5 pounds 15 ounces

So close! Our little boy is now 5 pounds 15 ounces! I was trying to encourage the scale to go to 6 but it was not going to happen!

He gained 11 ounces in 13 days and his pediatrician was very happy!

Look here for his updated weight chart.

Milk supply is back!

After my post last week I started pumping as frequently as I could - every 2 hours if possible with a few longer stretches but never longer than 4 hours.

And it came back! Slowly but it came back! I talked with the lactation consultant on Sunday and she assured me that the amount of milk I am making is more than sufficient. Most women make between 19 and 30 ounces a day and I am making between 22 and 35 so I am doing fine.

I am continuing to pump as frequently as I can with a GREAT effort to never go longer than 4 hours and to average 2.5 hours - and with all of the help I should be able to do it. The unfortunate side-effect of this is that I have to wake Joseph up during the night to help. Hopefully as Jac and I get more practice breastfeeding we will be able to transition and I will be able to do more of it without help.

I have now modified Jac's feeding chart to include how much milk I am pumping to see how the two match up.

Saw Children's NICU nurse on visit

Today while we were at Children's Hospital we went by the NICU to visit. We were not able to go into the NICU but one of our favorite nurses was on duty and came out to see Jac. She was so excited to see him. The last time she saw him he was 890 grams - a little under 2 pounds and now he is almost 6 pounds!

She was also very excited to see how nice and round his head is - no preemie toaster head. All of the nurses at Children's and Boulder made a big effort to change his position frequently so his head would not get flat spots and the succeeded splendidly!

It was great to see her and hopefully we will get to see some more of favorites when we go back for his surgery.

Hi Janelle!

Hired afternoon helper

After spending last week with Silvia helping us 24/7 I realized that I can't do this on my own while I am pumping and bottle feeding.

So - I reached out to our friends here in Boulder and our good friend who has a young son came up with a list of CU students that her babysitter recommended from her sorority. Yeah! I emailed all of them, interviewed one, and hired her on the spot!

She came for the first time today for an hour and a half in the afternoon and it was awesome! She held Jac and burped him and I was able to pump and make some phone calls! I will post a picture if she is okay with it - she and Jac looked very cute together!

She is going to come every weekday from 3:30 pm - 5 pm - and with Leslie coming earlier in the afternoon we are going to make it through!

We tried to breastfeed again this evening with no luck. Jac got the nipple shield in his mouth and pushed it right back out. He really never got a good latch! Try, try again.

The new Children's Hospital

Amazing! It is like a world apart. The entire time I was there all I could think was - "Man, this place is huge and new and colorful!"

Here is a link to the layout of the new NICU - amazingly different! We were not allowed to go in and see it but I am hoping on our next visit we will get a chance to look around.

The old hospital felt a little more cozy, and occupied. This one is so large we felt a little lost. Adding to that feeling is the fact that the signage has not been completed yet. Some signs have been put up with paper but plenty of them are just not there. Hopefully this means they put their energy into completing the medical portions and just ran out of time for the signs! We shall hope!

Diet Coke!

We have been taking pictures of Jac with a Diet Coke can for reference since shortly after he was born and here is another one! He is really growing! We can tell everyday that he feels heavier! We have an appointment tomorrow to do his measurements so we will see how much he weighs. At our appointment at Children's on Friday he weighed over 6 pounds with his clothes on so I bet he is going to be over 6 pounds when he is a naked baby!

Your challenge is to find to the earlier posts and compare! Have fun!

Sweet sleeping baby

Jac really enjoyed sleeping on Grandma Silvia and did so quite peacefully. Here is a sweet picture of him on her chest taken with the good camera!

Inguinal hernia update - surgery scheduled

Grandma Silvia and I took Jac to Children's Hospital on Friday to talk to the surgeon about his hernia. The doctor confirmed that he has a hernia on his left side and that he needs to have surgery. He said it is not emergent but it should be done soon to lessen the chances of incarceration.

Today I was able to make an appointment for his surgery for Monday, Nov. 12. Grandma Johnson is going to come and help out for a few days.

The surgery will be in the morning and he will not be able to eat for 6 hours before the surgery. I am hoping that this will actually be the worst part of the experience ;)

He will then stay at the hospital to be monitored for 23 hours - with the same types of monitoring he had when he was in the NICU. This is to make sure that he does not have any As&Bs following the anesthesia.

