Follow Up

Today was Eli's first doctor appointment after his NICU release.
He has gained a tiny bit of weight and is now 20 inches long. He was not thrilled about the cold stethoscope, but the doctor was able to get through his outburst. He is still a tiny bit jaundiced right now, but nothing abnormal.
While the doctor did not hear a heart murmur at this time, Eli will have a follow up echocardiogram in three months to see if the hole in his heart has closed. The hole should close naturally in time, but she wants to be totally sure due to his rough start. Hopefully, it will close on its own and it won't have to be surgically corrected.
Tomorrow, Eric and I will have to take the NICU's required CPR class. And in February, Eli will have his NICU follow up clinic where they will assess his developmental progress. We have started his PT exercises at home. He doesn't seem to mind them too much, but the pacifier really helps the overall process.
Jackson is positively thrilled to have his baby brother home. He is in charge of burp cloths and will dash to the nursery when you need one. He also loves when it is time to change a dirty diaper. He is front and center handing me a fresh diaper, desitin, clean outfit, etc. When Eli gets fussy, Jackson reassures him that "it's ok, your big brother is here, buddy."
For the past two days, we haven't been getting much sleep as Eli is supposed to eat every two hours.
I'm exhausted but could not be happier to have our family together.

Comments

dearie said…
What a beautiful....and sqeezable...boy! Can hardly wait to get my hands on him! Dearie
November 22, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Sylvie said…
My sentiments exactly, Dearie! He really does look delectable! ;)
November 22, 2011 at 12:33 PM
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