Growing up fast...

It has been ages since the last entry so have lots of photos for you! Vinnie is now just over 5 months corrected and fast approaching 8 months old. It is extremely cliched to say that time goes fast and they grow quickly... but it is so true.

It seems as though Vinnie has learnt a whole lot of new tricks in the last couple of weeks. He is spending a lot more time on his tummy lately and is just starting to push himself up on to his elbows. Apparently this was always going to take him a bit longer as he isn't as strong through his chest due to his lung condition... he is getting there though. He is almost rolling over from back to front; rolls on to his side at the moment. He is also getting a lot more stable in his high chair and is enjoying standing on his feet (naughty naughty... we are doing exactly what the books say not to do!).

Vinnie continues to make progress with both his oxygen and oral feeds. He is currently on a quarter of a litre but we are hoping that he will be reduced to an eighth of a litre of oxygen flow by the end of October. We have been trying him on solids for the last 3-4 weeks and he is slowly starting to show some interest. Yesterday he swallowed about 2 tsp of pureed fruit and then vomited it right back up! He is still gagging a lot but is making progress.

The main challenge lately has been his terrible reflux / projectile vomiting / slow weight gain. For the last week we have had him hooked up to a feeding pump at night which drip feeds large volumes of formula over 12 hours. We have reduced the volume of milk during the daytime and it seems to be helping control his vomiting (or the amount he is vomiting). Hopefully this will only be a temporary measure as we don't like having him hooked up to another machine and mummy and daddy have to get up in the middle of the night to change the milk... back to sleepless nights. But if it means Vinnie is gaining weight it is all worth it.

Vinnie has been squealing with delight lately and laughing like a loon. He is such a happy, contented little guy and sleeps like a little angel at night. He really is a perfect little baby. (Apart from the whole prem thing. That was very, very naughty.)

Now that the weather has warmed up and Vinnie is doing better we have started venturing out a lot more. Initially it would take me ages to get out of the house as the checklist I am working through is slightly longer than: nappies, milk, clothes, toys etc. Add: oxygen cylinder, extra nasal prongs, leads, tape, NG tube, syringes etc. But I have it down to an almost fine art now and it is only taking a good 15 minutes to get out the door. (I have always been a bit on the tardy side and now I don't have a hope in hell!)

Aside from the occasional outing to improve my feelings of sanity I have also started making a weekly appearance at work. Grandad ('Bren') has been lending a helping hand with Vinnie each week to make this happen. Dad is amazing with kids and it is great that they get some bonding time each week... sorry Dad, hope I haven't just publicly ruined your 'tough guy' image. It is true that even the most macho men are big marshmallows when it comes to Grandchildren and he is no exception!

More photos...

Following on from the last post here are a few photos taken within the last couple of weeks.

Vinnie will be seven months old next week and is just over four months corrected!!!

Little Mr Chatter Box...

Well, Vinnie is certainly proving himself to be a Gee! The little man loves to chat and keeps me very entertained with his constant babbling/chatter during the day. He is a really happy, content little boy who wears a serious expression much of the time, but quickly disarms you with a smile. We have even had a few chuckles out of him this week!

Vinnie loves sucking on his hands at the moment (discovered these a few weeks back) and has started to show a real interest in his toys and is grasping things now. He is a lot more receptive to being on his tummy (for short periods) than he was a month ago and is building up strength in his neck. We put him in his high chair occasionally only because he looks so cute in it! (Not really able to hold himself up in it yet!)

On Sunday it was Fathers Day and we took Vinnie up to Matakana to see Mum and Dad and Cams parents drove down from Keri Keri. It was the first time we had really taken Vinnie anywhere and he had a ball... of course he would with all his biggest fans giving him their undivided attention!

Vinnie continues to grow, although his weight gain has slowed a bit (most likely due to the fact that he continues to vomit after most feeds... this is getting worse rather than better). The doctors aren't too concerned at the moment as he is still within a healthy weight range. We have started introducing solids again this week and while he is showing more interest than he was a month ago, he isn't quite there yet. He doesn't seem to object to food around his mouth, he just has a problem once it is in his mouth... the gagging/vomiting starts and it really isn't pleasant for the poor little fella.

