Jack’s trip to the neurologist went well. His ventricles look really good on the ultrasound -- a lot better than the last (in the exact words of the neuro). He said the shunt is definitely doing its job. He did note a tiny swollen spot behind Jack's ear (along the shunt tubing) but just told us to keep an eye on it and call if it seems to get bigger -- or "sausage-like" as he said. He only wants to see him again in September. So we’ll continue our daily inspection of Jack’s shunt site.

Jack's oxygen company is willing to bring us a great big tank for our first floor! This means we'll no longer only have 7 feet to move Jack around -- we'll have 50! We are VERY happy about this! Now he’ll get to see more than the living room! They are coming on Monday to deliver it.

This week Jack sees his pediatrician on Thursday. We are looking forward to another weigh-in! He was 8lbs, 1oz on June 18th, so we’re excited to get the newest numbers!

We learned that Jack’s other friend (the same one we saw at the eye doc) is now back in the hospital with a possible infection. They took him in through the ER last night. We would like to ask you to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We keep in contact with his family by e-mail mostly and we’ll keep you posted on how he’s doing. Jack’s other friend is still recovering (at home) from his stay.

Jack went on a trip to see his eye doctor yesterday. We even saw one of Jack’s very best little friends there! It was so special to see them together again. Jack really doesn’t like these eye exams!! He cried so loud he made the doctor’s ears hurt. It was over almost as soon as it started and we were on our way home again. Right now they are keeping an close watch on Jack’s eyes. Almost all preemies end up with a condition called ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) and ranges from mild to severe. ROP is when abnormal development of the blood vessels supplying the retina of the eye occurs. This can be very serious if not monitored and treated. Jack’s ROP is very mild and he’s almost “in the clear.” He’ll go back for another exam in three weeks. Jack also suffered Optic Nerve Atrophy close to or at the time of his brain bleed a few days after birth. This is something that we will not know the long term effects of until Jack is older. This is damage that occurred, and won’t get worse and won’t get better, basically what’s done is done. There is no treatment or surgery for Optic Nerve Atrophy and we were told it’s “wait and see.” We do feel Jack has vision and it’s getting more and more obvious to us. He follows our faces (even without voices) and loves to look at his little Elmo doll. So we take these as very good signs.

Tomorrow Jack sees his neurologist for a check up. He’ll be able to tell us if Jack’s shunt is doing its job by doing a cranial ultrasound and observing Jack’s behavior. We left the hospital with a bulleted list of things to watch out for when a shunt malfunctions. So far everything looks okay when we do our daily checks. We’ll keep you updated on how his appointment goes.

Jack seems to be growing right before our eyes! He’s totally outgrown all of his preemie clothing and is now filling out his “big boy” clothing quite nicely. He’s continuing to eat very well – it’s been over a week without the feeding tube. He even gets one ounce of apple juice every day!

We pretty much are still living out of two rooms downstairs. Jack has yet to be upstairs to his nursery and we have yet to sleep in our bed since he’s been home. Right now we take turns sleeping at night on the sofa. Once he is off the oxygen it will be so much easier to move him from room to room. We hope it’s not too much longer! We’ll know more next month after we meet with his neonatologist at Hershey.

Jack has long periods of alertness now. He doesn’t sleep all the time anymore. It’s so neat to see his personality take shape each passing day. He has certain things he loves and certain things he really dislikes. His strength is also amazing us as well. He has great head control and is pushing himself up when he’s on his belly.

Jack is involved in a program called Early Intervention which is a group consisting of physical, occupational and speech therapists. They are coming soon for their first evaluation of Jack. They make sure Jack has all the extra help he needs to catch up and they help identify any delays he may have. Early Intervention helps a lot of children and especially preemies. It’s a proactive approach to facing any difficulties that may exist. We are glad to be involved with such a program.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

We got an update on Jack’s little friend. He’s home now from the hospital with his mommy and daddy! Our thoughts continue to be with them as their little one recovers.

Jack got his weigh-in yesterday….he’s now 8lbs, 1oz!!! So using all that extra energy to finish his bottles has not slowed his weight gain. He’s continuing to gain over an ounce a day! We are so proud of Jack!

This week Jack was appointment free (except his quick trip to use the scale) and this coming week Jack sees his eye doctor and his neurologist – both appointments are at the medical center. Jack enjoys these road trips – we just can’t wait until he can go somewhere other than the doctor!

Jack is doing great. He seems to be in a routine now which is good except for we think he has his days and nights mixed up! He is sleeping wonderfully in his bed through the day, but as soon as we get sleepy and are ready to doze off Jack is wide eyed and not interested in sleeping!

Jack is continuing to take all of his bottles like a pro. He goes to his pediatrician for a “weigh-in” just to make sure he’s continuing to gain weight and not spending too much of his energy and calories taking his bottle. So we’re anxious to see how much he weighs tomorrow!

