Guess Who Came Home Today?

Jordan was released from NICU today, and he's doing fantastic! The staff was pleased with his improvements, he's eating from a bottle really well, his jaundice is greatly improved, and he's regulating his body temperature very well.

Chloe's response to his arrival was pretty lukewarm, but she hasn't done anything bad yet, so that's good. She's not real sure what to make of him at the moment (that's him in the bouncy chair; we've covered his eyes because he doesn't care for the light in the nursery just yet). We've got a softer light that Jim and Diann gave us we need to install, yet.

Jordan is slowly adapting to the new home (unlike NICU, there are no alarms going off every couple of minutes, so the silence is a little hard on him -- we got a great lamb from my former employer that provides background ambient noise that we'll be using to help drown out the silence).

While we know everyone wants to come see him now that he's home, we have some strict doctor's orders. We have to limit his contact with the outside world for the next 4-6 weeks. This is the beginning of RSV season (What is RSV?), and that is a serious condition for a premie like Jordan. It's hard for us to fathom that a baby that is 6-plus pounds is a premie, but he is.

We have to limit visits to his grandparents and aunts for the next couple of weeks. Once he's able to have more visitors, we have a couple of ground rules imposed by Jordan's doctors:

• You must wash your hands when you come into our house, before you touch him.
• You may not smoke around the baby. That means you must finish your cigarettes before you get here (like before you pull onto our street), and you may not smoke on our property at all (inside or outside). Once you need a cigarette, you're done with Jordan for the day. No exceptions.
• If you think our rules are strict, consider our friends Brady and Julie's house rules as they deal with RSV precautions for their twin daughters!

We will have to limit his contacts, but we'll do everything to make sure you can visit our little bundle of joy as often as possible. He's absolutely perfect, and we want y'all to get to meet him soon.

The Latest

Jordan continues to make progress, with some minor hiccups. He's back on oxygen, but the nurse said that's common at this stage, and he should be off soon. They started some phototherapy, which should help eliminate the jaundice he's suffering from.

Tomorrow, they'll do another blood test to determine what to do on the jaundice front (if there's anything left they need to do). Tomorrow also is the Infant Rescue Breathing class Dondi will attend. Should Jordan, once he's home, go into breathing distress, Dondi will know what to do. I'll learn more about the rescue breathing at a later date.

We have some photos to post, but just haven't had time to ready them. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that by Tuesday.

Pictures

A recent photo from the last couple of days


Here is Jordan with just the feeding tube down his nose. Hopefully, that will be gone in the matter of a day or two.

Jordan's Improvements Continue

We made two trips to the NICU today, and spent an hour each time. The staff had to place him back on oxygen today, but they are slowly weaning him from that, and they expect him to be breathing totally on his own very soon. He's breathing quite well on his own, but there is a threshold he can't quite maintain on his own, yet.

The big step today is that he is being bottle-fed. Dondi and I got there in time for an evening feeding, so Dondi got to rock him in the glider and feed him. We, of course, forgot to bring the camera, but it was great. He ate about half the 25 cc's of formula they fed him via the bottle, and the other half they gave him through a feeding tube.

The staff really has been upbeat about his progress, so we thank God that Jordan's doing so much better, and pray he continues to progress.

Jordan's Big Day and Dondi Comes Home

Jordan had a great day in the NICU. He was removed from the breathing tube and is breathing all by himself, which was a huge blessing. His lungs are still developing, so we're hoping and praying to continue to see big improvements. He's also jaundiced, but that's not uncommon, and is easily treatable. All and all, he's doing great.

The NICU had been running antibiotics to him through a tube in his bellybutton, which has been removed, replaced by a regular IV in his hand. He also got his first bath today (he did not care for that one bit). Dondi and I both got to change a diaper (we may not be as excited by that next week when it's more routine). We also both finally got to hold our son, just for a couple of minutes, but it was awesome.

They are going to try to remove him from the feeding tube sometime in the next day or two, and put him on bottle-feeding.

