Tue Sept 29

Man is it difficult to find time to do anything that's not baby related! I can't seem to get online as much as I thought I would. No matter what I do, when he sleeps theres a house to pick up, a phone call to make, a nap to be taken, a dog to feed, a shower to be taken, etc... I always think, "When I get caught up I'll sit down and post something." well it NEVER gets done!! Seriously, when one thing gets finished another thing takes it's place. When the house gets picked up, Kye wakes up and suddenly the house is covered in baby paraphernalia.Grandma Byrd even came to stay with us for the week and I still couldn't keep up! O-well baby smiles make it all worth it! I mean look at him! I could just eat him up!!!
So, I'll just post when I can. No more daily posts people, I can't do it, I'm not a super hero after all.......oh wait I kinda am ;-)








It's been wonderful having Grandma Byrd here. She's been a huge help and most importantly kyes gotten to know his great grandma... Not to mention mommas been able to take a few naps when the little bugger butt didn't see a need her to sleep at night. Grandma byrds been doing a little bit of
spoiling which Kyes has thoroughly enjoyed. It' was awesome to see my little man resting soundly
on grandma byrds shoulder and I don't think she minded either. She's given us lots of baby tips and changed many a diaper! He
finally initiated her the other day with one of his infamous poos! Well not the 'shoot across the room' type but pretty close!
Well, we love you grandma Byrd and we wish you'd stay for...ever?????



Kyes been doing great at home. A few belly issues here and there but nothing too crazy. The other night he was extra fussy so I called the
pediatrician exchange to find out if there was anything I could give him. Wow I will not make that mistake again! After answering questions
like 'Is he in severe abdominal pain, crying as he lifts his legs with
moments of relaxation as he puts his legs down?". To which I answered
" I don't think he's in severe abdominal pain. He is drawing his legs
up as he cries and not relaxing when he puts them down." this
nurse told me that a doctor should see him within an hour! At first I
freaked out then I looked at kye, I had answered so many questions that
he was sound asleep on daddy. I just wanted to know how to help him
poop for crying out loud! Anyway they had the doctor call me who told me I didn't need to go the the ER. I ended up calling one of our NICU nurses (who knows Kye) and she suggested Mylicon. It works wonders. Thanks Danielle.

Sunday Sept 27

Well it's been a while! So sorry but, duty calls and when duty is not calling my bed is!! Anyway just wanted to post some pictures and say things are going good. Grandma Byrd is here spending some time with the boy and helping momma and daddy out. He's down on his oxygen from .03 to .02 and he's doing great with it. He's been having bouts of gassyness or reflux with eating lately. Could be a little bit of both. He's been taking Mylacon which seems to help...we'll see.

Well dinner is done and I gotta at before bugger gets up cause he is NOT a patient boy!!!

Oh sleeping in the tub...this is a new development.

Here he seems to be preparing his lungs for a career in the rock industry..














....and here he's dressing the part!! A-frickn-dorable!!!

Tue sept 22

He laughed out loud today!!!

Well we tried the .02 and he didn't like it much. Normally he can drift down to 85 before the alarms go (what the hospital had him set at) off but the doctor said he should stay above 95 for the decrease to be successful. Everybodys oxygen levels drift down at times, when we eat, sleep, cough etc... anyway he drifted to 80 at one point. He brought himself back up within 30 seconds but, better safe then sorry. We'll try again tomorrow.

Here he is looking a little concerned at being at the hospital again. He didn't believe me when I told him we were just there to visit the doctor.

Aunt Ann and Cousin Jessie came to see me!!!!

"I love you Aunt Ann!" "You to Jess but, you didn't play get'cha with me...(is that right?-get-me??)"

Good News, GOOD NEWS!!

The doc took Kye off of constant monitoring!!! YES! Oh yes People he’s free of the chest thingy at least during the day. I’m so glad because it was really irritating his skin. I felt so bad every time I had to put it back on him. So now we’re down to just the oxygen which, we are WEANING HIM OFF OF!!! Double YES! Tomorrow I’ll take him down from .03 to .02. He’ll stay there for a week while we check his saturation levels, making sure they are above 95, watch his feedings and basicly see how well he tolerates it. If he does well we’ll take him to .02, then the next week .01, then…yep take him off of the oxygen completely, PRAISE THE DAY!!!

