Steps in the Right Direction

First off, with everything going on with Jaime, I failed to wish my dear Niece, Jessica a VERY HAPPY birthday on September 17th....she turned 9. Also, Tom's Grandmother celebrated her 92nd birthday the very same day! Sorry I missed your birthday, we hope it was WONDERFUL! We love you both and miss you sooooo much! :-)

Now, steps in the right direction for Jaime...is he better, well no, however, I titled my post that because I've FINALLY (after 5 days) have made some headway with the drs. here! After my night from hell with the resident Thursday, I asked to speak with the attending pulmonologist in private. She came to Jaime's room late in the afternoon yesterday. She asked what happened during the night, so I told her. I didn't want to get the resident in trouble, but I just basically told Dr. Ross that perhaps she could use this as a learning experience for the girl. (When you have an involved parent who is knowledgeable about their child's condition...put numbers aside and actually LISTEN to the parent.)
So, here's the new plan that Dr. Ross and I discussed for Jaime.
1) O2 was turned up (not to be weaned until further notice)
2) Albuterol aerosol treatments every 4 hours
3) Consult with Cincy (YEA!!!!)
4) Neosure High Calorie Preemie formula (NG if intake less than 80%)
5) Repeat Chest X-ray early next week.
6) 24 recording pulse ox (in addition to his "normal" one). The recording pulse ox will be downloaded and read to see at what point he really does desat.
7) Antibiotics, they were initially oral, then he threw up, so they went to IV, then as of this morning...Mr. Jaime was "over" having the IV in his hand, so he pulled it out. Poor little guy's hand is completely bruised...looks like he punched a brick wall :-(. They chose not to put one back in at this point-he has crummy veins, not to mention his little bleeding disorder. So, now he's on Augmentin orally. He took his first dose at 6:00 P.M. tonight. This is actually his 3rd antibiotic since late Thursday night. So, has it worked yet...NO, but I'm hoping it will kick in soon and start to work for him. You could tell that it gave him a tummy ache, but once he had his breathing treatment, off to sleep he went. This is what he looks like right now as I'm type, he's getting some much needed rest!

Here's hoping these steps get our little one HOME very soon....AGAIN! :-)
We have to be here 24/7, I've been here since Tuesday and Tom spent the night last night. I got to go home-SLEEP, do laundry, repack...go to the drs....for those of you who have been asking, I, too, am on Augmentin for Bronchitis. (Shocking, I know!) It was great to sleep after so many sleepless nights. Jared was so happy to have me home, he slept in my room with me. We fell asleep about 9:30 or so watching Disney. For those of you who know me....you know that 9:30 is insanely early for me to fall asleep, but with no sleep and not feeling well...it was just what I needed!

So, I haven't really updated much on Jaime's condition...he's still breathing with an irregular pattern, his cough is MUCH worse, he still has a low grade temp from time to time and he's still in Step Down....and probably will be for the duration of his stay. So, far, (it's only been about 36 hours), Jaime is handling his new formula well. He falls asleep after just about every breathing treatment, so we know they are working, at the very least, they are making him more comfortable.
Nikki took this photo, she thinks he looks so cute in his Elephant Mask.


Today was the first day that he had some "playful" awake time. Jared and I went to Target to pick up some more bottle bags, we found a cute toy and brought it to him. He really seemed to like it, I even managed a little smile out of him!


For those of you who didn't see my FaceBook yesterday, Jaime was moved into a PRIVATE room. Here's a pic of Jaime being moved into his new room with his FAVORITE Rainbow's Nurse, Nikki (in the pink-Marion is training and in the blue). Notice the animal on the outside of Jaime's door, yep, it's a turtle...isn't it ironic...don't ya think? Jaime is in Rainbow's 5-506.


I can't end this without talking about my little buddy, Jared. Last night I was showing him how Jaime's crib bars go all the way up to the dome. He got a kick out of it, so I put him in "baby jail." :-)



Tonight, Jared is having a sleep over at "Uncle" Dale and "Aunt" Majken's house. (It's always so hard to figure out what to do with him when we're in this situation.) Tom has a gig at the Brewing Company and I'm chillin' with a very horse little Jaime! Jaime's nurse, Michelle (actually an old schoolmate of mine) is going to see about a cool mist aerosol and humidifying his O2. So, that's what we're up to.
Hope everyone is enjoying your weekend!

Thanks Dale and Majken for helping us out with Jared tonight...you guys are life savers! :-)