2 Brothers Layne

Today was a nice peaceful one for our little boy. He weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces and he sure loves having Mom and Dad around! Jonah's feedings have slowed down but he is still averaging 3-4 full feedings a day by breast or bottle!

Jonah had another good day. No he didn't nipple his 11 o'clock last night nor did he do as incredible on his feedings today..... but he had an alright day! Don't you just love Jonah's Whale PJs?

Aren't I sooooo CUTE?! Today was a breakthrough day for our little boy. Jonah ate from a bottle or the breast the last seven feedings!!! He has not had to be tube fed at all today! With any luck he'll take his bottle at 11 and make it a full 24 hours. The doctors are so pleased and impressed with this new development. Jonah has been very pleasant and allert this evening. He has the nurses wrapped around his little finger. It is no coincidence that Jonah received a priesthood blessing last night and today he is doing sooo much better. I am so greatful for the power of the priesthood and for the men in my life who worthily hold such power. We also thank all of you for your prayers and for your concern!

Today was a Giant day of relief!!! The lasix that Jonah was given has worked like magic. One diaper weighed 200 grams. WOW!!! Just think, most of that was in his lungs. As a result Tanya and I believe that Jonah's problem was that he was air hungry. In so much that he was sort of drowning. Not on the serious side but there was enough fluid in his lungs that Jonah is back up to 3 Liters of flow on his oxygen. We had such an enjoyable time with Jonah this evening. He was back to the Jonah we knew about 2 weeks ago. We had a great time playing with him, holding him, bathing him, and just plain loving him. As you can see we also had pictures tonight. Jonah is 8 lbs. Yes you will notice a decrease in his weight, but with a diaper of 200 grams what do we expect.

this is Jonah. The second picture is Jonah on drugs!!! Ha ha ha. Today has been a little better day than the days on the weekend. Jonah has been so irritable, yes Kara He does get that from his mommy, that they decided to give him some sedatives to help him relax. They didn't want to "Snow" him - snow- an adjective describing one's ability to stay awake; or lack thereof is a better definition- so in plain english they didn't want to sedate Jonah to the point of making him non responsive, just enough to take the edge off. I tease the nurses that they want to give Jonah enough drugs to keep him buzzed and happy. They say it is to help Jonah organize himself better. This has worked very well. Jonah has rested very peacefully and has gotten into the REM, Rapid Eye Movement, sleep. This is very important for Jonah to get this deep sleep so his body can heal and store energy. Because Jonah has been so irritable lately they took a full blood work to test for any ...

Not a lot to say about today. The nurses say that Jonah was very naughty today. They had to hold him almost constantly. The medical staff decided to try and help Jonah stay calm. Jonah will get angry and desaturate because he his unable to keep his oxygen levels up and calm himself, same as yesterday. Jonah nursed for a little bit, maybe 10 minutes max, and then fell fast asleep. His bath tonight went well. Jonah likes to soak in very warm water. Jonah weighed 8 lbs 4 oz. and was 19 inches long.

Today was a pretty rough day for Jonah. We are hoping that it is from having his shots yesterday but just incase they are running some blood tests. In the video you can see an oxygen mask. It is being used to give Jonah an extra boost of oxygen when he desaturates. It has been very effective today. We noticed that when the mask was close to his face he started to lick the air. It was so cute! Jonah had visitors today. Gaga (grandpa Selman) and Mamaw (grandma Selman) came to say hi. It was so nice to visit with them for a while. Tonight Jonah weighed 8 lbs. 2 ounces.

