Test Results

Cole had the Heart Eco done yesterday and we just got the test results back from Children's Hospital.  There are still a couple small VSD's (holes in his heart) but they are not causing any complications and the doctors are hopeful that they will still close on their own.  We will need to follow up with the pediatrician, but the doctor is hopeful that nothing further will need to be done.  Cole is definitely a fighter! 

Do you notice what Cole is doing in the below picture???  That's right he was getting his car seat test and passed, we are scheduled to go home tomorrow (I was secretly hoping that he would not pass so we would have to stay longer, I am not ready to go home).

Video of Cole

Here is a video of Cole we wanted to share.

Cole is now 18 days old!

Cole is now 18 days old (or 36 weeks).  He is still making great progress and growing like crazy, he is already at 3 lbs 14 oz.  Right now we are just waiting for him to grow and get better at bottle feeding, when he gets tired he forgets to breath while he is eating.  We are hoping to be home in the next two weeks.

Cole is also going in for another heart eco next week to make sure that the VSD's (Ventricular Septal Defect or holes in his heart) have closed up.  They normally close up in the first couple weeks, if they have not closed Cole will have to go in for surgery at around 3 to 6 months.  Please pray that they have closed up, Cole has already been through so much.

 

Another Big Milestone

We got moved out of the NICU and into just the pediatric unit, one step closer to going home!

Cole enjoying his new room

Feeling Blessed!

I was talking to the neonatologist that was there when we delivered Cole and he said that in all of his years as a neonatologist he has never seen a baby as small as Cole and in as much distress as Cole have it turn out to be nothing major.  That is a complete miracle and answer to many prayers, so THANK YOU again for all of your thoughts and prayers.  Cole has been well worth the long wait!

Looking backing over the progress that Cole has made (warning the pictures might be hard to look at, I know I cry every time I see them)




Day 1 at Evergreen

EKG Testing

Blue Light Therapy

In the Incubator
 

 

Sleeping at Children's

Today at 3 lbs 8 oz

Getting his First Bottle 

Riding in Style!

We finally made it back to Evergreen Hospital and I was able to go home for the first time in 4 weeks, it was amazing!

Cole is doing great back at Evergreen, they have increased his feedings again and he is back up to 3.3 lbs., almost back to his birth weight of 3.4 lbs.  They also did some more labs and his calcium level is back to normal and his bilirubin count is normal so no more blue lights.  We are just working on getting him to gain more weight, I am hoping and praying that we will be home as a family in the next 2 to 3 weeks. 

I don't know how we are going to put Cole in a car seat when he is so used to being transported in style...

 

 

We are going back to Evergreen!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all of the thoughts and prayers over the last week.  Cole is making huge improvements and we are getting transferred back to Evergreen once a bed opens up.  It is crazy to look back on last Tuesday, thinking that we would never be able to bring Cole home, to now where he is getting kicked out of Children's Hospital because he doesn't need the level 4 care anymore.  We couldn't have gotten through this without all of your thoughts and prayers, we are forever great full. 

What has Cole been up to the last couple of days...

• He no longer has an IV in his belly button to provide him extra nutrition, he is completely on formula and breast milk
• He got his first bath (and was not very happy about it)
• And best of all, daddy changed his first poopy diaper (with help from the nurse!)

Right now Cole is still working on digesting all of the extra food that he is getting, the formula is hard for preemies to digest and he has been throwing up a little and getting some acid reflex.  Please pray that my breast milk will come in soon so we can just be feeding him that. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

James, Michelle, Cole and Rudy

Every Day Gets Better!

Thank you all for all of your thoughts and prayers, they are truly helping!  Cole is improving every day.  James and I are feeling completely blessed by all of your love and support.

Sunday and Monday was full of firsts -

• Cole moved into a big boy bed, no more incubator

• He was able to get his oxygen mask removed
• He was also able to put real clothes on for the first time

• And he started to work on breast feeding!       

The one concern that they have now is that Cole is producing too much calcium (it is better than too little), but they are trying to figure out why his body is holding on to all of the calcium.  Please pray that the doctors will be able to figure out what is going on.  We are also hoping to move back to Evergreen Hospital by the end of the week, both James and I are so ready for a home cooked meal (we are going on 4 weeks away from home).

Thanks for all of your love and support -

this one was too cute to leave out!

James, Michelle, Cole & Rudy

6 days and counting.........

Cole continues to fight and get better each and every day.

During morning rounds today with the team of doctors we heard the following news:



Cole with his new buddy

• Cole's bilirubin counts were back down so he doesn't need to have the blue lights on him today. They will measure his counts tomorrow morning to see how he has progressed. Hoping to keep that mask off of him.
• Cole has been doing really well taking nutrition and they are going to up his intake again today.
• His arrhythmia continues to be a non-issue and they will just keep an eye out for it but it seems that from a medical standpoint, they are not concerned about this being an issue moving forward
• His lungs are doing very well. He is being weaned off of the nitric oxide today and will be breathing almost exclusively on his own. This is a huge step towards Cole's development. We are so happy to see the progress and are encouraged by this tremendously.
• Biggest and best news of the day, Cole might be heading back to Evergreen Hospital soon!!! The doctors believe that he is stable enough and at a point where he could return to Evergreen in the coming week or so. This is great for him as it means his level of care is reducing from a Level 4 Hospital to a Level 3 Hospital (Thanks for the explanation Lundquist). It also means that Michelle and I might be able to sleep in our own bed for the first time since February 14th.

Also, please pray for Cole's roommate who has been in the NICU for 2 months. He is doing well, but it has to be draining on himself and his parents.

Thanks all for the support and prayer that you have been sending our way and the way of the other families in the NICU. We couldn't get through this without it.

Michelle, Cole, James, and Rudy

Update

Cole is doing really well today. He is getting put on more nutrition which is, again, a huge step in his development. At his age, the ability to take in nutrition and handle it well can really play a key role in helping him put on weight.

Cole is also back under the blue lights. This is pretty typical of his age and is not very concerning. It just means he has to sit under blue lights for most of the day with a really weird looking mask. As his bilirubin levels go back down, the lights will be turned back off and he won't need the mask.

Cole in the Superman pose

His arrhythmia is no longer being treated, just monitored. If things go back to what they were showing before he may need to be treated, but we are hopeful he will grow through it without specific treatment.

We ask for continued prayer and thoughts for his lungs and heart as they are the most sensitive organs at the moment.

Thanks again for all of your support through this. More to come.........