to my milk. This will get me the extra calories I need without adding to the volume of fluids I am taking in.

I met a couple new people today. Aunt Karen and Uncle Dave came up to see me. My cousins Josh, Jake and Jess were also up there, but they wouldn't let them come back to see me. They actually won't allow anyone under 17 in the NICU, especially during RSV season. I know it will be awhile before I can meet them, but mommy and daddy said I will really like them. I can't wait! I also got to meet Kim, mommy's BFF. Everyone was really nice!

Straight Jacket

2009-01-09T21:56:00.012-06:00

When we got there tonight, we noticed that Austin was bundled up in a blanket like a burrito. He's usually just tucked in and not bundled up like that. The nurse told us that he was fussy and moving around a lot, so they took the next developmental step. They turned off his incubator and wrapped him up so he could begin to regulate his own temperature. He also weighed 3 pounds, 8.4 ounces today. So he's trying to knock out two of his new years resolutions at the same time, gain weight and regulate his own temp.

We asked about his length today and the nurse said they measure him every week. He was born 16 1/4 inches and is now 16 1/2.

Austin must have had a rough night out on the town. His hat isn't on, it's just laying across his head and nobody tucked him in. I wonder if this is the work of one of the nurses, or someone else??

Well, I think you all did a real good job tucking me in. I look and feel really cozy. Except one thing...the cannular is actually supposed to be in both nostrils, not just one.

Pondering...

2009-01-07T19:19:00.006-06:00

The developmental nurse came by today to do her weekly tests. On one of her tests, she lifted Austin's arm and dropped it to see if he would just let it drop or if he would pull his arm back. Well, he decided to pull his arm back and ended up smacking himself right in the face. He didn't like it very much but the nurse said that it was really good. She said he passed all of the tests with flying colors and said he's a strong little guy for his age.

The doctor came by today and said that his heart murmer may be closing up. He said that 3 days ago he could hear it crystal clear, but today it was muffled. We hope he's right. He also said that they are closely monitoring his respiratory rate (number of breaths he's taking) because it's been running pretty high. He thinks it may be caused by water in his lungs, which if that's the case, they will give him a diuretic to reduce the water.

This is how mommy found Austin this morning when she went to see him.

And this is how he was laying in the afternoon.

And this was tonight after daddy changed his diaper and the nurse tucked him back in.

Yesterday and today he weighed 3 pounds, 6.7 ounces.

Hmm...I wonder how I can break out of here

Big Boy!

2009-01-05T19:21:00.007-06:00

Today I weighed in at 3 pounds 5.8 ounces. They have increased my food to 30cc. They also reduced my oxygen from 3 liters to 2.5.

I have my first eye exam scheduled for January 19th. The doc said that my eyes were not supposed to be exposed to oxygen yet, so the exam is to check for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). I'll let you know how things turn out.

Chillin'

2009-01-03T21:51:00.005-06:00

Daddy, mommy...can one of you take this off of me, please??!!

Chillin'

2 Weeks, 1 Day Old

2009-01-02T18:26:00.003-06:00

They bumped me up to 28cc of milk. They were feeding me over the course of an hour, but today they increased it to an hour and a half. In the past 8 hours, I've only had one brady! They think the increase in feeding time has helped. I was also up to 3 pounds, 2.8 ounces today.

I'm much more alert now, always looking around to see what's going on.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T18:13:00.010-06:00

Mommy and daddy came up to bring in the new year with me. We had a rockin good time, except I slept through most of it. I was awake for the big moment though, so mommy and daddy put some decorations on my house and took some pics.

My New Years resolutions:

Gain weight (I'm up to 3 pounds 1 ounce, Woo Hoo!)
Be able to regulate my own temperature
Eat enough food and digest all of it
Breathe on my own
Pull on brother Baxter's ears and chase him around the house...well maybe that will need to wait another year.
Go home with mommy and daddy

Great grandma and grandpa Graves came to see me yesterday. They seem like really nice people. Except one thing...mommy likes Tony Stewart and grandpa had a Jimmy Johnson jacket on. Not really sure how I feel about that.

