DUNCAN TRUE

Let Him Eat Cake!

2010-04-17T08:55:00.002-07:00

The cake should probably be submitted to cakewrecks.blogspot.com but what else can you do? (Not leave Jane alone with it long enough for her to deform the whole face). I should at least get an award for finding cute cake ideas! Christian was a little hesitant about letting Duncan eat things he probably shouldn't but I say he should get to be a normal 1 year old just for his birthday. He LOVED eating his cake, it tasted better than it looked!

1 Year Photos!

2010-04-15T14:25:00.002-07:00

A little photo shoot for Duncan's birthday!

For our Heroes!

2010-04-15T10:27:00.001-07:00

What a Difference!

2010-04-15T08:48:00.002-07:00

Birthday!

2010-04-15T07:15:00.002-07:00

More pictures to come! Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Hungry?

2010-04-13T13:15:00.002-07:00

I never thought I'd see this day!

Easter Beauty

2010-04-06T16:07:00.002-07:00

This is the best baby in the world. He had the nurse practitioner visit on Monday and he is doing great in fine motor and not-so-much with the gross motor. Of course as soon as she leaves the house he crawls in the kitchen and stands up at the dishwasher. He seems to be changing so fast I can't keep up. He is crawling, babbling about dada, standing up in his crib today and eating like a much bigger baby. Soon he will pack on some pounds I guess! Almost been a year, hard to believe!

Went Private

2010-03-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Went private on our family blog, left this one public just in case someone's water broke at 19 weeks and was searching for some hope like I did a year ago. If you didn't get an invite and you wanted one email me:)

Cracker lover

2010-03-28T14:17:00.002-07:00

Duncan has a big appetite. He eats 4-5 plastic tupperwares of baby food every day and lots of baby crackers as well. Today I gave him a particularly messy one!

Famliy Blog

2010-03-21T15:51:00.001-07:00

I finally created a new blog for our family so we can leave Duncan's blog for Duncan's growth and health updates. thewhitneyway.blogspot.com I will make it private in about a week so if any of you want to be invited to view let me know:) Took Duncan for his RSV shot this week and he weighed 13 lb 14 oz!

Friday

2010-03-05T20:46:00.002-07:00

A busy week ending with a busy day. I got pictures at football practice and at the Ward Potato Derby. We didn't have a winning potato but we'll rest assured that making a speedy potato isn't a necessary life skill:)

Pioneer Songs

2010-03-05T09:21:00.003-07:00

I hate to add pictures because that last one came out so great. But this is the actual performance. It was a cute one. Lincoln even did a dance number! Yeee Haw! While looking back through the pictures I realized Lincoln's vest is askew in the final picture, we'll just blame it on the moonshine:)

Pioneer

2010-03-04T08:41:00.001-07:00

Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked to school. Pictures of the second grade performance later!

Drumroll

2010-03-03T08:53:00.003-07:00

If ever you needed evidence that winning the pinewood derby is a fluke. Lincoln lost two races and won 20! Third place overall, not bad! Really must be luck because I have little or no skills at making cars. Winning third was fun but the best part of the pinewood derby is the many hours his Leader Traci put into making it a great experience for the boys. Notice the cool lanyard idea she had (they called them "pit passes") and the candy necklace. I just love this boy!

Family Home Evening

2010-03-02T09:34:00.002-07:00

What's a Family Home Evening without a good game of red light/green light? It works much better at the park. A little Krispy Kreme really helps enhance the joy of FHE. We had a great picinic/FHE/basketball game at the park. We learned a few things during basketball: Lincoln has a few skills, Jane needs a little work. Whenever Jane got the ball she would run to the other side of the court and scream "IT'S MINE NOW!"

Kindergarten Music Program

2010-02-17T20:13:00.002-07:00

Ruth was sure awesome at her Kindergarten program this morning singing "Whose fine face is on the Penny . . ." It's Abraham Lincoln, my favorite president if you didn't know:) I love those little moments when you can watch your child be a part of something special. Ruth is such a wonderful little girl!

Duncan True-ly loves his Dad

2010-02-15T21:03:00.001-07:00

It's time for a new blog because Duncan isn't showing up on his own blog as often as he should, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to make a new one soon, or not. But for now some pictures of Duncan True on his own blog!

Train Park

2010-02-15T20:43:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the train park this evening! A little hike + a little train park= a President's Day to remember!

President's Day hike

2010-02-15T14:57:00.002-07:00

Perfect weather, great company:)

More V-day

2010-02-14T20:55:00.002-07:00

Share the Love

2010-02-14T20:38:00.002-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the Whitney Family Valentine celebration! It doesn't always go as planned, like breaking the heart shaped meatloaf in three while transporting it to a pan and burning the begeebies out of the steamed carrots. But when it is all over and your son says, "that was the best party ever" you know you did fine:)

Cloudy Day

2010-02-08T09:04:00.001-07:00

Thought I would try out the perfect light of a cloudy day and get a few shots of Lincoln and Ruth playing in the neighborhood!

Daddy Daughter

2010-02-08T08:50:00.003-07:00

How awesome is Ruth's School? Well the other night they had a Daddy/Daughter Dance! What more could Ruth want, date with Daddy . . . check; dancing nonstop . . . check! The girl has moves. Christian came home exhausted. Before they left she asked Christian "can we dance however we want?" And apparently someone has been teaching Ruthie the Robot. Oh to be there and watch Christian try to keep up with the dancing would have been fun, but Mommy's have to stay home so daddy's can have fun with their daughters!

Cake Spectacular

2010-02-02T20:40:00.002-07:00

After putting lots of time and effort into a super cool cake for Pack Meeting tonight Lincoln and Jaxson were rewarded with first prize. Mommy on the other hand gets the satisfaction of knowing they couldn't have done it without her! Woo hoo!

Valentines Tradition

2010-02-01T19:49:00.003-07:00

We love our Valentine FHE where we make bags to attach to our doors for the collection of treats. Got a few pictures of the festivities:)

Concentrate

2010-01-31T19:04:00.002-07:00

I think I should concentrate more when feeding this baby otherwise I have to ask the question did anything actually get into his mouth?

Park

2010-01-30T22:28:00.002-07:00

More:)

Sick house

2010-01-30T22:10:00.002-07:00

We've all had the stomach flu, including my poor Mom (SOO SORRY MOM), then RSV reared it's ugly head and Duncan is on breathing treatments but no hospital! Let's hope he can regain the half a pound he lost these last two weeks. We busted out the cheerios don't know how many pounds those will pack on. We were finally feeling better so I tried out a little park photo shoot of all my happy campers! I'm learning to take better pictures(thanks to Amy Fraughton!)

New camera II

2010-01-11T13:35:00.002-07:00

More practice

Photo shoot

2010-01-11T13:10:00.002-07:00

Trying out my new camera on the Whitney beauties:)

Whitney School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

2009-12-30T19:32:00.002-07:00

We're proud to report that Duncan is displaying his wizarding skills early. We knew he was special, now we need him to try an enlargement charm on himself and quit hexing Lincoln! EXPELLERAMUS!