He said his chest sounds good and it seems as though he’s moving air in the right lung. He’s getting bigger, his lungs are getting stronger and less dependant on the extra oxygen. We’re going back in three weeks for an xray. Hopefully it’ll show that diaphragm down and out of his lung which could indicate movement. Can I get a HELL YEA??

Anyway he’s doing great at home and after a week and a half I think we’re getting into a groove. It’s a rocky groove but it is a groove!

Great Grandma is here helping out and I do believe spoiling the crap out of our little man! It’s ok he deserves it…for now.

Sunday Sept 20

We go to the pulmonologist on Monday! I hope they do an xray I'd like to see how he's doing at home.

Well great grandma's here for the week, we're so excited to have her!! I'll let ya know how it goes!

Thur sept 17

Just found out New Moon,, the sequl to Twilight is rumored to be selling out months in advance...

"Do they not know who I AM!!!"

" I'm a recovering vampire who deserves privilege, don't worry Momma and Aunt Carolyn I'll use my powers...tell them your coming."

The nurse came by today and she seemed pretty impressed with his weight. He's now 7.10 pounds!! Awesome huh!!

Everythings great except trying to keep him warm at night. This 'Back to sleep' thing requires babies to sleep without ANYTHING in their cribs. Hes wearing 3 layers and still kinda chilly. Poor kids gonna end up sleeping bundled up like the kid in "A Christmas Story"!

Sept 16

This little guy is keeping me BUSY!!! He's been home for a full week now and he's doing fantastic. Me on the other hand, I'm exausted and so is daddy!! I kinda miss the NICU ;-) I absolutly miss the girls there though. If your reading this I hope whoever got Kye's room is keeping you on your toes! Wouldn't want you to have Kye withdrawl! Man this kid can be impatient...wonder who he gets that from!

So far so good with his moniters, I've had a few alarms but they were either false or an alert that the probes weren't conecting correctly. The probes on his chest make him smell like dirty feet and they irritate his skin. He has to wear this 'wrap' thingy with two black rubberish pads that have to be placed on each side of his chest. The wrap has to be pretty snug to stay in place so its kinda jammed into his little armpits. The nurse said some kids peel from them., I hope it doesn't come to that it's uncomfortable enough for him. His oxygen probe goes on his foot and is always beeping when he moves. Luckly he doesn't haveto wear it 24/7 just at night. His oxygen saturation has been holding at 98-100 pretty steady. I can't wait to get rid of these things though. It's a huge pain in my booty to have to set him down every time I need to go out of the cords reach. But I have to say I sleep well (when I sleep) knowing it'll beep if something were to happen. Well thats it for now! Good night

Tue Sept 15

First outing!!!

We've had our first outing! We went to see the pediatrician. It wasn't easy but,we did it!! I think next time will be better, it was total chaos this time around! I was in tears quite a few times. He was fussy and wouldnt eat, I found out later it was because one of his probes was bothering him and I didn't know it. The machines were awkward, the cords were tangled, the mom was klutzy, the pediatricians office was in Clayton (hate driving in Clayton), the receptionist had no clue as to whats around her place of employment and had me driving circles, mom finally gets baby, machines, and some sanity into office but, forgets diaper bag (with checkbook, bink, etc...) in the car.

We got through it though and decide to stop at kaldi's and relax before heading back home. We sat alone on the patio and gave passerby dirty looks as to make ourselves as unapproachable as possible. It was nice to unwind for a minute, after that the day went much more smoothly!

He's 7.6 pounds now! Getting bigger by the minute! The doctor didn't have a lot to say. This was just like a meet and greet. I really like him, he's down to earth, had a sense of humor and spoke to Kye as he was checking him out, very personable guy. He was recommended to me by someone I trust and he has privileges at St. John Mercy, which was very important to us. Anyway, I just had a few minutes...little people sure do demand a lot!!! It's been awesome having him home, by the way! He's sleeping in his own room now and we ended up getting a baby monitor. We didn't think he had enough!

