Check out my new bed...now I can talk to my friends that are here with me in the NICU during the day since I'm not caged in anymore!















I can't wait to get home to play with my big sister...she is SOOOOO much bigger than me!

Last night Nolan spent his last night in his incubator (hopefully for good)! Starting today he's moved into a crib!! (Well...they call it a crib but it's not as cozy as his crib will be at home!!) He is starting to regulate his own body temperature which is what was making him stay in the incubator. He continues to have a nasal cannula with a small amount of oxygen. Last night Derek and I left around 11 pm. At that point they were going to try to not have any cannula in and see how he could do on room air. He did well for about four hours but started to get really tired...breathing is really hard work for out little guy! So they gave him a break today and put the cannula back in. As of last night they also thought that he would need the phototherapy done today for his jaundice. Nope...his levels dropped overnight so no sunglasses for our little Nolan! Hopefully this level continues to decrease so we are in the clear of him being jaundice. He's been a really sleepy peanut these last 24 hours so eating out of his bottle has been difficult for him. He did take his 6:30 bottle tonight when we went to visit. Tessa loved spending time with him for about 4 minutes and once mommy and daddy started to hold him, she was out of there! We can't wait for him to come home so we can all transition into our new life together. When Nolan comes home our family is going to hibernate for the winter and flu season!

Snuggle time!!

Nolan had a really good 24 hours. I know that things could always regress but with how he's doing I can't help but be extremely optimistic! Derek went in last night to spend some time with him alone...boy time! He held Nolan the entire time he was there. He fed him his bottle, snuggled with him, probably talked a few football plays or throwing techniques, and even got to change his poopy diaper! He has the littlest, cutest, tiniest butt... Last night when Derek left, Nolan was still on the high flow with his oxygen machine hooked up but no extra oxygen was being given, just some added pressure. Today when I went in I knew something was different. Oh yeah...that big pole with all of the machines on it is gone!! He now has a nasal cannula that hooks right into the wall. They are giving him a very small amount of support...a little pressure and a very small amount of oxygen. The nurse commented several times how well his breathing is compared to where he started. She saw him one week ago and can't believe how far he's come. His bilirubin levels are on the rise. They are giving him until tomorrow to lower them himself and if that doesn't work, under the lights he goes with his sunglasses on.

To think back one week ago and how far he's come...I wonder when he'll come home? I wish we had an answer. I can't wait to get an answer to this mystery question! He is slowly gaining some of his weight back. This morning he weighed 4 lbs 11 oz. He is still eating 40 mLs of milk. Today I was so excited to feed him his 12:30 bottle but the little guy wouldn't wake up. Darn...maybe next time! So instead I fed him his lunch through the syringe. We are heading back in tonight and will be there for his 9:30 feeding. I'd love to see him eat out of his bottle! Can't wait to see what the next few minutes, hours, days will bring for out little guy.

My little brother...

From Tessa...

Did you know that I have a little brother named Nolan? My mommy and daddy talk about him all of the time to me but he isn't able to come home quite yet. He needs a little more medicine to make him better. Today I got to go see him for the second time. Before we went to the hospital we went to the zoo. I was kind of disappointed that there weren't any giraffes or hippos there but I giggled and smiled at all of the other animals that we looked at. My mommy and daddy wanted to stay at the zoo a little longer but I was getting tired and wanted to go see Nolan. I kept asking, "Go see Nolan?" until finally they said yes. I've told my mommy and daddy how much I love Nolan several times over the course of this past week. Mommy almost cries every time I say it...not sure why?

Mommy and Daddy told me before we went to the hospital today that Nolan was going to have his sunglasses back on but when we got there he didn't have them on. It was kind of nice for me because it wasn't as bright in there as it was last time. I wished last time that I had my sunglasses too! Mommy and daddy kept saying how happy they were that he wasn't under the lights because this morning when Mommy talked to Nolan's nurse she thought he would be back under them. I love tickling his toes. His toes are so little and cute and today I even tickled his cheek. He smiled at me a few times too. He was in a deep, comfortable sleep. I love talking about Nolan and get excited to go visit him but as soon as Mommy or Daddy say anything about him coming home with us, I pretend not to hear them. :) He's cute and I love him...but does he really have to come home with us? I'm still getting used to mommy being back at home and now they want to bring this little guy home to?

I do love having mommy back home but it's still kind of strange. I often look at her and say "Mommy, you home? You here with me?". Another one of those things that she starts to cry over...again, not sure why? Daddy has been the best daddy in the world. I can just tell how much he's helping mommy out with everything and still spends time to snuggle with me. Even though he is the best daddy, I'm sure glad mommy is back home to do my hair. My crazy hair needed mommy! Another bummer is that daddy and I can't wear our crocs around the house anymore...we enjoyed it while it lasted! Daddy's having a more difficult time adjusting to it than I am.

