Ma and Pa Get Creative

Pa strikes again.

Needy...as Ma calls it.

Ma gets really creative.

The pumping room in the NICU.

Hello Little Man

That light is pretty bright...for someone who's trying to sleep.

Getting his rest.
Awake at last.

Day 27 of Life - July 15th

Little Sha is doing great. His ventilator flow rate is up a little bit today...but down since surgery. He is now receiving 7 cc of breastmilk every 2 hours...not surprising considering his love of food. If he has a good night, he will go up to 8 cc tomorrow, possibly 8.5. He received another blood top-up yesterday and otherwise is doing very well. Ma got to change his diaper and his snuggly, which is the little brace that surrounds him [he had thrown up on the old one]. The nurses report that he is handling better and they don't have to turn his oxygen up as much before they handle him. He is also moving around quite a bit. When Ma went into the NICU today, she said that he picked his head up, turned it slightly and put it face down into his snuggly. When Pa went to see him tonight, he was trying to pull his tube out and Pa had to get a nurse because he was pulling the tape off that holds the tube in place. He also smiled at them both and has his eyes open quite a bit.

Some more housekeeping items...there are some links to note on the right side of the blog. First of all, Irina's Diary is a link that has been available for awhile...however, I just wanted to mention it because she had a premature baby a few years ago and happened upon this blog last week. She has posted pictures of her daughter when she was born and has done quite a post...so if you're interested in some extracurricular reading...you should check it out.

Next...I have created another blog...Mabooblah's Book Club...better than Oprah's Book Club. So, if you're interested in what books Ma is reading [and might want to read yourself], check that out as well. If enough people read the books, then we can have a discussion about them at some point.

Lastly, there is now a link to check out the visitor statistics [thank you, Merv]. It's taken me awhile to figure that out as well, but everyone is now being logged onto the stats site. It tracks visitors by their internet providers...and at last count, there was 73 visits to the site today alone. Thanks to all who are visiting the site. Anyway, the visitor tracking is another interesting tidbit.

"A Letter to My Brother"

Please see below for a letter from Hyde...the Booblah's family pet. (Thanks to Gram Cush for writing it on his behalf...it would have been very difficult for me to read otherwise!)

Dear Sha,

I am holidaying for awhile at Gram and Grandpa Cush's. I like to sit in their sunporch and let the whole neighbourhood know when someone is walking by.

I thought you should get to know me because we are both Mom and Dad's baby boys. I have never seen you, but I have heard of you...especially when I used to jump up near Ma's belly.

Everyone tells me that you'll be the boss of me and I will have to behave for you as we grow up together. I have some hints to get you through those early times. So, this is what I have to pass on to my special brother.

1) When you are cutting teeth, don't chew and eat balloons, beads and a bar of soap all in one meal. Grandpa doesn't like cleaning it up later.
2) Avoid rawhide. Rawhide toots smell bad...all day long.
3) Gram will let you eat flies. (After she squashes them.) Especially if they have been bugging us while we are napping together. She calls them "nummy nums".
4) Uncle Kabooblah will take us for long walkys and protect us from those bad cats and shadows.
5) I understand that babies like to have favourite blankies. So do I...but I'll have to tell you about Lolita later.
6) If you eat lots and sleep lots, you will grow fast. And when you hurry downstairs, your lanky legs WILL catch up to you by the time you reach the bottom step.
7) Sit still when you go for a car-car ride, so your hair doesn't get all over. It makes Gram yack.
8) Auntie Carrie will bring you treats if you let her rub your ears and scratch your belly.

As we enjoy each other, here's what I want...
- to lick your soft hand as you hold a melted ice cream cone
- to play ball with you in our fenced yard
- to run and feel the wind on our faces
- to smell and poke at frogs and flying bugs
- to make your belly laugh, as I innocently cock my head and flop one ear back

Hey, as we get older, we can sit on the front steps and you can hug my neck and tell me stories that only we can share. We'll wait for the neighbour boy to come home from school and play with us.

Loved you before I even saw you...Your pup, Hyde

PS. Why didn't they call you "Seek". We make a great team.

A Couple of Pics of the Wee Man

Post-surgery...the little one recovers.