Vinnie is still on half a litre of oxygen but we will hopefully trial him on a quarter of a litre this weekend... I am fairly optimistic that this is going to go OK and that his O2 will be reduced again soon. He has come a long way since he came home 2 1/2 months ago but still has a way to go. Everyone always asks how much longer he will need the oxygen and we don't really know... I'm kind of guessing another 6 months give or take. As his oxygen requirement comes down we are definitely feeling a lot more confident and optimistic about his long term prognosis. Once the flu season is out of the way we will probably come of out hibernation and voyage out a few places.

Here is a video from today... will also post some recent pics separately!

Vinnie - Six Months / 3 1/2 Corrected

Just a few more pics of the little guy and some updates on how he is doing...

Vinnie's oxygen was turned down to 500ml last week and the respiratory doctor wants to try him on 250ml soon to see how he goes. He is doing very well... his lungs seem to be really improving quite fast, although he may plateau for a while.

Vinnie is completely refusing the bottle and has been for the last month or so (crazy to think he has been home 8 weeks... it has flown by). We have tried offering him solids but he isn't interested at this stage. Hopefully he will show some interest over the next month or so but we aren't exactly holding our breath. One of the paediatricians that we took him to told us that he may very well be off the oxygen before the feeding tube as babies with chronic lung often don't want to eat with all the negative experiences around their face (i.e. the oxygen tube and the feeding tube). Some of these babies even end up having a line directly in to their stomach (through the belly button I think) that you feed them through to give their face a bit of a break... just a temporary measure (I hope!!!), if it comes to that at all.

Luckily for him he is oozing cuteness so it makes the feeding issues (and projectile vomiting after most feeds) bearable! Developmentally Vinnie is doing very well. He loves sucking on his hands, kicking his legs around, talking and seems to be enjoying tummy time - managed to spin himself around 90 degrees on the floor today.

Oh, and he is getting pretty darn good at pulling the tubes out of his nose and tapes off of his face! One morning last week (very early) I woke up and looked over at Vinnie and all the tubes were out. He had only just done it so still had plenty of colour in his face (blue baby not a good look). We thought we'd snap a few pictures of him without the tubes/tapes... only the flash was a little bright and he looks a little stunned in the photos! And those poor little red cheeks :-(

Vinnie's furry friends

The dogs came home about 10 days ago and they have been super well behaved! Very gentle with Vinnie... a few licks but back off pretty quickly when I tell them to. They have also shown no interest in chewing his toys, or his oxygen tubes (thank goodness!). Vinnie seems quite indifferent towards them at the moment but isn't bothered by them at all.

Monkey Business

It's been a little while since the last blog... feel like I have kind of gotten out of the rhythm so to speak and the little monkey is keeping me super busy, as is keeping the house tidy. My new job title is 'domestic slave'. Although I have a wonderful husband... he cooks, he cleans, he does DIY (and a good job of it)... he is one untidy NIGHTMARE (!!!) at times. Pet hates... he leaves the wardrobe doors open, clothes on the floor and opened mail in inconspicuous places (including the bills, which I always pay - when I stumble across them that is!).

Yes, I am a moaner. Everyone who knows Cam is saying 'get over yourself Tash, you have a great husband'. He likes to remind me what a catch he is too. I did read somewhere once that it is the small things in a relationship that lead to divorce. So Cam, when you read this just try and close those damn wardrobe doors please?

Enough on that. No doubt I will have to make a public apology to Cam in the next blog. However, public apology for this blog goes to my poor mother. Yes, I did give her a hard time in the last blog (a few people, herself included, pointed this out to me). I only do it for the comedy value (admit it... it was funny).

