Hello everyone!

Jack saw his eye doctor yesterday for yet another exam. He said his ROP is looking better and his Optic Nerve Atrophy has not changed. He would like to see us back in three weeks to be sure his ROP is still resolving. While we were at the appointment yesterday we saw so many NICU babies! You can always tell a NICU baby by the tiny grunts, monitor and/or oxygen wires coming from their little carriers. It was like a reunion. Although we only knew one of the babies personally it was the first time we were around so many NICU graduates.

Jack had two firsts this week! He went on his first social visit to his Great-Umpa’s house to wish him a happy birthday last weekend. We sat outside in a screened in patio and Jack did great! He was looking around and seemed to love the fresh air. Then earlier this week Grandma Josie and Mommy took Jack to K-Mart to buy some summer clothing for Jack for next year. It was nice because the store was virtually empty so we were able to take our time and walk Jack around a little bit. These were Jack’s first outings other than to the doctor. We still must avoid crowds but while the weather is still nice hopefully we will have a few more of these social outings.

From this coming October through April we will have to be meticulous about avoiding certain things because in Pennsylvania it is RSV season. To read more about RSV click HERE. Jack will get a series of 7 monthly shots to help protect him from RSV. It is very serious and could possibly put Jack back in the hospital and/or leave him with life long breathing complications which is something we desperately want to avoid. We won’t be having too many visitors or going out much which may make for a long winter but it is in Jack’s best interest!

Jack’s physical therapist from Early Intervention has visited us twice now. She’s a nice lady and is very informative. She’s given us a few things to work on. She made this little seat for Jack to sit on out of a few blankets and masking tape. He sits on it and is able to bring his hands together to grasp toys much easier than if he was lying flat on his back. She’s been teaching us infant massage as well – Jack really likes this! She also showed us a way to hold Jack so that he can practice his head control. All of these things will help Jack reach his developmental milestones.

We haven’t been back to the pediatrician since the last journal update…so we don’t have a current weight for Jack, but with his gaining history he should be well over 10 lbs by now! We see his pediatrician at the end of August.

Jack is doing well…he’s awake much more during the day now, which is so neat! As some of you know, we have been waiting since April to have carpet installed in our living room…it kept getting back ordered! It’s finally here and installed! It’s wonderful – we love it very much. Jack likes to lie on his blanket and kick his legs and smile. It seems like he’s having a ball.

He’s almost cooing now. He tries hard to make little sounds with his voice. Any day now he’ll be “talking” up a storm! He finds things amusing too…he smiles and waves his arms when we show him Elmo, or another brightly colored toy. He also will get really still and listen for your voice when you start talking. He’s a social little guy – he loves to be talked to.

He is also appointment free for a while! Whew!…we are so glad. We do see his eye doctor again in a week, and hopefully it will go better than last time! We waited over 2 hours in the waiting room and felt so bad for Jack because he was getting soooo hungry! Guess eye doctors get swamped too.

Jack is glad this busy week is almost over – and we are too! His meeting with the feeding team went well. They think Jack’s suck/swallow/breathe reflex is right on track. They advised us to continue with the same feeding plan we’ve been using, slightly increasing his amount each week.

Jack’s pediatrician was very impressed with Jack’s growth and development. He’s up to 9lbs, 12 oz! He’s gained OVER an ounce a day since his last visit. She said she doesn’t want to make any predictions about Jack’s future, but at this point she couldn’t be any more pleased! And that is a totally acceptable answer. He had to get three vaccination shots…he did NOT like those! But they gave him some pretty cool Band-Aids and he was happy with that!

We see the eye doctor today, and then we are finished with appointments for a while! It will be nice to have a break from all those doctors. Though we did ask his pediatrician if we can come back in a month (rather than two months) for a weight/growth check and she happily agreed.

Stay tuned for some new pictures! If Jack takes his morning nap, they might have a chance to be added today!

Jack has a busy week – he meets with the feeding team at Hershey today to evaluate his suck/swallow/breathe functions. We’re sure he’s doing just fine, but they always follow up with the babies who go home with feeding tubes. Jack is eating very well and we’re wondering when he should start to eat cereal. We’ll probably discuss this today. Jack also sees his eye doctor and pediatrician this week too.

Both of Jack’s NICU buddies are doing well and are at home with their mommies and daddies. Thanks to everyone who kept them in their thoughts and prayers during their readmission to the hospital. We can’t wait until they are old enough to play together!

Jack is getting used to not being on his monitor (and so are we!!) and he doesn’t seem to like it when we put it back on him when it’s time for bed. Soon enough we won’t need it at all – but for right now it does give us peace of mind and I am sure we won’t want to give it back! We joke and say we’ll probably chase after him with it when he’s a teenager and going to get his driver’s license! Just kidding!

Well, guess what! Jack is off of his oxygen!!! We met with his neonatologist this morning and he said Jack was probably ready weeks ago! Jack also only has to be on his apnea monitor when he’s in his bed sleeping. If we are holding him, feeding him or interacting with him at all we don’t have to monitor him anymore. The freedom is amazing! Since Jack was born we’ve never been able to just hold Jack and walk with him without minding some type of wire or tube…it’s so great!

Jack is doing very well without his oxygen. His color stayed nice and pink all day today. We are very pleased! His neonatologist says Jack looks really well – developmentally. He noted a lot of the same things that the crew from Early Intervention noticed. He even confirmed he is certain Jack has vision. Even though we really knew this, it was great to hear. After his rough start and hearing such difficult news time and time again, it’s great when we get such good reports. Jack still has a lot to overcome and will always have his shunt to be concerned with – but he’s off to a GREAT start!!

Jack’s meeting with Early Intervention went very well yesterday! They played with Jack on the floor and asked a lot of questions to see where he stands developmentally. They consider preemies’ development from their adjusted age. Even though Jack is four months old actual age, he’s three weeks old adjusted age. They scored him at two months old developmentally! He’s advanced for his adjusted age! They were very pleased with his movement and muscle tone and were happy to see he’s raising his head and interacting socially. They will come once a week to work on new milestones like grasping and mouthing toys, different positions, eventually sitting, etc. They are also going to teach us infant massage to help keep his muscle tone where it should be and help with constipation.

All in all Jack is excelling in growth and development – this is so great to hear from doctors and therapists because as parents we tend to be a bit biased in our opinions!

We hope everyone had a nice 4th of July! We spent the day indoors with Jack just relaxing and watching tv. It was nice to get some quality family time!

Jack saw his pediatrician last week. He’s up to 8lbs, 13oz! She was extremely pleased with how well he’s doing. He gained just under an ounce a day…she’d like to see him back up to just over an ounce a day so we increased his feeds again. He takes almost 4 oz now, every three to four hours.

Last week Grandma Josie and mommy took Jack for his first walk outside. The weather was beautiful and Jack really seemed to love the outdoors. We plan on making it a part of our routine now.

Jack is becoming more social and loves to look at faces! He makes eye contact and searches for your face until his eyes lock on yours. He is “talking” now by making a variety of different sounds! He gets mad when you take his bottle away to burp him and lets us know he wants it back.

Jack is sleeping more and more in his bassinet. He sleeps after his feeds all morning and even at night last night. He’s becoming much more independent – he even loves to spend time in his swing now!

This week Early Intervention is coming to evaluate Jack. We’ll let you know what they have to say. Also, Jack sees his neonatologist at Hershey this week. We’ll be discussing his oxygen and if it’s time to wean him off.

Have a nice Sunday!