Bath Time!
Mom gave Ian a bath this afternoon, but again Ian declined publicty photographs to protect his modesty! Instead, we see Ian fresh and clean and just finishing his feed. Ian is clearly enjoying a nice period of feeding and growing and getting used to a routine. We are enjoying this too, especially as we can plan our hospital time with Ian more easily now. This is allowing us time to concentrate on getting the baby basics in place such as Ian's nursery and things that he needs - before we know it he'll be coming home!

Happy Families!
Our 'Photo of the Day' - happy family indeed! Ian had a nice start to his week, with Mom beginning to discuss what needs to be done to bring Ian home. While we are not getting our hopes up too high too soon, at least the Doctors are now beginning to talk about what we need to do to prepare for Ian's homecoming. This is very encouraging indeed. Though this will not happen until Ian can at least feed properly, which after today's effort is still many days away still. But he's trying really hard! Todays weight: 3lbs 6oz.

All Hands On Deck!
Barbara and I spent Sunday lunchtime with Ian just feeding and hanging out along with our friend Julie, who visited for the weekend and got to meet Ian. It was also a chance for Barbara, Ian and I to get close as a family and watch Ian feed while in his Mom's arms. As Ian drifted off to sleep, our hands all joined together ..........

Mommy and Me!
Barbara with Ian is our picture of the day today. Ian has just finished feeding and is about to settle in to some Mother and Son time, assuming he can stay awake long enough that is! Generally a really quiet day for Ian - just eatin' and sleepin' on a very lazy Saturday!

Daddy and Me!
What better way to finish the week with a Father and Son bonding session?! I spent a wonderful hour with Ian tonight holding him while having another try at feeding him (he's getting there, though very slowly!). Ian has now graduated from the Kangaroo sessions, so Mommy and my 'skin-to-skin' time is over. Ian is now big enough for proper swaddlin'! Oh, and 3lbs 3oz ........ every day a little bit more!

Mom's Turn to Feed!
Ian seemed exhausted today after yesterday's bath and feeding attempt. He literally slept the entire day even when Barbara tried to feed him. Ian could barely keep his eyes open as Mom teased the bottle around Ian's lips. Just a few drops went down ... so onto the next day we go for another try. And then Ian fell asleep ...... again!

Fed Up ..... and Snuggled Up!
Ian had his first ever bottle feed tonight! Steve was on hand to attempt Ian's first manual feed. Because Ian still doesn't have natural breathe-suck-swallow skills, he will need to learn these basics first before he can successfully feed from a bottle. His first attempt was a good one though it was more of a practice for him than him actually getting much from the bottle! Steve also got to bathe Ian, though Ian asked that his bath-time fun not be captured by photo for publication his blog site! Instead, we show Ian after his feeding attempt snuggled up in his blanket, drifting off to sleep.

The Emperor Has New Clothes!
Ian's Nurses marked his achievement at reaching 3lbs by putting him into clothes for the first time! His 'preemie' onesie is still a bit too big for him, but none-the-less he's wearing little boy clothes now. The Nurses have been fantastic and we've received lots of little gifts from them, many hand-made. Tonight attached to Ian's isolette was a banner marking his 1 month birthday and landmark weight. Thanks Kim!

Who Needs Oxygen?
Not Ian! Well, not the medical kind anyway. Today Ian's nasal canular was removed so he's now breathing unaided again and only has his food tube left to contend with. Doesn't he look different without that large band-aid on the side of his face now? And cute too! Today's weight ...... 2lbs 14oz. Exactly 1lb more than his birth weight. He's packing on the ounces!

A New Isolette .... with decor!
Ian got a new Isolette today. In fact he gets a clean one every week now. But today's one was different as he now has some decor inside! This comes in the form of black & white images, which are used to help Ian help his eyes by focusing on the shapes and color contrast. His vision still has some development so the images will be changed frequently so that Ian doesn't get too bored with them! When he does get bored, he can always stare out of the window in his isolette.

Our First Family Photo!
Need we say any more than this?! All happy, all healthy and all looking forward to being at home together one day soon.

One Pound More!
Ian weighed into today at 2lbs 11oz - that's exactly one pound more than the lowest weight he was at after his birth. He enjoyed another Roo with Mom today, but it is Dad's turn on Saturday. Ian's oxygen tube is now down to delivering only 21%, which is technically the same 'room' air we breathe and his respiratory levels seem now to be settling down. It's been a good day for Ian, especially as he received his first piece of mail today. His medical insurance company have written to him! I'll let him open it tomorrow.