Friday Sept 11 (never forget sept 11th)

Well here are a couple more nurses we'll miss from the NICU. Our nurses (yes they are OURS) were absolutely wonderful. You know the kind of person that does great work and whistles while they do it, sometimes humms? As annoying as that is it just shows they love what they do, that's the kind of people they are. Let me be clear though...they did not whistle or hum I would have brought them up on the crazy meter and down on my list ;-) Anyway, Mary's up top and Melissa down below. We love you guys and we'll come visit as soon as he turns 6,cause he's not going outside till then. Too many germs.

Here's his last-ish bath in the hospital. I wanted to get a pic of him next to the monkey so we could see how he's grown. I have the other two on this blog somewhere and on my other computer, which I'm to lazy to and download ;-) He's huge!

First bath at home...he has a spa tub, he's a pimp.

scrub a dub dub...

"Get clothes on me guys!!!"

Relaxing on the couch looking at his book.

Love'n on daddy.

Cindy, the home nurse came by today she was super sweet and helpful. It was nice to have her stop by. She answered some questions, weighted him, measured him and generally looked him over. He tried to pee on her so, not much has changed regarding his attitude toward nudity and scales. Anyway, she made sure I was comfortable with the machines, what the beeps mean, feedings, poo's, pee's and everything in between. She told me we're doing great for only having him home a day or two and that I seem really comfortable with the all the hardware. What she doesn't know is that we've been stalking the NICU and have already called nurse Danielle like 5 time since coming home!!! Bet she regrets that offer now!!!

Oh you other nurses WILL hear from us. I'll wear you out one by one!!

He weighs 7 pounds and 4 ounces and he's 19 1/2 inches long! So we HAVEN"T broken him,
frick'n awesome!!!

2 down, 6570 more to go. Give or take.

Thur sept 10

Our firsts...

Our first night together....ohhh how sweet are we!!!

Kye's first night at home in his little bassinet right next to momma and poppa

First morning smiles in his new home...
Kind of busy so not going to write much. We're doing great. Kye kept me up last night, well it wasn't really his fault. I'm a little neurotic and couldn't sleep when he was sleeping. When he wasn't making a sound I had to check on him to make sure he was ok. And when he was up, well so was I. You'd think I'd trust all the monitors he's got attached to him....seriously.
Here's a pic. He can't be more then 7 feet away from this wagon. Needless to say momma will not be traveling anywhere with the boy in tow any time soon.

sept 9

"Got my tie on and no pants...perfect going home outfit!!! "

Car seat...check!

I decided to let Zeke take the wheelchair ride out of the hospital. Mommy's usually do but, of course mommy's usually gave birth just a few days before. I thought I'd let him have the honor!It was funny to watch people stare as we headed toward the exit!

First car ride, yipeeeeHere we are arriving home!

And his first swing ride!!

Well everythings going ok, still trying to get in the groove. He's fussy today and his monitors keep going off, it's a little stressful at times..

His xray this morning showed some gas so he's pretty uncomfortable, I'm hoping he'll produce a nice big poo soon. It'll take a little time to mellow out and not freak everytime he cries. Well I'm going to go sit on the couch with my boys... have a good night

09-09-09 D-day!!!

It's D-day!!!

Sept 8 HOMEDAY EVE!!!!

Well it’s homeday EVE!

I can’t believe the day is almost here! I’ve been reflecting a lot on the past few months. It’s been a long hard road. The range of emotions I’ve gone through have been extreme to say the least. Sometimes I held myself together and sometimes not so much. Zeke and I have had our struggles but, through it all we were each others greatest comfort and support. This little boy of ours has been through the wringer…and so have we! The people at St. John Mercy are absolutely wonderful on so many levels. As excited as I am to have my little man at home I’ll miss my daily routine and the people I’ve met along the way. I’ll miss my 3am chats about poop, screams and weight gain. I’ll miss the other NICU parents who are still in the middle of their journey. And I’ll continue to pray for everyone there, as I know the pain and the joys they feel on a daily bases. Mostly though, I want to say thank you to the wonderful nurses who took such fantastic care of this beautiful baby of ours. They have such love for what they do, such compassion, empathy and amazing strength. We need more people in this world like the nurses who cared for my son. I’ll forever be grateful to them. They are the reason I slept peacefully at night. I don’t think they get the recognition they deserve. They’re incredible at what they do and wonderful people to boot! I’ll definitely miss them. Here are two of the lovely ladies Kye loved to spend time with…

Angela aawwww


















and Danielle. This kid would do what ever it took to make them come running, once they were there he'd pull himself back together satisfied with his power and dose back off! Just keeping you on your toes girls!!!