I am going to talk to the anesthesiologist about why type of anesthesia should be used given his size and the fact that he is still on oxygen.

I am worried for the surgery but I know that this is a fairly routine operation and he is big enough now that it should not be a big deal. The idea of his perfect little body being cut into really bothers me - but it has to be done. Augh!

Grandma Silvia has left the building

Grandma Silvia left on Saturday and we were all very sad to see her go. She spent enough time in one week with Jac to make up for not seeing him until now!

Grandma Silvia - we all miss you - and Jac's first night without you was tough. I think he was wondering "Who is this strange woman that is feeding me - I want Grandma Silvia back!"

Jac in his papasan chair

Jac was hanging out a bit in his papasan chair yesterday. I took this picture with my iPhone so it is a bit grainy but so cute!

Jac and Grandma Silvia

Jac and Grandma Silvia have been having a wonderful time all week. They have been sleeping together and eating together and playing together. Here are some pictures of the fun!















Jac has found a new sleeping position that he likes on Grandma Silvia's chest. With her help he got himself into this position and then slept like this quite comfortably. This position reminds me of a certain older and larger Joseph in repose ;)

Milk supply is down

My milk supply has gone down precipitously this week. Last week was tough taking care of him all by myself during the day (with some very important help from Auntie Leslie). I am now pumping every 2 hours (even at night) to try to bring my supply back up. I am currently only making slightly more than he is eating.

I am very worried that right before we get to breastfeeding I am not going to have enough milk. Augh!

All of you breastfeeding mothers please reassure me I will get it back if I work at it! Augh!

I am working to get help for a while during the day until we are able to start breastfeeding!

Milestone: Grasping and Reaching

Jac is changing right before our eyes!

This evening before he ate Grandma Silvia offered him a small penguin to try to grab. We had been playing with the penguin earlier in the day and showing it to him and slowly moving it so he could practice tracking with his eyes. He was doing very well with this and was able to track the penguin back and forth to either side if the object was moved slowly.

I also used the penguin to touch his hands and his face and his body so he could feel it.

And then this evening Grandma Silvia offered him the penguin and touched it to his hands and then held it out in front of him and he grabbed it! Wow!

He has changed so much in one week I can hardly believe it.

He is hardly shaking in his arms now - even when he is mad! This is also huge! It is a sign that his muscle tone is improving.

He is also awake much more. This afternoon he was awake for 2 solid hours and this evening he has been awake for 2 hours also! Plenty of time to play!

Our little boy is really starting to grow up!

His feeds have been way up. He is eating purely breast milk and he is really taking it in. He is on track to make it to 700 ml (23 ounces!) today if he eats once more before midnight. His tummy seems to be much more settled and he is not spitting up as much! Yeah!

Tomorrow we have an appointment with the surgeon to look at his hernia and see when he thinks is should be fixed. This will also give us a chance to see how much weight he has gained in the last 6 days.

Here is the video of Jac grasping and reaching with Grandma Silvia.

Cousins Charlie, Madeline and Caitlin

Jac has 3 cousins and they were all together in NYC.

Madeline and Caitlin are my brother Matt and his wife Ali's kids. Charlie is Ali's brother's son.

Madeline is on the left and Caitlin is on the right and Charlie is in the center.

Jac has not met any of them yet but will be meeting Madeline and Caitlin at Thanksgiving and Charlie hopefully during our visit to LA for Christmas.

Madeline is 3, Caitlin is 1 and Charlie is 5 months!

Jac thinking about eating

Jac has spent all week with Grandma Silvia. They have slept together eaten together and done just about everything else together giving Momma much needed time to catch up on things that have been piling up since he came home. Included in this is take a few videos of him while she is holding him.

Waking up

Last night Jac spent all night with Grandma Silvia. When I got up in the morning (after a few hours in our bed) I found Jac and Grandma Silvia happily sleeping on the couch in his room.






After I finished pumping, Jac and Grandma Silvia woke up and we got him a bottle! It took him a little while to wake up and he made some very cute faces in the process.

Bath Time!

It was time for Jac to have another bath! He did really well, and seemed to enjoy the whole bath... Until the very end -- when daddy let Jac go a little too long without warm water, he started to complain!