More pictures

2009-12-26T12:03:00.003-07:00

Here are more Christmas pictures to accompany the ones below.

Christmas

2009-12-26T11:30:00.003-07:00

We had a lovely Christmas, simple and low key, mostly because the many doctor's appts and having an 8 month old new born made it hard to accomplish much. There were also four courses of antibiotics and a week long stomach flu virus all in the last month. We wish we could have done more for our friends and families but we had to take a year off from Christmas cards and thoughtful presents to celebrate the life of our beautiful baby. Next year. We love you all please know we are thinking of you all!

Blood

2009-12-23T15:02:00.003-07:00

Blood tests showed Duncan is Anemic and we have already met with the hematologist about it and they think Iron will solve the problem. If not we really have a problem, so we are doing Iron twice a day and hope to see some weight gain and all systems a go! His developmental specialist said he is a poster child for his corrected age (5 months) and suggested he get a new toy, the BUMBO! It is so funny to see this little guy in this chair I just had to post a picture:)

First Bite

2009-12-06T11:54:00.001-07:00

Ruth was so kind to help me give Duncan his first try with baby food! Just a little bit of rice cereal went over well. I have some concerns about his growth as does the doctor and will be taking him for a blood test this week to see if he is having problems that are keeping him from growing, cross your fingers:)

Happy Happy Happy

2009-11-02T12:08:00.004-07:00

How awesome is this baby! Continuing to do great. He weighs about 11 lbs, he can laugh, roll over, grab and grin. We feel so blessed.

Reading time

2009-08-15T21:40:00.002-07:00

I told Lincoln that Duncan's Pediatrician said reading to Duncan is really important. Took this picture 10 minutes later.

Update

2009-08-14T20:16:00.002-07:00

It has been a long time since the last post because we have been getting ready for school and taking care of a baby with newborn sleep habits. We are pleased to report that Duncan is a sweet, happy baby. He is healthy so far and weighs 7 lb 9 oz. He sure has come a long way from 1 lb 10 oz at his lowest. He will have his bladder x-rayed on Monday and we will find out later in the week if he needs to continue to see the Urologist. We will bless him in church on Sunday, September 13th in our Ward Building at 10:30 a.m. We would love invite anyone who can come to celebrate his miraculous life! Thank you again for your love and prayers.

Growing

2009-07-24T22:41:00.002-07:00

I took Duncan to the Pediatrician's office for a weigh in today and he weighed 6lb 6oz! Wow, we are so pleased. He even looks a little rounder to me. It's funny to see him at the weights our other children were at when they were born, he's almost up to Lincoln's birth weight. He's like a regular little newborn, who just happens to have been born over three months ago. We're still adjusting to our new schedule so be patient if we aren't very social, we love you all and we hope to get into a better routine, especially a longer sleep routine:)

Jane celebrates Duncan's arrival

2009-07-22T22:59:00.004-07:00

Jane being 2 years old, we haven't given her a lot of opportunities to hold Duncan. This was one of the first times (photo taken today). As you can see, Jane was delighted. She was so happy, she put her underwear on her head. She may have also been celebrating the fact that she is currently over the hump in her potty-training adventures. Many thanks to Grandma for giving her a great start while we were coming from and going to the hospital. She hasn't forgotten anything since she potty-trained Amy about 15 years ago -- O.K., more like 29. Duncan is doing well. He acts healthy. However, he came home a week and a day ago and on Friday at the pediatrician's office weigh-in he had not gained or lost weight from his hospital discharge 2.5 days earlier. He needs to show some significant weight gain at this coming Friday's weigh-in. We're stuffing him. Since coming home, he has nursed a few times, but is still bottle-feeding.

Tuesday

2009-07-15T10:18:00.002-07:00

It finally happened! He is home with us and doing great! There were no bells and whistles, we just put him in his car seat and took him out of the NICU. On my way to the car people kept pointing at him and saying "look how tiny" and I wanted to say, if you only knew how precious this tiny baby is, and how big. He is 5 lb 10 oz (remember when he was 1 lb 10 oz?). He does have a small issue that may have caused his bladder infection that will have to be looked at by a Urologist (probably misspelled that) but it is not because of his prematurity. He will also see the cardiologist, the opthamologist and physical therapist. His first doctor's appointment is on Friday. Other than the doctor he will mostly stay home with us and not have many visitors to protect his weak immune system. We are relieved and feel very blessed by your love and prayers. We feel blessed by the service and love from his nurses especially Judi and Rachel, although so many were great and blessed his life. We will never forget our time in the NICU and hope to continue special friendships we made there, but we hope never to see the inside of it again. His story continues and I will continue to update his progress as he continues his journey through prematurity. We love you all, thank you for your love and service to our family!
P.S. I could have never done any of the things I was able to do this last little six months without the selfless service of my wonderful Mother. A mother like mine is a treasure without value. I love you Mom!

Thursday?

2009-07-12T20:40:00.004-07:00

Today my primary nurse told me that she asked the doctor when I could take my baby home and she said THIS WEEK! I can't even begin to describe the feelings I have as I approach this long awaited day. This is all hinging on having a perfect week with no Bradys and no setbacks. This week he will have a car seat test (to make sure he can still breath in the sitting up position of a carseat), a circumcision, a hearing screening test, a renal ultrasound (to check to see if he has kidney problems causing the bladder infection), I think that's it. More updates to follow:)
P.S. the I.V. went bad which is fine he just has to take his antibiotics by mouth, no more head gear, this picture shows the sore spot where the I.V. was taken off!
P.P.S. He weighs 5 lb 8 oz!!

What's this thing on my head?

2009-07-08T23:23:00.004-07:00

It's a good thing they did all the tests they did. Most of the test results -- the ones that came back first-- were normal. Then the urine test results came back. They showed he had a urinary tract infection. So, today one of the nurses put an I.V. in his head. Yes, his HEAD. They tried to get a vein in his hand, but it wasn't working, so they tried putting it in his head because there was a good vein there. He's less likely to pull it out of his head than his hand. It's fortunate they didn't put it in his hand because he is always putting his hands to his face and sucking his thumb. They'll give him antibiotics until the I.V. either gets pulled out or goes bad. He gets the antibiotics once per day. The doctor says the infection may have been causing his bradycardias. It's not common for a premature baby boy to have a urinary tract infection, so the'll have to do other tests, including of his kidneys.

Thanks!

2009-07-06T21:49:00.005-07:00

Thank you for your prayers. And a special thank you to all of you who fasted on Sunday for our little sweetie. He needs all the help he can get! The doctor ordered a group of labs that should be back in the morning. He had a rough night last night and a rough morning. Right after the labs were taken, he turned into a new person. He ate his bottle in 30 minutes with no problems. He stayed awake and looked around, wrinkled his forehead, slept and woke up again hungry and back to his old self. So let's hope yesterday was a fluke, since today was better than ever. We will get the lab results sometime tomorrow. Got these great pictures today thanks to a sweet nurse. He looked like he was clasping his hands together while he ate and the nurse said he was saying a prayer for his meal. He's wearing a onesie that says "Property of Mom . . . Forever". Just perfect as far as I'm concerned!

