Rockin' Ryan

So how cool does he look!

Forgive me for not updating this sooner. We have been really busy. Ryan is growing so fast, everyday he looks bigger than the day before. We went to the GI doctor on April 29th and he weighed 11 lbs 8 oz. He is averaging an ounce a day now....and you can really tell. He is getting heavy.

He has an activity center we put him on in the living room and he loves it. He is starting to really move around, kicking, grabbing and turning himself around. He is starting to respond to light and sound...no smiles yet, but I think we are close. He is full of funny noises and some pretty boisterous screams. The dogs get scared sometimes and look at us like "is he ever going to be quiet because I cant take it anymore"

Ryan is starting to sleep through the night more...maybe 5 out of 7 nights a week he sleeps 6-8 hours. He is a noisy sleeper too. Grunting loud enough that he wakes Tim up. We decided to turn off the monitor at night. His room is so close to ours that we can hear him when he wakes up.

I am now working more in the office. MaMa Brooks has been staying with us a couple of weeks at a time. She has some really good bonding time with Ryan now. We hope to have him in a daycare environment sometime in June.

Sunday was my first Mother's Day and it was just wonderful. Ryan went shopping with Dad to the mall and bought me some relaxing bath goodies. Mor Mor Jo came down for a visit and all of us took a nap. It was great!

Well enough for now. Enjoy the pics. I've been kicking myself for not updating sooner, but you dont realize how little time I now have to update his blog.

4 months old

I can't believe that Ryan is now 4 months old. He is getting so big now, he must be over 10 lbs now. We will find out on Tuesday when we go back to the Pediatrician. He gets his 4 month immunizations.

Not much has been going on, Ryan eats, sleeps and fills the diapers. Tim and I chose to use cloth diapers. The cloth diapers of today are nothing like they were when my mom used them on me. They look just like disposables (elastic around the legs and velcro to secure). There are inserts to remove and rinse in the toilet. We even bought a sprayer that hooks directly to the toilet for an easier clean up. So far only 1 leak (sorry aunt Tara). We bought the Bum Genius 3.o. They will fit him up to 35 lbs. So we figured we will start recouping diaper money about Christmas. This sure beats spending $70 a month on diapers and it helps the environment.

Ryan is starting to focus more on noises and touch. He has a solid grip and has successfully pulled out some of my hair! He is pushing up and is getting better at holding up his head.
Friday was his first Happy Hour. Our friend Barry was in town and so we went out to Schlafly Bottleworks for dinner and drinks. Ryan was just passed out. He was well behaved and we were able to have a dinner out. We were only out an hour before I took him home. Tim stayed to share a few beers with Scott, Barry and Beth.

Check back for more updates

Unplugged!

Yes, Ryan is now unplugged!!!
Finally, the first day in his life, he is not hooked up to any monitors. The dogs like it too. No more loud beeps when the monitor goes off.
We had a nursery follow up visit today and the provider decided that since he has done so well that he really did not need the monitor anymore. He was really pleased with his progress. Since he has been home, he has gained an average of 1.5 ounces a day. He now weighs 8lbs 14 oz.
We had to change his diaper size too. Ryan moved from the newborn to a size 1.
The photo above is a 4 generation photo. Ryan, Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa. What a spectacular moment. All look so proud.
Yesterday was Opening Day. Tim and Ryan attempted to watch the First Baseball game of the season. I think they watched the Opening Ceremonies and the first 2 innings before the game was postponed due to rain. There will be plenty of games to watch later in the season.

Ryan's Easter Outing

I know I havent updated the blog in a few weeks, but we have been busy.

Ryan is growing by leaps and bounds. We had a home health nurse come to the house on Thursday to give Ryan a shot and he weighed in at 8lbs 5oz! I knew he was getting heavy, but had no idea how much.

On Easter, we went to my aunt and uncle's house for a few hours. Ryan did really well in all that chaos. 10 kids running around and going crazy at the Big Easter Egg Hunt.

Ryan got to meet his new cousin Aiden as well. We thought it was a picture moment when we put both newborns on the couch. Here are a few photos. How cute are they.

Handsome!

This picture says it all!

Ryan is tuckered out after playtime and exercises with dad.

We had a nursery follow/up visit today at the hospital. Weighing in at 6lbs 14 oz. His provider is pleased with his progress and says he looks great. We have another visit in a few weeks along with another eye exam.
He is such a character. He has already learned to say no, or at least shake his head no. When he is finished with his bottle he shakes his head back and forth forcing the bottle out of his mouth, grunting. He is so funny and keeps us entertained!

Our NICU Ride

We are finally home! On Thursday, Ryan was released from the NICU 77 days after he was first admitted. I cant believe it was that long. It seems forever ago that I was in the hospital. I barely remember it. Ryan got to say goodbye to some of his nurses who took such good care of him. As we were taking him out of his room and down the hall, it looked like he actually waved goodbye! When we left, he weighed in at 6lbs 4 oz and 19 3/4 inches long and taking about 3oz of milk every 4 hours.

Its weird not to go to the hospital everyday, or to call and talk to his nurse every morning when we wake up or every night before we went to bed. That was our 'new normal' and we just did what we had to do, as any parent would. We are now just able to enjoy him at home and take care of him, get up for those 2am feedings and change some pretty nasty diapers. Our NICU ride is now over. We have learned so much from his stay there, probably too much information. But we feel we have been given the knowledge to be able to care for our son and be on the lookout for any problems he may have. As much as I love the care he received in the NICU, I am glad it is over. I love our 'new normal', HOME!

Today, we had his first visit to the pediatricians office (one of many I am sure!) His provider was very happy to see how well he has progressed. He now weighs 6 lbs 14 oz and is 20 inches long! Watch out Aiden, Ryan is looking to catch up to you soon!

Home!

Oh Bother!

We know this is a marathon.

Yesterday, Ryan had another bloody stool. He had an X-ray and some other tests and everything came back fine. So they took him off the Neo-Sure, a type of formula that adds calories. They think he may not tolerate the Neo-Sure. So we are in another holding pattern. Again, all of his vitals are great, just problems with the stool.

On a high note, he is eating like a little pig. Overnight, he started eating more. At the 9:00pm feeding he took 60ml. At the midnight feeding he took 75 ml. At the 3:00am feeding he took 80 ml and then at the 6:00am feeding he took 90ml (3 ounces)!

He is still 5lbs 14oz.

Keep up the good work, Ryan, we cant wait to bring you home!