Wintery morning

The first snow has arrived this morning! The outside temperature dropped to 34 degrees! Our apartment is very well insulated, and with our silent electric heaters, we're staying comfortably cozy! The snow and ice stayed on the ground until a little past noon, but have since melted away.

Jac's growth and feeding charts

I have created an Excel spreadsheet graphing Jac's growth since he was born. I am currently only graphing his weight but I also have his height and head dimensions in the spreadsheet. I am not graphing these yet as I only have a limited number of data points. To see the weight graph click here.

I have also created a graph of his feeding amounts per day since he came home. To see the feeding graph click here.

You can also check his progress on the graphs at any time. The links are permanently in the side bar under Charts.

Not as shaky

In the last week or so Jac's arms have gotten less shaky. When he was first born his arms and legs would shake whenever he moved them. This is caused by low muscle tone from being born prematurely. Since then he has made a great deal of progress in terms of how much he shakes. Now a lot of the time he is not shaky at all - particularly in his legs - and in his arms. When he gets upset - during diaper changes mostly - he still gets shaky. His OT (Occupational Therapist) noticed a change from last week this week!

Grandma Silvia is here!

Jac's Grandma Silvia is here! Yeah!

She has been holding Jac pretty much since we handed him over! Joseph and I went out to dinner tonight to my favorite place! It was so nice! Grandma Silvia fed Jac and he is now having a nice snooze on her chest!

Jac will need surgery for his hernia

Jac will need to have surgery for his inguinal hernia. We were given a referral to a surgeon that works out of Children's but I am going to solicit more referrals before we settle on a surgeon. The doctor said that as long as the hernia does not change colors it is not emergent and is considered an elective procedure.

While the idea of Jac having surgery is scary better that he has it before there are any complications from the hernia.

So - if any of Jac's nurses are reading the blog and have a recommendation for a surgeon please let us know!

Jac is now 5 pounds 6 and 3/4 ounces

Jac is now 5 pounds 6 3/4 ounces - so a gain of 2 3/4 ounces in 3 days - but! we saw a different doctor today so we used a different scale so the results cannot be entirely trusted.

Jac and Daddy

Jac and Daddy are hanging out in his room while Daddy reads Wuthering Heights on his Sony e-book reader.

Jac in his co-sleeper bed

We are trying out a new co-sleeper bed that goes in our bed. While we were testing it out we put Jac in it for a few minutes and he struck a very cute pose!

Jac may have an inguinal hernia

AS I was changing Jac tonight he was crying (not unusual). I noticed that he had a bulge on his left hand side in his groin area. After he stopped crying it went away. I called the doctor and spoke with a nurse at Children's Hospital in Denver. She told me that from my description it is likely an inguinal hernia and will need to be surgically repaired.

Augh! This is now what I was expecting. I thought we were past all of this.

According to this article on emedicine.com the likelihood of an inguinal hernia is as high as 50% in premature and low-birth weight babies (which he is obviously both).

We have a call in to the doctor's office to go in tomorrow and have the doctor look at it. The nurse told us it is a very good sign that it went away and that he is not crying a lot - and that is eating normally.

We will see what the doctor says tomorrow.

From what I have read the surgical repair for the hernia is quite common and straightforward. In preemies they sometimes admit them to the hospital for observation for 24 hours after the surgery to watch for apnea and bradycardias. In older babies and children it is usually an outpatient procedure.

Jac in his Amby hanging out with Mommy

Jac was in a quiet alert state a good deal of the day today (we can only hope this means he will sleep well tonight!). We had a nice little chat while he hung out with his book!

Preemie Prince

Cousin Kelly sent along a very cute package of clothes and a blanket for Jac and today Jac wore one of them! It is a long sleeping outfit although Jac wore it all day!

Such a cute Preemie Prince!

Yeah for breastfeeding

Yeah! Jac and I went to another lactation appointment this morning and it went so well!

The consultant (the same one we had for our first appointment) helped us with a lot of things.

1. We went skin to skin - which I had not been doing at home
2. She had me hold him with the opposite hand from the breast that he was eating from
3. She had me hold me breast with a U-shaped hand which supported both the breast and his chin
4. She had me hold his head up more than I had been able to do in the cradle hold I am been doing previously

And he went to town! He latched on the first time pretty easily after we jollied him awake and made him a naked baby and weighed him. Then he took a little break and was able to latch on again. That went on for about 20 minutes. And he drank! We tried for a third latch but he wasn't quite organized enough to do that. Yeah!

