4 Months Have Really Flown!

The Moose had his four month check up today. He is growing like a weed - in fact, he's the fattest baby we've had. On the percentiles, he is at the 50th for weight and the 75th for height. Those numbers are not adjusted for his premie status, so he's really catching up quickly. Way to grow Seamus!

Jack and Bobby both went back to school today after the Christmas break. Thank goodness! I think we were all ready to get back into a routine. We did have a very nice Christmas though.



Christmas Eve was celebrated with all of the Paradises at my mom's house. Scott even flew in from San Diego, so it was nice to have the whole gang in one place. Bobby and his little cousin Piera (Mitch's daughter) got a kick out of turning the Christmas tins into their personal drum set. It was a hoot!

The big gift for the boys was a Wii. Jack is a Wii bowling junkie. In fact his player rating has climbed higher than Mark's. He's even decided he wants a bowling party for his sixth birthday next month.

My Mom reminded me recently what a great catch Mark is - two jobs (Wells Fargo and radio), still supports me when needed in real estate, taking classes at CMU to finish his degree, coaches Jack's basketball team, spends quality time with Bobby, and takes turns getting up with Seamus. I think I've decided to hang onto this guy!


The real estate business is off to a great start this year, with three closings currently scheduled for January. We are lucky to live and work in Dallas.

Hope you all are well too - send us your updates!

Free at Last

Seamus got to come home much earlier than anyone anticipated. We spent one night in the Special Care Nursery and then they sent us on our way. Check out his car seat - we had to go shopping for one that went as low as four pounds and he is still swallowed by it!


Gramma Sara made Seamus some beautiful crocheted hats that fit perfectly.



We had a pretty quiet weekend, just kind of trying to integrate the newest Slaughter into our household. Jack and Bobby are in love with their baby brother!



Bobby had his first solo playdate with his friend Max. He had a great time and it was so nice of Max's mom to come over here to pick up Bobby and give me a little break on our first day home. There is nothing like a newborn to make your other baby look like a big boy...

Seamus had his first bath at home today. We think he cleans up pretty good - what do you think?

We head to our pediatrician tomorrow for his first appointment. Hopefully we'll get a little more direction as far as how much we can get out with him. We know we'll have to be very vigilant, but hopefully we won't have to be shut ins for the winter.

We'll keep you posted...

Maybe Baby?

Has it really been six days since my last post??? Time has flown since I was released from the hospital. The days (and nights) are a blur of 2 hours of sleep at a time, pumping, eating, being driven back and forth to the hospital, returning calls when I can, and fitting in poor Jack and Bobby in the remaining available minutes. Notice my sweet husband didn't even make that list...

The Neonatologist calls Seamus an "overachiever". He started bottle feeding on Monday and never looked back. He now only has the most basic monitors, but no more breathing tubes, feeding tubes, or IV.


They moved us to the Special Care Nursery late last night. It is such an amazing facility. Parents can room in (which we both did last night) and get a little more hands on practice with their baby before taking them home. Feeding a premie is scary stuff, but we are starting to feel more confident about it.

Today has turned into a whirlwind of activity. They have started us on the "going home checklist" and they are hoping we will have it all checked off today and BRING OUR BOY HOME TONIGHT!!!!


Of course we are thrilled and terrified at the same time. If I thought life changed when I came home from the hospital, I am sure it is nothing compared to how things will be different when Seamus comes home. One of our biggest challenges will be limiting his exposure as he will be particularly susceptible to respiratory illness and flu/RSV season are just around the corner. We are asking your forgiveness is advance if you find we are being overly protective - we just don't want to take any chances.

Thank you all for your support and prayers - they have clearly worked. Maybe now they can change to prayers of Thanksgiving (followed by a Please Lord, let them be good at this...)

As soon as we have a chance we'll send another update...

Seamus "Batman" Slaughter

I am home now. It's been about 28 hours and whoa - what a transition. It took me a little while to get used to hospital noises and it turns out I need a little while to re-acclimate to Jack and Bobby volume too. So far it's pretty much pump, eat, drink, sleep, and get to the hospital as much as I can. Just that much is wearing me out.

Seamus had another big day yesterday. He got off of all of the breathing apparatus. He is going solo now and breathing on his own. On the other hand, he had to go on the bilirubin lights yesterday because he was getting to jaundiced. I understand this happens in almost 80% of premie babies, so it's not alarming. The bummer of it is that we just got to hold him for the first time on Friday and as long as he is on the lights, we can only take him out for ten minutes a day for holding time. I hope it won't be too much longer because I think we all benefit from that direct contact.

