Gettin' Snippy With It

Welcome back to Dylan's Den, and thanks for reading! Before I get into the meat of this post, let me remind you about the subscription function that I added to the bottom of the blog page. It does appear to be working, as far as I can tell from the tests I've tried. If you want to receive an emailed version of the blog whenever I post an update, just scroll to the very bottom of the page, enter your email address into the box at the bottom and click subscribe. Or, you could just keep checking back here each Wednesday and Sunday.

Anyway... What's new with Dylan? Well, if you didn't notice the entry in the weight chart to the right, Dylan's weight it up to 7 lbs, 8 oz as of yesterday's visit to the doctor. He's eating very well, to say the least. Of course, his mom is producing copious amounts of milk for the little guy- to the tune of around 50 oz each day, so he's going to keep eating well for quite a while. From what I understand, the average woman produces somewhere around 25-30 oz per day. I guess Barbara was made to be a mom. Some may question his weight gain, thinking it's quite a large amount to gain in such a short time. His doctors have assured us that there is no cause for concern. Babies in the womb gain large amounts of weight during the last few weeks of gestation, which is actually where Dylan is supposed to be right now. Today would mark his 38th week of gestation, so he's right on track.

Speaking of his doctor, we paid a visit there yesterday morning to have him circumcised. He's been handling it very well- far better than I imagine I could ever handle it, that's for sure. He hasn't really shown any affects from the procedure at all, except maybe a bit of minor fussiness. Of course, fussiness for Dylan means that he cries two or three times when you change his diaper instead of only once. There's been no bleeding to speak of, and overall, he seems to have handled it like a champ.

His diaper rash is just about gone as well. At our first visit to his doctor, we were recommended to try a diaper cream named Triple Paste, and it has worked wonders. In the 5 days since that appointment, his bottom has gone from looking like raw hamburger to being as cute as ... well, as cute as a baby's bottom. That stuff is quite impressive. I guess for $20 for a 16 oz tub, it better be. Still, even if it is a bit pricey, I'd recommend it without a second thought.

Oh... To whoever bought Dylan the outfit that says "Automatic Sprinkler"... you hit the nail right on the head! Normally, when I change a diaper, I cover his "sprinkler" with a paper towel. Since that area is a bit tender though, I haven't been doing that. I don't want to touch the area until I'm putting the Vaseline covered gauze back over it. Instead, I am regularly being sprinkled on. So is the floor. So is the changing table, the rug we had in front of the changing table, and on one occasion- the wall as well. This guy can certainly build up some pressure. For his first diaper change after we got him home, he sprinkled Barbara and I both... THREE TIMES! In one diaper change, he soaked us down three times. It must have been his way of telling us what he thought about the whole circumcision thing.

Well... that's all the interesting info I can think of at the moment. Tomorrow I finally go back to working my full schedule again. Something tells me I'm going to miss the little guy...

I'll let you know how it goes in my next entry on Sunday.

Transitions

Today was our first full day together at home. Much to my surprise, Dylan is adapting spectacularly well to his new surroundings. I had expected some issues with him being away from the familiar lights and sounds of the NICU, but he has proven to adapt to his surroundings very quickly.

He is sleeping well, whether we have the TV on in the room, lights on, or total darkness and silence. He is eating about every 3 hours or so, sometimes 4 if his last meal was large. He is also a pooping machine. I never in my life thought something that small could produce that much poop. He's pooping so much actually, that he has quite the case of diaper rash. It's getting better quickly though, but it sure looks red and painful. Judging by his reaction when we clean him, I would venture a guess that it is painful.

His reactions are sooo encouraging, too. I know every parent wants to brag on their child about how good they are, but Dylan is just awesome in this regard. When he is upset by something- whether it's a dirty diaper, being hungry or his bottom hurting him, he lets out one cry, or if he is really upset, maybe two or three. even if we can't quite drop whatever it is that we are doing at the time and it takes a minute or two to get to him, he still only cries that one time. It's almost as if he knows, "I cried. They heard me. They'll be here soon." Of course, this is just the beginning, so who knows how long this "honeymoon" may last, but I am surely going to enjoy it while I can.

He had his first appointment with his pediatrician today. She seems OK. I wouldn't rave about her from the little bit we gleaned in our one visit, but she'll at least serve her purpose for now. I think we'll likely end up searching and interviewing some other docs before we find the one we are most comfortable with. There's nothing wrong with the doc we saw today though- she just didn't do anything to impress me.

Dyaln got his first round of shots today, and we were prepared for the worst. After hearing stories of how other family members children reacted badly to one or more of the vaccinations, we were expecting Dylan to at least be cranky, to be overly sensitive to stimuli, or even to just cry a lot. Thankfully, there was none of that. He seemed a bit more tired than usual, but that may just be a side effect of the change from the familiarity of the NICU to being home. He never got a fever, never got cranky, and was his normal self. I'm so glad our first full day with him wasn't spent with him feeling miserable.

Even Barbara and I are transitioning well, I think. I'm well aware of the disruption to normalcy that a new baby can bring to any home, but we've always been so far from normal that it might actually make us more normal. Seriously though, we're starting to work out a reasonable schedule of feedings, Barbara pumping, and she and I being able to spend some time together just watching TV, talking and just being a couple. Of course, once we think we have the hang of it, I'll have to go back to work, and we'll have to figure something else out altogether.

All in all, it's been a nice transition for all of us. Dylan certainly seems content in his new home, and I know for sure that Barbara and I are more than content to have him here with us.

P.S.- A quick note about the blog... I am experimenting with a feature that should allow you to subscribe to the blog via email alerts whenever a new post is made. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and enter your email address in it's entirety into the dialog box and click "subscribe". If things are working properly, this will subscribe you to a GoogleGroup which receives an email whenever the blog is updated.

Home at Last!!!

It is with great pleasure that I finally announce that Dylan is home.

After some drama, delay and conferences with docs, therapists and social workers, Dylan was discharged today from Shands and is home with Barb and I.

The majority of the team who were responsible for taking care of Dylan while in the NICU were absolutely fabulous, and although we had some challenges with a few individuals over the course of his last week or so, even those difficulties can be set aside and left in the past. It's the compassionate care of his doctor, nurse practicioner and almost every one of the nurses that helped take care of our little boy that helped make the past 7 weeks survivable for Barbara and I. If you are a member of the Shands team, know that your contributions to our son's care and to our families concerns can not be appreciated enough. Barbara, Dylan and I are forever indebted to you- whether you took care of him for one night or for a month. I know we gave this web address to a number of folks whose genuine concern for our son's well-being truly touched Barbara and I, and I hope you all continue to visit and follow Dylan's progress.

His first pediatricians appointment is tomorrow, which I assume will be a "getting to know you" kind of thing between Dylan, the doc and Barbara and I.

It has been a long 7 weeks, waiting for him to come home, and although it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders, I am well aware that the journey is just beginning. Being able to begin that journey in earnest, in our own home... It's just a huge relief.