We became close to two families in the NICU. All of our boys had similar issues including shunt surgeries. We just learned that one of Jack’s little friends is back in the hospital due to a shunt malfunction and there were complications with the surgery. He’s still in the hospital now, and our hearts are breaking for his family. Please keep your thoughts and prayers with them.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Jack is really surprising us! He’s been taking all of his feedings by bottle since Friday. He can take anywhere from 60-90ccs every 3-4 hours. We almost can’t keep up with his demands. Sometimes he is hungry two hours after he eats, but we have to wait a little long than that because Jack should get used to set schedules. During the nighttime hours it is much different. We usually have to wake him to eat and he never is too interested. It’s important that he does eat at every scheduled feeding because he needs as many calories as possible.

Jack’s reflux seems to be getting better. We are starting to lay him down for more extended time periods. It usually takes about twenty minutes for him to start crying. That is definitely better than when we first brought him home and he would cry immediately as we laid him down. It’s probably helping that he no longer has his feeding tube.

Along with his weight gain, Jack’s strength is increasing as well. When he lies on our chests he raises his head and looks all around. That’s great. Soon he’ll be doing summersaults in his crib.

Well, today June 13th, was Jack’s original due date! He’s officially supposed to “be here” now. It’s hard to believe just how amazing it is that he was so strong to face the world almost 15 weeks before he was supposed to. He came into the world at only 2lbs 2oz (even dropping under 2lbs for a while) and not given much hope of survival. But just look at him now! He’s done nothing but truly amaze us with his spirit, strength and character and is really showing us what life is all about. We’ll never truly understand all that Jack had to endure early in his life, but we are so very proud of him for just being Jack.

Jack is really doing well here at home! He’s gained a lot of weight too! He’s up to 7lbs, 8oz. His pediatrician was very pleased with how well he’s gaining weight. She also told us we can try him without any tube feedings today to see how he does on his own. So far he’s been taking a lot, in fact he normally gets 60ccs, and now that he’s bigger he can have anywhere from 60-90ccs every three or four hours. Well, he just took 79 all by bottle! We’ll get rid of that tube very soon, we’re sure!

His pediatrician also gave him a prescription for another Reflux medicine called Reglan. This worked well for him in the NICU, so we are confident that it will work for him again. We’ll all be so much happier when he doesn’t have to deal with Reflux anymore.

We are a little more comfortable with caring for Jack too. We aren’t as nervous or scared anymore. Even 4am feedings are becoming ordinary around here. We are sleeping on and off and not minding it as much as we did in the first few days. So it’s safe to say we’re adjusting!

Jack saw his eye doctor yesterday. They still were not able to tell us the prognosis as far as how well Jack will see, but we do notice him tracking things with his eyes much more. He even turns his head to follow your face! So we are hopeful that his vision will continue to develop as well as it is now.

Thanks for your calls and thoughts! They mean a lot. Take care and we’ll keep you up to date on how Jack is doing. We hope you’re enjoying the warm weather!

Well, hello world! Around here we’re not even sure what day it is anymore : )

Jack is doing well, although his Reflux is still bothering him. We’ve learned to just hold him upright against our chest almost all of the time. When his reflux isn’t acting up, he loves to be in his bassinet. We’ve have it all cozy for him with the great baby blankets we received at the shower. Unfortunately, he doesn’t stay comfortable very long. He sees his pediatrician this week and we’ll be asking her for some advice on how to help Jack’s Reflux.

Jack has such a busy schedule! The little man needs a personal assistant just to handle all of his engagements…(okay, really they’re just doctor’s appointments). It’s a bit daunting getting Jack where he has to go. We’re getting better at carrying Jack and all of his equipment – it really helps that he loves to be in his car seat! His eyes get wide and he clasps his little hands almost like saying, “Hey, I’m ready when you are!”

Well, it’s time to make more bottles! We’ll keep you updated! Have a nice weekend.

Jack is three months old tomorrow! Happy Birthday Jack!

We are starting to adjust to no sleep. Jack is having problems with Reflux. It’s like heartburn. He is very uncomfortable for him and will only settle once he is being held upright. We saw his pediatrician this week and she increased his dosage of Zantac. She said he’s probably just outgrown the old dosage. He seems a little better in the last day or so, but we can still see that it hurts him at times.

He’s getting better and better at taking his food by bottle. He’s taking over half now, which is much better! We think he’ll get rid of that feeding tube pretty darn soon! The feeding team at Hershey Med said that each week he should be taking about 10 percent more by the bottle. We’ve been charting his feedings and it looks like he is right where they would like him to be.

We love having him home! Our little Jack, home at last! And, no more trips to the hospital. However, we do miss the staff – we were told if we ever had any questions about Jack we could call them. This is great because there “open” 24 hours a day. So far we’ve only called them twice. It’s still nice to know that there’s always help or advice available.

We can’t believe it’s been a week already. All the days are sort of running together, but that’s what we (happily) expected : )