Say a little prayer!

2009-07-06T08:36:00.002-07:00

Duncan had a rough day yesterday with breathing fast and eating poorly. It continued overnight so they sent a lab of his blood and did and x-ray. This could be that horrible setback you fear from the day you come into the NICU, an infection. Say a little prayer for him!

Brothers

2009-07-04T23:24:00.003-07:00

Before swimming and fireworks, we all went to see Duncan. I left Christian and Lincoln to bottle-feed him because the girls were climbing in and out of closets and other disturbing activities. When I came back, Lincoln was holding him. He had waited so long to hold the baby by himself. I found out that Lincoln had helped feed him to. He's such a sweet older brother and really is tender with babies. He is such a special little boy. He loves children and is really good at taking care of them. He is going to be a big help when Duncan finally comes home.

New Look

2009-07-01T23:27:00.006-07:00

This beautiful baby has no more feeding tube and I think it is permanent. He will be off oxygen for good as long as he stays healthy. I am blessed to have my Mom here taking care of the kids so I can be there for more bottle feedings. He is beautiful without all of those things on his face but I'm not sure I've gotten just the right picture yet that shows how he really looks. I'll just have to take more:) He will be home around his due-date July 22. We will be relieved to have him in our home and permanently in our arms. Just try to make me put him down! He is staying at the hospital because although he can breath, he doesn't necessarily think he has to all of the time, like when he is eating or sleeping. Plus his body tells him not to when the food is on it's way back up. He should grow out of these issues. He was supposed to be in the womb for another three weeks, not 11 weeks old. He made it to 4 lb 12 oz. He has to have consistent weight gain to go home as well:)

NO MAS!

2009-06-26T23:14:00.003-07:00

He is tiny but he is mighty! Just a little wisdom I picked up watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua with my kids. He came off oxygen yesterday afternoon and was still off it when we left tonight! He has just held onto oxygen for so long. I am so happy to see more of his beautiful face. Hope he can keep up his awesomeness and not go back on oxygen. He is doing okay with his bottle feeds but still having a lot of trouble with what seems to be reflux. He doesn't spit up though, just had dips in his heart rate. We hope he will grow out of this. He weighs a whopping 4 lb 10 oz! He's like the Chihuahua of the baby world:)

Roller-Coaster

2009-06-23T23:08:00.005-07:00

We've had a few more rough days. However, one of my primary nurses thought of some things to try that seem so far to have been very helpful -- gaining weight and eating better with less bradycardia. He was taken off of the feeding tube on Sunday and had a terrible two days with lots of breathing and heart rate issues. He also came off caffeine which was supposed to help with that. He was taking all of his feeds (from a bottle) but only because he had to. He was groggy and exhausted and he didn't gain any weight. So this morning she put the feeding tube back in and he gained 35 grams tonight. He was also breathing better and they decided to take him off his oxygen for a try tonight. I didn't take a picture of him without the feeding tube up his nose and that is fine because it's back. I was going to wait and get a picture of the oxygen off but I decided to wait and make sure it is permanent. I'm relieved they are slowing feeding down a little because he wasn't enjoying eating. Who knew eating took so much energy. Maybe Christian should eat that huge bowl of ice cream he just scooped himself with more intensity and he can burn a few calories while he is shoveling it down:)

Hold on

2009-06-19T22:20:00.002-07:00

Well, it's been a long week and there will probably be quite a few more. They only took Duncan off oxygen supplement for a short time and it didn't work. He is still on oxygen and his need doesn't seem to be lessening. He is getting exhausted from his feeds and lost 10 grams last night and gained 10 tonight. He is in the less than 10th percentile (for weight) and I am realizing that he will have to grow and improve a lot before he can graduate. I am back to feeling completely useless at his bedside and feeling guilty I can't be there more. What a roller coaster. I miss my Primary nurses they haven't been able to be there in the CCN (most likely because they are awesome and are needed for sicker babies). It was great to have primary nurses when Duncan was sick but not that I've been there for 9 weeks I'm totally over new nurses that don't know anything about your baby. You start to feel lonely. P.S. I am probably just tired and tomorrow I will have a new outlook. Sure love that baby.

Get Ready!

2009-06-16T17:08:00.003-07:00

We've been going back and forth to and from the NICU for 9 weeks now and today we got one step closer to the end of that part of Duncan's life. They took him completely off oxygen and moved him to the CCN. The CCN is the continuing care nursery where babies get ready to go home. I'm not ready. Isn't that funny, after 9 weeks you would think I would be ready. It is scary because we've had the security of monitors and nurses and soon we will get to bring that fragile little baby home. He is 4 lb 2 oz and still a little unsure about his bottle feeding. He will still be at the hospital until he can get the bottle thing down (and hopefully the nursing thing as well). I don't know how long that will all take but he has been progressing faster than I expected after his first attempts with the bottle. There are always setbacks as well. Maybe I am just afraid that he really won't come home soon and that's what I'm not ready for. He sure is a precious beautiful baby. The pictures are a bath he had today and his move to his new home. It's been a long 9 weeks and the journey has still just begun!

Cutie Pie

2009-06-14T19:53:00.002-07:00

I just had to add these pictures from last week that I didn't get a chance to put on the blog.

Big changes

2009-06-14T17:18:00.002-07:00

I thought moving to the Intermediate care area would be exciting, but the big changes came later as Duncan has really progressed. He has been growing like a weed and had surpassed 4 lbs. That means he has doubled his birth weight! He had a second eye exam and the Opthamologist said his eyes are perfect and he will not need to be checked again in the hospital. He also has moved from a bed into what they call a crib (it looks more like a cart to me). This means he is old enough and big enough to maintain his temperature without working to hard. He has moved way down on his breathing settings and may be coming to the end of needing supplimental oxygen! The biggest and best change is that he can take a whole feed through his bottle! Once a day or more he can take a bottle. He started slow but has taken his whole feed two days in a row. He also nursed last night for 15 minutes like an old pro. Things have really just clicked with him and he had the added bonus of a nurse who really knows what he needs and how to care for him. He is on the road to coming home. I can almost taste it! I sure love that beautiful baby!

Leftovers

2009-06-09T21:55:00.002-07:00

Here is a picture of the baby after some attempts with the bottle. He gets so excited that I have to take it out to help him breathe. I couldn't take a picture of me holding the bottle and noone else was around so this is the best I can do. He can take about half his feed with the bottle until he gets too tired. He does it once a day. Once he gets stronger and more coordinated with the breathing he will do it more. He got moved to I pod today. It is the less intensive unit and means he needs less support. It wasn't a pleasant experience for me but Christian said it was fine. The baby next to him cried for the hour and a half I was there and Duncan was awake scared looking and breathing fast. At least he is still in the isolette. He will come out of there once he makes it to 1800 grams and seems to be maintaining his temperature. He is 1720 grams which is 3 lb 13 oz now and 16.25 inches long. He's precious.