While he's on the lights, Seamus has to wear this foam face mask to protect his eyes. Thus, Mark's new name for him - Batman. Check out the photo and see for yourself.

It was tough coming home from the hospital yesterday with all the discomfort of a recent c-section and hospital stay, but no baby to welcome home with it. We know he's in the best place and we have so much to be grateful for, but it's tough emotionally.

Today was our first chance to try and juggle a bit and it went well. We made it up to the hospital three times today between the two of us, with no additional child care for Jack and Bobby and only one ride for me. We did have dinner delivery from Ranee Zatopek and grocery shopping by my Mom though, which were both a huge help.


Some families with children in the NICU live far away and can only make it up there occassionally. I can't imagine how awful that would be, but it helps me remember to be grateful we live so close to Presby. We feel guilty and sad that we spend a total of less than two hours a day with him, but we're much luckier than most.

For those of you still looking for a way to help out, this week it's all about helping us get to the hospital. From now until Seamus comes home, we'll welcome anyone that wants to come watch Jack and Bobby from 7pm - 8:15pm so we can spend a little quality time together with Seamus. Of course you're welcome to bring your own kids over too.

Also, I need rides to the hospital T,W, &TH. There are two times available - Drop off at Presby by 10:10 and pick up by 11:10 or drop off by 1:10 and pick up by 2:10. Drivers won't be able to come into the NICU, but you can hang out on the Presby campus or run an errand and come back - whichever works better for you. I would also welcome one way drivers if you can't do both. If I find a sitter for Bobby on Friday, I'll be looking for a couple of rides that day too. Just e-mail me if you want to help out with any of these.

Keep up the prayers,
kps

Thank You - Neighbors, Friends, Family, Community, Everyone...

As I am coming around to feeling like a normal person again, I have been reflecting on the last few weeks and I am so humbled and grateful for the generous support and seemingly limitless offers of help we have been given. It's just so reassuring to feel like we're covered by our community. I know that Seamus's arrival would have been a bigger struggle without your help and that Jack and Bobby have been better off because of the efforts of all of our supporters.

Here is a quick run down of a starter list of people who have already blessed our family with their kindness:

Marlene' Neathery, Kay Wheeler, Nana, Wendy Lucas, Kathy Jensen, Lynn Daniel, Jadi Oliver, and Republic Title- for dinner delivery while I was on bedrest and in the hospital.

Dayna Sisk, Kelly Ramirez, Jennifer Arthur, and Uncle Jack - for picking up kids and bringing them home from school, soccer practice, etc...

Marybeth Bossart, Linda Lomonaco, Uncle Jack, Kathy Jensen, Jadi Oliver, Uncle Mitch, and Aunt Jenn - for coming over and watching Jack and Bobby at our house - allowing them to stay in their own environment and keep things "normal".

St. Mark's MDO - for being flexible and allowing Bobby to stay in the program while we have been in limbo for the last few weeks.

Mitch & Jenn, Rachel Young, Jennifer Arthur, Jack, and Kelly - for meaningful and helpful hospital visits.

Amie Parsons - for dropping a pressure free, handwritten note of encouragement at the NICU.

Grandma and Papa, Movin 107.5, and the Wells Fargo Team - for flower deliveries to the hospital.

Uncle Scott - for monitoring the medical files from all the way in California.

Sherri Baer and the Admin Team at Virginia Cook and Erin Willis at Republic Title- for making sure my closings and my clients were covered during that first week of bedrest.

And of course, my MOM for stepping up daily to take care of my kids, my house, and most of all ME - especially when I hit the wall yesterday.

If I have omitted someone on this initial list - please forgive me. My written thank you list has suffered a little since Tuesday, but I will get back up to speed here soon and I am sure I will be remembering someone...

I know so many more of you volunteered and really want to help, and don't worry - there will still be lots of opportunities over the next few weeks. I'll probably do a post sometime tomorrow with a list of small things we'll need and you can opt in if one of them works for you.

Each of you gets a claim in the healthy arrival of Seamus William Slaughter and we will be forever grateful. Our family will work hard to "pay it back" over the next many years.

From the bottom of our hearts - we thank you.

