It is still early in the day, so a great deal more can come to pass over the course of the next few hours (as it so typically has these past few days), but so far it has been a good day with a few minor setbacks.
When the doctors came in this morning, we found out that Owen had gained 3 oz. That does not sound like much in the grander scheme of things but in his specific case, it is fantastic. The weight gain can be specifically attributed to the fact that he had the PICC IV put in yesterday, but hey, if it is giving him the nutrients he needs, we'll take it, He has only been given 15 cc's of breast milk every 3 hours. But once again, a little good news....while the amount is small, he has not spit up and will now be increased to 20 cc's during his next feeding. The upper GI results have come back as....wait for it....inconclusive for any abnormalities of issues with his digestive tract. So can you believe that again we have no explanation why he is spitting up? Yes I believe it too. They also did not find any evidence of a reflux disorder. They are going to just continue increasing the amount of his feeding a little at a time as long as he manages to keep it down. This gradual increase will insure that we are here many more days to come. His heart rate went a little strange last night briefly and went down to 60...they woke him up a little and it rose right back up again. Apparently this happens frequently in babies and they are not concerned about it? I suppose the average baby does not have a monitor on their heart 24 hours a day...so I will take that situation with a grain of salt. Some other level was mildly elevated...but they were speak the foreign doctor language and I had no idea what they were talking about. By the time they asked for questions...my mind had moved on. More tests are on the way with a blood test to check for a couple disorders that were rare and I have never heard of. Possibly an ecocardiogram because they are suspicious they may have heard a murmur of his heart. I had a heart murmur when I was young and grew out it...so I choose not to flip on account of that scenario either. His temp has been good...so that is a plus. So he has been a little down, but far from defeated.
On a happy note, he was VERY wide awake when he was up this past time. Probably more wide awake and alert than he has ever been and leaps and bounds better than he has been these past couple of days. His eyes were bright and focused. His hands were busy playing with his pacifier and eachother. When we set him in his seat, he was bored and moving around his hands and watching them as he did so. He reacted every time Brendan banged something around (which was often) and would follow the noise. His body had much more tone to it than I had seen in the last few days. He had been feeling very limp. He was awake for well over an hours and ate and kept down the food he was given. It was pretty refreshing to see him so on the ball. You have to take the little bright spots as they present themselves you know.
Brendan has embarked on yet another consecutive, full hospital day. He has had a few less than stellar moments...but he is also taking this opportunity to turn on the charm with the nurses. He has been saying Babette all day (even though she is not here and his parents are not a fan of the Babbles). He flirts big time with the nurse on duty today...her name is Julie. He runs around the room saying oh Julie! Where are you? He even showed her his tool box which he is not a big sharer so that is huge. He has been much more interested in and patient with Owen so far. He likes to sit in a spinning chair and observe Owen in his bed. He is also curious and observant about the diaper changes and feedings. I am extremely impatient today...but Brendan is actually being decent. Except of course for when we tried to eat lunch and he would run out of the cafeteria (where we could still see him). The people wandering by would look at him with this alarm as if he was not being watched. Then he would proceed to stick his face up to the windows of one of the doors and make faces at people. His BOOBS 2009 tour has continued too as he proudly says boobs prominently and repeatedly when the doctors are in the rooms explaining things. A little charmer that one is.
So, the day continues more in the right direction than in the wrong...but of course we have gotten a little of both. They are doing the ultrasound on Owen's chest as we speak to check for the murmur.... Hopefully we can top the day off on a little bit of a high note. We will see. There are more doctors planning to poke their heads into the room throughout the day.
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