Milk

2009-06-06T23:21:00.002-07:00

So I was driving home from the hospital today and I realized I am a total milk-aholic. I love milk. I had a little carton from the hospital on the way home and I tried to make it last because I loved it so much. I'm crazy (had two glasses of milk since I got home, no lie). The reason I mention it is because my special baby and I have the love of milk in common it seems because he had his first bottle today and he drank 18 ccs!! He got the rest through his feeding tube. He keeps this up and he might be getting a new home! He was so exhausted by the end of the 18 ccs that he was breathing less as he drank the bottle, but it was his first try so let's pray he gets more coordinated and can do the whole bottle and breath as well! He weighs 3 lb 11 oz and gained 10 grams today. What fun being a Mom! Is there a better job?

Care Conference

2009-06-05T23:14:00.003-07:00

Amy here. I helped give Duncan a sponge bath today and took this picture of the nurse helping me dry his hair and afterwards with that cute concerned look. Also we had a Care Conference today (meeting with doctor, nurse practitioner, social worker, nurse). Top three things I learned at the care conference: Duncan should never smoke; Amy should get more sleep; Amy should eat more ice cream. (I promise the doctor said those things!) Christian will report on the other important things we learned. --Thank you, Amy, for that kind introduction. The doctor reported that the clot in his brain has gotten smaller. We keep praying it will continue to do so without blocking off the opening to his spinal cord, which is very unlikely. His lungs are developing slower than they'd like. He could have chronic lung disease-- they'll evaluate that later. The good news is that if he has it, they say it's not necessarily permanent, because the lungs replace the sacs (alvioli?) every couple years. Hence, the instruction to avoid smoking. You can be sure that I will be very careful not to give him any cigarettes. He'll have to make due with an occasional pinch of chewing tobacco for the time being. Also, news on his heart: the doc says he will not need surgery on the PDA (patent ductus arteriosis)! The hole in his heart had gotten smaller (I don't think they've done an echo cardiogram in a while.) the last time they looked. He still has a murmur and they may do another echo before he leaves the hospital if they think it's needed. They say he'll need to stay away from people for a long time. No animals, no dust, no malls, no bug spray, no grocery stores. I fear he'll start dressing in a brown robe, go bald, begin to chant harmoniosly, and start making wine. Amy might join him. I got to hold him on my chest tonight (kangaroo). He did pretty well, but my belly is big and my breast bone is bony, so I don't think it's very comfortable for him.

Nice hair

2009-06-01T22:38:00.003-07:00

This morning the doctor said that Duncan no longer has to go back to CPAP unless he needs it. Now he's on nasal canula full-time and has been on room air (21%) the whole time. He had his hair washed today, so it's sticking up kind of fuzzy. He's so cute.

The 6 of us: First Family Picture

2009-05-31T22:17:00.003-07:00

Last week, brother Mills in our ward asked me to take a family picture for the ward photo directory, so we thought this afternoon would be a good time to try. Amy held him, and when you do that, you can't move around much or get up. The rest of us had to wait in the family room until Jane woke up from her nap. Maybe she was still waking up, because Jane didn't want to cooperate with the picture taking, but I think it was more the case that she was scared of Duncan -- he's so intimidating. The wires are what's a bit scary to her, I bet. Ruth gave him lots of kisses. His respiratory schedule is 8 hours on the nasal cannula (good) followed by 4 hours on the CPAP (not as good). The nurses hope that tomorrow he can give up the CPAP for good. It seems like he does better on the cannula than on the CPAP. He might be ready for his first bottle feeding this week; he's using a feeding tube now. No other news on his brain, or heart. He has continued to eat well and he's still at 3 lbs, 5 oz.

First look

2009-05-29T21:06:00.002-07:00

Well, it's official, Duncan doesn't have ROP. ROP stands for retinopathy of prematurity. In short it means eye problems because of being born premature. He is still at risk for developing ROP so he will be rechecked in two weeks, but the doctor said his eyes are mature for his age! We dodged another possible complication. Good job Duncan, keep fighting!

New look

2009-05-29T15:49:00.002-07:00

Got to help give Duncan a bath last night. Sounds like it would be wonderful, but I have dirty bathtub water phobia which is worse when someone actually let's loose in the water. I wanted to give him another bath or a shower (much more sanitary right?). Oh boy. He sure was cute when I gave him a little head massage. I've noticed he likes to cross his feet when he is relaxed so I took a picture. Last night he weighed 3 lbs 5 oz!! Wow what a strong baby. He started on nasal cannula today and we will see how long it lasts. It sure is cute to see his little face. The nurse put his feeding tube down his nose too which is different. If he can stay on the nasal cannula the next step is feeding from a bottle and then nursing. Come on Duncan you can do it!!

Aim the other way, boy.

2009-05-27T23:21:00.002-07:00

This morning Amy was at the hospital to witness "grand rounds". Duncan was placed on a throne and fed peeled grapes by all his caregivers in succession -- O.K. I guess that's just what I imagined "grand rounds" would be. Amy says it involved all the doctors and therapists and specialists who are involved in Duncan's care. They all gave reports to each other. Until now, we had only witnessed regular rounds, involving the doctor and the nurse practitioner. When he was born his weight (2 lbs) was at the 50th percentile for 26 week babies. Now he's at the 30th percentile. Today, during the "grand rounds", the nutritionist (between grapes) said his weight was "not very good". We think her under-informed. First of all, after he was born he got pretty sick: His bowels were not working (gray); he wasn't breathing on his own at all; and had all sorts of other problems, many of which we've blogged about. He got down to 1 pound 10 ounces at his lowest point (about 3 weeks ago?). But since then he has been consistently gaining weight. Yesterday he was 3 lbs, 1 oz. and tonight he weighed in at 3 lbs, 3 oz. This was immediately after he filled his drawers twice while I changed him. I was standing to his right trying to maneuver everything, when I looked away for a second (maybe to throw out a wipe?) and suddenly there was a stream of yellow flying through the air at me. Aim the other way, boy.
He's having his first eye exam on Friday. More on that to come.

Every breath

2009-05-24T22:36:00.004-07:00

Our beautiful baby is a gift from God. When he was born, everthing seemed so uncertain. There was so much happening, so much to be concerned about. His every breath is still a gift. Mortal life is fragile; sometimes it feels permanent, but not for long. Eventually, we're brought to realize our own weakness. We're not ultimately in control of life. When Duncan was 4 days old (the Sunday after his birth), I drove with our Bishop down to the hospital to give him a priesthood blessing. Amy and her brother Andy and sister-in-law Angela were there. My mom and dad arrived. I can't express how grateful I am to have a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to hold His priesthood. At that time, the knowledge that our family can be together eternally gave us hope and comfort where we might have known only angst and fear. The conviction that we lived together with Duncan before this life and that we may forever made our love for him grow. There had been crying, but there was calmness and surety. I asked our Bishop to annoint Duncan. I had worried about how to bless him, what to say, but I realized that it did not depend on me. Our baby was perfect. He must have the faith of an angel. Whatever blessings our Heavenly Father wanted him to have he would have. We blessed him and there was a sweetness. I don't recall all of the blessing, but I do recall that he was blessed to recover, that he was blessed to be an example of faith and courage to his siblings. When I spoke to him, I could sense that he understood. Well, he's doing well now and he has done remarkably well. We don't know what the future holds, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that God has been the author of his progression. Everything we have that is good He has made possible. My prayer is that we'll remember that our lives are not the result of luck or of our own work.

