Progress

Gosh....has it really been pretty much 2 weeks since my last post? Crazy! Time flies!

Lochlan has been doing so amazing! I sometimes forget that he ever was on oxygen or that he went through all that he's been through. He just feels like a newborn to me.

He now weighs 8lbs, 1oz!!! woo-hoo! He made it over the 8 pound mark! So proud. He is just under 22 inches long and his head circumference is 39cm. He's growing! Slowly but surely. So far, I haven't received a call from Dr. Moore about having to supplement him with formula added to a bottle or two a day of breastmilk. I'm really hoping we don't have to go that route. If we do, so be it. I know a lot of moms have to use formula or a mix of both, but my preference for Lochlan is that we don't have to supplement and he can grow on his own with mommy's liquid gold! ; )

Tomorrow Medigas is coming for the second visit since he has been off of the oxygen entirely. Last week he was sat'ing between 93-96%. So good. The plan is for them to monitor him for about a half an hour weekly (every Friday) with the exception of the 26th of this month until December 3rd. That will be the final day of monitoring and they will take all of the oxygen tanks out of the house and we will jump for joy and say "ciao - thanks for your help but we no longer require your assistance!"

Lochlan received his first RSV shot on Wednesday. It's antibodies to fight off RSV.

((((Respiratory syncytial virus (sin-SISH-shul VI-rus), or RSV, is a common, seasonal and easily-spread virus. You've probably had RSV disease and thought it was just a bad cold. In fact, nearly all children will get their first RSV infection by age two.

Most people with RSV disease suffer moderate to severe cold-like symptoms. For some babies, RSV disease can be more serious—it's the #1 cause of hospitalization in infants in the U.S. Preemies and babies with certain heart or lung conditions are at high risk for severe RSV disease, which could lead to serious lung infections like pneumonia and bronchiolitis.))))

Get more info here: www.synagis.com

He will get his next dose in 3 weeks and then every month thereafter until April. Good times. I will be taking him early next week to get his flu shot too. It's so hard to want to go everywhere and be everywhere when I really should be batting down the hatches and staying home most of the winter as a precaution. The risks are pretty high and we don't want Lochlan to get sick.

I always told myself that even though Lochlan is a preemie and we had to haul around the oxygen tank and all that, that I would not let that stand in our way of living a normal life. But the risks are pretty high and we have to be very diligent in washing our hands and making sure that we don't go anywhere where he could pick up something super easy or have anyone over who is sick. Please don't be offended if I constantly ask if everyone is healthy in your home before visiting or having you over for a visit. It's very different if you've read about RSV or the flu/colds for preemies. Colds can be good for babies to build up their immunities but preemies don't have the ability to fight it off like full term babies do. Not yet anyway. And so it can be serious.

On a much happier note, I am starting to settle into a regular routine now and feel much better and capable of raising two kids. The first few months were difficult as those of you with children would know but now that Lochlan is more predictable and Abby is getting used to the idea of having a brother, things have calmed down a bit.
We are all settling into a nice routine. Some days are harder and more challenging than others, but that is to be expected. I'm very thankful to have our moms (and dads) able to spend time with their granddaughter for a weekly sanity break and to be able to get to Lochlan's appointments as well -- HUGE THANK YOU!!!

I'll leave this note with a few more quotes from Miss Abigail this past week:

I think everyone who is in a traffic jam should be in the car with Abby. She is so cute and of course the Abbyisms were non-stop! When we'd finally get going again she'd say..."You're doing it mom! PASS! Keep going mom, you're doing awesome!"

And the second night it happened Abby said: "My rescue pack can help! We need a kite so we can fly over these cars!" She loves watching Diego and singing the songs along with the ones from Dora and even plays out the story-lines even if she's only watched an episode once. There hasn't been a day go by where we have to watch out for the baby puma or rescue a deer! And we get a rope from backpack or whatever else Abby feels we need, or the rescue pack can help us out. "Go Diego go..."

Oh Abby, how I love thee!

Oh...I totally forgot! Halloween came and went since my last post. Here are a few pics to enjoy!





Abby, wondering if we could go yet!