This is a random pic from yesterday that mommy really liked.

First Smile?

2008-12-30T21:42:00.003-06:00

I have something to smile about today. I received my social security card in the mail yesterday... my first piece of mail. Then daddy told me that he opened up a savings account for me, and said I already have $200! I could buy a lot of pacifiers with that, I really like those things. Oh, and best of all, my brain sonogram is over. They came in this morning and put a bunch of gel on my head, then rolled some deal over it to check things out. Then when daddy and mommy came to see me, the nurse came by and told them that everything was normal. They were checking for bleeding in the brain, something about IVH. But I checked out all right, so it's all good. I'm not out of the woods yet, because they plan to check one more time before they send me home with mommy and daddy.

Today I weighed in at 2 pounds 15.6 ounces. They upped my food to 27cc and started to include vitamins in my feedings once per day so I can get big and strong. The developmental nurse came by today and said that I'm already making good progress on that.

I played hide and go seek for the first time tonight. It was fun, but I don't think mommy and daddy were too happy about it. The nurses told me that they had quadruplets coming (they were only 25 weeks) and that they had to move me. I didn't call and tell mommy and daddy, so they had to come find me when they got there. I think it kind of freaked them out at first, but they finally found me.

Teamwork!

2008-12-29T16:08:00.004-06:00

Austin holding daddy's finger while daddy holds Austin's pacifier. Teamwork!

Yesterday, mommy got to "nuzzle" for the first time. It is a simulation breast feeding, without the feeding, that helps to prepare Austin for the big game. After the nuzzling, we flipped him over and continued with the kangaroo-ing.

Yesterday, he weighed in at 2 lbs, 14.6 oz but today, he was down just a little at 2 lbs, 13.9 oz. Today they upped his feedings to 25cc.

Daddy got to kangaroo today and Austin did not have any brady's the entire 4 hours we were up there. Much better than the 12 that he had yesterday. They increased his flow of oxygen back to 3 liters to help reduce the brady's.

Mommy...Is That You?

2008-12-27T21:41:00.004-06:00

Daddy may have snuck in kiss number 1 yesterday, but mommy snuck in 2-6 today.

Our little guy gained another 1.4 ounces and is now up to 2 pounds 12.8 ounces. They upped his food to 24cc today. They also turned his oxygen down to 2.5 liters (at 21%) and he seemed to be breathing pretty well at that level.

The nurse told us today that he has a little heart murmer. She thinks it's the type that will close up on it's own, so she is not too concerned about it. But they are going to continue to monitor it to ensure it works itself out.

Daddy's Turn

2008-12-26T19:42:00.006-06:00

Whoo hoo! I got my first kangaroo under my belt. It's amazing holding him and feeling him kick and move around on your chest. I thought about sneaking in a kiss earlier in the day, but Shelly told me that it probably wasn't a good idea. But when nurse Anne put him on my chest tonight, she asked if I wanted to sneak in a kiss on his head before she put his hat on. So I obliged and boy did it feel good.

Austin is now up to 22cc of milk. They are also adding a supplement (human milk fortifier) to it that adds 10% more calories to his feedings. They said a normal feeding is 20 calories and the suppliment adds 2 additional calories. Today he weighed in at 2 pounds 11.4 ounces, which is up over an ounce since he was born. Not much, but we'll take it.

Uh oh, looks like we have a troublemaker on our hands. This is what Aunt Sheri got to see when she came in today for the first time.

1st Christmas

2008-12-26T08:57:00.007-06:00

I turned 1 week old on Christmas. Daddy and mommy came up to visit me and spent a lot of time with me. I got to kangaroo again with mommy, something I really like. They told me that they couldn't bring me any toys yet, but I don't even know what they were talking about. I don't know what a toy is.