Face time

2009-05-24T22:06:00.004-07:00

Duncan doesn't enjoy the CPAP machine on his head. When he gets to have it off for a few minutes you can tell he really likes it. It's got to be a relief. Until tonight, I hadn't tried to figure out how to use the video function on our little camera (video is not its main function). Just as Duncan and we were enjoying some CPAP-free face time together, it occurred to me that we don't have any video, so I thought I'd get some. Here is when the nurse was reattaching the CPAP. You can tell how much he wanted it back on.

Drowsy

2009-05-24T15:48:00.004-07:00

You can imagine how exhausting it is having to go back and forth to the hospital all of the time. It is nice when you can just hold the baby and close your eyes. The other night Christian was coming home from a late night hospital visit and called me to let me know he was on his way. About 45 minutes later, he still wasn't home. I wasn't worried because I thought he must have gone by his office on the way home. I was getting ready for bed and I happened to open the door to the garage to throw something away. I looked out into the garage and saw the garage door was open, Christian's car was in there and the light that comes on when you open the garage had already turned off. At first I thought, well I guess he went to talk to a neighbor that was outside at 11:30 at night. It only took me a minute to realize how unlikely that was. Suddenly I realized Christian must have had a heart attack and was laying on the floor of the garage. I was shaking as I walked out into the garage to practice my CPR skills. To my great horror, Christian was still in the car with his eyes closed. I was so scared that when I knocked on the window it was hardly audible. He didn't respond. I was in full panic mode when I knocked again louder. Christian's eyes popped open. I said WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! He said, I fell asleep. So all of my fears turned to complete hysterical laughter. Baby is doing great today. He enjoyed having his Daddy hold him yesterday and finally got a visit from his brother and sisters. Jane had a similar dislike for his CPAP as I do and shook with terror when I held her up to see him. I'll take her again once the CPAP is gone!

3 Pounds! And trying to breathe on his own.

2009-05-22T23:48:00.002-07:00

Amy's back from the hospital. There have been a lot of developments today. This morning they took him of the CPAP: the breathing headgear with the prongs or cup that force air into his nose. They replaced it with the less intrusive, less intensive nasal cannula (pictured). He tried it for about 2 hours and then they realized he wasn't ready; he experienced bradycardia (slowed breathing and heart-rate) about every half hour. So, they put him back on the CPAP. They're going to try the cannula again in little sprints (hours at a time, gradually increasing the time). It is encouraging that he did as well as he did. Tonight he weighed in at a very impressive 3 pounds.

Beautiful Baby

2009-05-21T20:00:00.005-07:00

Have you ever changed a newborn only to discover that they immediately filled their diaper again. Apparently that happens with preemies as well. Happened with this particular preemie three times in one changing. He is doing great. Obviously his bowels work. He will come off CPAP tomorrow and see if he can do without it. This picture is a little preview of what it will be like to see more of that beautiful face! The nurse says without setbacks he might be going home sooner than we expected. Let's pray he continues to move forward! Isn't he just the most beautiful little miracle?

First Outfit

2009-05-20T23:04:00.004-07:00

They decided it was time to remove his pic line today. He is doing well with his feeds and up to 20 ccs so they stopped his pic IV and now he has no medications that can't be taken through the mouth. He takes a dose of caffeine every morning (do you think I should have told them we don't drink coffee?). The caffeine helps him remember to keep breathing, which isn't a natural thing for a micro-preemie to do. If it helps him breath better they may try the nasal cannula but they are continuing with a conservative approach so I don't expect it tomorrow. I am excited at least to have that site for infection gone and his arm free from tape an wires. I got to put his shirt on and I thought it looked more like a dress. I think preemie clothes are meant for 5 pounders not 2 lb 15 ouncers. One more ounce and he is 3 lbs! He's so happy about he gave me a smile while I held him (the middle picture) I think that is a smile? It's not gas, who smiles when they have gas? Now I better get some sleep.

I'm over it

2009-05-19T13:32:00.003-07:00

I'm totally over this breathing equipment. I feel like grabbing the doctor and saying TAKE THAT THING OFF HIS FACE!! Would that be appropriate? It will all go by so quickly when it is over and I look back I'm sure, but for now not-so-much. Should I threaten to stick my fingers up the nurse's nose so she can see how it feels? He's probably just not ready like the nurse thinks so I should be grateful she is acting in his best interest. I repent. The picture is of Duncan being weighed last night. He weighed 2 lb 13 oz.

Connected

2009-05-18T14:15:00.002-07:00

This baby sure has a lot of baggage. I was watching the nurse pull him out of bed yesterday and I thought I want a picture of all those cords. Duncan is doing great. He might get to try nasal canula tomorrow, if so I will take a picture. He is doing great with his food and is up to 17 ccs I think. At this rate he should be having milk exclusively (meaning no more IV fluids) by Thursday. After seeing another baby close by with infected small intestines I pray we will continue to have a good experience with food. I think he is getting a little rounder. It will be easier to tell when he is off the CPAP. We keep praying for no set-backs. He is a strong little baby!

Soft baby

2009-05-17T22:50:00.004-07:00

Duncan has been doing so well. It's really encouraging. It goes without saying that we're not out of the woods yet, so I keep wondering if I should be worrying more; but then I realize that worrying never helps. Over the last week or so he has been steadily gaining weight and tolerating more milk. I think they're increasing his feeds by 1cc or something every twelve hours -- if I remember right, they're feeding him every 3 hours. I just got back from the hospital. Right when I got there the nurse let me hold him. I didn't hold him skin-to-skin, but just in my arms; last night was the first time I held him that way. I was worried that I would freak out about him being hurt in transport from the incubator (I didn't). Then when I saw the nurse getting ready to move him to my arms, I worried again that the nurses sometimes seem to pick him up (with all the wires attached) somewhat carelessly (O.K., not carelessly, but if I were doing it, I would be freaking out, so it's probably good that I don't do it.) and that the they'll trip on the wires or a wire will get caught and yank him out of their arms. All right, this is enough. I need to stop with all the panic. Holding him last night was so sweet-- I took the liberty to lift him up a bit and bend down a bit and gently kiss his head. His hair and skin are softer than anything else on this planet, but to hold and kiss him -- sublime. I hefted him in my arms several times, marveling at how light he is (2 pounds 12 ounces now). He's so much stronger now though. While laying on his back it's like he can raise his whole body on his head and feet. My mom went to see him today while he was having some "tummy time" and she said he raised his head up a few times. The nurses all remark how he gives them a hard time, which is a good sign-- he's not lethargic. Praying for good things.