But seriously, my Mum (and Dad), have been amazing this year and I don't know where we would be without the help and support they have given us. To name a few things.... they helped us move back in to our house at Easter after the renovations, well Mum helped, Dad sat around talking and giving 'advice'. Mum made countless trips to the hospital and always turned up with food to replace the bland hospital sludge. They brought down a chest freezer from Matakana filled with frozen home cooked meals (which we are still eating). Oh, and they have been looking after our dogs since February...not sure when they will be coming home either. Maybe when Vinnie starts school (ha ha... just joking!). And of course there have been numerous gifts for the spoilt little monkey (and Vinnie too).

As for Vinnie, he is doing extremely well and I am feeling so much more optimistic about those little lungs of his. (Was slightly concerned for a while that he would be one of these kids that never comes off oxygen.) Since he has been home he has put on over a kilo, which is great as he needs to grow new lung tissue to grow out of this condition. Last week his oxygen was turned down from 1 litre of flow to 750ml. He is doing really well on that and it will most likely be turned down to 500ml in the next few weeks. Feeding is still a bit of an issue. He seems to have lost his suck reflex completely and is refusing the bottle. We are hoping to start him on solids next week but this might not be easy as babies normally suck food to start with. He will get there, but he might be 12-18 months before that NG tubes comes out completely.

Aside from breathing and feeding (such small trivial stuff!) he is doing well developmentally. Vinnie has started exploring his hands a lot more and stuffing them in his mouth. He is a lot more balanced too - legs and arms no longer thrashing around out of control. Also has good head control and support. He is almost sleeping through the night, but sleeping during the day is a bit hit and miss, especially late afternoons. Lots of smiles and cooing noises. Vomits after most feeds (not just small spills, but large projectile vomits) all over himself, his bed, the carpet, and his mother... so the washing machine is pretty much going all day. He is absolutely fascinated by the TV and would watch it all day if he had his way. He is watching it right now with his Dad in fact... hmmm... add that to the list of bad parenting techniques by Cam and Tash....

Cloth nappies or disposables?

So many good reasons to use cloth nappies, right? Well that is what I thought when I bought them anyway.... good for the environment, more affordable and easier to toilet train (what child wants to sit around in a wet cold nappy?). The one selling feature of the disposables that I totally underrated was CONVENIENCE. After using disposables for almost five months at NICU I am finding it a little hard to adjust to the cloth nappies. There is the mountain loads of laundry of course, but I also feel so mean every time I change the poor little guy... they just look so uncomfortable! And they are massive. His clothes are all tight around his bottom and he can hardly kick his legs!

I am really wondering why the bloody hell I bought the damn things. It would seem I like making a tonne of work for myself, because lets face it, I ain't no tree hugger. It might have had something to do with the little bird in my ear? The little bird is not going to appreciate me saying this as she already thinks I give her a public slating on this blog, but oh, what the hell.... that little bird would be my mother (wonderful, amazing mother!) who for many years has rabbited on at me about how revolting disposable nappies are and oh my god, don't even get her started on jarred baby food! It would seem parents these days are all so lazy... so of course I wasn't going to be one of those!

I don't know why I chose to start listening to my mum all of a sudden... and over something as demented as nappies...

One of the nurses at NICU had small children and was an advocate of cloth nappies. She told me she felt virtuous every time she changed a nappy. Hmmm... so far just feeling a tad resentful.

A few people have told me to shelve them and just use the disposables. However, I'm far too stubborn for that and determined to use them now that I have invested in them. Getting Cam to use them has been a little more challenging. We are not being complete eco warriors and are still using disposables at night... a bit of a compromise.

Nappies aside, Vinnie has been doing well this last week (5 months old on Wednesday, 2 1/2 months corrected age). Still trying hard to get him in to some sort of routine, other than the current 'baby-led' routine. Failing miserably on that front. Already Cam and I are forming some very bad parenting habits with Vinnie... rocking him to sleep in the lazyboy and letting him stay up at night with us (help - all the baby books say bed by 7pm... but he won't sleep and we are too soft!). He is going to be one spoilt little monkey....