July 9, 2011

Between today and yesterday, there has been a LOT of talk about preparing to go home. At home, we have washed all the tiny clothes, washed and put together all the baby gear, and begun to deep clean the house. There is still quite a bit to do, so the next few days will be extremely busy! Anyone want to come help me clean???

Yesterday, I walked into Aaron's room as Dr. Stein was doing his rounds. He came in Aaron's room and said, "Who is this baby? Didn't he just make me lose all of my hair a couple of weeks ago?" (Dr. Stein is completely bald.) He apologized that he didn't have a diagnosis for Aaron, and he said that something could show itself in the future, though we are praying for complete health! He was extremely impressed with the way Aaron has been eating and growing!

He has his hearing screen yesterday, and he passed that. We figured that he would because it is easy to see that he responds to sounds. He has had a few apnea episodes over the past few days, so they did a 12-hour sleep study on him yesterday afternoon through early this morning. This is a pneumogram. This test picks up all of his respirations more clearly than the alarms he is attached to. The test found that the reason for his episodes is due to his immature central nervous system, and Dr. Hornick assured me that he would outgrow that. He will, however, go home on a sleep monitor; this records all of his breathing on a cd that the respiratory therapist can review to see how he is progressing. David and I are being trained on using the monitor tomorrow, and we will also be trained in infant CPR. We are, of course, praying that we never have to use CPR on him. The monitor will give us peace of mind and will probably help us sleep when we first bring Aaron home because we can rest assured that if he stops breathing for any reason, the alarm will sound and wake us up.

Dr. Hornick was the doctor present at his birth. She is the one who resuscitated him. As she spoke with me about how well he is doing, she turned red and had tears in her eyes. She knows even more than I do what an amazing miracle Aaron is. I thanked her (as I do every time I see her--how can I not?), and she responded that babies like Aaron are such an encouragement to all of the amazing NICU staff!
Aaron had his first photo shoot today, and the photographer said that he did a great job! He will be getting his car seat test within a couple of days; he is monitored while sitting in his car seat for two hours to be sure he is able to tolerate the position.

Aaron's weight today is 5 pounds 2 1/2 ounces. The nurses keep commenting how impressed they are with the way he is eating.

As I spoke with Aaron's nurse (Gretchen) tonight, she was giving me advice on choosing a doctor for Aaron and using the Help Me Grow program. I shared with her what Dr. Hornick had said earlier, and she said she was on the night that Aaron was born. She was there when Dr. Hornick and the two nurses left for Aaron's delivery. She spoke with one of the nurses several times over the next couple of days, and she said there was so little hope that Aaron would survive. He was one of the tough NICU cases, one that people expected would be lost. I am so thankful that God had other plans! Gretchen shared things about Aaron's birth that I had not yet heard. She told me the condition he was in when he left my hospital. She used terms I had not yet heard, even though I knew what the case was; she actually said he was dead at birth. What an extremely sobering thought.

All I can think is: "You deserve the glory and the honor. Lord, we lift our hands in worship as we lift Your holy name. You are great! You do miracles! So great! There is no one else like You, no one else like You! "

Please pray that Aaron is able to tolerate his car seat test. Pray that his central nervous system matures quickly so that he is able to outgrow the apnea episodes. Pray for his homecoming and continued life and health! Thank you!