Breaking the (7) Pound Barrier!

You heard it (well, sorta) ... Britton has finally reached the 7 pound mark! We look at him lately and think he is so big ... until we see a big 9 pounder, and we realize he has a looong way to go. 

Britton's nurse today hasn't had him since his first week, so she has been surprised today at how much this guy can eat. At his morning feeding, he took 6 ounces! Yes, he was a little piglet today. She didn't give him that much at first, but when he wouldn't stop crying and rooting, she offered him another bottle and he gulped it down. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt.

We were there today when the doctor rounded, and he is ordering a few tests to rule out potential causes of Britton's d-sats. He is going to have an EKG, Echo, and Upper GI. The EKG and Echo will rule out heart issues and the Upper GI will rule out reflux. More than likely, the reason for his d-sats are neurological and/or airway issues, but we feel good knowing that we're ruling out other potential causes. Britton had an EEG two days ago after the d-sat episodes to see if he might be having seizures. Again, the results (this is his 4th EEG now) showed no seizure activity. We are happy about that.

We are going to be at the hospital for awhile longer. Britton is still on the nasal cannula, and may be for another week. Not until he gets off of it can we start the 7-day countdown to come home. We are praying to find answers for his d-sats, and more importantly that he will stop d-sat'ing altogether.

Four Weeks Old

Our little man turned four weeks old today! What a crazy month it has been for us? A couple of weeks ago, we thought we might be looking to come home by now, but for now that is not to be. We are still trudging back and forth to the hospital -- Emily 3 times a day, and Danny twice a day -- and are definitely weary. But we love getting to hold and rock and play with our baby. As we've said before, we are just so grateful that little Britton is alive, and we'll keep doing this as long as we have to.

Britton is 6 lbs., 15 oz. today. And, as you can see, he is still on the nasal cannula. The doctor wants to keep watching how he does on the d-sat front before taking him off of it. He did have a few d-sats today, so we are hoping he shows improvement tomorrow. We are thankful that the d-sat issue is the only thing keeping him there. Considering what he went through, we could be dealing with so much more.

Thanks for staying tuned in to Britton's story. Our apologies for not having more updates for you during the day! There is little internet time between all of our going and coming.

Please continue to pray for Britton, and that he will be 100% well soon!


Rocking with Dad.


Britton got a visit from "Auntie" Ruth today!

My talented friend, Sarah

Many of you have asked me about the painting my friend, Sarah, did for Britton's room:

I am happy to announce that she is now bringing her talent to the blogosphere! She has set up a site at www.dandeliondesign.blogspot.com, and is now taking orders from the masses. She is VERY talented and I'm sure could paint up about anything you could imagine. Check her site out when you have a chance.

Get Me Out of Here!

I wish we could say that we were springing the wee Britton from the hospital this weekend, but after doing so well for several days on keeping his oxygen saturation level up, he regressed and had several episodes today. So ... we start over on our 7-day countdown. The episodes were a bit longer today than they have been previously, so they are running several tests to make sure he is not having seizures, or doesn't have an infection. The doctor, however, thinks it is an airway issue and that he'll have to grow out of it. The good thing is that he is not having bradycardias (heart rate drops) or color changes (mouth turning blue, etc.) with the d-sats. He is back on the nasal cannula today to give him an oxygen boost. Our primary concern/fear is not that he isn't coming home soon, but that he is never going to stop d-sat'ing. He hasn't had one since Jan. 31, so we really thought we had turned a corner. The doctor assured us that he will grow out of this ... but, on days like today we're not so sure. For him to go 7 days without a d-sat seems like a lifetime. We appreciate your continued prayers for Britton, especially concerning his oxygen sat levels.

In other news, he is up to 6 lb., 14 oz., and he continues to eat very well! We love spending every moment we can with Britton, and, despite our frustration today, we are so thankful that he has made such an amazing recovery so far. He is our little miracle!


Britton latching on to Danny's nose!

New Digs/New Duds

Yesterday was Britton's first time to wear clothes. Here he is in his little preemie gown. It's a little big on him, even though he is 6 lbs., 11 oz. today! He's going to be a chunky monkey soon at the rate at which he is eating & gaining weight.


Britton in his "big boy" crib.



Stretching ...


Waking up ... even though he looks like he's screaming, he's really just yawning.


Daddy love.

Family Invasion

Lots of family members have descended upon us lately to visit Britton! Today, the grandparents were here; and, yesterday, Britton's only great grandmother came to see him for the first time. Britton has done one amazing thing ... he has turned all three of his great grandparents into blog addicts. All of these octogenarians are logging onto their computers each day and admiring this baby boy!


Daddy Doug & GiGi (Danny's parents) get to hold Britton for the first time.


GiGi & Britton.




Mima, Britton's great grandmother, was so excited to meet Britton for the first time.


Grand Marna (Emily's mom) and the little guy.

MRI #3 update

I met with the neurologist this morning and it was good to better understand his concerns and thoughts. First, he said both the EEG and MRI were "good" overall, so that was encouraging to hear.

EEG - there were a few "sharp waves" on the reading, but the "background" looked very good. He said it was nothing to be concerned about.

MRI - The radiologist who first read the MRI again determined that it was a normal scan for Britton's age. The neurologist, though, had a few concerns as there have been subtle changes over the three MRIs that Britton has had. In explaining, he showed me the image of Britton's brain compared to the scan of another baby of equal gestational age. They look very similar except Britton has more defined edges of the "outer junctions" of the brain. Kind of like when you were coloring in elementary school -- the best "colorers" always outline the area with their crayon before they fill it in. This is what Britton's scan looks like -- the outer edge is slightly darker and more defined. The neurologist doesn't know what this could mean ... if anything. It's a wait and see how he develops kind-of-thing. All other areas of the brain look good -- no ischemic areas.

Clinically - The neurologist observed Britton's tone and responsiveness and was very encouraged. He and the physical therapist have commented that he has made huge strides, and is looking very good. We are encouraged!

The neurologist also mentioned that he had seen many babies with similar or worse MRIs that also improved clinically like Britton, and have had no or few issues as they developed. So he was very hopeful for Britton, but there is still the unknown as to how his brain will be affected by the trauma that happened at birth. We will continue to see this neurologist after Britton's release from the NICU, and will do a follow-up MRI in 6 weeks.

We continue to hope for a full recovery for him, and are so thrilled to hear that it could be very possible. We lift him up in prayer every day and are so blessed by the ongoing encouragement we receive from our friends and family.

Britton did have a (minor) d-sat yesterday (uggghhh), so we begin with day 1 of our 7 d-sat-free days today.

"Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you." Psalm 25:20-21

"When we shoot an arrow, we look to the fall of it; when we send a ship to sea, we look for its return; and when we sow seed, we look for a harvest; so likewise when we sow our prayers, through Christ, in God's bosom, shall we not look for an answer and observe how we speed? It is a seed of atheism to pray and not to look how we speed. But a sincere Christian will pray and wait, and strengthen his heart with promises out of the Word, and never leave praying and looking up till God gives him a gracious answer." Richard Sibbes