Make Steven Pay!!

I set a goal of $500 when I started collecting money for the March for Babies Walk. Steven has pledged to match that $500 goal if I meet it. I'm at $220 so far. If everybody who checks this blog gave just $10, we would not only meet the goal, but exceed it. Take a few minutes and use the button on the sidebar to give to a worthy cause.

Thanks!
-jennifer

Like a Kangaroo

Some super sweet pictures of Champ and Kiki doing Kangaroo Care! I bet he feels much better now that he has a blue baby hat and not that hat with the pink letters on it!!

Did you vote yet in the "Guess when Rocco will weigh 4 lbs" Contest?? If not, there's still time- see the post below and get your vote in!

Also, a HUGE Thank You to Kelli, Bryan and Nico for their pledge to March of Dimes. Anyone who wants to sponsor me can use the link on the right sidebar. You can make your donation online, and that way we don't have to worry about doing checks, or cash or whatever. Our Aultman Walk Team will be selling raffle tickets, t-shirts, lollipops, and baked goods as a fundraiser for March of Dimes if anyone is interested. We are also a corporate sponsor for the Walk this year, and will have a big tent on the day of the walk- May 10th. Hopefully the weather is nicer by then. I will have pictures, and let you know how everything goes!

More to come later...Keep Visiting!!

Your Guess is as Good as Mine...

Rocco reached the 3 pound mark today (3 lbs, 1.7oz to be exact)!

Therefore, today will mark the start of the First (but probably not last) "Champ's Fight" Blog Contest.

Guess which day Rocco will reach 4 pounds.

You can participate by clicking on "Comments" (at the end of this post) and leaving your answer. Make sure you leave your name and email if you're not a registered user, otherwise you won't be able to win. Only one entry per reader. "Price is Right" rules apply- closest to the actual date without going over. If more than one person guesses the correct date, the first guess will be the winner. So get your guess in early!

Awesome prize for the winner, along with worldwide notoriety. Well, at least blogwide notoriety. And the awesome-ness of the prize is subjective, too. But I digress...

Play along, join in, be a sport! We know you've been reading, now let us know you're following along! Looking forward to everyone's guesses!

Did you notice...

I posted this picture before, but only today did I realize that Rocco is doing the "I Love You" sign in sign language with his right hand. Did you notice?

Everything is continuing to go well in Miami. Rocco's weight is up to 2lbs. 15oz. He is getting all his feedings by tube, so he no longer needs nutrition in an IV. Kiki and Steven now get to hold him. They hold him in a special way that preemies like being held called "Kangaroo Care." Parents hold their baby on their chest, skin-to-skin. When they do this regularly, the baby will grow better, and sleep better, and their heart rate and breathing improve.

The next few weeks will hopefully be filled with lots of growth and hopefully no setbacks. In about 2 or 3 weeks, Rocco should be ready to try taking a bottle or nursing.

Coming up tomorrow...Rocco's First Blog Contest. Visit tomorrow to join in!

Sorry, I've been lacking in my updates lately.



Rocco continues to do well. He is having some "ups and downs" that are not uncommon with preemies. He has times where he works a little harder to breathe, and other times where he forgets to breathe altogether.



He also was nearing a half an ounce on his feedings when his tummy needed a little rest and they backed his feedings up to just under a teaspoon again.



Kiki was released from the hospital on Monday, so she's getting back to some sort of "normal" with Steven and Olivia. They were trying to do some things this week for Easter like going to see the Easter Bunny and finding an Easter Egg Hunt at the park. My guess is Olivia is happy to have both her mommy and her daddy with her.



Here's a little video of Olivia with a singing dog from Steve and Jane Cates...




She seems to be enjoying all the special treats in the care packages from home!!

I'll try to get some video of Rocco up here for everyone to see. Until then, here's some pictures to wet your appetite...

I'll try to get some pictures up this weekend or early next week of the family and the Easter festivities. Thanks for visiting!!

Weekend Update

Look, Ma- No Tubes!!

Yummy in my Tummy

It's been a good weekend for Rocco. In case you missed it, he was taken off the ventilator to some nasal CPAP, then off the CPAP to nasal cannula. They could be trying him off the nasal cannula as soon as yesterday. Rocco also had some NICU "firsts" this weekend- his first blood transfusion, his first "new house" (he moved from a warming bed into an isolette), and his first feeding. The road has been fairly smooth so far. God is GOOD!!

We also learned this weekend that Kiki's placenta grew an infection called MRSA. This is probably why her water broke so early. MRSA is called a "super bug" because it's resistant to the most common antibiotics that are used to treat infections, and often by the time the doctors realize that an infection is MRSA, it has become overwhelming and can be fatal. Kiki did not have this infection in her blood stream, nor does Rocco have the infection in his body. The best the doctors can figure is that the infection was just starting when Kiki delivered, and the delivery probably saved her and Rocco's life. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Again, God is GOOD!!

Kiki is leaving the hospital today. She got teary just thinking about it when I was on the phone with her. I'm sure it will be a hard day for her. Please keep her in your prayers.

That's all for now. Steven sent some video home this weekend, so I should have some clips up this week, if I can find time to get them downloaded with the holiday weekend coming up. Keep visiting!

My Future's So Bright...

...I Gotta Wear Shades!!

Some recent pictures of Rocco. He's "glowing" blue because he's under some lights for jaundice. Premature babies are prone to jaundice because their liver doesn't work as well as it should because it's immature. They usually need to be under the bright lights for a couple days. Rocco is wearing "sunglasses" to protect his eyes from the light.



Also, you now can see his breathing tube is GONE! He's off the ventilator since Friday, and the tubing on his face is called Nasal CPAP. It blows some air into his lungs to keep them from collapsing. I talked with Steven this morning, and he actually came off the CPAP this morning and is now just on a little bit of oxygen in his nose through smaller, softer tubing.



He is also getting a blood transfusion today. This is not uncommon with very small babies because they are having a lot of labwork done, and can't make new blood cells as fast as the doctors need to take blood for labs.

I'll take the T-bone, medium rare, and...

(Yes, Auntie Jennifer is having a lot of fun with Photoshop, thankyouverymuch!)

The big news today is he is going to start getting milk in his tummy. Just a teeny-tiny bit- 0.5ml. As a reference, a teaspoon has 5ml. So he's getting 1/10th of a teaspoon. This is great news though, because it will get his tummy ready for bigger amounts. He won't be able to nurse or try bottles yet (that's probably about 4 weeks away) but they will feed him through a tube from his mouth or nose into his stomach.

Kiki is continuing to recover and is feeling better. She will be at the hospital through the weekend. She needs to drink some sugary juice, eat some fiber, and take her Ducolax- if you catch my drift. If you ever want to hear one her "most embarassing moments" stories, ask about the adventures with the bedside commode during her hospital stay. I will spare you the details, but we can all PRAISE THE LORD that she's allowed up to the bathroom now!!

That's about it for now. The good prayers and thoughts are working for Rocco and Co. Thanks to everyone who is following his progress! Keep visiting!