Feeding the Ducks with Grandma

Aaron's First Week at Home

Home sweet home!

The first of many matching outfits! (Sorry, boys!)

Aaron cuddling the baby Aunt Courtney knitted.

Aaron's first time at church/proof we made it to church with a toddler and six day old!

EJ's first time holding Aaron. And first time pinching Aaron's nose.

EJ's First Christmas

          We usually go to Minnesota for Christmas, but this year we stayed in San Diego.  We were originally planning on staying because my due date was December 27th, but ended up staying because we had an almost ten week old immunocompromised baby who wasn't allowed to be around crowds or kids.  I really missed being in Minnesota with my family, but we still had lots of fun because Grandma Bobbie and Uncle Kyle came down from Fresno to meet EJ and spend Christmas with us.

EJ found church exhausting.  Christmas morning was his first time going!

Meeting Grandma Bobbie for the first time!

Hanging out with Uncle Kyle

Dinner time!  EJ was his typical, well behaved self and took a nap while we ate.

I made the traditional Coyne Christmas dinner that my Mom makes every year, Pot Pie with chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry bread, and nut bread.  It turned out better than I'd hoped, but it just wasn't the same.  

Our improvised salt dip, an egg cup and a baby spoon.  We should probably go ahead and get a salt shaker.

Our tree!  We don't usually get one, but we had to have a tree for EJ's first Christmas.  Presents, some of which were getting packed up to send to family in Minnesota.

Life in the NICU, Part 1

Having a baby in the NICU is always difficult, whether your baby is there for a few days or a few months.  You’re separated from your baby and it’s hard to even feel like a parent because you’re not your child’s primary caregiver.  In the beginning, you have to ask permission just to hold your own kid!  No matter what milestone your baby has just reached, every day is dominated by the constant fear of what will go wrong next.  The babies are so young and fragile that there are bound to be some hiccups along the way.  No matter what great thing EJ had done that day or how optimistic I was feeling, at some point during the day the exhaustion and emotions and worry would catch up with me.  I cried every day until EJ came home.

    

After his very scary first week, EJ turned a corner and never looked back.  In his second week, they started considering him a feeder and grower, which meant he had no major problems and just had to keep eating and growing so he could go home.  He had some goals he needed to meet along the way, like breathing on his own, maintaining his body temperature, and taking all his feedings orally, and these took time.  It was frustrating sometimes because he had so much to accomplish before being discharged and it felt like he would never go home.  It helped that it seemed like every few days he was meeting a goal, and he consistently met them sooner than the doctors told us he would.  The nurses called him the Tiny Overachiever, but around here he’s known by the nickname our friend Rachel gave him: EJ Horton, Super Preemie!

                We were very, very fortunate with EJ, and most families aren’t as lucky as we were.  On top of avoiding any major health issues, we had a wonderful support system.  Our families and friends were all encouraging and praying for EJ.  Friends of friends who we didn’t even know were sending good wishes!  My Dad is a pediatrician and works in the NICU, so he was able to answer questions and explain things, and my younger sister was a preemie, so I’d had some experience visiting her in the NICU and caring for her.  Up until EJ was born, I was a nanny for eight year old twins who were thirty weekers in the very same NICU EJ was in, so it was incredibly encouraging to see how they were normal, smart, strong kids.  I felt so fortunate to be able to talk to their mom about the situations we were dealing with since she had been through exactly what we were going through, only with two babies!  The doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital were all very kind and helpful, and all in all we couldn’t really ask for more.

                After 39 long days, EJ was discharged from the hospital and came home.  It was that happiest moment we had been waiting for since I got pregnant.  We didn’t get it the moment he was born, but we got it just the same, and it’s even more precious to us in light of the journey we took to get there.

Here are some pictures from EJ’s time living in the NICU.  

So tiny!

My Mom came to help us for two weeks and EJ loved meeting his Grandma Karen!

Oops!  This was waiting for us one day.

Our good friends Rachel and Dean came to meet EJ when he was 2 1/2 weeks old.

Three weeks old and breathing on his own!  EJ's nasal cannula was removed (Pete's taking it off in the upper left picture) and all he had left was his NG tube for feeding.  We can finally see that little face!  We were so surprised by how different he looked.

Halloween

          EJ didn't let a little old thing like being in the NICU stop him from dressing up on Halloween!