Home with Mommy

Chris went back to work today, starting a new job as a developer for a small company called Airwatch. Although I'm a little bummed to not have an extra set of hands during the day, I'm very excited for him and hope he enjoys it! This is the first week that I'm all alone with my sweet Mason. How's it going so far? Well, I'm able to update the blog, so it must be going OK (that is, as long as he stays entertained in his bouncy seat :-).

Mason is thriving at home and continues to be a pretty good baby. He's at the stage where he wants to be held all the time, so that limits what I can get done during the day. Now I understand the need for that silly looking baby carrier! He weighed a healthy 8lbs, 8oz at the doctor last week and was given a clean bill of health by the GI specialist. Looking at him now, you would never know he was that tiny baby in the NICU less than 3 months ago. We had his newborn pictures last week and I haven't seen the proofs yet, but we got a preview on the photographer's blog (see the pictures here). Alisha was great with him and I can't wait to see the rest!

Nana and Grandpa came to visit last week. Here is Grandpa holding Mason for the first time. It was nice to have them here and they even babysat so mom and dad could have a date night!

We tried out his bumbo seat for the first time and he really liked it! He doesn't have the best neck control yet, so he has to be closely supervised
This is the funniest picture - I found Mason and daddy napping on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Two weeks at home!

Mason has been home for 2 weeks today! We are enjoying every moment with him, which is why there have not been many blog posts. Overall, he is a very good baby and we're finally getting into a routine. He gets a bit fussy in the afternoons, but his overnight sleeping has been great! He still requires an overnight feeding (and probably will for a while), but he goes right back to sleep and then sleeps pretty late in the mornings. We're being extra careful about germs and keeping him home as much as possible, so we have only had few family outings. We've taken him in his stroller around the neighborhood several times (although it's been too hot lately) and we ventured out to dinner at our favorite Mexican joint, Los Bravos. Of course, he slept the whole time.

We've taken a ton of pictures, so I thought I'd create a slide show of our first few weeks at home. We have his professional newborn photo session tomorrow and I can't wait!

Learning the ropes

We've really enjoyed our first week with our little man. It's a little strange because, although he is 2 months old, he is still a newborn in many ways. And even though Chris and I spent a lot of time caring for him in the NICU, this is our first time with him 24/7. So far, his nighttime sleeping has been hit or miss. He has slept great a few nights, but didn't sleep much at all the others. I think part of the problem is that he was sleeping too much during the day, so we're working on that. One good thing from being in the NICU is that the boy can sleep through ANYTHING. People talking, TV, barking dogs, you name it - if he's asleep, he won't even flinch. We actually had to move him into his own room at night because our room was too quiet for him. We have a 'sound sleeper' in his room and he does much better when it is turned up very loud and light is left on (not just a nightlight).

We had his first pediatrician appointment on Tuesday and he's doing great (like he hasn't seen enough doctors in past few months, huh?). He weighed 7lbs 7oz and was 19 inches long. Both were in the less than 3 percentile for his age, so he has some catching up to do. It shouldn't take long the way he is eating! And while we were at the pediatrician, he rolled over from his back to his tummy! I know it will be a while before he does it consistently, but we were so proud of him!

He really likes his activity mat. And Shadow likes to stay close by her brother.
Not too crazy about tummy time yet.
We're so lucky to have Mason's Nana (Chris' mom) staying with us this week. She has been a HUGE help!! And Mason's 'aunt' Lily just adores him.
See, he really likes his mat.
Nap time!
And Mason's first bath at home. He was really fussy that night and wasn't very happy about it.

There's no place like home!

Today was a very special day for the Henretty family. Chris and I were finally able to bring our precious baby boy home! I can't even begin to describe the joy we felt after 63 long days in the NICU. Not to mention the 30 days for mom before that! Even though we were ecstatic to leave for the last time today, I can't say enough good things about Northside hospital. The doctors always listened to our concerns and many of Mason's nurses loved him like he was their own.