Ultrasound

2009-05-15T13:54:00.002-07:00

I guess his brain ultrasound went fine. One of the bleeds is gone and the other is "resolving". Christian made the mistake of talking to the Doctor who told him more details than he wanted to know about possible (although rare) complications of a brain bleed, I will not share those with you. I went to my nurse today (I finally chose a primary nurse who works with Duncan everytime she works) and she said not to panic that the bleed will not get worse unless he gets very ill. The doctors are talking about big changes in the next few days. He is up to 10 cc of milk every 3 hours. They will continue to increase those (1 cc every 12 hours) until he is at "full feeds" which will be around 16 or so ccs and then we will see the removal of the pic line!! It is like a really long IV that starts at your arm and goes almost all of the way to your heart. It is a site for possible infection so I say let's get rid of it! He is also going to try out nasal canula in the next few days which is even less help with breathing and less tubes all over his face. Once those two things are gone all that will be left is the monitors checking his heart rate etc. In fact he might even get to wear clothes at that point! I will take picture of these new developments. We would like all of those transitions to go smooth and no serious bumps in the road. We appreciate your continued prayers!

Growing

2009-05-14T13:34:00.002-07:00

Duncan is doing well and progressing slowly. Slow is fine as long as he is moving forward. I got to hold him last night and he threw a temper tantrum about it. He screamed and kicked and then fell to sleep, feisty little fellow. He had a brain ultrasound sometime today and I am anxious to get over there and see if there was any news. I asked the doctor, what do we hope to see in this ultrasound. She said we would want to see his brain not worse and then they would not worry about brain bleeds anymore. I guess it takes a long time to resolve. Christian came at lunch yesterday and we happened to both be there at the same time so the nurse took a picture for us.

Blood

2009-05-11T13:59:00.004-07:00

I went to visit my little one and ran into the Doctor and Nurse practitioner in the hall and they told me that he was looking pale so they tested his blood and it showed low something I can't spell, so they were going to transfuse him. I was glad because the nurses had told me that he will feel and do so much better with his new blood. Then I realized that transfusion means a new IV. Poor baby. Right as I walked in the nurse was gearing up for the procedure of finding a vein. So I was glad at least that I could be there to help comfort him and talk to him while she put an IV in his wrist. I actually helped the nurse with the needle and tape so I was like an assistant nurse for like one minute:) Duncan did fine. He didn't even cry. I helped him keep the pacifier in his mouth and he sucked happily away through the whole thing. I hope to go back soon and see if he is feeling better and doing well with the transfusion. Just a little plug for donating blood. I wonder if any of us ever realized that donating blood could save the life of a 2 lb baby. I never thought about it until now. One donation gives Duncan four transfusions of the same blood. The doctor listed off for me the procedures they go through screening blood for premature babies and he said it is the cream of the crop blood. Probably a person who took care of their bodies and treated them like the temples they are. I hope some of us can take some time to donate some blood in honor of my little one. If I could talk to that person who took the time to donate to my beautiful child I would be speechless, overcome with gratitude and love. Thank you all for your support and especially your prayers. In quiet moments at his bedside I feel power surrounding him. I know that power comes from the faith and prayers of so many people we love.

Daddy's turn

2009-05-11T08:22:00.004-07:00

I was envigorated by seeing Duncan tonight. He seemed so healthy - so much healthier than before. He was stronger. When he moved his arms, I could tell they were stronger against my hand. He looked even more beautiful. My Mom and Dad called earlier in the day from the hospital. Mom reported they helped comfort him (and diaper him, if I remember correctly). Before I saw him tonight, he weighed 2 lbs, 4 oz. The nurse weighed him and the scale showed 1060. She couldn't believe he was so heavy, so she weighed him again and he was 1050, or 2 lbs 5 oz. I swear there are little miracles day by day. I'm just amazed that he stayed in the womb as long as he did with the water broken (19 weeks to 26 weeks) and that he got out just in time to beat the infection that had started in the placenta.

If we run out of diapers . . .

2009-05-08T20:32:00.003-07:00

It is hard to portray how small he is in pictures. Here is a shot of his diaper which is so large the front flap has to be folded down and the sticky tabs cross over one another. Duncan is doing great today. Tonight when I saw him his oxygen was at 23 percent. 21 percent is what they call "room air" which means exactly the amount you and I are breathing right now. He is looking pale still and they are considering a blood transfusion tomorrow. One nurse told me once he is transfused he will need even less oxygen. We will see how he does. He is still getting 1 cc of milk every 3 hours but that might change tomorrow if he is still doing well.

Free to breathe

2009-05-06T22:41:00.002-07:00

I held the little sweetie today and he just seemed so comfortable and so calm. Not like when they have to change his diaper and all of that. I took a picture when the nurse took off his CPAP mask so that she could give him a break and let him breathe on his own. He just does so well without it one day he won't have to wear it at all. She also weighed him tonight and he weighed 950 grams which is 2 lb 2 oz. He seems to be doing well. We can pray that he starts tolerating his feedings better and can start eating more and gaining even more weight!

Awesome

2009-05-05T23:30:00.001-07:00

I went to the hospital expecting to hear that Duncan had an infection only to hear the news that they are going to start feeding him again. Doesn't mean he'll tolerate it this time but they are going to start slowly again. He looked great today. I got to meet with the doctor for a few minutes; she gave me some interesting information. My placenta had been collected and sent to a lab to see what information they could get from it and the results were in today. The doctor said that my placenta had started an infection and that it had not yet spread to the side of the placenta where it would have infected the baby but it would have had he not been born when he was. It was kind of a relief realizing again God's hand in Duncan's being born when he was. He was sick when he was born-- add an infection onto that and he would have been, well, worse and possibly wouldn't have made it. Later the nurse fed him 1/5 of a teaspoon of my milk and put him on my chest to kangaroo and the words to a hymn came to my mind:

Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r thruout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!

The miracle of my son's life definitely makes me think God has made something amazing, with so much potential for a wonderful life. I see him alive, and progressing and miraculously avoiding surgery and infections and setbacks that the doctors are expecting and I have to agree, How great and awesome are the works of God. (Trying to figure out how to make it say "posted by Amy".)

2 Pounds!!

2009-05-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a little bit of a roller coaster. I have worried about his stomach getting an infection and they didn't mention it much today but said he looked pale. What exactly does that mean or indicate? No idea. I guess all of his labs looked good. When I visited this morning his monitors were beeping and I was stressed out. Went back this afternoon and all was quiet and he was peaceful. Tonight I went and the nurse said he looked great, despite the bright green fluid that was sitting in his stomach drainage tube. She weighed him before she gave him to me to hold and he was up to two pounds!! That was his birth weight so I am happy to here that news! Stressed out, happy, sleep deprived, sick of pumping what a week and it's only Monday. P.S. Christian went to see him today and he got to see him when he was awake and Christian says Duncan looked at him. Pretty awesome even if he can't see that well. He was awake when I got to hold him and he just stared in the direction of my face and gave a few of those content smile/possibly thinking about crying faces. I like to think they were the smiles of a healthy baby. (Posted by Amy)

No food for you

2009-05-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

I went to see the sweetie a couple of times today. He apparently is showing some signs of trouble digesting. He had a questionable diaper last night and his feeding tube is sending up things that aren't that pretty. He will have a rest from eating until things look better. We are supposed to pray his stomach is not infected. I took a picture of his tiny pacifier that is huge compared to his little face. Everything else is looking fine and he continues to show a feisty spirit! (Posted by Amy)