Displayed in all his little glory.

More Gifts of Love and Support

From Great Aunt Dar and family








From A Cow and family








From Shelly and family








The Great Couple from Thistledown Farm








From Linda








From Julie









From Great Aunt Dar and family








From Bazooka Family

Day 26 of Life - July 14th

One housekeeping item first... To the right hand side of the blog home page, there is now a link called "Sha Vids". This will take you to "home" movies of the little one. There is currently only one video to watch, but there will be more to come. Thanks to my friend, Merv, who's own blog is always teaching me something!

With that out of the way, we can talk about what everyone wants to hear! The little turkey continues his "campaign of shock and awe"! He is still doing very well and the staff is regularly decreasing his flow rates on the Jet ventilator. He received another blood transfusion for "lunch" today and another dose of Lasix (the diuretic). However, considering what he went through yesterday, he's doing excellent. So well in fact, that he received his first post-surgery feed today, 3 cc of breastmilk. He is back on the every 2 hours feeding schedule and they will gradually increase the amount, as they have done in the past. Ma tells me that she took another video today...so look for that over the weekend. And I'm sure that we can expect Pa to take more videos as well!

Day 25 of Life - UPDATE

The little one is doing very well, considering everything he's been through today. They are regularly monitoring his blood gases and they are normal. The staff is also slowly reducing his flow rate on the Jet ventilator, which he is tolerating well. These are all very good signs, so good in fact, that they are considering starting him on his feeds again tonight, which they normally wouldn't do for up to 2 days after surgery! This will make him quite happy, as that's probably what he's missing the most, considering his love of food! His nurse today said that they had completed the surgery in approximately 15 minutes and it was probably less invasive than when he had his long line done. Such a good boy...but I know that he'll be a handful for Ma and Pa in the future!

Day 25 of Life - July 13th

Little Sha is out of surgery. He did well with no problems. Yippee! The surgery took place in the back room of the NICU and he stayed in his incubator. Ma and Pa are hanging around the hospital until they can see the little one after rounds are over (around 11:30). If he has recovery problems, however they should hopefully resolve within 24 to 48 hours.

Ma has spoken to HR. The agreement is as follows: 15 weeks sick leave and 35 weeks parental leave, with 10 weeks of that topped up. However, Ma had to verify that UI approves of this agreement. When she spoke to UI, they agreed to her sick leave (as long as she completes the appropriate paperwork). As for the maternity leave and parental leave, UI has said that as far as they are concerned, she is still eligible for both, which is not what HR is saying. So, a UI representative will be in touch with Ma and will fax her the legislation. At this point, though, the sick leave issue is resolved, however it will still be some time before Ma starts receiving pay...but at least that part is settled.

Day 24 of Life - July 12th

Sha's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:00. As long as they are on schedule, the surgery should be complete by 9:00. As soon as I have updated information, I will post. The doctors have cautioned that although the surgery is very successful, his recovery time might be rocky...and that he will likely get worse before he gets the benefits of the surgery. They are going to start him on nitric oxide that will dilate his blood vessels. One of the things that can happen from closing a large PDA is that his body will notice the decreased blood flow and will constrict all of the blood vessels. So, the nitric oxide will be given to try to prevent this from happening. His feeds will be held in preparation for the surgery.

They also gave him Lasix, the diuretic, as he is retaining water again. The nurses say this is because his heart is not working properly, so hopefully this will resolve once the surgery is complete.

Ma had her follow-up appointment with Internal Medicine today. They are going to start weaning her off her current drugs and she has another follow-up appointment in 6 weeks' time.

As for her benefits and maternity leave, the HR representative has left a message for Ma. Apparently, she feels that she may not have been clear when she spoke to Ma last. This likely means that, contrary to what we believed, Ma's fight is not over. During Ma's conversation with her, Ma repeatedly clarified what HR was agreeing to give her and the woman repeatedly agreed with her...now she wants to clarify the situation. Grrr.

Update on Ma's Battle with HR

Ma finally has her answer from HR... and she won! They are going to give her the sick leave and the maternity leave (with top-up)! After that, she will still have her 35 weeks parental leave, which means that Ma and Pa can return to their original plan!! Yippee.