Mason turned 2 months old on Saturday and and weighs 7lbs, 3oz. He has grown so much in the past 2 months and we can't wait to spend more time with him now that he is home. We are very blessed and happy to start our life together as a family of 3. Let the fun (and sleepless nights) begin! Of course we took a ton of pictures of his big day, so here are some of the highlights.

Our little family finally ready to leave the hospital together!! Mason is so cute in his going home outfit that his Uncle Lamar gave him.

Mason's Nana (Chris' mom) was here to help us get settled. What a proud grandma!
Getting buckled in his carseat for the long 5 minute trip home.
Don't get too comfy - we're almost there!
Home at last!
Sweet Shadow meeting her little brother for the first time. They are going to be great friends!
Hanging out with mom on the couch.
Mason wasn't very interested just yet, but he and daddy watched their very first NASCAR race together.
Whew - what a big day!! I'm so glad to be home with mommy and daddy!
If you want to see more pictures, we added a new album on our picasa page: http://picasaweb.google.com/chenretty

On the home stretch

Mason has had a great week! He was changed to 'on-demand' feedings, which means he decides how much and when he wants to eat. He is very happy to be in charge! He has definitely found his voice (just in time as I predicted :-) and is very impatient when he's hungry. He is also gaining weight and was officially 7 lbs as of Thursday night. Right now, we are planning for a Sunday discharge!! Even though he hasn't had any problems this week, his doctor decided it was best to play it safe and keep him the suggested 7 days to monitor for apnea. Chris and I are so excited to finally be planning to bring our baby home! I feel confident that he'll make it home on Sunday, however, I'm trying to remember what one of his nurses told us several weeks ago, "Don't count on anything until he's in the car and you're halfway home!". Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Here's a few close up pics of my handsome boy (without any tubes - yay!)

Preparing for discharge!

Mason continues to do well with his bottles and we're starting to check off the required steps for discharge! He passed one big milestone yesterday with his 'angle tolerance test' (car seat test). All preemies have to sit in their car seat for 1.5 hours while their breathing and heart rate is monitored. If their neck muscles aren't developed enough, it can restrict their breathing and cause apnea. We knew Mason would be fine since he is older now, but we are glad that he passed and we got it out of the way! We're one step closer! According to his doctors, he is ready for discharge, but there is one thing holding him back. He was taken off the caffeine for his apnea on Monday because he shouldn't need it anymore. Hospital policy is to keep him for 7 days after stopping the caffeine to make sure that the apnea doesn't return. So, Sunday is the day, however, his doctor said she may override it and let us go a few days early if he continues to do well. He has had NO apnea or brady episodes since he came back to Northside.

He looks so tiny in his car seat - I know it won't be long before he barely fits in it!

He really enjoyed it, so I think he's going to be a good car rider. 'Where we going, mom?'

Happy adjusted birthday Mason!

Mason was transferred back to Northside on Saturday. We are so glad to be back where we can focus on his eating, but we don't expect to stay long this time! We were gradually increasing his bottles and, as of today, he is on all bottle feedings! I am so excited to see him without his feeding tube! It's possible that we may have to slow down if it's too much for him, but he is doing great. He's very happy to be fed again and he seems like a totally different baby now. His reflux is much better and we suspect that the pyloric stenosis was aggravating it all along. Now that it has been fixed, he is progressing quickly and we hope to have him home very soon! We will be spending a lot of time at the hospital this week working with him on his feedings since that is the last step to getting him home.

Mason is now 8 weeks old and today is his adjusted birthday (my original due date). If you're not familiar with preemies, they are typically tracked by both their actual age (age from their actual birthday) and adjusted age (age from their due date). Preemies are usually monitored developmentally using their adjusted age until they 'catch up' (typically at a year or so). Mason has already been seen by the physical therapists at Northside and he is right on track developmentally, so we think he will catch up very quickly.

This is how we found Mason sleeping when we went to feed him on Sunday night. We left him tightly swaddled in his blanket and he somehow wriggled free and shifted down in his bed under the blanket. This would probably be a SIDS risk if he were at home, but it is OK since he is on the monitor at the hospital :-)

Ready for my bottle! See - no feeding tube!

Still hungry after his bottle - can I have more?