We then weighed him and he consultant didn't believe the scale - if it was right he had 75 ml! Which is a little hard to believe. She said her estimate based on watching him was that he had taken 30 ml or so! I could feel that he had emptied my breast a little! - just a little - but that is something!

This is really giving me hope that we can do this - he seemed to have an Aha! moment when he realized that he could really get milk! The whole time I was talking to him and explaining that now he is eating from the source!

He was so cute after his first latch and drink. When he came off my breast he had a milk beard! Yeah!

The consultant said a lot of babies turn the corner on breastfeeding between 6 and 6.5 pounds - usually closer to 6.5 pounds. We are getting there! Perhaps in 3 weeks he will be 6.5 pounds if he keeps going like he is!

Big day!

Jac and I went to the pediatrician this morning for a weigh-in. For the previous 40 hours he had been eating only breast milk with no fortification and his doctor wanted to make sure he was still gaining enough weight.

And he did! He gained an ounce and a half! He now weighs 5 pounds and 4 ounces.

He also had his biggest day ever for amount eaten. He ate 485 ml! For those of you more comfortable with ounces that is 16.4 ounces! Wow! Hungry baby!

I am continuing to pump hind milk!

His doctor is hoping by his next appointment in 2 weeks he will break 6 pounds!

Grow Jac grow!

up@3.am

There's a computer geek out there with an e-mail address of "up@3.am"... I wish I could rent his e-mail address for a while! :)

As usual, Jac woke up in the middle of the night because of hunger and a diaper... Often, Taj takes care of him without me noticing; but I awoke this time and helped take over. 30 minutes to eat, 30 minutes of holding him to make sure he doesn't throw up, and wait for him to fall asleep, and then back in the Amby bed he goes...

Jac without his cannulae (temporarily)

We gave Jac a bath on Sunday night and in the process we replace his cannulae and the tape that holds it to his face. To do this we took the cannulae off of him for a little while and snapped a few pics while he was "naked."

It will be so nice to get rid of the cannulae when Jac is ready! It presents a real challenge with two dogs in the house that like to sit or lay on the 25 foot line that trails from Jac wherever we take him!

Jac in his dog snuggly

Grandma Johnson purchased Jac a very cute dog snuggly - which when purchased a month or so ago seemed like it would never fit him!

Well it sort of does now! It is still a little big and long but he seems to enjoy wearing it! It has turned very cold here in the last few days and it was nice to have a warm outfit to take him to the doctor in.

Growing Baby

Jac and Daddy and I went to see the pediatrician today. Jac has been having a lot of gas and spit-ups and we (read Taj) haven been getting a bit worried.

Jac now weighs in at 5 pounds 2.5 ounces! Yeah! He broke 5 pounds but he is a bit off the growth curve that he had established the first 2 weeks he was home with a weight gain of only 3.5 ounces in 6 days.

We (along with his doctor) have decided to switch him to pure breast milk for 2 days (I am going to pump hind milk and separate it again which I have not been doing since he came home) and give him just that and see if the gas and the spit-ups get any better. We are also increasing his Prevacid to 1.5 ml twice a day (up from 1.0 ml twice per day). Given his weight gain of more than a pound! since he left the hospital this increase is appropriate.

We are going to try the pure breast milk for 2 days and go back for a weight check on Wednesday morning and see how he is doing. We are hoping that he will gain weight and be more comfortable which will make all of us happier.

Having a refluxy and gassy baby is a bit challenging to say the least.

We tried the boob again twice today. He was not able to latch on this afternoon but he got on this evening but did not do much sucking or swallowing. The nipple shield is still confusing him. He is now at the weight that a lot of twins are born at - but without the muscle tone of a full term baby that would give him the strong suck needed to drink directly from the breast. I am going to make another appointment with the lactation consultants and see if perhaps I can have someone come to the house.

Jac having his diaper changed

I do love a good video of Jac having his diaper changed. In this one Grandma is taking the video while Momma takes pictures and we both wonder if we should really be changing his diaper rather than taking video and pictures!

Another breastfeeding attempt

With the help of my my very patient and very insightful husband we made another attempt at breastfeeding tonight.

We used the nipple shield and a new position - with Jac cradled in the crook of my left arm to get him in a good position. Jac was very fristrated at first and we needed to calm him and encourage him but after a few minutes of struggling and a few times repositioning both me and him he got a good latch and started sucking.

