January 2005

1/30/05
My new trick is eating big boy food! Mom fed me squash baby food yesterday and today, and as you can see, I really liked it! My scale at home says that I am 12 1/2 pounds, so I am really starting to get big. I have outgrown some of my newborn size clothes and Mom is pretty excited about all the new outfits she gets to put on me. Every day I get more and more talktative and smile so much! I even squeal sometimes when I am really happy. Other than that I did not really pull out any new tricks this week. We are all excited to see what the therapist has to say about my progress in 2 weeks!


1/27/05
I am 5 months old today! Can you believe it? I also slept through the night AGAIN!!


1/26/05
I slept from 11:00 to 5:30, the same hours as Mommy! I am such a good boy! I am also getting so good at sitting up with Mom or Dad holding my hands to help me, I barely wobble at all!

1/23/05
Wow this week went fast! I have made so much progress this week. I am out of newborn clothes and into 3 months! My girlfriend Lindsay visited me on Monday and played for a while. I discovered that I have control of my hands and cram them into my mouth whenever I get the chance. Although I am not completely coordinated so sometime I smack myself in the cheeks and chin trying to get them to my mouth! I am smiling so much now and making all sorts of talking noises. If you look at me and imitate me, I'll even have a conversation with you! I have mastered eating baby cereal, but it is still a pretty slow process. Also, Friday night I slept for 8 hours!! Probably because I barely napped at all on Friday. This weekend I have just been catching up on my sleep and playing with Mom and Dad. I can't wait til it gets warmer so that I can be naked all the time. I am a VERY happy baby when I don't have to wear clothes. Right now I am working on sitting, my parents pull me up to a sitting position and then hold my hands for support. I am really good at it! My head wobbles a tiny bit and I sway from side to side a little. I don't know how much I weigh anymore because I haven't been to the doctor in such a long time! As long as I don't get sick I won't have to go back until March 1, although I do see the developmental therapist on Valentine's Day just to check up on my progress. As you may have noticed, the web site has a new area for movies....we'll get one on there as soon as Mom can figure it out....stay tuned!! Love, Gavin


1/19/05
I am such a good eater! Last night I ate 2 whole tablespoons of baby cereal and I actually am starting to understand how to eat, instead of Mom just trying to pour it down my throat! It was good stuff, I was smacking my lips and everything! It didn't help me sleep through the night any though. I have also decided that I don't need any more naps during the day, there is just too much of the world to experience! I stay up for 12 hours and only take a couple half hour naps! Mom thinks she is going to try to get me on a schedule, let her try I say. Mom's friend Lori and her daughter Lindsay came to visit Monday night and we had so much fun. Pictures of me with my new "girlfriend" will be posted this weekend.


1/16/05
Happy Birthday Great Grandpa!!! Wish we could be there to give you lots of smiles and kisses....but check your email for your birthday card. That cute baby foot you see is in fact mine, my Uncle Chris took such good pictures of me when he babysat a couple weeks ago! I am just staying in all weekend since it is so cold outside. I have become such a piglet, eating around 30 ounces of food a day! We keep trying the infant cereal, but it is hard because I am not great at sitting up yet, but we keep on practicing. We'll get some more pictures on the site later today.


1/14/05
It is COLD outside! Mom bundles me up so much, though, I don't even feel the cold. In my world it is 70 degrees all the time! I am over my cold, so things are going very well. I hear that tonight is bath night...I LOVE baths! I've learned how to splash around the water with my feet and get my parents all wet! We'll try to get some good pictures for you to see. Stay warm!


1/11/05
The home care nurse came and gave me an RSV shot yesterday...and I was SO good! I barely cried at all. We are so lucky that we have a nurse come to th house and don't have to go to that germy doctor's office every 28 days. Last night I just hung with Mom....I stayed awake playing from 4 - 10! She thought I would sleep all night after that, but no such luck. I like to wake Mom up at 4:30, and then after she leaves for work I like to wake up Dad at 7:30!


1/9/05
Today Mom and Dad weighed me on the baby scale they have at home (it was my Dad's when he was little!) and I weigh 11 1/2 pounds! I have a tiny cold, I don't feel bad or have a fever but I am pretty congested. Dad had a cold this week so I must have picked it up from him, but my parents are very excited that it really hasn't made me sick besides the stuffy nose. They think my immune system must be working pretty well!I have finally gotten into a schedule where I nap a couple times a day, but no luck sleeping through the night since that one time. I am starting to get VERY smiley and like to "talk" a lot. Check out the latest pictures from when I was at Nana's last weekend, and finally of good picture of me and my Mom!


1/4/05
YAHOO! I slept through the night for the first time! Well, almost, I slept from 10 until 4:45, but Mom had a lot to do at work today, and just went in super early. So, really I was doing her a favor! I had a fun weekend, I went to dinner Sunday at Nana Janet's and was pampered by her, John and my Uncle Chris. Nana and Chris even danced with me in the living room to Nora Jones!

