Trip to Hamilton

We managed to sneak in a a trip to a park on Hamilton's waterfront before it rained (again). Liam (above) is contemplating whether or not to go through "The Rings of Water"!


Evan and Darren shared "a plane ride to Korea".

On the Friday it was raining, so Auntie Jenn found us "Jungle Jam" - basically a McDonald's Play Place on steriods. It was lots of fun for all five boys (Evan, Darren, Liam, Eric and Uncle David).

Aunt Colleen met us in a park on the Thursday before we met the VanBredas. Isaac let her hold him for her first time.

Isaac is home!

So Isaac came home Wednesday morning. He's been settling in quite well. His first official outing was to the Stanley Cup parade through our little town of Orono (Brian Bickle of the Chicago Blackhawks grew up in Orono).

The boys have enjoyed getting to talk to him and try to make him smile. Liam is very enthusiastic about "baby!!"
One last picture of him in the hospital - no more NG tube in the nose!!

Somehow in this carseat picture, he looks bigger than he actually is - I don't think his face is really that chubby.

It's really strange to not be spending the day at the hospital anymore - first time in 2 months!! Isaac has 3 appointments next week, and several more scheduled throughout the summer.

I'm trying to get used to waking up every few hours at night. My mom has been around for a few days to help with the older boys, and will bring them to Belleville for a few days next week. Thanks, Grandma! We also have other people offering to watch the boys and bringing us meals. We are so thankful for all the support, and are thrilled to have Isaac home with us! Thank you, God!

Day 61

Isaac should be coming home tomorrow...assuming he cooperates tonight!!! Stay tuned!

Day 54

Pictures...finally! Isaac has been doing really well. He has started to get the hang of breastfeeding, and does bottles for the nurses. He now weighs over 5lbs! The doctor has said that it won't be too long before he comes home!!! He had his hearing screened and passed with no problems. He has had no breathing issues and has settled well in his open-air cot. These pictures are still from London. I loved this little baseball uniform.

Both grandmothers have had a chance to hold their newest grandson.

He has really filled out. His face is much rounder, and his arms and legs are not so skinny anymore!

He was moved into his cot a week ago.

Liam has been walking a fair bit, and talking a lot!


The boys have been loving the nice weather!

The boys had a chance to visit at the hospital. The nurses loved to see them - not just because they thought they were so adorable & looked alike, but also because many of them had cared for Evan and Darren.

All in all, things are going well, and we are just putting in time before we can be all together as a family!

Day 45 (?)

Isaac is doing really well here in Oshawa. He is in an open-air cot now!! It's so nice to be able to see him and interact with him a little more easily. Many of the nurses remember our family from when Evan and Darren were here. They think we only have 3 boys, since they never saw Liam! It seems that the PDA valve may be closing a bit - the murmur is less noticible than a few weeks ago! Other than that, he has no issues. He has begun a bit of breastfeeding, and is doing well with that. It is so nice to be home, in my own house, with my husband and our boys. We've had a great few days together, and they boys have been enjoying time with a babysitter most mornings (who, incidentally, I used to babysit when she was younger!). We have been blessed with cards, phone calls, and meals. It is so great to belong to such a caring community!

Day 38 - Travelling!

Just a quick update here. After several days of is he going/isn't he, we're finally set to be transferred to Oshawa. He should be leaving before noon, and we're heading out this morning. I'm looking forward to getting back to my house and my bed and my clothes...it's been a long time.

One last note....he was weighed last night and now weighs FOUR POUNDS!!!!!! What an amazing child! God is so good!

Day 35 - Lots of good news!

So there's been a lot going on here the last few days - good stuff, this time. When I came to see Isaac yesterday, I thought he had a huge setback - there was a C-PAP machine and an IV. After a few seconds of panic, I realized that it was an other baby, and he had been moved. He's now in the Neonatal Progressive Care Unit, which is for babies who need less care. With regard to his recent "spells," Isaac has had very few desats, and hasn't needed freeflow oxygen in 2 days! They don't know if this had anything to do with his PDA valve, but they are pleased. The cardiologist came in this morning to do another echo. The medication did not close the valve, but the he said that he is not sick enough for surgery, and would just need some follow up in a few weeks. So that means more good news - we are on the transfer list for Oshawa hospital, and hope to go sometime this weekend!!

They repeated his head ultrasound yesterday, and the very mild bleed which he had is resolving now! He had an eye test yesterday (some preemies have issues with their retina). The results were excellent, and I was told that he has "very mature retinas." I'm guessing that is a good thing.

The physiotherapist came today and spent about 20 minutes with him observing & "playing." She said that he did well in every area of her assessment, even surpassing some of the benchmarks. She said that he thinks he's an older baby! She also said that the Kangaroo Care has probably contributed to his great progress.

I've also been able to connect with a lot of people in the past few days, which has been really great for me. Any time I'm tempted to have a little pity party, I'm reminded how blessed we are and how much God is in control! He has held this tiny baby in his hands, and has big plans for little Isaac!

One last piece of not so good news...I got a $50 parking ticket this morning. :( Hey - if that's the worst thing that I have to complain about, then life is not so bad!

Day 30

So Isaac continues to have desats, needing some freeflow oxygen a couple of times a day. The chest x-ray and bloodwork were all good. The doctors think it may be related to this PDA valve. It basically means that some unoxygenated blood is mixing with oxygenated blood, resulting in the drop in oxygen saturation levels in his blood (desats). They have started him on a third course of the medication he was on earlier, hoping to close it. But the doctor said that this has a very low chance of success at this point. On Wednesday or Thursday, the cardiologist will come again and do another echo. At that point they will decide if they need to address this surgically. Obviously, it is best for Isaac if this could close before then, so we are praying for that.

Other than his little "spells," as the nurses call them, he is doing really well. He weighs 3lbs 5 oz!! He still sleeps very peacefully most of the time. I do kangaroo care for about 2 hours a day, and his vitals are always very stable then. The nurse did some bloodwork on him while he was kangarooing and he didn't even fuss or cry! Normally he would really complain, but they say that the skin-to-skin contact is so reassuring for them.