He sucked enough to start getting milk - and did about 15 swallows before he got frustrated. We then let him rest and then tried the other side. We were not as successful there and Jac did not get latched on.

I am very glad he is trying and that we are making some progress but I have to admit to a great deal of frustration mixed with sadness. I feel so sad to see my baby struggle - to have to use the nipple shield rather then going straight to the breast - and to see him cry when it is not working. It seems like this would be much easier if he were not my first baby and I knew what successful breastfeeding looked like - and how frustrating it can be even for a full size, full term baby. I feel frustrated that we can't seem to find the mesh for this - and that it feels very uncomfortable. It is hard for me to find a position that seems to be comfortable for both Jac and I.

I so want to be the best mother and it is so hard when I am so tired. It feels like it is all I can do to get through the days and nights with my sanity.

My mother left this evening. It was great to have her here. She learned how to feed him so I was able to sleep through a few feedings during a couple of days. I am not back to being on my own during the day - and trying to be on my own at night. I made it last night and the night before without waking Daddy up - but that was with the knowledge that my Mom would be around in the morning to relieve me so I could get a little sleep. I will have Joseph all weekend which is so great - and hopefully our friend Leslie will come back next week and help some! Please Leslie! Jac and I need you!

Jac has been really gassy - and just uncomfortable. I have ended up sleeping with him on my chest for part of the last 2 nights - it was the only way I could calm him and sleep at the same time. I would wake up each time he would and pat him back to sleep. I know this is nothing in comparison to a real high-needs baby but it is tiring nonetheless.

We are not sure why Jac is so gassy and uncomfortable. I think it is because of the Nutramigen formula that we are using the fortify the breast milk. We have been giving him 60 ml of breast milk with 25 ml of Nutramigen to get to the equivalent of 26 kcal per ounce. I called the pediatrician this afternoon and the nurse told us we would reduce the fortification to the equivalent of 24 kcal by using 16 ml of Nutrmaigen to 60 ml of breast milk. I hope this helps some. If Jac and I can get to breastfeeding we can forget all of this fortification and just go straight. Part of me so wants to save him all of the pain and just give him breast milk even if it from the bottle for now. But it has been made very clear it is very important that Jac catch up in his growth now - and so we have to do everything we can to help that process. It feels though that all of the energy that he is expending feeling uncomfortable and fussing and crying could be used to grow - but it is hard to know if we went straight breast milk if that would really help - and do I really want to always ask myself how he would have grown differently if I had only fortified his food for longer. Augh!

Tummy time!

The child development folks with BCFH have emphasized that Jac needs to get a lot of tummy time to develop muscle tone in his arms and his neck. It's also a good way to give him a "workout" to tire him out a bit and make him sleep!

Jac in a sling

Jac is nicely nestled in a sling while momma is having dinner...
...and while she's on her computer!

First small breastfeeding session

Tonight Jac had a small breastfeeding session with the nipple shield. It lasted about 7 minuted during which he sucked and swallowed and seemed fairly content to do it. I have no idea how much milk he got during this session but it was enough to sedate him for about half an hour.

When we tried it again later in the evening he was not opening his mouth wide enough to get a good latch and he got too frustrated to get anything.

I am very excited about the first session though! We will keep on working at it.

We have increased his bottles to put 70 ml in each bottle! This seems like a lot for a little guy and we have been having some spit-up problems. I am hoping once we get to just breast milk we will have less trouble with flatulence and spit-ups.

Happy 3 month birthday

Jac is 3 months old today! Happy 3 month birthday Jac!

Jac peed on Mommy tonight when I was changing him and he was such a cute naked baby I had to take a video!

Jac and Grandpa Johnson

Jac spent some good quality time with his Grandpa Johnson this weekend while he was visiting for Grandma Johnson's birthday. They spent some nice quiet time hanging out in our living room in a very comfy recliner chair.

They also spent some time sleeping separately!

Almost 5 pounds!

We had 2 appointments today. The first was a check-in with the doctor for a weight check and a general check-up. He passed with flying colors and the doctor was pleased with his weight gain of 9 ounces in 8 days! He weighed-in at 4 pounds and 15 ounces! So close! I was convinced he was going to break 5 pounds. His Dr. mentioned that he has a small hernia in his belly button but that this is not unusual and that he will in all likelihood grow out of it.



