Apologies to Star Trek Fans
Hello to everyone.
Xavier has gotten over his first cold-like sniffles. It seems the cold Rebecca brought home from the gym, after jumping to me, found Xavier last Friday.
It made Xavier a little cranky, fussy and uncomfortable, but he came through it with strength, like he has come through everything else (he is more than a conqueror, after all!). Sunday morning, before heading to church, Rebecca and I laid hands on him and prayed. Come Monday, he is back to normal. Thank You, Jesus!
We did, finally, get some practice with the little bugger sucker bulb the NICU gave us. It is surprising how much snot Xavier's little nose can hold!
Mighty is our God, to Whom we give glory for our little man!
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We had a surprise visitor tonight. We were confused until we realized recent solar flare activity ionized the atmosphere and opened a door to another Universe. Xavier's twin from that universe paid us a visit. They did not have much to say to each other, so the visit was short lived.
A Baby Shower
Greetings to everyone.
The ladies at St John's threw a baby shower today. It was for one of the new mothers at the parish, Miriam. She had a little boy as well, Micah. Because Rebecca is a new mother too, they invited her to be honored.
Dad and Xavier, though invited, shook our heads, thanked them for the invitation then headed home for some "man time."
Thanks to our friend Margaret for taking these photos.
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Here Rebecca and Miriam are ready to cut their cake. It was a tasty cake; Rebecca was kind enough to bring me home a couple of slices.
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These wagons, bearing books and wipes and other fun stuff, are made out of rolled up diapers.
Xavier's First Day of Autumn
Hello to everyone, and happy First Day of Fall.
Today was a monumental day. Rebecca and I went out on the town without Xavier in tow! Xavier's Aunt Rochelle drove the hazardous roads from Fort Collins to babysit for a few hours while Rebecca and I went to see "Defending the Caveman" playing in the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
After laughing and enjoying the show, Rebecca and I toured LODO on foot, then found a quiet sushi restaurant for dinner. It was a celebration of our engagement, the day Rebecca said "yes." Did she read the fine print?
Xavier and Chellie got on famously. Xavier gave her the opportunity to change diapers, and test her with ambiguous reasons for his fussiness. Still, Rochelle said Xavier was not that off-putting and she would do it again. Rochelle, we thank you for giving Rebecca and me a few hours to ourselves.
We also thank you all for your prayers and support.
Xavier at nearly seven pounds. No more preemie clothes. No more preemie bottle nipples. No more preemie diapers. Now, newborn sizes (for which he is still a little small for, but don't tell him that!)
Finally! Xavier is big enough to (mostly) fit into his sleeper sack the NICU gave us. The logo is the MFM logo; MFM is Maternal Fetal Medicine. The doctors and nurses within the hospital have another meaning, which many patients helped give due to the often changing nature of doctors' opinions and thoughts. Rebecca and I fully understand this from our own experience. The alternate meaning of MFM is "Make up your Frakking Mind" (I used the BSG substitute for the "F" to make this page family friendly)
Four Month Liver Lab Results
Greetings to everyone.
Rebecca is recovering from her cold, and is on the upward swing. Thank You, Jesus! It was short-lived thanks to prayer, zinc, sleep, Thera-Flu, sleep, prayer, sleep. Xavier helped out during the worst part of the cold by sleeping longer and not being too fussy.
We wondered (after the fact, of course) the wisdom of getting Xavier's inoculations at a time when one parent had a compromised system. Was it good timing or poor timing?
Xavier has been a little sluggish since yesterday afternoon. This was expected due to his inoculations. He was in some pain yesterday, we think the sera sitting in his thighs and the lasting sting of the four pokes were the cause. When we laid him on his stomach or strapped him in to his swing (the belt crosses over the thigh area where the shots were given), he would scream a piercing, glass-shattering shriek! It was a definite new noise for him.
So, after consulting with his pediatrician, we introduced Xavier to Infant Ibuprofen. It may have helped. He got two doses six hours apart. After the second dose, he slept so deeply, Rebecca thought he might be dead! It was that sleep where the baby is limp and unresponsive and you can't wake him up easily. He was breathing well, but for a while Rebecca worried we should get him to an emergency center. Most likely he was so tired from a traumatic day (he is still quite tiny), five vaccinations, one blood draw and Ibuprofen.
He returned to normal today and has been alert and happy. In fact, he has been awake for hours and his current fussiness is due to his fighting going to sleep (that, and a little gas)!