2009-05-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

Amy just got back from the hospital about 20 minutes ago and here are some pics. The nurse did something unprecedented. She took his breathing stuff off for a few minutes in order to weigh him without it on. It made for good pictures. Without the stuff on he breathed fine! When Amy got there tonight she spoke to him and he immediately moved his head in her direction! The nurse said "Oh, you recognize your mommy's voice!" The nurses work 12-hour shifts and each has another baby they're assigned to. However, we've only seen repeat nurses a couple of times. Tonight's nurse let his incubator be open more than normal, so Amy had a lot of contact with him. When we hold him we do it bare-chested, so the baby's naked skin is on ours. They call it "kangaroo care". They were going to start increasing the amount of Amy's milk they give him. They give him 1 cc every 4 hours. 1 cc is 1/5th of a teaspoon. They've not been able to increase the amount however, because he hasn't been digesting it well. They give it to him from a syringe that goes into his feeding tube. They just squeeze it right in. Then they keep the syringe closed, so the food can't come back. Later they open up the syringe so it can come back up if it needs to. Hours later they suck it out to see what he has digested. He hasn't digested much, so they haven't increased the amount. That he is having trouble digesting is not a surprise though. Amy says the nurses said tonight that a 28-week baby does not have a developed digestive system. He gained a little weigth (10 grams, I think), but not enough to push him above 1 pound, 14 ounces.

2009-05-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got to hold Duncan for the 2nd time ever. I held him for about an hour and a half. He did really well except that when I started to zone out his heart slowed down. An alarm (of which there seem to be dozens) went off to indicate it, but I didn't know what it meant. 2 nurses came over and told me to rub his back. I did, but not hard enough, so a nurse joined in. They told me it's fairly common for the heart to slow down like that. Amy says it's because a preemie's body gets comfortable and it forgets to breathe, have a heart beat, or what-not. It happened again about an hour later and I knew what to do. No nurses were needed. Amy says they won't let him go home from the hospital unless he's no longer having apnea (stopping breathing). I wonder how much apnea he would experience at this stage if he didn't have the breathing assistance. Amy tells me he was off the CPAP (breathing assistance) for 3 or 4 minutes today and did well on his own, without any assistance in that span.

2009-05-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from this morning when Amy went down to see him. A couple of days ago, the CPAP apparatus that was giving him oxygen was beginning to rough his nose up a bit. So, they put him on something else -- an oxygen thing that cups over his nose. Amy says she saw his upper lip for the first time today because of the change. He has been eating milk since Wednesday (2 days ago) and seems to be tolerating it well. Last night I (Christian) went and he hadn't gone to the bathroom in 48 hours, but today they told Amy he did last night. They will be slowly increasing how much he eats (through the tube). He eats milk mixed with a calorie supplement. He weighed in today at 1 pound 14 ounces, so he's been gaining about an ounce a day for the last 2 or 3 days. He's gaining a reputation in the NICU for being feisty. Last night he was kicking his legs quite a bit. The plan is still for him to be in the hospital until July.

Update

2009-04-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to meet with the doctor today. She said his heart still has a small hole but that they will not do surgery at this point because he still seems well. She also said that when he was born he was at the bottom statistically for 26 weekers. But now he is at the top healthwise. He is 800 grams (1 lb 12 oz) and the doctor said that you rarely see a 800 gram baby breathing mostly on its own! Yeah for Duncan. She said we should pray that he doesn't get an infection and that he continues to tolerate feeds. So far so good. If he continues to eat more they will take out his pic line (a small line that goes through his arm up to his heart to feed him fluids while he can't eat on his own). Once the pic line comes out he will be less likely to get an infection.

First meal

2009-04-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

As of today April 28th, the most exciting news is Duncan has had his first meal. It is composed of less than a teaspoon of milk every six hours. A quick word on pumping milk for your baby: the picture above shows the wonderful view I get to enjoy while retrieving milk for my baby. Notice the absence of said baby. So until yesterday when they fed him a tiny drip of my milk for the first time I was having to pump milk every three hours day and night. Just imagine if at all possible, all of the things you don't like about nursing: waking in the night, pain, frequency without any of the things you love; baby, seeing your baby be calm and satisfied, catching a brief smile as they doze off, holding your baby (bet you never thought that was a prize in and of itself), bonding. There are a lot more positive things about nursing than negative, but with a pump and no baby it is a sad affair. Luckily they started using my milk, my hard work has paid off! They also did an echo cardiogram today, tomorrow we should know more about the condition of his heart.

A birthday present

2009-04-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Two days before my birthday the nurses decided I could hold my baby. They said it was an early birthday present. It was scary and awesome. He was so light and so precious. He had so many wires coming from him it was hard to just enjoy the miracle of his life. But I did feel so blessed to hold my baby like a normal mother gets to. Can you tell he has a black eye? Another little gift Mommy gave him at birth.

A bumpy road

2009-04-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

The week of the 20th-26th was full of ups and downs. At the beginning of the week we were hearing talk of heart surgery. Duncan was born with PDA a heart condition that all infants are born with. It is a like a release valve in the heart allowing the heart to bypass the lungs in the womb since the lungs don't need to work because the umbilical cord is pulling the load. Soon after birth most babies' hearts heal up in three days. But Duncan has had issues with blood pressure, grey swollen tummy, blood sugar, blood gases, blood clotting just to name a few. I personally think with all of the trauma his heart just couldn't focus on repair. His next echo later in the week showed a small improvement (thanks to your thoughts and prayers I am sure). The surgery has been delayed but will still take place if the heart shows any more signs of distress. This week he was weaned from his pain medication, and his sleeping medication. He was also weaned from his humidifier and by the end of the week he was weaned from the Oscillator to a regular Oxygen machine (can't remember what it is called). He finally was able to move from oxygen from a tube shoved down his through through his vocal cords to his lungs (no crying) to CPAP, (a breathing treatment that attaches to his nose and the tube down his throat was removed) which is supposed to be better but it bulkier and annoying. He also got off of the biliruben lights (Jaundice) and is now wrapped up in a blanket with a cover over his incubator. This makes it hard to see him and impossible to get to touch him.

Why True?

2009-04-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Okay so a few words on our special baby's middle name. Christian and I both came up with the name independently of one another. We were both trying to think of a name with meaning. Such a special baby surely needs a special name. We were trying to come up with an ancestor for a middle name. On a side note, the name Duncan is not only my maiden name but also in honor of our ancestor Homer Duncan (clearly his first name would be repeated). This ancestor found the gospel of Jesus Christ at the time of Joseph Smith, he traveled across the plains as a pioneer and passed on the gospel to future generations. So back to True. When we thought about this name I couldn't help thinking of a Hymn, True to the Faith. The words flowed through my mind "shall we shrink or shun the fight? NO!" I thought this was appropriate for our little one having to struggle just to stay alive. Next I thought of the chorus "To God's command, soul heart and hand, faithful and TRUE we will ever stand." It is through the faith and prayers of our family and our friends that this little miracle baby has made it into this life and has continued to get healthier. We always want our special child to remain True to the faith that made his life possible.

