3 Months Old!

Baby Bennett is 3 months old! He's doing great! He's reaching for toys and starting to grab them. He loves his paci and little blanket. And he loves his big brother! Matthew loves to take care of Bennett. The pictures below are from yesterday. Bennett's hat would slide over his eyes and Matthew would make sure that he fixed it each time so Bennett could see. He makes sure that Bennett is included when we talk about going anywhere. He always wants Bennett around! He also makes sure to hug and kiss him every night before bed!

Bennett has his first clinic coming up later in September where he will see the Riley specialists. We have not had many appointments in the past month, and it has been great! The only things that we have had are his 2 month vaccines at the pediatrician and First Steps physical therapy once per week. It's really been helping him strengthen and also loosen up where his muscles have been tight. He's getting better at lifting his head for tummy time and control while in a sitting position. He's hitting his milestones and growing like he should! So it's all good news this month!

Two Months Old and Good News!

Bennett turned two months old this weekend! We can't believe he's already two months, but we also feel like he's been in our lives for a long time. He's smiling now, cooing, and is sleeping well at night. He goes to sleep around 8pm and wakes up at about 2am to eat, and gets up at around 6am. Matthew is still taking great care of his baby brother, and now loves to give baby a paci and always says "I'm going to check on Bennett....Bennett's doing okay!".

Last week was our big week for doctor appointments, and we had all good news! The sleep study went well. Bennett easily slept for the three hours because he was all swaddled up and was able to sleep the whole time in a crib (the first time was half crib, half car seat). The pulmonologist gave us good news that this sleep study went better than his first! He still had some obstructive breathing, but he improved from last month. We will see the pulmonologist again in six weeks to follow up.

The other appointment we were worried about was with the neurosurgeon. We worried because Bennett's soft spot had changed and was more sunken in than it had been. She was very happy with Bennett's shunt. She said the shunt was draining as it should, and his soft spot is very soft which is good because it is not full of fluid. She also said his healing on his head, back, and stomach were looking great! We do not have to use bandages on his back anymore, and he is now able to have a real bath! The neurosurgeon said that Bennett was her best news of the day, and she doesn't need to see him back for six weeks! We were seeing her every two weeks, so this means he must be doing well! All in all, the week went well and we happily celebrated Bennett's two month birthday!

First Family Vacation

Call us crazy, but we decided to drive to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last week with the kids for our first family vacation as a family of four. It was a long 13 hour drive with a 2.5 year old and a 7 week old, but it wasn't as bad as we expected. It was a little difficult to figure out new schedules in a new environment for the week, but we accomplished everything we wanted to do, and had a much needed break from the day to day. And it was fun! We enjoyed the beach, kiddie pool, and lazy river at the resort. We also went to Ripley's Aquarium, the outlet mall, and a carnival down the street from our hotel. Matthew and Bennett did so well during the whole trip, and it was great to have so much time together as a family of four. We just got back last night, and we all feel refreshed and happy to be home!

This week is full of doctor appointments for Bennett. Monday, he has a three hour sleep study. Tuesday, we meet with the pulmonologist about Bennett's sleep apnea. (We haven't had many alarms on the monitor lately, so we are hoping this study gets better results.) Friday, he has another head ultrasound to make sure his shunt is functioning properly, and then we meet with the neurosurgeon. We pray that we get good news this week!

One Month Old!

Bennett turns one month old today!

Yesterday, we had his one month pediatrician well visit. He is about 21.5 inches, and now weighs 10 pounds! He's growing well and checked out just fine at his appointment! No shots until next month, so it wasn't too painful! The only bad news that we had is that his sleep study results showed that he has mild to moderate sleep apnea. We have another sleep study and pulmonologist appointment in the beginning of August. Until then, we do not know much about what will this means for him. We will just keep him on the sleep monitor and find out more information at our next appointment.

Since we have been home, Bennett has done so well! He is a very content baby and usually cries only if he is uncomfortable or needs something. He is sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night. He is really alert when he is awake and loves to watch mobiles! He also loves to be held and cuddled. Matthew is doing a great job being a big brother! He loves to kiss, hug, and take pictures with his little brother. He is acting out in other ways, but we are so happy that he is in love with his baby brother!

We're home!

We were finally discharged from the hospital yesterday(Friday) at 5:00pm! We were supposed to arrive at the hospital in the morning, but when I called the NICU, the nurse told me that they were unable to complete Bennett's sleep apnea testing because they could not get a machine in time. This delayed his carseat challenge because they wanted to do the apnea testing first. I was really upset by this news because I had hit the point that I really felt I needed him home right away! After a few phone calls, they found out that another machine would not be available until Monday, but they could send Bennett home on a monitor if we would come back to do outpatient sleep apnea testing. I quickly agreed, but that meant that Andrew and I had to attend a class later in the day to learn about the monitor and infant CPR. We decided that we would do anything if it meant we could leave the hospital with our baby. I felt that with a monitor, I would not worry quite as much while he was sleeping, so I wasn't too opposed to the idea. On my way to the hospital, I got another call from the nurse. She said they could not start the carseat challenge because our carseat was not working properly. They wanted me to bring the manual so we could figure out what was wrong. I decided to stop at Babies R Us and just buy a new carseat to get the process moving. It turns out that a button on our old carseat was broken, so it's a good thing I opted to buy a new one! We arrived at the hospital at noon and spent the next five hours listening to discharge instructions, filling prescriptions, taking the monitor class, and setting up future appointments. It was a long day with a few setbacks, but we luckily were able to bring Bennett home! We were so happy to be home last night as a complete family! We had dinner together and watched a movie. Matthew was a great helper with baby Bennett and seemed a little overwhelmed, but definately happy that his brother was home. Bennett did well during the night, although his monitor alarmed many times because it was not sticking well to his skin. I was up at least 20 times trying to restick the censors! He did have a great 3.5 hour stretch of sleep from 4-7:30am that I was really thankful for!

