No Changes

Solomon is still doing well.  He was requiring more oxygen over night so the doctor didn't change any off his settings today.  By the end of the day he was back down on his oxygen so they may continue to lower his support tomorrow.  He gets his eyes checked tomorrow to see if his ROP is progressing.  2200 g.

 

April 29

Solomon was in room air (21%  oxygen) for a good part of last night and today.  He seems like he's working harder now this evening and he's in about 28%.  He really doesn't like his head gear.  Solomon does push ups in his spare time.  2130 g (4 pound 11 oz).

nom nom nom

Solomon is continuing to do well.  Solomon kept his mom and his nurses on their feet today by repeatedly pulling out his nasal prongs.  Four of his long term neighbors/friends moved on up this week to the less critical wing.  Bon voyage!  2010 g.

Head Accessories

Not much to say today.  Solomon's doing well and he's just taking it easy.  He got a nice relaxing bath tonight.  2,010,000 mg.

Solomon and the Purple Pacifier

Solomon had a quiet day spending quality time with his pacifier.   He's still breathing well on the cannula and his desats are few and mild.  The medical team made some changes to his diet and lowered some of his supplements.  He is 2020 g.

Tuesday

Solomon is doing well.  He was in low oxygen today and was not desatting like usual.  The doctor said his steroids will be wearing off tomorrow.  1990 g.

2 Kilos

Solomon weighed in today at 2000 g.  He slept all day and was breathing well.  He was in low oxygen although the doctors warned me that when the steroids from the extubation wear off he'll start to backslide a bit.  He had his eye exam today and the ophthalmologist said that he is developing ROP currently in stage 2.  It is possible for him to grow out of it without intervention.  They will check weekly and if it progresses then they will treat it.  Big brother Sam stopped in to brighten his day.  He gets recognized in the hall since he is twitter/facebook/instagram famous.

Premature Extubation

Solomon, as we know, has a penchant for doing things ahead of schedule.  He couldn't wait for Wednesday to be extubated.  He had a bit of an episode this evening around 6 o'clock and the staff had to extubate in a hurry.  When they pulled out his breathing tube it was totally clogged.  They tested his blood after about an hour on the nasal cannula and he is doing alright with it.  He has been resting since and slowly weaning down his oxygen.  Let's hope he can keep this up and avoid having to be re-re-re-reintubated.  1980 g.

Racemic Epi administered via Dinosaur.

Sunset

Solomon had another good day.  Lots of snuggle time and lots of rest.  He is 1950 g.

Vaccination Day

Solomon is doing well.  They lowered his ventilator settings again today and he is needing less oxygen.  He did have a low heart rate once today, most likely because he was in a deep sleep state and was breathing shallow.  He got his 2 month vaccines today (3 shots).  The doctors are planning to give him a little bit more time to grow and then extubate on Wednesday of next week.  I think he might have other plans though as he seems bound and determined to pull the tube out himself.  He ended the day with a nice bath and is resting comfortably.  1910 g

Steady Like a Rock

4 lbs

Four pounds! It's hard to believe how far he's come.  It seems so fast yet an eternity at the same time. 

A Sunny Day

Solomon cuddled with Mom a lot today.  He is now having his meals over 90 minutes instead of 2 hours and handled the change just fine.  He had another head ultrasound to compare to the one a week ago.  There was no significant change which is good.  Solomon's big brother did enough playing outside and soaking up sunshine for the both of them.

No News is Good News

Solomon had another uneventful day.  He had a visit from big Brother and some snuggle time with Mom.  He was up to 1750 g which is 110 g more than yesterday.  A lot of that is water weight though as the docs have him off his diuretic.  He is so strong already; when I was holding him he pressed himself up like he was doing a push up and got his head mostly turned around before I could stop him.  He had a photo shoot today and slept right through it.

Easter

Solomon's first Easter was a peaceful day.  Lots of love
and family time.  1640 grams today.

#Pampers

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Solomon had another nice day hanging out with mom and entertaining guests.  After his performance yesterday, he graduated to the much larger micropreemie pampers.  He had a couple small diapers left over to donate to the Easter Bunny.  1600 grams.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Diaper Duty

Solomon was back to his old self today.  He had his favorite nurse and had a great day.  The nurse was getting him out for kangaroo care, but at the last second he decided he needed a diaper change. Then he did it again.  And then again.  After that, I held him for a couple hours and when we were done, I needed a change of clothes because he peed all over me.    👶😝😂

His weight was 1580 g.  His head circumference was same as yesterday which is a good thing.  His ventilator settings were lowered again today.

