Awesome news!

We got a huge surprise today! I had called the NICU first thing this morning and the nurse I spoke to said Tyler's oxygen level had been turned down to 30% and he was doing well. I was fully expecting to see him still hooked up to the ventilator this afternoon but possibly at only 20%, I was being as "minimally optimistic" as possible.

However... when I walked up to his little bassinet, the breathing tubes were out! I had no idea he had made so much progress in a matter of 6 hours, it definitely made my day! The nurse said he was doing excellent and they had taken out the ventilator tubes and were getting ready to remove another one of his many IV lines. The best part of the day was that we finally got to hold him! I changed 2 of his diapers while we were there (and didn't get peed on hehe) and I even got to feed him a little bit of pumped breastmilk from a bottle. They weren't sure if he would actually take the bottle, he still has the feeding tube in his mouth just in case, but he drank some like a champ! He even has clothes on now... he's got on a little hat and a t-shirt, and his socks... and we can bring him in some of his own clothes to wear also. I'm still amazed at how much he's improving, it's like he's trying super hard to get better so he can come home soon!

All of the positive energy is helping... keep Tyler in your thoughts!

Hopefully tomorrow he'll open his eyes... he was sleeping the whole time we visited but at the rate he's going, he might be running laps around the NICU tomorrow! :o)

Mommy and Tyler getting some quality cuddle time!

Tyler and his Poppop first picture together!

Grammy and Tyler, snuggle buddies!

More good news

I called the NICU at 8:30 this morning to check in on Tyler, and the nurse said overnight they turned down his oxygen level gradually so he's gone from 40% when we saw him yesterday afternoon to 30% this morning... and he's still tolerating it very well, so they will continue to turn the levels down slowly. He may be fully off the ventilator by the end of the day, I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Maybe tomorrow I will finally get to hold him!!!

Just wanted to post a short little update, Tyler's Grammy, Poppop, and I are heading back to the hospital again this afternoon to spend some time with him, I'll try to actually take some more pictures of him too. I can't wait to see him, and I'm so happy he's getting better and better!

Getting better and better

We finally have some good news! I called over to the NICU before we headed out this afternoon, and they said that overnight Tyler had improved quite a bit... he was on a 75% oxygen feed and as they were gradually lowering the amount, he was tolerating it well... by the time we got there this afternoon he was at 40% and they want to get him down to at least 35% by tonight... maybe tomorrow he will be off his ventilator! All my fingers and toes are crossed!

He looks so much better though... I'm so amazed at the improvement. They did have a tiny tube going in through his belly button to monitor some things but the nurse I spoke to today said that tube was actually irritating him and causing him more harm than good... as soon as they took that tube out was when he started to show a big improvement. I'm beyond thrilled... it wasn't as hard to leave him today when I came home... still tough but I managed to not cry this time :o) and I was able to kiss him on the cheek before I left.

As of right now, the bare minimum length he is staying will be until this Saturday... they have to give him some antibiotics and other fluids and whatnot to get him all up to par and it's going to take until then. But the NICU doctor said most likely he will DEFINITELY be home on Monday of next week... at least it's something to look forward to! I hated not knowing, and going in every day thinking one day at a time... but now we have a little goal. I'm still insanely impatient though. Saturday would be great if he keeps up this awesome improvement!

Thank you to everyone keeping Tyler in your thoughts and prayers and sending him all the good positive vibes... I think it's truly helping him... he's quite the fighter, he's our little champ!!!

More updates to come tomorrow...

2 Days Old Update

So today (Sunday) we went back to visit Tyler in the NICU... and it looks like he might be staying there for a little while, unfortunately.

Overnight they had been keeping an eye on his blood oxygen levels and were trying to gradually decrease the pressure in his "space helmet" to see if he could handle breathing on his own... but he wasn't doing so well and the levels were starting to drop. So the doctors took off his space helmet and put him on a ventilator... he has a breathing tube down his throat as well as a feeding tube, and he also needs phototherapy light because he has high bilirubin levels which is causing his skin to be red all the time. (I'd explain what all of that means but I honestly don't fully understand... so if you're curious, Google it!) The good thing is that the ventilator will help take out a lot of the breathing work for him. His chest was pretty bad the day before, it looked like he was heaving and breathing very hard but now with the ventilator he is much more calm and looking better.

As of right now we still don't have any idea when he will be able to come home. It's so hard to go visit him for a couple hours and leave... and only be able to just touch his hand or lightly stroke his arm. Any more touching than that could cause him distress; we can't even pick him up to hold him yet. It's hard and disappointing, so many questions run through my mind like "what did I do wrong?" "Why does Tyler have to go through this?" and it especially hurts to see your own child lying there helpless and you can't even do anything to take away the pain. I never thought I could feel emotions this strong but they are here and they are real.

So all we ask is that everyone pray for Tyler, or if you aren't really the religious type just think happy thoughts and send positive energy his way. I hope he recovers quickly so he can come home and be with his family soon!

In other news... I'd like to say breastfeeding is becoming an interesting journey. :o) I wasn't sure I could do it, but I've amazed myself. (I haven't been able to feed Tyler from the breast yet, but I've been pumping and taking bottles to him which they give to him via his feeding tube.) The human body is an amazing thing. I'm still in shock over the past couple days. I'd like to apologize to everyone if I don't return any phone calls or messages on time; the well wishes and congratulations truly do mean a lot to Jon and myself though, and we greatly appreciate everyone's support. I read each and everyone's messages and am grateful to all of our friends and family for being here and standing by... we all thank you and please don't feel ignored. We'll be spending a lot of time visiting Tyler and being by his side 100% until he is strong enough to come out of the hospital.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

We got the surprise of our lives yesterday! Tyler Jon Lalonde decided he wanted to join us a lot earlier than expected... so here's the long story!