Omg omg omg! Wed is the big day!! Details to follow:-)

THREE OR FOUR MORE DAYS. HOPEFULLY.

Daddy got to come see Kye!!! Yea! He was shocked at how much he'd grown! He's getting to be a chubby little thing!

We did our classes today, they were a little long but very informative.

oh sleeping on grandma

Sat Sept 5

They may actually let us take him home!!! Holy crap! Man, there’s so much to do. We’ve got the basement cleaned up, appointment set for duct cleaning, and plans for insulation on Sunday. This morning we have classes form 9a to 12, and probably a car seat test. This is moving pretty fast. They’re talking Tuesday or Wednesday, people! I’m so excited I could just pee.

I’m also feeling a little crazy about it. I kinda thought they would give us more warning! The to-do list in my head is all jumbled up and illegible. When I think of something I need to get done the thought morphs into something even more important and I forget the original thought…then I inevitably loose the more important task trying to remember where I started.!! This all happens before I even get a chance to look for paper to write it down!

Right now I’m looking around his room and it’s a wreck! I’m trying to figure out WHERE ALL THIS SHIET GOES. The swing, as adorable as it is, has no place to go. It can’t just sit in the middle of the floor…and the tub…and the pack and play. There’s no ‘pack’ to this thing, where does it belong? I just keep picking stuff up and moving it to the other side of the room, rearranging it into different, tighter piles. Nothing has a home! I don’t know what to do! We need to build a closet before he comes home! How about that!! Ha

Grandma and Grandpa are here; maybe I can convince them to build it! I think they have their own agenda and I don’t think it had anything to do with us!!! I have a few pictures, I’ll post them later…

Thur Sept 3

Nothing exciting to report today. Kye's doing great, taking all his meals by bottle since yesterday at 2pm. One day down, two more to go and the kid can be released! What are we gonna do!!!!!!!!

We're cleaning the basement and getting ready for a garage sale. I've done this before and I remember clearly that it was a huge pain in the booty but, what the hell . We've got a few items I would buy from a garage sale. Matter of fact I probably DID! So if ya wanna come on over and find your treasure...let me know and I'll email you my address. I think it'll be next weekend. OR if you have some things you'd like to sell come on over and we'll slang it together.

Tue Sept 1

The Boy is 6 1/2 pounds people!!! He's huge, I mean HUGE...you should see the size of his thighs!
Today there was more talk of 'D' day. I have to be honest I'm a little freaked.
When I'm holding him there's daydreams of rocking chairs and lullaby's. Maybe put him in his swing (which is adorable ) as I flit around from room to room cleaning or getting side tracked as it may be. Whatever the scenario, it's all sweet cotton candy thoughts as I stare into his big -soon-to-be-green-eyes but, when I think in real life my stomach gurgles just a little. So far, tonight, Zeke and I have decide we're going to clean the basement, put insulation in the attic and get the ducts cleaned....ahh before he comes home. I also have my own personal list growing longer by the minute, it's in my head though so most of it will get lost!
Anyway, I digress. He's doing well taking a bottle, he's up to about 5 to 1. We're well on our way, Zeke and I are signed up for CPR and discharge classes and the grandparents are tentatively signed up as well. I've got to dust off the car seat and bring it in, they do a test to see if he can handle sitting in it. They also help you 'install' it in your car. These people are thorough! I love it! We have no clue what we're doing! We're contemplating kidnapping a nurse for him. Would that be good parenting or bad???




"OMG I'm going home with these people?"


oh the xray was about the same as last time.