On a different front, Dondi was released from the hospital this afternoon, and she is happy to be at home. Chloe, our cat is glad to have Dondi home, as well.

We do have pictures from today -- including seeing Jordan with a lot fewer things attached to him, but the battery in our camera is out, and we need to recharge first. I'll try and post some new pics tomorrow.

Quick Update

Sorry to make this short, but I know y'all understand: Thank you for your prayers (and to our God for answering them!); Jordan is improving very well. He may be off the breathing machine by morning. Still a couple of hurdles after the breathing, but that was the first and most serious one. Dondi is being sent home from the hospital Friday, so she is looking forward to seeing the cat and sleeping in our own bed.

We'll update the site when we have news to report this weekend.

Announcing Jordan's Arrival

Six pounds, 9 ounces. Ninteen-and-a-half inches long. Four weeks early. The most beautiful baby ever.

Here's the details we want to provide tonight: on Tuesday, Dondi's blood pressure continued to worsen, and her doctor made the decision to induce labor at 4 a.m. Wednesday. Dondi was already in the hospital for observation, so I arrived about 3:30 a.m. to witness the birth of our son.

The labor progressed normally all day long, and at about 1:30 p.m., Dondi was fully dilated, and the decision was made for her to start pushing. She started that about 2:05 p.m., and round about 3:30 p.m., Jordan Robert made his entrance into the world. Dondi is physically and emotionally exhausted, but is otherwise fine. She is an amazing trouper. I am truly proud to be married to such an amazing woman (I'm sure all husbands who watch their wives give birth feel the same way, but be that as it may, it's how I honestly feel). And, on my front, I never passed out!

You'll notice from the above picture that Jordan didn't come out problem-free. Because he was so early, his lungs are not fully developed, so he was placed in NICU. Doctors expect our son to be there for a week to 10 days. The best news: his lungs should grow quickly and will not cause any long-term health problems. Please pray for a quicker recovery, as we want him to come home healthy as soon as possible. We're both exhausted from the day, but we're resting more comfortably knowing Jordan is in good hands with great medical professionals.

I'm sure there are more details to post about today, but I've slept a total of 2 hours of the last 36 or so, and I'm going to sleep. The new chapter of our life started today. And we're very excited....

Short Update

Dondi's doctor finally is back from vacation, so she visited with Dondi today. The news: nothing's changing. They're going to keep her in the hospital for another week. No inducing. No other decisions made.

Sunday Update

Dondi remains in the hospital today. Roy spent the night on the most uncomfortable cot ever made by human hands in her hospital room (seriously, we could have gone down to Home Depot and bought plywood that would have been more comfortable).

Both the specialist and the on-call doctor from her doctor's practice stopped in to see her today. The specialist came by first and said that her blood pressure was looking better, so there'd be a chance he'd recommend letting her come home on Monday. Then, about 5 minutes later, her doctor came in and said she was probably here until the baby comes. I think doctors make it up as they go along, personally.

The on-call doctor asked if we knew how big the baby was, and when we told him 6 pounds, 14 ounces, he raised his eyebrows and said he thought Dondi's doctor would probably go for inducing later this week when she hits 36 weeks.

Dondi's doctor is back on Monday, so we'll probably be able to make some firm decisions then. Because of work and other responsibilities, look for the post late on Monday or first thing Tuesday.

Saturday Update From the Hospital Front

You know, Saturdays used to be so much fun.... About 10 a.m., the on-call doctor this weekend stopped in to check on Dondi. He reiterated what the doctor said Friday, that she might as well get comfortable. He didn't sound as positive that induction was going to happen this week, but we'll wait and see.

Meanwhile, my dad and I headed out to install the car seat from the travel system. It fits good and snug in Dondi's car. Unfortunately, the carrier for our seat has a defect in it, but Babies R Us assures us that it can be swapped out for another carrier.

(Update @ 4:07 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18 -- the nice folks at Babies R Us said no problem to replacing the carrier part only of the travel system, and they delivered. I was in and out of the store in 10 minutes with no hassle. Good people at our local store and good customer service.)

