Toler's stay in his bachelor pad was short lived as he moved from the intensive NICU to the 'Graduate NICU' this afternoon. We were sad to say goodbye to his amazing nurses on the 3rd floor but welcome a whole new set of awesome care givers.
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| Kangarooing |
After Toler graduated to his new NICU we continued to learn much more on his progress and expectations for both immediate next steps and his eventual release home.
Isolette: At 3lbs 8oz Toler is just under the 4lb threshold to come out into the wild. In addition to his weight, he will have to show that he can regulate his temperature on his own, which is something the nurses will be working with him on in the coming days.
IV: Toler has been receiving food since his second day, as such he will only need to be on an IV for another 5-7 days. As his rate of food increases his IV will decrease until he gets enough nutrients entirely from food source. Right now he is sucking down some pretty sweet looking yellow fluid which has been affectionately been called everything from 'Mello Yellow' to 'Gatoraide' to ' Lemonade.'
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| Dad and the 'lil man |
Oxygen: While there is no set time on the removal of oxygen he continues to make positive strides being without a CPAP now for two days. He could remain on oxygen for a few days or a couple weeks longer, but we can blame the thin Rocky Mountain High Colorado air for now.
Feeding Tube: This was moved from his mouth to his nose tonight to help promote more oral activities, such as sucking on a pacifier. He will need to develop these actions to be able to feed from a bottle. As mentioned before we are looking to remove the feeding tube around the 34th week (about 3 weeks from now), but will be dependent on his progression with both food digestion as well as his sucking.
Major milestone for Dad
At the ripe old age of 31 Dad changed his first EVER diaper today. Upon completion he was herd muttering..."this HAS to be easier without all the wires." Don't worry he wasn't setting up a surround sound stereo system, there are in fact wires for Toler's monitors and they make diaper changing fun with the little guy.
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| So you attach the red clamp to the battery first right? |
Eyes wide open
Both Mom & Dad were fortunate enough to hold the little guy today, and he was alert and checking out his surroundings with both of the them. As the puffiness reduces in his eyes, we are blessed to see more of Toler's face and are filled with excitement to see every new expression he makes.
Lots of action today for the Smith family, there have been requests to post pictures of Grandma Glenda and Grandaddy Gerald with the little guy so be on the look out for those soon!
Love,
Steve, Emily and visually active Toler
I love the daily updates and colorful commentary. Seems like sweet Toler is meeting his daily milestones with poise and dignity, and he is surely a sharp looking fellow! Can't wait to see him over 4 lbs, he will really be a looker! And when he gets to the "newborn" size of 7 or 8 pounds, he will seem like a giant! (spoken from experience!) Our little 3lb15oz 32 week preemie is now top of her class, and a beautiful 75%. Good news is Toler will never have a hard time sleeping through noise as he's become accustomed to the sights and sounds of the NICU. Enjoy all of his daily successes, and embrace this time to truly focus on every little facet of your beautiful bundle of joy's development! It's truly a hands on experiment to the joy of life and the inner workings of his little body! zl, Caroline
ReplyDeleteI too look forward to my morning "Colorado Baby".It is wonderful to see the changes taking place. Looking forward to more pictures. Hugs to all, prayers continue.
ReplyDeleteVictoria
"At the ripe old age of 31 Dad changed his first EVER diaper today."
ReplyDeleteOne down, 3 bazillion to go!
Love the updates, thanks for posting. Thinking of you guys and glad to hear everything is going well.