This late night blogging is for the birds!!! But I guess it is worth it, to be able to put Jonah to bed at night. It is quite an enjoyable event. Jonah received his 4 month immunization shots today. He did a great job at controlling himself and didn't even desaturate. Jonah slept for a long time today and finally nursed at the 8 o'clock cares for 30 minutes. We had a great time today loving and cuddling with Jonah. It was kinda fun. We basically took care of Jonah and the nurse assisted us. On a down side, he didn't love his bath so much tonight. I think the pain of the shots are starting to reveal themselves tonight and possibly tomorrow. Yesterday we had some tummy time. We are working with Jonah on his neck muscles. He has been looking to the right for a while and the developmental team is worried about Jonah not being able to look left. As a result we are kind of forcing him to look left. here are a couple of videos of Jonah on his tummy

Today was another good one for Jonah. There is only one real change...and it is on a trial basis... Jonah has a nurse all to himself again. They are hoping that by giving Jonah his own nurse she can react to Jonah's mood swings quickly and prevent desaturation episodes. It will also help him to build some trust that someone will be there anytime he needs it. Jonah's friend Mario will be going home tomorrow. Mario was born at 23 weeks and weighed 1 pound 7 ounces just like Jonah... only Mario is nearly 4 weeks younger. It is hard to see him go but we are so excited for him as well! Jonah has really taken to nursing. He nursed full feeds at both 5 and 8. A vacation from pumping 2 nights in a row!!!

Jonah had a much better day today. He didn't have any desaturation spells. Tonight he nursed at both 5 and 8 o'clock. WOW! Mommy got a wonderful vacation from "the pump".

What to say about today. It was a pretty rough day for Jonah. He had to be bagged this morning because he became so angry that his oxygen saturation levels dropped into the 30% range. After being bagged for a while Jonah was able to organize himself and bring his saturation levels back to the acceptable range. That was one the morning shift. The afternoon shift, Jonah was a bit calmer. When Mommy and Daddy arrived to see him he was fast asleep. He slept for almost 30 minutes more, probably until he got hungry. He sure was hungry and nursed for 20 minutes. By the time we were ready to go home. We changed Jonah's diaper and readied him for bed. By the end of preparing Jonah. He was sporting his chest. It is kind of funny. He is turning into a little pimp. For my parents sake pimp is a slang word for: stud, hottie, confident, womanizer. it is an adjective not a noun ( at least in Jonah's case).

I actually felt like the Mommy tonight!!! It has been one of the best nights I've had since becoming a mommy. When I arrived at the hospital tonight Jonah was just starting to wake up. So I but him in his bouncer seat while I prepared his bath. I got him out of his seat, weighed him, and put him in the tub. After a nice refreshing bath I got him dry, warm, and dressed. Then it was time to eat. Jonah nursed from both sides for a total of 25 minutes!!! After that he was still wide awake so we played a while and did some tummy time on Mommy's lap. Jonah started looking sleepy so I put him in his crib with his binki. ---Did you notice that I never mentioned needing a nurse's help! I did it all by myself! It was a nice boost of confidence for a doubting mommy.

HOORAY for MLK Day! Mommy got to spend most of the day at the hospital with Jonah! Things are going well for our son. He weighed 7lbs 13 oz and he is 18.5 inches long. Jonah is staying awake for longer periods of time. He and I got to sit and chat for an hour or more.

Today was a little bit better for Jonah. He has been held for the majority of the day. He had a bath this evening which he enjoyed, and some snuggle time with Mom. Tonight Jonah weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces! There are very few Preemie size outfits that fit anymore.

POOR JONAH! Dr. Clark called this morning at 9:15 to say that he had an opening in his schedule and he'd like to do Jonah's Circumcision. I gave him the go-ahead then I dropped everything and left for the hospital. The nurses report that Jonah was an angel during the procedure then five minutes after it was all over he fell apart! Mommy to the rescue! I arrived just in time to feed Jonah a bottle and cuddle. He has had a long day but tomorrow will be a better day!