Jac and Grandma at the doctor's office


After the weight check we went downstairs to wait for our lactation appointment. Jac has gotten pretty darn good at eating from a bottle now (a huge change from when he was released from the hospital) and now we would like to work on breastfeeding more directly. Pumping and then feeding is very tiring and time consuming and I would love to have him breastfeed. I am very glad that I have a good milk supply so that even if he is never able to directly breastfeed he will have plenty of breast milk to drink - but - it would be nice to take a more direct approach!

The lactation appointment was with a lactation consultant to help Jac and I learn how to breastfeed. Jac has gotten very used to eating from a bottle - with a very low flow - but a bottle nonetheless. We are using a nipple shield to help Jac get a good latch on something that feels more like a bottle. We are supposed to try this several times a day at around 3 hours after Jac's previous feed before he has gotten ravenously hungry.



Jac in his car seat on the way home

All calm and settled in... Well, sort of.

Jac has been home now for about ten days, and we're starting to get really used to the routine of having him at home. We're getting better about preparing the milk in advance of him getting upset and crying from hunger. When we get it right, it's great -- he'll go through his feed and a diaper change, completely calm.

Of course, there are times when it doesn't quite go smoothly, and he isn't so calm!

Adjusted age

When a baby is born prematurely you talk about their "adjusted age" until they are 2 years old. Jac was born 9 weeks and 1 day premature on 7/10/07. His due date was 9/12/07. So when we talk about Jac's adjusted age we are talking about his age from when he was originally due. By this count Jac's adjusted age is 3 1/2 weeks old - although by the date he was born he is almost 3 months old.

This adjusted age is used for calculating things like height and weight percentiles and development milestones until age 2. After age 2 preemies are considered to have caught up and you use their birth date for calculations after that rather than their adjusted age.

Jac in his Amby

Jac slept in his Amby for about an hour and a half today giving Momma a much needed chance to get a few chores done and eat!

His Amby does not seem to have worked as well since we got home - but I think this is just perception. I am not as willing now to let him reflux in it - since I have the option of carrying him around with me. At the hospital my only choice if I did not want him in his Amby or his crib was to hold him and sit down in the chair. Now I can carry him around and do things - at least one handed things - so I am not as willing to leave him in it when I can hear him in pain.

I do think the Amby is far, far better than lying flat or even just elevated but he definitely refluxes in it - you can watch his color changes and listen to him do it. The Amby is right by our bed so this morning when he was sleeping in it after Joseph left for work I just lay there and listened to him - and it just broke my heart - but he was sleeping. It will be so wonderful when he grows out of the reflux.

The reflux is also a bit worse now - as he is eating so much more. Today he ate 409 ml which is close to his record of 2 days ago of 454 ml. At the hospital he was being fed 260 ml! I can't wait to see on Tuesday how much weight he has gained. If he keeps on going like he has he might be 5 pounds by then! I can see how much he is filling out and he definitely feels heavier!

He is still spitting up quite a it - he did a few big ones today. This is part of teh reflux also - and we can only hope that he will grow out of this soo. Unfortunately I think reflux usually lasts until about 6 months - and by that count Jac is only 3 weeks old.

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson are here

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson are here to celebrate Grandma's Birthday! We will not mention her age but leave it to the reader's imagination!

Grandma and Grandpa both had a chance to hold their grandson. As is appropriate as soon as he started crying I swooped in and got him and he spit-up while I was holding him and now on Grandma!

We will get some pictures of the entire group this weekend and post them.

Auntie Alexis is still here also!

Auntie Alexis is here

Auntie Alexis is here and she appears to be a baby whisperer - at least by her own account!

Jac did not cry during the time that she held him and started to cry when passed to Daddy! Perhaps he lked the look of a face very similar to his Momma's!

Mom seems to be losing her hair

In the last few days it seems that my hair has just started falling out - all the time!

Have other been through this? I have read that this is normal after giving birth but jeez!

Eating well!

Jac is eating very well!

Daily totals:

9/29 - Saturday - 302 ml
9/30 - Sunday - 418 ml
10/1 - Monday - 337 ml
10/2 - Tuesday - 375 ml
10/3 - Wednesday - 454 ml

Wow! His minimum is 260 ml per day and he has blown past that every day!