Daddy changed my diaper for the first time. It was right after I got done kangaroo-ing with mommy, so I was already fussy. Daddy didn't really know what he was doing yet, so I let him know that. I kicked and screamed which I'm sure made it harder for daddy, but it was kind of funny watching him crack under pressure. I'm sure he'll be a pro at it in no time.

They moved me up from 2 to 3 liters of oxygen. The nurse told mommy and daddy that I was having a hard time breathing, so the 3 liters of oxygen will help.

Daddy said he has a surprise for me tomorrow, but he said I had to wait. I don't know what it is yet, but he said he was really looking forward to it. If it's a surprise for me, I don't know why he's all excited about it. He's silly...

Kangaroo #2

2008-12-24T20:05:00.006-06:00

Mommy was able to kangaroo again today. She did it for 2.5 hours and Austin was very calm during the entire thing. He did brady in the very beginning, but he was able to recover on his own. They said that is common for him to do, especially with all the moving around. But once he was comfortable, he did really well. Slept pretty much the entire time, except mommy did feel and hear him poop...which daddy got to clean up later.

Austin is now up to 20cc every three hours. He is still at his birth weight, which was 1200 grams or 2 pounds 10 ounces. Just like with full term babies, he lost weight when he was first born and is now gaining it back. And they were able to get his jaundice levels down, so they turned off the light.

Last night, the nurse saw that he had blood in his nose. The oxygen machine that he was hooked up to was blowing dry air so he got irritated. So they hooked him up to a different machine which blows warmer, moister air so that he doesn't get irritated.

Daddy bought Austin a little stuffed bear for Christmas. It's frowned upon to bring outside items in for him, especially since most of the toys are made in China then shipped here. Not the best for a preemie that has not developed an immune system. But the nurse said we could wash it with baby detergent, then bring it in. We set it on the ledge outside of his home so he won't be able to do anything with it, but we just had to get him something for up there.

Kangaroo-ing

2008-12-23T22:06:00.009-06:00

UH-OH?!!? Where did Austin go?!!?

OH, there he is...kangaroo-ing with mommy. Kangaroo-ing (started in Australia) is skin to skin contact with your baby, which usually occurs between feedings. Minimal contact with Austin is very important right now, as he should still be in the womb. Any interaction with him burns precious calories that he cannot afford to use. When you kangaroo, there is no stroking, patting or rubbing. You just lay there and you can put pressure on him which mommy is doing above, but that is all. Anything else causes him to wake up and move about (burning calories). The other important thing is that you have to do it for the entire 3 hours in between feedings, to ensure he gets the sleep he needs and enough time passes for his food to digest. There are many benefits to kangaroo-ing, both for mommy and Austin. It helps to regulate his temperature on his own and it is very soothing for him as he is familiar with mommy's heartbeat and smell. It helps mommy by increasing the hormones in her body that assist with producing milk. Plus it helps make the connection for mommy that she really is a mommy. It's been hard only seeing and minimally touching Austin through the glass, then leaving him to go back home. Now that mommy actually gets to feel him breathing on her chest and periodically kick his feet out, it gives her a sense of mommyness, which is always a good thing. They said daddy gets to kangaroo as well, so that will happen in the next couple of days. Talk about a wonderful Christmas gift!

Other news today. They moved him up to 16 cc's of milk every three hours. They also spread his feeding out over an hour. They were feeding him all the milk in 30 minutes, but the fast feedings can sometimes be a catalyst to the brady's. So they slowed it down so his tummy doesn't get full too fast. Another change was that he was taken off the IV. Since he is able to digest more milk now, they no longer need the supplimental food that was being added to the IV. Mommy and daddy were really happy about this, because they had to keep using the same veins in his feet and hands because he only had a couple that they could get to. Since he moves around so much, the IV kept coming out so they would have to put it back in. His poor little feet were all red and bruised because of it.