Brothers and Sisters meet

2009-04-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, April 19th the beautiful Whitney children; Lincoln, Ruth and Jane came to the hospital to see their baby for the first time. Lincoln was quiet but agreed that Duncan looked a lot like his brother:) He asked a few questions about what the machines do, he didn't cry so that helped me to stay composed. Ruth's first comment was "what a cutie" she repeated this over and over and never seemed to notice all of the wires and machines around. Jane didn't seem to really understand but she did say "baby" and pointed at Duncan. She is going to love him when he comes home:)

The first few days

2009-04-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

Amy mostly cried the first few days. Hopefully you can forgive her if you tried to call and talk-- she was dealing with a lot of scary things. One of the scariest: hormones. Duncan was put on an Oscillator in the first few hours. It is a machine that blows hundreds of breaths per minute into his lungs. This keeps the lungs open full-time and gives a good deal of oxygen. The first day he was up to 60 percent oxygen that he needed. (Christian remembers 100%). By the end of the second day he was down to 30. A goal would be 21 percent, like room air, what you and I are breathing right now. Other problems that showed up in the first few days included a grey abdomen which could have indicated necrotic bowel, meaning dead bowel. This would require the dead tissue be removed from his abdomen. Not good. He was also trying to learn to breath with lungs which didn't develop well enough in the low amniotic fluid ("hypoplasia") and were "stiff". He was what the fancy doctors like to call "sick". He was on drugs to help with pain, drugs to make him sleep, drugs for blood pressure, IV fluids to "feed" him and fat, called Lipids, to help fatten him. He could not eat because of the problems with blood pressure and dead bowels. He was also Jaundiced and had to be under photo therapy. It makes for better picture-taking (without the photo therapy, his incubator would have been covered by a blanket) and he got to wear cool shades (to protect his light-sensitive eyes), so jaundice was the least of our worries.

First visit from Mommy

2009-04-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Christian followed the neonatologists up to the NICU where Duncan would find his home and later when the epidural wore off Amy got to go and visit as well. Does it look like that baby is in a bag? He is, it is a bag to help him to keep his moisture since his skin can't do that alone.

Tax Day

2009-04-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

On Tax day of all days. On the 14th of April I bled all day, why bleeding you ask? Yeah, we don't know. One theory, my placenta was tearing away from the wall of my uterus. Things weren't looking good. Apparently you need blood to live and to avoid a blood transfusion. I was also having contractions and the doctors decided things weren't going to get better so we needed to prepare for the delivery. I had an epidural, pitocin and a long painful labor. One of the most painful parts was realizing that the 14th was ending and tax day had arrived. After losing a few bets, Christian picked 3:33 for his next for-sure-the-baby-will-be-born-at prediction. Eager to please, Duncan arrived at 3:33. We had a Perinatologist, a labor and deliver Nurse, a Neonatologist and 3 Neonatal nurses there just in time for his arrival. I actually literally crossed my legs for the last couple of minutes while we waited for the Neonatologist (that means specialized premature baby doctor). One breath, 3 pushes and the longest 24 hours of our lives began.

Premature Rupture

2009-04-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

A few quick words on Premature Rupture of Membranes. Here is what Amy has learned about early water breaks. If your water breaks as early as mine did, you will either deliver soon afterward or you could go for weeks. One reason water breaks is that you have an infection, that is why you would possibly deliver within 24 hours of the initial breakage. If not, who knows why it broke and you could have many weeks. The low amniotic fluid is damaging to your baby but not fatal. Your umbilical cord is carrying most of the load. The amniotic fluid is necessary for your baby's lungs to develop however, so no fluid makes it impossible for their lungs to work outside of the womb. Luckily for me my fluids stayed at a 4 the whole time (what does 4 mean, I don't know, higher than 3?). Your baby is in danger, my OB said the prognosis is NOT GOOD. I was scared into never standing when I didn't have to use the restroom. You should keep as much fluid in as possible and gravity, although helpful when you want to stick to the earth, not so much when you are leaking amniotic fluids. Doctors will not stop labor because labor is a sign of infection, if you are infected it can be really bad for your uterus and the possibility of keeping it, and an infection can add to the problems your baby is born with. So from 19 weeks 6 days to 24 weeks we knew if we went into labor there would be no chance for our son. At 24 weeks the prognosis is not-so-good. Each weeks that passes gives your baby another chance. Our sweet baby made it inside for 26 weeks.

To The Hospital

2009-04-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

On March 30 Amy checked into the the hospital to wait out the final weeks of her pergnancy. She was 23 weeks and 6 days. A baby cannot survive out of the womb until 24 weeks. The four weeks of bedrest were like waiting for a ticking time bomb. Once we made it to 24 weeks we knew our baby had a chance to survive. For two weeks Amy layed in her hospital bed. She had cafeteria food, visits from friends (treats and flowers too!), a birthday party for our sweet two year old Jane, Easter, cross-word puzzles, several bleeding scares, contractions and worry. Many a doctor came in and told us things we could hope for and dread. A visit to the NICU was helpful for both of us but didn't really prepare us for our future visits there. At home, life went on without Mom. The night before Amy left she layed in bed with each of her beautiful children and cried. But the heavenly Whitney children Lincoln, Ruth and Jane were well taken care of by their Great Aunt and Uncle, their adoring Grandparents, and their Aunt Angela and their special cousins.

A Long Wait

2009-04-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Immediately we had an ultra-sound, several visits to the emergency room, a new set of doctors (Perionatal specialists) and an outpouring of love like you have never seen. Two of Amy's special friends were there when she got home from the doctor to clean our house. Countless friends stayed with her at home so she could be with our children and they could bring her food. Other people brought dinners to our family. Amy literally wasn't required to lift a finger. Both of our parents were able to come and help for long stretches of time. Amy's brother and his family drove down from Utah with their 7 kids and we all had a blast, Amy from the couch. Prayers and thoughts from everyone we could imagine came pouring in. Many of the selfless acts by friends and family helped us make it through the four weeks of bedrest and have blessed our lives and the life of our precious little baby.

A Scary Day

2009-04-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning March 1 Amy woke up and noticed she was soaked to her knees. She woke Christian and headed into the Labor and Delivery to get a confirmation to her fear. The triage nurses at the hospital said the "fern test" was negative and that she must have just had an accident in her bed. The next day she made an appointment with her OB and he confirmed our fears. She was 19 weeks and 5 days pregnant and her water had broken. Day 1 of bed rest with "bathroom priveleges".

A new baby!

2009-04-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Amy and I found out in late-October that we were expecting our 4th child. We were very excited. On February 16, 2009 we went to the cardiologist because earlier children Ruth and Jane have had heart issues and some heart problems can be addressed in-utero. The heart doc was able to tell us that he was a boy (and that he didn't seem to have any heart defects).

How is Duncan doing?

2009-04-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

"How is Duncan doing?" is the question. So, here is the blog.