Ok, so the first picture wasn't from tonight but it is just plain cute!! I also thought it would be fun to see a picture of Jonah when he isn't 100% out cold! We put a hat on him, moved it around, adjusted his position, and he didn't even stir. I guess taking a full feeding at 11 am of formula wore him out. We had fun with Jonah as he wore a hat. Jonah a I were able to chill out for a while, he on my chest and me reclining. We couldn't believe how out cold Jonah was. He stired a little for his cares, but just wanted to sleep. Jonah is back on top with this weight gain. He is weighing in at 7 lbs 11 oz. and he looks good. no news on a home date, but for now with everything he has left to do it is going to be awhile. His breathing is still labor intensive for him and as such uses most of his energies in breathing. As parents we sure love our cute little one and are very grateful for the prayers of everyone who prays for us.

Jonah is now consuming 69 ml every 3 hours either by bottle, breast, or tube. He is, however, not gaining much weight the past 2 days. I suspect that this will be cause for concern and the NNPs and the doctors will have to adjust something to help our son gain weight again. Other than that things are a lot the same as yesterday.

Jonah has had a pretty productive day today as far as feedings go. He has taken 2 full bottles and 3 half-full bottles. That is a big improvement from the usual. He weighed in tonight at 7 pounds 9 ounces. We got the lowdown on circumcision today and got the paperwork signed so that someday when Jonah is close to coming home the doctors can do the procedure without waiting on us.

Look at our little man! Jonah is growing so big! Tonight he weighed in at 7 pounds 9 ounces. The outfit he is wearing is a Newborn. Many of his cute little preemie outfits are getting too small. Good weight gain = the growth of new lung tissue. That means healthier lungs and less need for oxygen... So grow Jonah GROW! Yesterday the doctors changed up Jonah's meal plan a bit. He has been getting mommy's milk mixed with human milk fortifier to increase his calorie intake. He is now getting straight mommy's milk 6 feedings a day and a nutrient rich formula twice a day. We hope that with this switch he will retain less water and need fewer doses of Lasics (a diuretic used to flush all the extra fluid from Jonah's system). Lasics not only clear out the extra fluids but it also flushes out electrolytes and calcium from his bones. As such x-rays show that Jonah's bones are quite thin and fragile. With time and proper nutrition his bones should regain the lost ...

...What to say about today? Jonah has had another stable day. The developmental specialist stopped by today to check on Jonah's progress with the bottle. He showed off by nippling 50 ml! He was a star! (Of course he had built up a reserve by being tube fed the last 4 feedings...) It takes so much of Jonah's energy to simply breathe that he doesn't get a chance to build up a reserve. Some day his lungs will improve and breathing will not be such an undertaking... until then we'll wait patiently. ---well, as patiently as we can.

Today was a pretty restful day for Jonah. Sorry to report there is no breaking news. Jonah did however suck a little at all feedings. We gave Jonah a bath tonight he fussed a little bit, but other than that he did well. We tried giving him a bottle right afterward, but all he wanted to do was cuddle after sucking 5 mLs. Jonah weighed in at 7 lbs 5 ozs today. Most of this we believe to be water weight.

Can you believe that Jonah is 125 days old. Ok here is something new to chew on as well. So from here on out for, well until Jonah is caught back up with a normal child in actual months old, we will be referring to Jonah in adjusted months. For an example Jonah's adjusted age today is 12 days old. His adjusted age is from his due date, December 30, 2008. The adjusted age is to compare apples to apples with Jonah's development to a normal baby. So developmentally Jonah is looked at medically as being 12 days old. The long awaited big boy bed. I know it looks more like a cage!! Now it's time for the scary stuff. Jonah has nippled a little from each feeding today. That means he is getting a little more energy each day. His lungs were sounding a little wet so they gave him some lasix to help the body rid itself of the exess fluid. Above are a few photos of Jonah's FINISHED bed room, with the exception of curtains. with finished laminate floor, painted baseboard, ...

