One Month Old!

Thanks for all the comments on Dylan’s costume – we’re glad you all found it as cute as we did! 

Here is an update for this week: 

Dylan is doing great. Last Friday the drs. decided that he was well enough to be taken off the vent & put on the CPAP machine. They told me that they would know within 48 hrs. if he would need to go back on the vent or not. I was preparing myself for him to go back on it because of the problems he had been having with tolerating changes in his vent. Dylan surprised me – he did better on the CPAP than he had been doing on the vent! 
Friday was a big day for Dylan. Not only did they put him on the CPAP, they were able to move him over to Bay 3. I talked to one of his bay 1 drs. the other day & she called bay 3 “the big boy side.” It was too funny. But age wise, he is starting to be one of the big boys. He had been in Bay 1 for 3 weeks & 5 days! 
Sunday the drs. were able to remove Dylan’s picc line – no more IV’s!!! He is tolerating his feeds very well (well, as well as any 4 week old does – there is some spitting up that is going on). He is still on the feeding tube, but they are now giving him 24 cc’s every 3 hrs. I am excited to see how he handles that. 
They also put Dylan in an isolet (sp?) on Sunday. It seems like a step backwards after he has been in the warmer bed that is all open, but the nurses explained that since he is more stable, they are able to put him in the isolet b/c they aren’t worried about having to get to him too quickly. I almost cried when they put him in it b/c it seems so different, but he is doing well in it. 
So back to the CPAP – I told you that he had been doing well on it. He had been doing so well that they were able to wean him from 30 “breaths” per minute to 10 between Friday & Wednesday. The nurses told us last night that the drs. were hoping to put Dylan on the high flow oxygen “within the next few days.” That is a big step from being the kid who didn’t want to breathe on his own just a couple weeks ago! 
Today is Dylan’s 1 month birthday – I feel like we should throw a party because we didn’t really know if he would make it or not. I walked into the hospital room today to a great surprise – the drs. had decided that Dylan was ready to put on the high flow oxygen today! As of 9:15 this morning, he is no longer using the CPAP. When I left the hospital at 1:30 he was still doing great! 
We also were able to reach the milestone that I had set for Dylan’s 1 month birthday – I wanted him to be 3 lbs. by a month old. When we helped the nurse weigh Dylan last night he was 1373 grams. That comes out to 3 lbs., 0.43 oz.! He got there (but just barely). 
It has been a very good week. Will they all be this way? I doubt it. I would love it if they were, but I know that there will most likely be some setbacks. Right now though, I am praising God that he has taken a baby who was not supposed to be here for another 12 weeks from when he arrived & has been helping him grow & develop. We are so blessed to have him here with us. 
I was looking at him the other day & started to think about all the babies his size who don’t make it. Some just because they are too sick & others because of the choices their parents make. It occurred to me that babies at Dylan’s gestational age are aborted every day. Many people try to convince everyone that that baby is not a “baby” until it is born. As far as I am concerned, my little Dylan was a baby at 6:04 pm on October 6 while he was still inside me as much as he was at 6:05 pm when the drs. pulled him out. 
So, as I end today, I ask that you continue to pray for Dylan – he still has a long way to go. I also ask for prayer for the other children in the NICU & their parents. It is a draining thing being around the hospital all the time & I know those parents would appreciate your prayers. Also, please pray for those who are in a situation involving an unplanned pregnancy – pray that they see that abortion is not the best option for anyone involved. 
Thank you all for your love & support! I truly believe that your prayers are helping Dylan. I will continue to update you as time goes on! Love you all!!! 

~Renee, Derrick & Dylan