He did relapse on one item. The jaundice returned. They expected that it would, so it was no surprise when we got there today. They said he had risen to a 10, so they will have the light on him all day today and tomorrow as well.

We also got to meet the developmental pediatrics nurse today. It's amazing how many people are involved in helping Austin become a big boy. She checked his strength by holding up one arm and moving it back and forth to see how much resistance he gave. Then she held his arm straight up and dropped it to see if he would just let it drop, or if he pulled it back towards his face. His right arm he pulled back, his left arm just dropped. She then did the same thing with each leg, which both sprung back. She said he has some resistance, which is good and it will continue to develop more with time. She also stated that after Austin leaves, her team would be involved with helping him develop. She told us that since he was due March 1st and came 2.5 months early, he is going to be behind by 2.5 months. So when full term babies would normally start to crawl, Austin will be 2.5 months behind that. So they will teach mommy and daddy various things that we can do with him to help reduce that gap.

Our first family picture (minus big brother Baxter because they won't let him in the NICU).

Big Foot!

2008-12-23T06:57:00.004-06:00

This is Daddy's view. He usually lets Mom do all the touching because it helps her to produce my food.

I saw Big Foot last night! He was really tall and kind of scared me when I first saw him. Daddy said he was my uncle Ritchie, but I still think it was Big Foot. I also got to see Grandma Sutten and both Grandma and Grandpa Buker. They all kept making comments about how the pictures make me look soo much bigger than I really am.

Yesterday, I pooped twice and the nurse told Mommy and Daddy that they were big ones. They had to use a glycerine suppository to get things flowing, but that's OK. Mommy and Daddy were so proud of me, but I'm not sure they believed the nurse that I really did poo. So this morning, I knew Mommy and Daddy were coming in, so I went poop again so Mommy would get the surprise when she changed my diaper. I have a feeling that this excitement about poo will wear off with time, but it's fun for now.

Yesterday they also upped my feeding. I started at 2cc when I was a day old, then went up to 4, then 8 and now I'm at 12cc every 3 hours. Mommy has been doing so well that they are starting to freeze the milk for me because I can't eat it as fast as she is making it.

I'm still having the brady's, even though they hooked me up with some caffeine. The nurse told Mommy and Daddy this morning that it takes some time for the caffeine to get in my system. Once it does, it should lessen them some but it won't remove them entirely until my systems fully develop. The nurse also said that since I am so little but off most of the respitory support, that brady's happen more frequently. The nurses are doing a really good job of keeping an eye on me and jump starting me (rubbing the head, tapping the feet, etc.) when I need it.

December 21, 2008

2008-12-21T18:00:00.004-06:00

We were heading up for the 3:00 PM feeding, so we decided to call and let the nurse know. She told us that she had two good pieces of news, but said we would see when we got there. To our delight, Austin was no longer on the CPAP and the jaundice light was gone! His level of bilirubin went from an 8 to a 5 so he no longer needed the light. They also said he was doing so well so they took him off the CPAP. He is now using a Nasal Cannular, which does the same thing as the CPAP but assists much less. He is needing more oxygen now that he moved off the CPAP, in between 25 and 30%, but they said that was normal. They also told us that there is a chance he may need to go back on the CPAP if he's having to work too hard. Another thing they are watching is for apnea/bradycardia, which is when his heart rate drops and he stops taking breaths. He actually had one when we were there, and it scared the crap out of both of us. He recovered on his own, but they also rub his back to remind him that he's supposed to be breathing. All of which they said is normal, but they are monitoring to ensure it doesn't occur to frequently. If it does, then they give him a medicine that contains caffeine, which helps with that. We were also happy to find out that they doubled his food again. He is now up to 8cc of breast milk every 3 hours. He'll be a big boy in no time!

I get to change positions every 3 hours (to help shape my head). Since I no longer need the CPAP, I don't have as much stuff attached to my head. So the nurse was able to put me on my stomach, which I really like. It makes me feel like I'm still in the womb.