That's been our day. I'll post again this evening or tomorrow if there's anything new to report.

The Latest

Dondi's 24-hour tests came back pretty good; not as good as the other day, but definitely within acceptable results. She visited with a specialist who works with pregnant women who have high blood pressure. He told her that she will be spending the rest of the pregnancy in the hospital.

That's the bad news. The good news is that the doctor had a sonogram performed today, and Jordan is doing very well. His head is down, rump in the air -- in other words for the uninitiated, in the words of Roy's dad, "he's in the exit position." The sonogram pegged his weight at 6 pounds 14 ounces, so he's a big boy (considering he's still five weeks away from his due date). And, oh yes, we're told he's definitely a boy.

Roy was at work during the sonogram, but Debbie went with Dondi and the doctor explained that since Jordan would be "on-time" if he came any point after 38 weeks -- or a little over 2.5 weeks from now -- he's in good shape. Debbie asked the doctor if he thought the pregnancy would run another 2 1/2 weeks and his response was "oh, no." Later, he talked about consulting with Dondi's regular OB/GYN about her condition on Monday, and followed up by saying, "if you're still pregnant on Monday."

So, there's a chance that Jordan will be making his entrance into the world this weekend. He looks like he's dropped and he's at a healthy size and all, so it'd be a good thing. We're just in a waiting pattern. We fully expect that if he hasn't come by the weekend, Dondi's doctor will choose to induce sometime next week.

We'll keep you posted.

Dondi Back in the Hospital

All did not go well at Dondi's doctor's appointment this morning -- her blood pressure was up again, so the doctor chose to put her back in the hospital.

She is resting comfortably (as comfortably as you do in a hospital). While we appreciate everybody's concern, at this time, she really needs her rest, so please don't come visit. The more people come, the less rest she gets and the less likely she'll recover as quickly as she'd like.

The good news is that the baby is doing well, and if he were to come (or if the decision was made to induce labor), he'd be in great shape.

We'll let you know more as we find out. Thanks for your concern.

Dondi On Bed Rest

Let's start with the important stuff: Dondi and the baby are well. But, we had a bit of a scare this weekend.

Saturday, Dondi wasn't feeling well, and immediately went to bed after coming home from another baby shower. When she got up, she wanted to check her blood pressure. Since we don't own the equipment, it meant a trip to Albertson's to check her pressure. It was very high. After a phone consultation we went to the hospital and they admitted her Saturday evening for 24 hours of tests. Though her blood pressure wasn't as high as the Albertson's machine said it was, it was elevated, but the nurses and doctors were more concerned that she was having contractions.

Well, the contractions stopped, and the test results came back good, so she was released Monday morning and is on bed rest at home. There's still a chance she could start having contractions again, but this far along in the pregnancy, the baby would be fine if she did go into labor. She'll go to the doctor Thursday, and we'll learn more then.

Meanwhile, we'll post pictures from Roy's work shower later, and we'll post pics from Saturday's shower later, too (thanks to Heather and Wendy for throwing such a great shower). Dondi did say it was great to see so many friends there.

Birthing Class, Part One

We wrapped up our first birthing class hosted by the women's center at our chosen hospital. Who would have thought giving birth could be such an ordeal? Who knew that so much went on in the delivery room? Who knows why they insist on showing those graphic videos to a bunch of pregnant women and their scared-out-of-their-minds "partners." It's like being back in driver's ed with those "Blood on the Highway" videos. Maybe they should show the birthing class videos in high school health class....

Anyway, we had the opportunity to tour the maternity wing, again, which was great, because there was so much to take in the first time, we were bound to forget something. The class was great (except for the videos), as it showed some great breathing techniques (not Lamaze, surprisingly to us), and we learned about some basic infant care kind of things.

We take another four-hour class a week from tonight, so then we should be experts on this whole giving birth thing. Maybe not experts.

Roy's Work Throws a Shower

Roy's workplace through a shower/going-away party for Roy this afternoon. Roy's last day with this company was today, and to celebrate Jordan's coming (and his leaving), the department had a small lunch catered by Jason's Deli and then his co-workers came by to enjoy cake. Many brought gifts to share with Jordan, as well. And we are deeply appreciative of their generosity.