Gotta go take a nap! Maybe I'll try to wiggle my way out of it this afternoon. I'm too excited about baby Nolan.

Love, Tessa

Pajama time!

Nolan has had a really good 24 hours. He's had a few ups and downs but overall has had a very stable 24 hours. Last night we were told that he may no longer need the CPAP but after arriving there this morning they told me he did need a break throughout the night so was given the CPAP for three hours. He was so relaxed today and seemed so calm. He had the high flow the entire time I was in there. I love it when he has this because he is definitely much more comfortable. When they put the CPAP on him he is starting to try to push it off of his face. I was in the hospital for about four hours and just watched him sleep. He kept smiling and smiling. I'd like to think that he was smiling because he knew I was sitting there staring at him rubbing his belly and was smiling at me, but I'm sure it was the sleepy smiles. Either way, seeing a smile on his face brings tears to my eyes. With everything that he has going on and all of the pricks, pokes, tubes, and wires...he still finds time to smile in his happy dreams.

When I arrived today, he was dressed!! He had the cutest little dragon jammies on. It was so cute seeing him in clothes. He no longer has any lines in his belly since he is now intaking 40 mLs of milk...YEAH Nolan!! We hope that he continues to increase this amount so he doesn't need an IV put in for more hydration. I'm very anxious to see how he takes a bottle. We have to wait a bit longer until his breathing rate stabilizes. So many fun milestones to look forward to before he comes home! I can't wait to see and be there for each one of them!

Five days old!!

Mr. Nolan is sure being a trooper! We arrived to the hospital this morning to see that they had placed him back on his CPAP. He was starting to get very tired with just the high flow so they were going to give him a three hour break and put him back on the CPAP. His CPAP level was at 24% all day so he's really doing well. He is still working very hard to breath so he does have a ways to go. They've started giving him more food and he seems to be taking that really well also. He was awake for a while today again which is always so fun. His bilirubin came back with a good number so for now he doesn't need the phototherapy. Lucky guy gets to take off his sunglasses and look around! I'm heading back in tonight and there is a possibility that he'll be on the high flow so I'll be able to see his gorgeous face. We are also hoping that he'll start eating more and more! When he gets to eating a certain amount they will be able to take out his last line that he has in his umbilical cord. Slowly but surely he's getting there! It's so much fun watching him get stronger and stronger!

Yesterday when Derek and I arrived to the hospital little man didn't have his CPAP on. What a sight to see...you can actually see his cute face!! They were giving him a break from the CPAP and were trying to see how the nasal high flow cannula would work. They told us yesterday that they will slowly wean him off of the CPAP by having him do the high flow for 1-3 hours, 3 times per day. Last night when we called to check in on how his afternoon went they said that they were going to try to just stick to the high flow and only go back to the CPAP if needed. Just checked in this morning and he is still on the high flow and his oxygen levels have dropped a bit!! GO NOLAN!!! What a special treat this morning to hear this. We know that he could very easily go back to the CPAP but it sure seems that things are improving. He is also still under the photo therapy lights as his bilirubin levels haven't dropped to the level they need to be quite yet. It looks like he's lying in a tanning bed with his sunglasses on!! :)















Yesterday we also spent over an hour with him while he was awake. Here is picture of him when they were giving him a break from the lights and CPAP. This little break only lasts for a short while but the poor guy needs a break from all of that stuff on his face! I can't wait to stare at his face all of the time without the wires and tubes! He's so precious.

We got to hold him!

Talk about making my heart melt...we got to hold Nolan last night for the first time since he's been in the NICU. It's up to the nurse that is working with him if they are comfortable taking him out of his isolette. We hadn't had a nurse yet offer this to us. Many prefer not to take him out with all of the lines and tubes that he currently has. But last night was our lucky night!! The hardest part was letting him go. I suppose it wasn't that bad since I only handed him over to Derek to hold but watching him get put back into the isolette was crushing. It's where he needs to be but I hope and pray that we will be holding him at home soon. He handled the holding like a pro so maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to do it again soon! He's such a tiny peanut but a tiny peanut that is so strong. We know he's going to get through this little detour before coming home.

His numbers stayed stable all through the night on Monday and all day yesterday. He wasn't showing much for signs of improvement but being stable is a great sign. He was given some real food for the first time yesterday...not a steak and potato yet...but the good stuff he needs for his immunity and weight to build up!! He has a feeding tube in his nose and they use this little syringe to feed him the milk. Because his CPAP takes up a majority of his face they aren't going to use a bottle yet. Last night Derek gave him his third feeding of the day. Hopefully he continues to take the food and show that he's digesting it. So far, so good! Derek and I are heading in there this morning to spend the day with him while Tessa goes to play with her friends at daycare. Everytime we go to the hospital we never really know what we are going to get. We just pray for him to be stable but pray even harder that he's improved.