Re-Re-reintubated

Solomon gave it a good run being off the breathing tube, but he was working way too hard.  The doctors decided to intubate around 5 this morning.  He slept most of the day and slowly lowered his ventilator settings.  He weighs 3 pounds 5 oz and is 2 months old today.

How Low Can You Go?

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Solomon's vent settings were about as low as they could go so the doctors decided it was time to try extubating again.  The nasal cannula seems to fit him better this time around since he's grown so much over the past 2 weeks.  He is doing pretty well breathing but is definitely working hard at it.  I'm glad, and I think Solomon is too, that he doesn't have to wear the mask this time.  The added bonus is that he could suck on a pacifier and he was going to town on it this afternoon.  Solomon got another visit from big brother and a little bit of kangaroo time.  1510 g

 

A Rainy Day

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Solomon had a nice day today.  He had lots of kangaroo care time.  His head circumference grew a bit too rapidly over the last two days so the doctor ordered a head ultrasound.  The ultrasound showed that he has slightly enlarged ventricles (fluid filled cavities) in his brain.  His fontanel is still soft which is a good thing.  For now, the doctors are just going to keep an eye on the situation and intervene if it becomes necessary.  He weighed in today at 1470 g.

Tweet Tweet

Happy #SiblingDay ! Do you remember when you first met your sibs? Here's Sam Dickey meeting his little bro Solomon for the first time. #NICU pic.twitter.com/jWcrVShAH2

— Children's Hospital (@AkronChildrens) April 10, 2017

Marcie Dickey of Norton loves the opportunity to do #KangarooCare with her 8-week-old son Solomon. He was born at 24 weeks gestation. #NICU pic.twitter.com/2NVUqjTcGU

— Children's Hospital (@AkronChildrens) April 10, 2017

SVT

 Solomon had another SVT (high heart rate) today.  It lasted about 2 minutes and stopped with a bag of ice to the forehead.  Other than that, he did pretty well today.  They lowered some of the settings on the ventilator so he's doing some more of the work on his own.  Tomorrow is more blood draws and another eye test.  Solomon weighs 1420 g. 

3 Pounds

Solomon weighed in today at 1380 grams.... 3 pounds!  He had another quiet day with a nice visit from his grandparents.

Skip Day

As I was falling asleep last night, I had a nagging feeling that I forgot something.  I realized this morning that I forgot to give everyone an update.  Solomon had a good day yesterday.  His forehead has a big bruise on it though.  He was lying on one of his cords and it bruised but it's healing quickly.  We had some snuggle time and he had another visit from his big brother. 

Thursday

Solomon had a nice day today.  No tests.  Just snuggling and eating and sleeping.  He is 1340 g today.  His shoulders are so hairy.

I know many of you say a prayer for Solomon every night.  Please say an extra prayer for all the other babies here tonight as well.  Good night everyone!

Family Time

Family Photo - First time our whole family was together.
Samson and Solomon Video

Chillin'

Solomon is resting after a long day of tests.  Tests didn't indicate any problems but still not much progress on his PDA getting smaller.  1330 g. 

7 Weeks Old

                                  Hiccups

Monday, April 3, 2017

Solomon is doing well after his transfusion.  He is back on his feeding schedule and down to one IV in his hand.  His heart rate has always been a little high but, since the transfusion, it has been in a more normal range.  He weighed 1270 g today.  He spent a lot of time today with his eyes open and looking all around.

Once, Twice, Three Times a Transfusion

Solomon had some low heart rates and oxygen levels last night and this morning. He had to be "bagged" three times (the nurse had to use the oxygen bag on him). The doctor gave the go ahead on a blood transfusion. His bone marrow is just not mature enough to produce enough hemoglobin so until it is, a transfusion now and then is just what the doctor ordered, literally. He's resting comfortably despite having an IV sticking in his head and another in his hand. The nurses are having an easier time getting IVs in since his veins have grown a bit bigger with the rest of him. 1300 g. Good night everyone!

More of the Same

1270 grams. Resting, growing, snuggling.

It's a Tough Job but Someone's Gotta Do It

Friday, March 31, 2017
The doctor gave Solomon three jobs.  Rest, grow, and snuggle.  So that's what we did today.  :)