December 20, 2008

2008-12-21T10:49:00.013-06:00

Here is a picture of Mommy and me in my new home for the next 10-11 weeks. They said I need to be able to feed 8 times a day, gain weight, breathe on my own and regulate my own temperature. Once I can get that down, they said I would be ready to go home with Mommy and Daddy. Today, I was even able to poop a few times, which they said was a good sign.

Mommy does a real good job of feeding me. She makes this stuff that is really tasty and is good for my tummy. Then she comes to see me, the nurse puts it in a tube and Mommy holds it up high so I am able to get it in my tummy. Right now, I get to eat 4cc every three hours (3, 6, 9, 12 AM/PM) of breast milk. If Mommy is unable to get me enough, then I get donor milk. But so far, she is doing awesome. Go Mommy!

They said I have a little jaundice, so I put my foam shades on and they turned the light on for me. They said that for bilirubin levels above a 7, they turn on the light, and I was an 8. Boy is this a bright light!

This is my favorite position, even though the nurse always tucks me back in. I had to stay on the ventilator for 17 hours, but I was doing so well that they moved me back to the CPAP. They said I was even breathing 21% Oxygen, which is what Mommy and Daddy breathe. The CPAP helps me by pushing air back into my lungs after I breathe, to ensure that my lungs do not colapse. Really neat stuff they have me hooked up to, even though I'm not very photogenic right now.

December 19, 2008

2008-12-21T10:44:00.010-06:00

For the first 4.5 hours, I was able to breath on my own with a little help of the CPAP. Then my oxygen levels were getting too low so they hooked me up to the ventilator. The ventilator does a lot more work for me than the CPAP does, which I needed because my lungs are not fully developed yet. I wanted to come out so fast that the doctors only got one shot of steroids in Mommy before I was ready to join the family. The doctors told me that the ideal is two shots as it helps build the lungs, but I was too impatient and wanted to see Mommy and Daddy.

I really like it when Mommy places one hand on my feet and one hand on my head, then presses lightly. It makes me feel like I'm back in my previous home.

Surprise Mommy and Daddy!

2008-12-21T10:30:00.005-06:00

On 12/17/08, around 8:30 PM, I noticed some blood in my urine and per the request of my Dr., we made a trip up to Labor and Delivery to have things checked out. They hooked me up to a machine to monitor contractions and the baby's heartrate and everything looked good. They ran a few tests and it was determined that I had a urinary tract infection (UTI) and immediately started me on some antibiotics because UTIs are a common cause for premature labor. I had been having some problems since the previous Thursday, which once we found out, all pointed to a UTI. They discharged us around 11:30 PM and we went back home. At 2:30AM, I started having some severe abdominal pains that were coming and going and per the request of my Dr., AGAIN, went to Labor and Delivery to make sure I wasn't having contractions. They hooked me up again to the machine that monitors contractions and the baby's heartrate. Everything looked really good with the baby but I was having pretty consistent contractions. They gave me an IV for some antibiotics/fluids, as well as two shots of Tributaline to help stop the contractions. They were able to successfully stop the contractions, so at 10:30AM, they discharged me and said if I started having contractions again to come back in. Around 3:30PM that afternoon, I started having major contractions that were 5 minutes apart and lasting approximately 1 minute. We immediately headed back to Labor and Delivery again. When we arrived, they determined that I was definitely in labor (they guessed 5-6 centimeters dialated, fully effaced) and they admitted me to the hospital. They attempted to stop the labor, but I had progressed too quickly. My Dr. called the NICU team and they started to prepare. The labor went by so fast that before we knew it, Austin Matthew Sutten had joined us. He cried shortly after and all the doctors and nurses said that was a good sign, so it eased our tension. They briefly brought him to me so that I could touch him and then they whisked him away to the NICU and Ramsey followed.

This picture was taken shortly after he arrived in the NICU. That is my finger that Austin is holding.