1/1/05
Happy New Year! Here is a picture of me meeting my Uncle Chris for the first time! It was a very uneventful New Year's Eve....Mom and Dad couldn't even stay awake til midnight, and didn't drink the bottle of champagne they had....wimps! Mom wanted me to make a resolution to sleep through the night, but it didn't happen, although I do seem to be improving.

12/31/04
Welcome to Gavin's official website! Now instead of sending out emails when we add new pics to snapfish, you are welcome to check out this site whenever you want. Gavin's first Christmas was wonderful, and he enjoyed spending so much time getting to know his relatives. He was very spoiled and now doesn't want to entertain himself at all! We had our 4 month check up on Tuesday the 28th, he is up to 10 lbs, 8 1/2 ounces! He is also 21 1/4 inches long. The doctor said we could try giving him infant cereal....we have tried a couple times but I think he is not quite ready. We will keep trying every few days. He is still not sleeping through the night, and we really aren't making any progress, he still likes to wake Mom up every 3 or 4 hours. SHe is patiently waiting for her first solid night's sleep. Gavin's favorite new tricks are dancing with Dad, sitting up like a big boy on the couch and trying to eat big boy cereal. He went out for his first stroller walk Wednesday, Dec 29th and really enjoyed the change of scenery. He is really looking forward to meeting his uncle Chris for the first time tonight when he returns home from his semester abroad. Gavin is wishing everyone a fantastic New Year!

11/14/04
Finally Gavin gets to eat! Yesterday was really tough becuase he was feeling much better and was just mad because he was so hungry! They start with 15 ml and go up by 5 every feeding. Hopefully he does well with it so we can go home!!! He would have gone home the 9th if it hadn't have been for this surgery.

11/12/04
They decided to put a tube down into Gavin's stomach to suck out the air and saliva. It takes a while after your insides have been messed with to get back into normal working order....his tummy is quite distended with air. They can't feed him til they know things are going to move through. He is feeling a little better, he gets all his nutrition through an IV and sucks on a pacifier dipped in sugar water when he gets mad!

11/10/09
Gavin was taken into surgery today to fix his tummy. We found out about a week prior that he had a stomach malrotation. Basically all the digestive organs form in the umbilical cord and wind into the abdomen once there is room. His wound the wrong direction. The surgeon was really surprised that he hasn't had any problems eating, but the risk is that the stomach will continue to twist and cut off the blood supply, and part of the intestines will die. He also said that we are lucky, usually by the time they catch it there have already been serious problems. The scary part is that he had to go back on the ventilator, and we didn't know how long he would be on there. The great news is that he came off of it before he left the operating room! They were able to do the surgery laparoscopically so it wasn't very invasive, just three little 3 mm incisions. A camera went into one by his belly button, and long rods went into the other two, they used those to drop in tiny little operating tools and fixed everything. It turned out when they were in there that all his intestines were malrotated, not just his stomach. He also had hernias on both sides of his groin, so they had to do incisions to fix those, but you can barely see them. We waited up in his room for almost 4 long hours. There is nothing quite like seeing your little baby wheeled away for surgery. He was pretty mad when he came back, and he did have to have a nasal cannula for about 24 hours, but it was just giving him room air. We were happy that Ruth was there the day of the surgery, and then Kim was there overnight and then Ruth again in the morning, so he had the nurses that knew him best to take care of him. It was ironic that his biggest problem in the hospital was something totally unrelated to being a preemie, but we are so thankful that they caught it before there were any serious issues, plus it was nice to have it taken care of before we left the hospital. If we ever have to go back it will be to the pediatric ICU, different doctors, nurses, etc. Gavin is also the first baby to have this procedure done laparoscopically.....way to go our little pioneer!!

9/30/04
Gavin finally hits 3 pounds! Good growing little guy....all the nurses say that you will really take off from here!

Gavin is on the nasal cannula now, it is just providing a little more reminder to breathe, as he is still having apnea. He is one month old today! Hopefully only 2 more to go before we leave the hospital!

Another great surprise when Mom visited at lunch time.....Gavin came off the CPAP! Now he is just getting some oxygen flowing through his isolette. They don't want to use the nasal cannula because his nose is getting pretty dried out from air being pumped through there all the time. He is at 26% oxygen (room air is 21) so that is not bad at all!

Bridie went back to work today, which was kind of hard, but will be a nice distraction. She also remembered that she actually likes her job! She starts her day at 5 am, goes to the hospital before work, during lunch, and she and Chad go in the evenings. Gavin, you have to come soon! This schedule is going to wear her out fast! To make the day better, when she went to visit for lunch, Gavin surprised her by coming off the cycled CPAP and onto the regular CPAP. Good work little man!

Thanks Krista and Carol for hosting a great baby shower, and to everyone who came. And thanks to those of you who couldn't make it but sent presents anyway! Mom is really excited to start decorating my room!

I came off the ventilator today. I tried the CPAP, but then had to switch to the cycled CPAP a little later. The cycled just means it gives a little more pressure with the oxygen so that I don't have to work so hard to expand my lungs with each breath. There is a small chance that I may have to go back on the vent, but the doctors are really trying to avoid it.