April 28: Pictures of Last Day in Hospital

We received pictures that were taken at the hospital on Ethan's last day. He didn't cooperate much as he wouldn't wake up, but we couldn't help purchasing them anyway since it was such a momentous occasion. He's already grown so much from these pictures, it's really remarkable.

Jon and I brought Ethan to Milwaukee this past weekend so he could see Grandma and meet his Great Grandma, Uncle Bob and Aunt Brandi and Great Aunt and Uncle Diane and John. Unfortunately, Grandpa was in the hospital recovering from surgery, but we were able to visit him while Grandma babysat and he is well on his way to recovery and should be home by now. We send our love to him and will be visiting again soon so he can get some time with Ethan. It was a short but good trip. We had to leave Otis at home for the first time and it was sad, but we didn't want to take on too much the first road trip. Poor Otis; no longer the baby of the family.

Ethan continues to grow at home. I'm not sure what he weighs these days, but I would guess he's past the 6 1/2 # mark by now...he feels heavier. Jon measured him and he is now 20 in. Crazy! He has another pediatrician appt this Friday, so we'll get a more accurate reading then. We did have him tested for acid reflux last week and we now know that he does not have it. Which we sorta knew since he's only spit up twice in his little life.

So, we have a big weekend coming up. Peni and Aaron are coming in from Grand Forks for a visit. It will give me an opportunity to get Ethan out a little as we have plans to see some of Chicago. I hope the weather cooperates. And Auntie Shell will get her first chance to baby sit as we're planning a dinner out when they are here.

Before I wrap, I can't help but to mention that we are on some major baby watch these days. Adrienne, Jody and Lis... we're thinking about you guys and can't wait until your little bundles arrive! Ethan needs playmates. It's a baby epidemic :)

April 23: Two Weeks Already?

We've now been home for 2 weeks as of today and it's been a bit of a blur. When I started a blog entry on our 2nd day home, I had every intention of filling in an update; all I was able to complete was the subject title if that tells you anything. I had no idea that such a little baby can consume so much of your time! I know my friends with baby's have told me as such, but I didn't quite understand the extent of it until now.

Ethan is doing great and Jon and I are loving having him home with us, although we have to admit to being a bit exhausted. Well, maybe more than a bit, but we're handling it the best we can. Grandma and Grandpa Kruse were here for a few days last week and Auntie Shell spent most of the first weekend here with us, so between their visits, it helped us relax a little as we didn't have to worry about Ethan needing attention. Grandma held Ethan for a record 9 hours one day; just giving him back when his diaper needed to be changed :)

The hospital has become a distant memory. Ethan is keeping true to character and has been a laid back and chill baby. He doesn't cry often and when he does, it's for a brief 3-5 seconds. We know we're lucky...so far :) And he's growing!! 11 1/2 oz in his first week. He is now above 6lbs and out of his preemie clothes and diapers and is close to fitting into newborn stuff. I was a little sad to put away the preemie clothes. Who would'a thought?

I was a little bit of a wreck the first couple of days home. He was so tiny and with no monitors telling us exactly what his heart rate and oxygen sat levels were, I was constantly checking on him to make sure he was breathing. But I suspect this is no different than any other new mom. So, it's nice to fit into normal new baby/new parents behavior now. I've calmed down since; especially since he is thriving so well outside of the hosptial. It's hard to even imagine Ethan as the same little baby that was in the hospital. He's just like any other new born. The only time I think of him as a preemie now is when I bring him out. People ask all the time, "how old"? 3 months. You can see the look in their faces? Yep, 3 months and 6 lbs. :) I have to give an explanation with each person. I think I'm just going to start saying 2 weeks and save the energy.

Even as good as Ethan has been, he is keeping us moving and as I mention above, it's hard to believe such a little thing that sleeps so much can take up so much of your time and energy. He's a little boy through and through. He makes lots of grunting, gremlin type sounds, especially at night when we're trying to sleep. These noises are something that I never expected. He has pee'd on me 4-5 times already and once he pooped an arc 3 feet long and doused his diaper organizer and ruined 6 diapers in that one instance. I just stood there in awe at that one. Who knew? There was also the time that he pee'd right onto my face. Jon was there to witness that one... I've never seen him laugh that hard...ever. And we're only through week 2. Oh, well, it's all worth it though. We just go through a sick amount of wet wipes. How life has changed. :)

Well, it's taken me 6 hours to try to get this post written and it now time for another feeding. :) I'll stop here for now but promise to post more often...or at least get new pictures posted.

