thetadpoles.com

On Saturday I got a call when I was at the NICU, I didn’t answer because I was busy gazing into Loen’s incubator. Tadd got a call on his cell phone but he too ignored it. After a few minutes Tadd walked out to check his messages. Listen to the message before reading any further.

The Amazing Crane

The amazing thing was Tadd and I were hovering over Loen’s incubator because they had extubated her and just let us in to see her. (When they are doing procedures on the babies they usually make the parents wait outside in case they become overly emotional.) Our little girl did not have the tube down her throat and she was breathing ON HER OWN. With the tube gone Loen was able to make noise. Tadd and I sat with our ears next to the incubator, waiting for the tiniest thing, anything. Finally a little mewing, it brought tears to my eyes. After a bit we taped her little cries (to watch click here). Andrew and John were right, the crane was a good sign. Loen did wonderfully. She was able to stay on CPAP for four hours. That was longer than others thought she would do. (CPAP has little prongs that go into her nose and helps keeps her lungs open.) The doctor had said they could pull out the breathing tube and if she didn’t tolerate it they would put it right back in. If she could last 12 hours he would be “down right giddy”. Well she lasted a third of that time and didn’t have any of the problems that usually arise. The respiratory therapist was shocked that Loen didn’t have any periods of apnea (forgetting to breathe, a common preemie problem). They put her back on the ventilator because they had to keep raising her oxygen to keep her sats up. Do I need to keep mentioning that she lasted 4 HOURS?! Poor little thing was tuckered out after all that. They will try her off the ventilator again in another week. They are even talking about Derby trying out CPAP in about 5 days. The only problem with that is he can be a little lazy when it comes to things like…having to breathe on your own. I think he likes the machine to do it for him.

Getting ready to get rid of the breathing tube:

Breathing tube free! CPAP prongs hurt my nose AND make me look like a piggy The nurse took a picture so mom and dad could see my whole face for the first time

After 4 hours I’m back on the vent. I’m telling daddy I was SOOO tired

I am VERY PROUD of myself (Mommy likes to think I am smiling here):

Derby peeking out from under the blankets:

Dad I’m glad you got me out of that incubator!

Derby is like a drug. Able to knock grown men out in no time flat:

Sunday night Matt’s band played at a club. Tadd and I joined the family to watch him play. He is such an amazing bass player. As I was watching Matt I thought about how grown up he is now that he is 15. All the boys have grown up so much. These boys who are as big or bigger than me were MY boys when they were little. My little sidekicks, partners in crime, the ones I would have to do the chicken dance to make them smile for the annual Christmas picture. I could simultaneously love them and hate them depending on their mood. Now there they were, one on stage jammin on his bass, the other two at the table talking and laughing. They are getting so big, they are growing up. Is time going to fly by for us and suddenly Loen and Derby are teenagers?? I can say the twins are lucky to have such great “Uncles” to hang out with. John is excited to teach them circus tricks when they are old enough.

John, the youngest, brought two of the cranes they had made to the club. I am thinking cranes are good luck for my babies.