Special thanks to Julie, Andy, Geri and Karen for putting all of this together. Y'all are the best.

Pictures were taken, and will be posted by Sunday afternoon.

32-Week Doctor Visit

Just got back from the doctor. Again, all is good. Dondi is now at 32 weeks, and 4 days. Jordan's heartbeat is good and strong, Dondi's blood pressure is in the good zone, and her weight gain is normal. She's having trouble sleeping through the night, and her joints are beginning to hurt. "All that's part of the deal, though," she says.

Next appointment is in about three weeks, and the last sonogram should be in about a month.

More Nursery Work

The nursery continues to come together. Saturday afternoon, Roy's parents bought another piece of our nursery furniture set, a chest of drawers, which we put underneath the nursery window. Then Sunday, Dondi's parents hung the blinds and valance they had gotten for Jordan. It looks fantastic.

Jordan's room was a flurry of activity as we got the furniture moved in, blinds worked on and valance hung. We sincerely appreciate all the help all four of Jordan's grandparents in getting this nursery done. It looks great. Below, see some pictures of the crib with the new crib set (thanks Elaine and DeeAnn!) on proud display.

Jordan will be here in just about seven and a half weeks. His crib is ready, and Mom and Dad are trying really hard to be ready. Dondi took her breast-feeding class last week at our chosen hospital, so she is now an expert with no fears, qualms or questions. Well, maybe a couple of questions....

Dondi has another doctor's appointment Monday morning. Look for a short update by Tuesday morning.

Two Days, Two Showers

We had two more showers yesterday and today. We have the best friends, co-workers and families anyone could ever ask for. And for the record, Jordan (who isn't due for another 8 weeks) may be the most spoiled child on the face of the earth.

Friday's shower was held by Dondi's co-workers and was held in the company's training room. Jennifer, Misty, Christy and Erin hosted the shower, which had great balloons, blocks and airplanes as decorations and pizza and cake to eat. We also received great outfits, blocks, some more outfits, some baby gear, gift cards, and still more diapers.


Dondi with Jordan's burp cloths.

Thanks to everyone who helped organize the shower, and thank you to everybody who came, as well.

On Saturday morning, Elaine hosted a brunch shower at her home for many of our family friends, who all came out to celebrate Jordan's soon-to-come birth. And they didn't let us leave empty-handed.

Elaine served a wonderful brunch, full of fruits, breads, an egg and susage casserole and plenty of other great food. Plus, she had brought in a chocolate fountain. Life doesn't get any better than a fountain with chocloate continuously flowing.

We received more outfits, the mattress for the crib (along the way, cribs and mattresses stopped being sold together; which was news to almost everybody among our friends and family), more diapers (because apparently, Jordan will go through a lot of them), and a cool ducky bathtub.

We were definitely reminded how blessed we are with such loving friends and family. Thanks to everybody who has come to the showers. Formal thank-you notes are en route over the next week or so.

Oh yes, here's that chocolate fountain:

Another Doctor's Appointment

Not much to report on this one. Dondi's blood pressure and weight are in the good range. Also her blood glucose scores were great, so that is over and done with.

We're doing appointments every two weeks now. In six weeks, we'll have the final sonogram. So, the countdown is on. October will be here before we know it.

The Picture at 30 Weeks

Here she is this afternoon, mid-way through week 30. That means, Jordan should be here in 10 weeks. You ask, "are you ready?" The answer: of course not!

According to the experts at BabyCenter.com, the average baby at this point is about 3 pounds and a little more than 15 1/2 inches long at this point.

We did some shopping today with Debbie, picking out blinds at Home Depot, a couple of items at Babies R Us and then on to Target for a curtain rod and some other household goods. Oh yeah, lunch at Chili's was great. The heat and humidity, not so much.

Dondi has another doctor's appointment Monday where we'll get the latest news and see how she and the baby are doing.