Eyes Wide Open ......
Tonight when I showed up to see Ian, he was fast asleep. One of the most wonderful things we experience each day is that as soon as we arrive and say "Hello" Ian often sneaks open an eye to see who is there. Within minutes tonight he was fully awake and spent a long time looking around, bright-eyed and bushy tailed!

No blips today .... well maybe one!
Barbara Roo'd with Ian today at lunchtime and they had the most peaceful session yet. How we know this is that Ian is 'wired' up to several monitors that measure his heart rate, oxygen level and respiration rate along with blood pressure and body temperature. As we sit with Ian it is hard to avoid the screens with these graphs on, especially when one of the levels drops into a range that causes the alarm to go off! This occurs frequently but are mostly minor incidences that Ian himself is able to correct. So today, Barbara's Roo session was the best yet as only one alarm went off in the 90 minutes that Ian rested on Barbara. Our fixation with the screens is beginning to diminish now much because our little boy appears to be finding his natural balance of these key functions. So here's hoping for a 'alarm-free' day tomorrow!

Look Mom, No IV Tube!
Yes, it's gone! The IV tube Ian had in his right arm that delivered nutrition into his heart to pump around his body is gone. Now it's down to the 20 cc's of food per feeding he gets that he will grow by. Yes, 20 cc's. That's over double what he was feeding on this time last week. And that's why he weighed in 2 lbs 9 oz today. What a good Valentines Day boy he is!

Lunchtime with Mom!
Ian spent much of the morning and lunch time with Mommy having a Roo session in the new 'penthouse' suite with the sun beaming in. Ian was quite content and the Nurses had planned for him to have a quiet day. Both Barbara and I take great delight when we see Ian for the first time each day as the sound of our voices stimulates what appears to be a 'smile'. Ian also strains to awaken and open his little eyes to sneak a peak at our faces peering into his Isolette! The joys of parenthood are beginning to have an affect on us more than we realized.

Happenin' Sunday!
So much happened today ..... Ian's weight topped 2lbs 7oz and Ian also moved into the 'Penthouse' suite at the NICU! The suite is regarded by the nurses as the best suite at the hospital as it has two mountain-view windows and total privacy - this is where Ian will spend his remaining time at the NICU. Steve Roo'd with Ian today for nearly 90 minutes as well today and how peaceful Ian was. There was also talk today about possibly removing the IV from Ian's right arm, which in itself will be a milestone step forward for him. This might happen sooner than we thought, so we are keeping our fingers crossed for him. To summarize our day, Ian is doing great. Really great.

Happy Saturday ....
Ian and Mommy spent a quiet happy Saturday together alone with their longest 'Roo' session yet. Steve took a well earned rest day and hit the ski slopes at Tamarack Mountain while Mom and Ian enjoyed some 'recreational breastfeeding'! Ian is still too young to manage to complete the 'breathe-suck-swallow' rountine, so he is merely encouraged to pretend to feed from his Mom until he is better able to manage the complexities of this task. Ian's weight has stayed somewhat similar with the last few days having seen terrific increases in his food intake (now at 12 cc's) which have contributed to his 5 oz weight gain since last Sauturday.

Hug My Blanket:
Barbara spent over 90 minutes 'Kangaroo-ing' with Ian today. By the time Steve arrived at the hospital, Ian was already blissfully asleep hugging his latest blanket. Ian is now up to 11 cc's of food per feeding, which is a significant increase from where he was only four days ago (7 cc's). His weight is now up to 2.35 lbs and his adjusted gestational age is 32 and 1/7 weeks of age. And he'll be 3 weeks old on Sunday!

Flaky Baby!
Because Ian is so premature his skin did not have time to develop, particularly the epidermis (outer layer of skin). As Ian gets older his skin will begin to mature and will become dry and flaky. This is a normal and healthy reaction and you'll see from tonights photo Ian's skin is now showing these exact signs on his back and shoulders. We let nature take it's course here and never apply lotions of any kind. Overall Ian's day was a good one, with a better respiratory day though Ian continues to use the Oxygen tube for better and easier breathing. Barbara finished her final day of dialysis treatment and is beginning to feel good again.

How Long?
Many people have commented on how big (or not so big!) Ian appears to be in his photo's. So tonights photo shows Ian alongside his Nurse's tape measure!! Ian had a good day today, though he needed to go back onto Oxygen as he had a few respiratory issues in the night though nothing of concern. This is why you'll see a tube back in his nostrils again. Mommy enjoyed a Kangaroo session with Ian again today and on Thursday Barbara completes her final dialysis treatment. Barbara will then be able to concentrate on her recovery full time. Well done Honey!