April 11 - We're Home! The first 48...

April 7: It's Official...

We got the word this afternoon... Providing that there are no more Brady's, Ethan's homecoming is scheduled for Thursday!!!!!

We are still in a little bit of shock. I don't think it will feel real until we are walking out of Prentice with the li'l guy in his car seat.

Given the big news today, Tracy decided it was time that we give Ethan a bath together so I could get one under my belt before we bring him home. I think it was more fun for Tracy and I, but Ethan was a good sport. That's all have for now. Just wanted to share the news and post the bath and car seat pictures. :)

April 7: Quick Update

Quick update on what has happened/will be happening in the next 24 hours.

- Car seat test happened yesterday (I have pictures, will post later...he looks so tiny in the seat!)
- Ethan's feeding tube is out! Hopefully forever.
- Circumcision will happen today or tomorrow

Now we're just waiting on the Brady watch to complete. We've made it through 3 days. 2 to go!!! Ugh, we can barely stand it. He might be home for Easter :)

April 5: Brady Watch Has Begun

We're there. We are officially on "Brady Watch". A lot has happened over the past couple of days and it was a good weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Koelsch came for a visit. It was great to see them and show off how big Ethan has gotten and Grandma got to hold him for the first time. His overall progress has been great. Ethan's now at 5lbs 2oz and looks and feels like a newborn. He's gone 24 hours with feeding from a bottle and tomorrow he'll get the feeding tube out of his nose. He'll have to do all of his feeds by bottle for 48 hours without the tube and we can check feeding on his own off his list. Next is the Brady. We had gone 7 days with out a Brady...until yesterday. He had one at 7:30pm. We weren't really on Brady watch then b/c he wasn't taking all of his bottles. But we are today, and we're starting from scratch.

So, throughout the weekend, the nurses have been going through the checklist with us and making sure we are all ready. Do we have our classes done? Close: Infant CPR is on Tuesday (check). We should bring in his car seat (check). And, last but not least and pretty traumatizing on top of it all...the circumcision. We are to schedule it for tomorrow or Tuesday. They usually do this just days before the baby is released (check). !!!! What does this all mean? I hope I'm not jinxing us by saying this, but Ethan could be home by Friday!! It's so hard to believe, but we're that close (knock on wood). This morning, we put our final "must have" list of items together and Jon ran to BabiesRUs. Now, we are ready for everything. It doesn't seem real yet. I'm sure it won't until he is in that car seat and we are driving off from the hospital.

Please...keep us in your thoughts and pray for no Brady's. I think I will have a mini-meltdown if the they start up again when it really matters after he went 7 days without one.

PS...see pix below...Ethan doing his best 'Baby Elvis' impression. He's a natural, don't you think?

April 1 - No Joking

The past few days have been very good as well as difficult for Nicole and I. While Ethan is doing great and he accepts his bottle feeds like a champ, he is looking more and more like a full term baby, making it very difficult to leave the hospital without him. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and the anticipation is getting to us. Ethan could conceivably come home in a week… or in a month. We are not on official "Brady Watch", but we are keeping tabs anyway. To come home with Nicole and I, Ethan must prove to the doctors that he is just as healthy as any other full term baby, meaning he can accept his bottle feeds and most importantly, he must go without a drop in his oxygen and heart rate for 5 days straight. While I hope and pray that he stops having his drops right now, it will perhaps be some time before we get close to bringing him home. Nicole and I have learned not to put a timetable to things and to just let life run it's course and soon enough, Ethan will be home.

In other news, I (Jon) have finally learned how to properly hold Ethan without making him turn reddish / purple, making all the alarms go off and he even looks comfortable. For the longest time I would hold him and soon enough the nurses would come running and very nicely tell me that I'm not holding him correctly (as if I hadn't noticed all the bells and alarms!?!). To make myself feel better, I'd like to think that holding a preemie is more difficult than a full term baby.

Ethan's weight is up to 4 pounds, 12 ounces and he's really looking good.