Seamus's Big Day

What a great day it has been for Seamus!

Mark came up this morning and we were both there for his 10:30 am feeding. It was a lucky thing as we unexpectedly got to be there when they removed the large breathing apparatus he has had and replaced it with a much smaller canula. You can actually see is face now and I have to say he is a CUTIE! Those circle stickers you see on his face are only about an inch in diameter.

Also big for us - Mark and I each got to hold him for the first time today. Ahhhhh.... What a precious thing I took for granted before.

We are starting to figure out a bit of a routine. Seamus gets fed through his feeding tube every three hours, starting at 1:30 in the morning and going aroung the clock. I pump an hour before his feeding time and then either send the breast milk over or deliver it in person and hold him while it goes in the tube.

Once I check out tomorrow, we'll have to figure out how to work it all out with driving, childcare, work, etc. For all of you who have previous experience with this - bring on the advice. We would love to benefit from your wisdom.

Seamus got to meet his big brother Jack today. The NICU staff was so gracious about it. Jack's not old enough to enter the NICU, but they hooked Seamus up to portable monitors and an oxygen tank and brought him to the front desk and held him in front of the window for Jack to see his newest baby brother. It was another emotional moment for Mark and I.

Turning the Corner

I guess first I should fill in some of my perspective from Seamus's birthday.

Mark's version of the events was so heartfelt. Few people get to see that side of him, but my husband is a sweet man with a soft heart. His family is his whole world and I know it's been a tough road for him too.

Tuesday was kind of scary. Actually it was all going well until they got me down to pre-op and my blood pressure went crazy. At it's peak it was 201/105 - YIKES! Because it was so high, they had to start something called a "Mag Wash". They basically flood your body with magnesium, which prevents seizures. The initial "load" is significant and they were doing that while administering the epidural and prepping for surgery. They did warn me it would make me feel awful.

Once in the OR, my doctor was all over it. She led the team in a very successful delivery. Mark was brought in at the last second and he was giving me reassurance with his eyes when we heard Seamus cry out for the first time. We both cried tears of relief with the knowledge that his lungs were working well enough for him to cry upon entry to the world.

The NICU team quickly got to work and the head of their team came over to give us a quick update. He asked Mark to accompany them to the NICU and they all took off. They finished closing me up in the OR and then I had to stay in a quiet recovery room for four hours. All of my family was in the waiting room, but no one other than my mom and Mark (and even then, only one at a time) were allowed to see me that night. They kept the room dark, no music, and no talking - only whispering.

The Mag Wash is a 24 hour test of your endurance under extreme circumstances. I didn't realize just how bad it was until after I was done with it. In hindsight, I can see how it causes extreme lethargy and nausea, while at the same time making you unable to sleep. That combo makes for some poor judgement and mine was definitely impaired through the end of the day on Wednesday.

Wednesday night I was moved to the regular L&D floor, and it was another tough night. I called my mom at 5 in the morning and asked her to come up and help me get back on track. I definitly overestimated my ability to handle everything on my own. By mid-afternoon Thursday, my whole world looked a lot better. There is just nothing like your mom to make things right again.

Mark and I visited Seamus Thursday night and he is looking good. As I feel better each day, I think my brain allows me more of a realistic outlook regarding Seamus. In the first 48 hours, I think I was little too easy about his circumstances. I am not alarmist now, but I do have a better understanding of what it means to have a child in the NICU.

It's a whole different experience than bringing home a newborn a few days after they are born. Upon reflection, I can think of several people we know who have been through this. I'm sure there are several more who have told me and I forgot. I am sorry to all of you. I had no idea what a big thing you were telling me and how much it shapes who you are.

Having said all that, I still think our NICU experience will be pretty mild compared to most. Seamus could be home in as soon as a few weeks. Now that's something else I have learned about the NICU. They don't really want parents to ask when their child is coming home. No one knows. It's a day by day thing and we'll find out a few days before they are ready to release him. Consequently, when people ask us when he's coming home, please know we are not being evasive. We don't know either.

We got a really cool Presby backpack from the NICU. It's kind of like a badge of honor to a club you never wanted to be in, although when you consider some of the alternatives, it's a badge you will wear proudly and hope you earn the right to wear with dignity.

The attached photo was a brief moment when Seamus didn't have anything but the feeding tube in. His eyes were still swollen shut. We promise to post more photos soon and to continue with regular thoughts and updates through this format...