Hold Me Daddy!
Steve got to Kangaroo with Ian again tonight and with it came the added responsibility of lifting Ian from his Isolette with all his wires and then back again. It is not as easy as you'd imagine, especially as Ian starts to squirm around as soon as you pick him up! Ian had another 'Bradycardia' tonight too (often called a 'Brady' by the Nurses). This is when his heart beat slows significantly and then sets off the heart rate alarm on his monitor. This happened again tonight while Ian slept on Steve's chest - and how it scares you! Ian recovers these himself, but the initial occurance is one that sets your own heart rate beating twice as fast! Ian, no more Brady's please!

Gimme some blood!
Ian gained a few extra grams today and spent a peaceful day until late afternoon when his next phase of treatment was administered. Ian received a blood transfusion, a procedure that is commonly conducted with 'preemies'. This is in fact his second transfusion and it will give Ian a much needed boost of red blood cells. This explains the IV tube on Ian's head, which he tolerated very well and which will be removed when the transfusion is over. At home, Barbara enjoyed some home comforts and home cooking courtesy of her sister Olive who with boyfriend Hugh have joined us to help out for a few days. Thanks guys!

She's Home!
On Sunday afternoon Barbara finally left hospital, some 16 days after checking in so abrubtly. What a time she has had. Barbara still has two more dialysis treatments to go, but can do those as an out-patient later this week. Her health has improved significantly these last few days and she is now well on the road to recovery. Barbara was greeted at home by a wonderful set of surprises from our neighbors and friends including a 'stork' announcing Ian's arrival, a beautiful sunflower floral display and a giant food basket along with Champagne and chocolates! We are going to save the Champers for the day we bring Ian home. Including the many flowers and cards Barbara also received in hospital plus e-mails and messages of support, words cannot begin to describe how touching and inspiring these have all been. Thank you to everybody out there who have been there for us both - you have been absolutely amazing. Barbara now has several weeks ahead of her to recover and has been told to take the next several days very easy indeed. To make our Sunday complete, Ian also weighed in above his birth weight and hit 2lbs for the first time. Mom and Dad are very happy as you can imagine and Dad is particularly happy tonight too as he has his wonderful wife home again.

Mommy-Roo Too!
Barbara was well enough today to Kangaroo with Ian. They enjoyed a 75 minute session, with Ian blissfully asleep with Barbara who also dozed off a few times too! Barbara has one more session on the dialysis machine on Sunday and will hopefully be released from hospital on Monday and also get rid of her lovely neck 'fashion accessory' as you'll see in her photo. Ian's weight saw no change today, so he's obviously at peace with himself as he enjoys time in his Incubator with all the warmth and comfort. Ian's photo tonight shows him in mid-transfer between Barbara and his incubator. Don't you just love his little hat?!!

Binky Heaven!
Yep, nothing tastes as good as a binky after a long day in the Isolette. Ian enjoyed his first full day of increased food intake and celebrated with a nice long nap just when Mom and Dad came a visiting! I enjoyed changing Ian's diaper again, this time while Mom looked on. A better effort this time, I feel, as I only managed to snag a few of Ian's wires into the diaper as I made the transition from the old one to the clean one! A few more attempts and I'll have this diaper thing mastered, trust me. Barbara enjoyed a Reike Massage in her hospital room this evening courtesy of her wonderful friends at the Spa, Robin and Jen. Thanks ladies!

Happiness is Sleeping on Your Knees:
I guess I will always be curious as to why babies like to sleep on their knees. I've seen other kids do it before and yes, Ian likes to do exactly the same! He seems so perfectly happy doing this too. Ian lost 20g of that 120g he put on the night before, but no real issues here. His feeds will now increase by 1cc on Friday (to 4cc's each feed) so that should keep him happy and perhaps help the weight climb too. Mom had a good day as well, having had her second day of dialysis treatment. Barbara's energy level is beginning to climb so a few more plasma sessions should see her raring to get home next week.

Weight a Minute!
At last, Ian has put on some weight! A whole 120 grams to be exact. Spending a whole day in the Isolette without too much stimulation was obviously the reason, so we let Ian do his own thing again today. In fact he was so tired this evening, his nurse had to prop him up for his daily photo! Mom had the first of her dialysis treatments today and is now sporting an attractive catheter in her neck (ouch!). However, it seems to be well worth it as Barbara was feeling much, much better today.