Many many heartfelt thanks to Dr. B for all of her effort to influence this situation. We know that your efforts were not in vain and are truly appreciative. Not only are you wonderful for caring for Sha, but you're the absolute best for taking care of Ma as well. You rock!

Day 23 of Life - July 11th

The decision seems to be made...Sha will undergo surgery on Thursday or Friday to close his PDA. They ran some tests yesterday to see how he would tolerate another dose of Indomethacin...and his platelets were low. So, although we do not know the details yet, he will have the surgery.

They will sedate him and make an incision in his side to close the hole. The results of this surgery are excellent and the chance of initial complications are rare. However, that being said, it is still a surgery for the little guy, adding more stress on his little body. With Indomethacin, as we have seen, it is possible for the PDA to reopen, but the surgery will prevent this from happening again, thereby letting the little man stop fighting this problem.

The head ultrasound has yet to be reviewed with Ma and Pa...so no news in that area.

The P-I-G is still receiving 7 cc of breastmilk every 2 hours and this will not increase, as they will likely have to stop his feeds for the surgery.

Otherwise, the little turkey has spent his day practicing being cute...as if he needed practice!

Day 22 of Life - July 10th

Little Sha has had a quiet day today. He is now receiving 7 cc of breastmilk every 2 hours. Once he reaches 9 cc, he will stop receiving his TPN. The TPN is the liquid nutrition that he has been receiving since birth. Of all his systems, it's obvious that his digestive system works the best! I told Ma that she should never take herself off the pump, as it's apparent that soon he's going to be needing even more nutritious milk! The nursing staff have started affectionately calling him P-I-G!

He had a head ultrasound and chest X-ray today, but the results are not available as of yet. Otherwise, the little one is doing well and is visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Cushman.

As for Ma, she is still in a fight with Human Resources. She is currently on unpaid leave...which is adding extra stress that is not really needed at this time. However, her blood pressure is still under control...thank goodness.

Visiting Policy

Please see below for a very important message from Ma and Pa...

Due to Sha's fragile condition at this time, vistors are being restricted to our immediate family (Sha's grandparents and uncle). Other visitors will not be permitted into the NICU at any time.

Please continue to respect our need to promote Sha's health and our relationship with the staff at St. Joseph's.

During the upcoming months, when his health improves, we will contact people who are interested in visiting him. For many of you, this may be a long wait. We realize that this will be difficult, however, we must continue to make Sha our priority, as well as our time as a new family.

Love,Ma and Pa

Blankets

The following is a message from Ma...

To Sha's Great Aunties:

If anyone has the ability to Surge stitch...you know who you are...and you are looking for a little something to do...

The NICU babies would like some new blankets...
28 inches x 28 inches of cute flannelette, surged around the edges.

They get washed a lot so the unit could use some replacements, if anyone is interested.

To Aunt JoJo - Pa is extremely excited that Chevy material is on your radar.

Father and Son

"That's my boy!"

Don't they look so cute together?

"I'm a Daddy?!?!?!"

And Now It's a Girl!!!

These pics will likely embarass Sha in years to come!

His little "girly" bum...making a face at Pa!

Isn't he pretty?

Congrats, it's a girl!

Day 21 of Life - July 9th

I like to write about the bad news first...to get it out of the way. Sha is now back on the high frequency ventilator. This is certainly related to his pneumonia, for which he is also on morphine to make him more comfortable. His platelets are low again, but not as low as they have been.

The nurses have now put him on a pump for his feeds. Because he is now receiving so much breastmilk in a single feed, the pump stretches the feed out, so as not to overwhelm his system.

On Friday, when Ma and Pa went into the NICU to visit Sha, as many of you know, he was on a Ford blanket. Of course, Pa was not overly impressed by this and made a comment to Sha's nurse, Moneypenny. M asked Pa what he would prefer, if Sha was on a Ford blanket OR if he was dressed as a girl. For those of you who know Pa well, it won't be much of a surprise to know that Pa chose "dressed as a girl".

M was Sha's nurse again yesterday, so as a joke, she dressed Sha as a girl! She was also the first one to allow Pa to hold Sha...cuz she's the best! We love you, M!