Today was great! First, I took both boys to a bridal shower while Andrew got some work done at the office. After the shower, Andrew helped out with Matthew a lot. He even took him to Toys R Us and bought him a special new sand/water table. Matthew was so happy and played for hours--until we had to drag him to the bath to get ready for bed! Bennett slept a lot and was mostly content when he was awake. The times he was upset seemed to be mostly at diaper changes. I can't blame him with the surgeries he has been through. His back dressing needs to be changed when it is dirty, which is often. His skin is so sensitive and gets so red when you change the dressing. His stomach incision is still covered and his umbilical cord hasn't fallen off yet, so it takes a while to fold the diaper properly in front and back. Also, he has a powder, non-stick barrier, and diaper rash cream that needs to be applied to protect his bottom from the constant bm's. And, his circumcision is still healing. Poor guy has been through so much! Even so, he doesn't show that he's upset too often. He's such a sweet and strong baby! We're so happy to have him home!

Hopefully going home Friday!

Andrew and I went to visit Bennett this morning in the NICU. He's doing really well today! I stayed to breastfeed him, which he did really well with again! I'm surprised how well he does because he is given bottles for feedings all day besides the once per day that I am feeding him. I stayed with him today for a while waiting for the doctors to do their rounds. Bennett was sleeping soundly when we arrived, but he was wide awake after I fed him and was so alert and curious! When the doctors came by, they said that Bennett is doing great and is scheduled for discharge on Friday! His shunt series results from yesterday were good, and he is gaining weight again (now he's 7 pounds, 7 ounces). He has another head ultrasound to check the fluid, needs his Hep B vaccine, hearing test, and carseat challenge (90 minutes in the carseat to make sure he can tolerate it). He also needs to be checked out by the myelo team (the type of spina bifida he has is called myelomenigocele). The neurosurgeon will also recheck him to make sure that he is ready to go. The nurse told us that she will be putting his clothes on today and turning off the warmer to make sure that he is able to hold his body temperature. I'm excited to see him in an outfit because he has not worn clothes yet! He will also be put in a crib as soon as one is available. We are happy that he is doing so well and can't wait for him to come home! I do realize, however, that sometimes there are setbacks and he may not leave on his scheduled day, but it is nice that we have a goal now. The doctors want him to see his general pediatrician next week, so we went ahead and scheduled his first well baby visit! Also, his first clinic day is scheduled for September 27th. This is the day that he will go to Riley's spina bifida clinic and see all the doctors such as the neurosurgeon, othopedics, urology, etc. He will attend this clinic every three months for at least the first year. It seems like there are many things to do, but hopefully we can get all of his testing done and meet our goal for discharge Friday!

He's doing so well!

Shunt surgery was today. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30am. My mom stayed in the waiting room with Matthew while I sat with Bennett before he was taken for surgery. The surgery was pushed back until 10:30am. Bennett looked so peaceful sleeping that I was careful not to wake him. I knew he would be hungry if he woke up because he was not able to eat after midnight in order to prepare for the surgery. At about 10:45am, they were ready to take him to the OR.


The great news this morning was that big brother Matthew was able to see his baby brother for the first time! He has not been able to meet him because siblings under 3 years old are not allowed in the NICU. While we walked down the hall on the way to the OR, Matthew was able to see Bennett in the transporting unit. I'm not sure what Matthew thought of this new baby brother, but I'm so glad he finally got to see him!

It was so difficult leaving Bennett at the door of the OR. He's so tiny and I can't believe he has to go through a second surgery at six days old. The neurosurgeon reassured me that he is a strong baby and that he really needed the surgery to prevent any damage to his brain. I knew it had to be done, but it's hard thinking of the risks especially for a six day old baby. The only thing that made me feel better is that I know he did well during his first surgery.

The next two and a half hours were the most difficult and stressful hours of waiting. We received two updates, but I started to worry when the surgery lasted longer than the expected hour and a half. Finally, the neurosurgeon came to the surgery waiting room around 1:30pm and told me that everything went well! I had an overwhelming feeling of relief! Shortly after, we got a call that he was in the recovery room. He was only in the recovery room for about ten minutes before he was moved back to the NICU. My dad and Andrew each arrived shortly after the surgery was over. It was great to see Bennett back in his room sleeping like a perfect little angel. He looked amazing, and the shunt was not as visible as I imagined it would be. He started to stir after a while and even started to open his eyes. But his blood pressure was slightly raised, so they gave him pain medication and he went back to sleep. The doctors said he was doing a great job recovering. I called to check on him tonight at 6:30pm and the nurse said he was still tired, but doing really well. I will be visiting again in the morning, so hopefully he will be feeling better and we can be closer to bringing him home!