His next appointment is on Monday when we will find out how much he weighs!

Jac with Daddy

Here is Jac wrapped up in one of his swaddle clothes - that are still too big for him! It is going to be amazing to me when these things start fitting - this item is advertised as fitting any baby!

Jac has become a houdini baby! He is able to get himself out of almost any swaddle attempt that I make - and most of Joseph's. Joseph is a much better swaddler than I am - I am still trying to learn his techniques. I think by the time I learn them Jac will be in college ;)

Jac in his baby papasan

It is a rare moment when Jac stays nice and calm in his baby papasan - and it is a beautiful thing when it happens.

A quiet moment

Ah - life with a new baby! In spite of the fact that we have been parents for almost 3 months now we are really just starting the real journey of the 24 hour a day care. I knew it would be hard and tiring but now I really know.

In the last 2 nights I have figured out a way to get Jac to sleep at night - at least for a few hours at a time - by bringing him into bed with us. Now I know that this is a controversial subject and some will agree with this idea and some think it wrong and some think it dangerous. Feel free to have those opinions but I think it is up to each family to figure out what works for them and when - and I will leave it at that. I slept for about 4 total hours last night and I am pretty excited about it! Jac is sleeping with Daddy right now so I have a chance to eat and write.

Jac's reflux is still pretty bad - so he has to be held upright for at least 30 minutes after he eats. The reflux has been causing him to spit up also which is a new complication.

I am learning to be as efficient as possible in all of my chores so I can get a lot of them done when Joseph can be with Jac - this is quite the challenge but I am getting better at it.

The level of respect that I have for all parents has increased a hundred fold in the last 6 days - amazing that so many kids and parents make it! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Also - our friend Leslie has been coming over during the day for an hour or two and this has really helped - it gives me a chance to work with my hands free or for her to do some chores for me. She enjoys holding him so much it would be very difficult to deny her the pleasure I get the rest of the day and night!

Baby smaller than Jac

The world's tiniest baby - meet the 10 oz bundle of defiance!

This baby was ~300 grams! Jac was 690! More than twice as much!

Amazing! Makes us feel lucky!

More cute pictures

Jac doing his "Power to the little people" or "Power to the Baby" pose



Jac all wrapped up

Some cute pictures

It is so nice to have Jac home - exhausting but great! Jac is currently asleep on Daddy so I am taking the chance to write!

Here are some cute pics I took of Jac and Daddy today.



Jac and Daddy resting this morning on the couch (a Lazy Boy!) in his room



Jac and Daddy having dinner after work

Dead tired

I am dead tired! So many things to wash! I feel like my title should be washer woman aka Mom!

It is amazing how much wash there is to do when you are expressing milk and then feeding that! We have to do that for now as we are fortifying the milk to get Jac extra calories. Normal breast milk is considered to be 20 kcal per ounce and we are fortifying to 26 kcal per ounce.

Since he left the hospital we have been trying to figure out the right formula to use that doesn't leave him too farty (hard to do!). We have tried a couple of different things - hopefully now we have found one that works. We are just adding Nutramigen Lipil - 25 ml to 50 ml of EBM (Expressed Breast Milk). His farts stink of the Nutramigen but hopefully they will be less painful. On Saturday he was waking up crying when he had to pass gas - at that time we were adding Neosure to the breastmilk.

Alright - off for a night of Jac! Hopefully it will go as smoothly as today did. Daddy and Jac are curently asleeep in the lounge chair after they each ate.

Eating!

Jac is doing a great job of eating since he came home. His feeding has become much more organized. He is able to take an entire bottle (his size!) without choking and without much in the way of external pacing.

His minimum feed amount for a day is 26 ml. On Saturday he ate 302 ml and on Sunday he ate 418 ml!

First official visit to the pediatrician

Jac had his first official visit to the pediatrician this morning.

Last Thursday night when Jac was weighed he was 1870 grams (4 pounds 1 ounce) and today when he was weighed he was 4 pounds and 6 ounces (no more grams!). Wow!

Height: 16.5 inches - less than 3rd percentile
Weight: 4 pounds 6 ounces - less than 3rd percentile
Head: 32.1 cm - less than 3rd percentile

Jac has not yet started to catch up in terms of growth but he is holding is own and is following the growth curves - if not catching up to them.

The picture is of his pediatrician. This was taken last Friday right before we came home.