Max Moves

Max made a BIG move on Wednesday.  He moved OUT of the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) upstairs to the ICN (intermediate care nursery)!  This means he is doing really well.  He is on cannula full time, takes all of his food and meds from a bottle and weighs 9 pounds!!  This is a HUGE step towards going home.  The move is hard on Alissa though.....she has had the same special nurses in the NICU for 4 months........she moves to a whole new environment with new people and expectations.  She will really miss those WONDERFUL nurses who have become special friends.

Wetlands Walk

The kids are still here!! Yesterday we went to the Wetlands.....an area of preserved wetlands and salmon enhancement. It was perfect walking weather and the kids enjoyed walking and running on the trails, identifying plants and birds and just enjoying the scenery. They kept saying "Grandma, this is SO beautiful!" And it WAS!

Pretty plants and streams to explore and learn about.

 
 

Looking out at the wetlands that make up the very tip of Hood Canal in Belfair.

A Visit!!!

My son, Corbin, is busy working on a remodel of his living room this weekend.  Can't do that with kids underfoot....SO.....I am lucky to have a 5 DAY visit at my house with my daughter-in-law Melody and my 3 grandchildren....Elliott, Norah and Simon!!

I had a great shopping trip to Goodwill last week.  This puzzle is one of the new activities I found for the kids!

Here is Norah all wrapped up in the "Story Quilt" I made when Elliott was tiny. Each square is a different story character and I have collected  books to go with each one.  Hopefully I have created a "memory" that the kids will have with this quilt.

A Bottle Trial.......

Max is learning to eat from a bottle this week.  At first the pattern (suck, swallow, breathe) was a little hard for him and he would occasionally choke and only take a few ml's.  He did MUCH better today.....he drank the whole bottle.

He is currently on the nasal cannula for 12 hours and then the C-Pap for 6 hours and then the pattern repeats.

GO MAX!!  Seems like you are determined to get HOME!!

Max is DUE!!

Today is Max's due date!! 

That is amazing since he is already 104 days old!!!  Remember when he was this tiny??  Now he is over 8 pounds! 

We used to celebrate 100 days in school by counting things.....we are just counting the days until Max is healthy enough to come home!!

Shower

Alissa's friend Amy held a very nice baby shower for Lis and Max yesterday.  It was a great party and they received lots of nice gifts.  I am so glad that Alissa got to have a couple of showers since she missed so much of having a normal pregnancy.  It is also nice for her to be able to get away from the hospital and have a fun afternoon.  Thanks Amy for doing this!!

Back to C-Pap..........

Max was on the nasal cannula FULL TIME for almost 2 days.....we were thrilled at this progress.  Then he had a couple of "blood gasses" that were too high so they put him back on the C-Pap.  For 3 days now he has been on the C-Pap 6 hours then cannula 6 hours.  Hopefully this helps and he will soon progress back to where he was.

I helped Alissa give Max a bath  yesterday.  It was fun and he seemed to like it....not much crying anyway!!  Alissa is very accomplished with her nursing tasks by now!!