Quick Update

Before we get to Edward's update, let me first tell you a little about Katie.  Katie is fantastic and wonderful mother - a true natural.  She has already made Eddie a 'Hungry Caterpillar' sign (one of my favorite childhood books) to encourage him to grow!

But I would be remiss if I didn't share this with you all.   Every four hours in our NICU, 'cares' are performed by the nurses.  This includes taking his temperature, changing his diaper, repositioning him and feeding him amongst many other things.  As Edward grows, the nursing staff is excellent at allowing us to be involved with his 'cares'.  It always seems that Dad gets the 'poopy' diapers and Mom gets the 'non-poopy' diapers.

Tonight was Katie's turn.  Changing a diaper in Edward's Isolette (incubator) is not exactly a breeze.  One has to navigate a temperature probe, three EKG leads, a peripheral IV, a feeding tube and a BiPAP mask which is carefully crafted around his nose to ensure adequate oxygen delivery.  Nerve-racking to say the least.  Due to the nature of my job, I am somewhat more comfortable with the medical paraphernalia.  But Katie has risen to the occasion beautifully and can change a diaper like the best of them.

But back to tonight....Katie calmly reached her hands through the ports of the Isolette, deftly manuevered around the various lines and tubes and unhooked velcro of the Pampers (size: absurdly small).  Alas, it was a 'poopy' diaper for her.  No sweat - Katie didn't even looked fazed.  Like a seasoned veteran, she calmly got the second diaper and placed it underneath the first prior to removal.....you know, just in case.  She then turned her attention back to the main attraction when suddenly Edward told us (rather abruptly and somewhat explosively) that he was not done with that first diaper.

From across the Isolette as I held Edward's hands down, I see Katie's hands quickly exit the both ports.  'Ah....she must be reaching for some extra wipes, of course' I think to myself.  But they don't reappear and I look up across the incubator expecting to see her right there.  However, Katie had jumped ship.   She was several feet away with a look comprised of surprise, fear and laughter.  Edward, meanwhile, promptly took his left heel and drove it directly into the pile of his 'creation'.  The nurse and I began laughing, barely able to finish the job until Katie was able to regain her composure to polish off the last few steps.

Oh, parenthood.

But more importantly, Edward had a pretty good day.  He remains extubated and has been tolerating the BiPAP beautifully for over 48 hours now.   He is also tolerating his feeds very well and is now on what they call 'full feeds' - which is 150 ml / kg over a 24 hour period.  This translates into roughly 10 ml every 2 hours.  And he gained some weight!  He is now 870 grams which is 1 lb 15 ounces (3 ounces over his birth weight).  This news is somewhat tempered by the fact that they found evidence of a bacterial infection from his PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line - a long term IV that was giving him intravenous nutrition.  Fortunately, he has been on antibiotics for several days now as they caught the subtle signs of infection early and removed the PICC line as he no longer needs it.  Clinically, Edward looks great and I think we should be able to beat the infection without much fanfare.  As they say, the NICU is a rollercoaster.  But overall, a good day for sure.  Again, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.  Not only are they much appreciated, but they are working.