I couldn't sleep to save my life on Thursday night. I finally ended up falling asleep around 3am on Friday morning, only to be woken up by awful cramps around 4:15am. I've never felt a contraction in my life so I just assumed they were false labor pains and I cracked open my pregnancy guide and did what it said to try to get rid of the pain... I drank some water, walked around the house, laid down... but nothing was helping. At 5:30 I decided I'd had enough, and we went to the hospital. I honestly was expecting to be sent home and told to suck it up, or on the way to the hospital that the cramps would ease up and stop. But neither one happened...

When I was in the triage room being examined by the nurse, she said I was already dilated to 5cm. I couldn't believe it... I was sure I wasn't going to be delivering a baby that day! But they admitted me to the hospital and got me in a delivery room, and started asking me 20 questions and trying to get me to sign all kinds of paperwork. Meanwhile, the contractions were just getting increasingly worse and I was barely concentrating on the paperwork and everything else I was being asked... I was even getting on my own nerves with all the noise I was making trying to get through each one. Eventually I was given something to sort of take the edge off (don't remember what it was) but it made me somewhat tired and loopy, and the contractions still hurt but they weren't nearly as intense as they had been.

Around almost 9am the anesthesiologist came in to insert the epidural catheter... and I must say that was the GREATEST relief I have ever felt in my life. Epidurals are FABULOUS!!! I didn't even mind the back numbing shot I got before they inserted the catheter tubing... I sucked it up knowing relief was in sight. The rest of my labor I didn't even feel a thing... I was so calm, I even got a few little cat naps in before the big show!

When it came time to push, the nurse had to tell me when a contraction was coming... I wasn't even sure if I was pushing well enough, because I still couldn't feel anything at all, but they said I was pushing great and it only took about 20 minutes to push him out. Tyler Jon Lalonde arrived on May 29, 2009 at 5:22pm weighing in at 8lbs, 10oz and is 20.9 inches long. He was about 3 1/2 weeks early, so his lungs aren't fully ready to take on the task of breathing yet. He's staying in the NICU for a little while getting additional oxygen until he can breathe well on his own, but he's quite a fighter! And he's got a strong little grip!

The other cool surprise of the day was that in the state of Virginia, they have a program called 529 Scholarships (or something along those lines) and because yesterday was 5-29, the baby born closest to the time of 5:29 in the hospital was going to be awarded a $529 scholarship. Since Tyler was the only one closest (5:22) he got a scholarship just for being born! Not bad at all... I was pretty amazed!

I'm so happy he's here. We can't wait until he can finally come home and be here with us, but I'm so glad to see him outside and just hold his tiny hands. He's got his Daddy's lips, ears, nose, and chest :o) and my chin. (We're still debating on his eyes!) He's absolutely perfect!

31 Days Left!

We're only a month away from the big day! It's amazing... time is ticking closer til we get to see the mini-man, and our lives will be forever changed!

I had another wonderful weekly checkup yesterday. Thankfully, my blood pressure is going back down and it was normal when they checked it the first time (I didn't even have to lay down! Yay!) So my risk of pre-eclampsia is very small. I'm STILL on bed rest though and will go in every week to be checked, but it's good to know that my blood pressure wants to cooperate with me now.

There hasn't been a lot to report lately, just getting through these next couple weeks. Jon and I will be finally setting up the baby's room this weekend since most of the big furniture items are arriving (thanks Mom & Dad!!!). So we can now get the crib and glider rocker set up, and decorate the walls, and we will be ready! I'm excited, the baby's room was the last big thing I was worried about... his laundry has already all been washed and folded and put away, we have the first small stash of diapers and wipes ready, and we're just waiting...

39 Days Left!

Today I had another of my usual weekly checkups... and we are still on for an induction on June 15th. Yay! The mini-man didn't really feel like cooperating during the checkup though; my midwife was trying to get his heartbeat with the doppler but he was all scrunched up in there in an odd position, so she had to use the ultrasound to take a look. I'm not complaining, I got to see him again! (But she didn't print out any photos, she was just taking a quick look for his heartbeat. Oh well, I was excited to see him either way!) Everything is going well in his warm cozy little uterine home. He's been breakdancing and kicking me like it's nobody's business, and I could have sworn he might have dropped last night because I've been feeling a lot of pressure, but it may still be too early.

Let me add that sleeping at night has become a task in itself... it's harder and harder to get comfortable and half the time I don't fall asleep until midnight, or 1 in the morning even... I miss sleeping on my belly!

Off topic... I went out for dinner tonight to a Korean restaurant in the area... I was trying to get some Thai food but there wasn't any place close by, so I figured I'd try something new... I have no idea what exactly it was that I ate, other than it was a big bowl full of rice, beef, a bunch of vegetables I've never seen before and couldn't identify, and a fried egg on top. However, it was DELICIOUS... I would go back again. And it was an authentic Korean restaurant, where you don't get a fork to eat your dinner with. You better know how to use chopsticks! (Luckily, I have somewhat mastered that fine art long ago!) It was amazing. I only hope the baby will grow up to be as adventuous an eater as I am!

Jon will be graduating his first portion of his Riverine combat/gun training this Friday, I'm really proud of him! He did a great job and put up with a lot of stuff while he was there... so he gets to come home for the weekend, which will be nice. The he has 7 more weeks of more extensive training, and he'll be back at home for a long time. As of right now we're still not sure if he'll be at the birth, but we both have our fingers crossed!