During RSV season October - April only adults, who have no sniffles, coughs, or sickness, are allowed in. Adults mean 14+ years old. Sorry, Tanis, Rowdy would not be allowed in the NICU to see Jonah. We have learned something very intense about the RSV virus. The RSV virus is a very tenacious little bug. Someone that has been exposed to RSV can SHED, give the virus to others, for up to 3 months. If someone you come into contact with sneezes on you or by some means come into contact with the oral fluid, the virus can live, after the fluid has dried, for up to six hours. Just a shout out for Jonah. He expends so much energy just to breathe he has very little energy to retain and takes quite a long time for him to build a reserve. Due to the nasal secretions, snot, and the fluid in the lungs, if Jonah were to come down with a case of RSV it could be mortally detrimental for him. For this reason when Jonah comes home we will not be accepting visitors into our home. If Jonah were to get sic...

Jonah is in a BIG crib now! You should see Jonah's new bed... it's HUGE! He has plenty of room to grow and stretch out. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it tomorrow. One of Jonah's friends, Tate, should be going home tomorrow. This would not only be wonderful for Tate and his parents but it would give us a chance at another window seat!!!

There are not many changes today. Jonah has been pretty easy-goin' all day. He got another bath tonight. Afterward we tried to nurse but Jonah got all snuggly and warm and quickly fell asleep.

TA DA!!! It Finally Happened!!! Jonah is almost all grown up. Well, not quite but it is fun to say. No it is not what you are thinking. We did not get a go home date, yet. However, Jonah did nurse from Mommy for 17 minutes. We may have found a secret to getting him to nurse. Give him a bath and then let him suckle from his mommy. Tanya had a first tonight also. Jonah peed on her. He got her shirt and pants. It was pretty funny. Mom couldn't wait to get home to changer her clothes. Jonah is a gigantic 7 lbs 1.3 oz. Every day is another drop in the well. One day soon, maybe June, the well will fill up and Jonah will come home to us.

Today was more of the same. It was a good day, the nurses report; however, when mom and dad showed up this evening Jonah was pretty angry. We, well Tanya, tried nursing Jonah, but to no avail he didn't nurse, just cuddled. at 8 pm we tried giving him a bottle to eat. He ate about 8 mLs but then fell asleep in Daddy's arms. Tanya started back to school today. She reported it was an interesting day. I also started back to school today, Chemistry and Biomed - which is anatomy and physiology.

Today was a pretty good day for Jonah. He has been reduced in his standing from a hard baby to take care of, to a medium baby to take care of; which, will decrease the amount that the insurance is charged for each day. Other than Jonah has been a little, well a lotta, bit on the angry side. We are dealing with it with smiles and love. He really can't scream so it's not a big deal for him to scream, yet. The good thing is, is that when he does have a screaming fit, it only lasts a few moments, he calms down for a few seconds, then starts up again. Jonahs' voice is getting louder, at first when he screamed he sounded like a fish when the air went out of it. His voice is getting louder, but not by much. As for feedings today...Tanya reported the same thing that, Jonah was very snugly and loved to cuddle with Mom. They bumped up the feedings to 60 mLs today, to keep up with the weight that Jonah is gaining. When we tried to give him a bottle at 2 pm he only took maybe...

Jonah has has some favorable changes today. He was taken off the high-flow canula and put on a regular canula and the head box. His oxygen needs are in the 30s on the head box and 50s on the canula. Tonight he weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces! He is getting so big!

Jonah's day has been a very restful one. He has spent most of the day snoozin', trying to recover from all the work of bottle feeding the past few days. He did awake enough to nurse with mommy for about 4 minutes! Yea... it's nice to have Jonah feeling well again. Jonah's new floor looks great! Thanks Russ and Flooring America for donating the flooring and your time! Now we just need to finish it off with new baseboards and put his room back together!

Grandma and Grandpa Layne (Nanna and Papa) came to visit Jonah today! Jonah got to snuggle with Nanna and her quickly took hold of he fingers to make sure she didn't go anywhere. As for Papa... he must have partied to hard last night! Thanks for the visit! Jonah was moved into pod 2 early this morning. We again mourn the loss of the coveted window seat in pod 1. We are now in the very back of the room in the corner. Jonah made some noble attempts at bottle feeding with mommy today but both times he fell fast asleep.