We got the lab results for his liver today. His hematocrit number I don't have, except to report it has improved. His direct bilirubin measure is 1.1 (the last test was 1.5), also an improvement. This value still needs to drop much lower, but praise God, it's moving, and moving in the right direction!
Dr. Abbey will be examining his dosage of ursadall and will most likely increase the dosage. Xavier is growing, his liver is growing, so the dosage of ursadall may need to increase, for now. He may be on the ursadall another two months. Hopefully, at his six month checkup Xavier will no longer need it. (the ursadall augments his bile to help metabolize fat-soluble vitamins)
Awesome is our God!
4 Month Checkup
Hello to everyone!
Xavier had his four month checkup to today. Here are the status:
- Weight: 6 pounds, 12.4 ounces! (Glory to God!)
- Length: 19.5 inches. This is half an inch longer than his length measured two weeks ago
- Cranial circumference: 37.5 cm; this is 2 cm more than two weeks ago
- Oxygen saturation: 93% (and he was being squirmy during the measurement!)
As expected, blood was drawn to measure Xavier's liver statistics. This was done via a catheter in his right arm. Several vials were taken and Xavier did not like any of it one little bit. One nurse held his arm from moving while another nurse drew the vials while dad held Xavier's left arm and both legs. He complained with screams of protest the likes of which we had never heard before! Can you blame him? I have not seen him turn so red since the night of his delivery. (It might be a good thing I haven't learned to translate baby; the words he was using were certainly not kind).
Xavier also got his four month immunization boosters: four pokes and one oral. The pokes, the two nurses doing two shots at the same time to minimize Xavier's experience, went into his thighs. Each thigh got two pokes. It was a much different experience from the NICU nurses doing the same thing two months ago. Xavier has much more chub on his thighs, but that did not ease his complaining. And, he did not get any sugar water before the injections. What's up with that?!
Xavier will be on his high-calorie formula mixture for a while. We asked about going to a lower calorie mixture because it was such a big decision for the NICU doctors and dietitians (it took a week for them to decide to go to the 26 calorie we are using), we wanted to make sure we don't lose track of this and inadvertently program Xavier's body with a weight management problem later in life (which was the NICU doctors' concerns). His current mixture is doing him well. His is getting some chub, and he is growing. Dr. Abbey said he wants to see a little more chub on Xavier.
The introduction of solid food is probably four months away. Apparently, we have to use a "preemie" scale and add two months for solid food, but that may change as Xavier grows.
In the midst of this, Rebecca acquired a cold over the weekend. It was one of those blind-siding colds that overtakes you in a matter of hours. We're praying Xavier does not get it.
Mighty is our God, Who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus!
When I was a Preemie...
Greetings to everyone. To those outside the Colorado area, hello from a soggy Colorado.
Please allow me to clear some confusion. In a previous post it was mentioned that Rebecca was returning to duty with the Wyoming ANG. That is true, she is returning to her once-a-month weekend status. She was not "activated" to be mobilized.
As it turns out, I-25 and the rain and the flooding prevented Rebecca from reporting on Friday. She had to turn around. Saturday proved even more impassable until the late afternoon. Sunday would have stranded Rebecca in Wyoming had she found a way to navigate her way north.
Wyoming command has given the weekenders not able to report in this past weekend until the end of September to make up the time. Rebecca, interestingly enough, does not need to make up the time; she already has more than enough hours for 2013 (The 2013 year ends, by the way, October 1st, then it's 2014 and a clean slate for hours; no carry-overs).
Even so, the plan is that Rebecca will head up for a day on Tuesday. She will use the time to get things set in order from her nearly six-month absence, and she will introduce herself to the new command. (A change of command took place near the end of July, and several things are different from what Rebecca knew last March).
This plan may be scuttled by the fact that yesterday Rebecca was overcome with a nasty upper-respiratory infection or something equally annoying. She has been bed-ridden since late Sunday afternoon. If she feels better Tuesday, she will make the trek north. If not, more sleep, Coldeez, Theraflu and chicken soup!
The weekend was not only about the historic rain and Rebecca not able to return to the Guard, but another milestone.
To finish the title of this entry: "I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I grew, I put away preemie things." (my apologies to Paul and 1 Cor 13:11).
As mentioned in an earlier entry, Xavier graduated from preemie nipples on his bottle to number 2 sized nipples, and what a difference it made in him keeping down is meals!
This past weekend also saw all of his preemie wardrobe swapped out for newborn sized clothing! Glory to God! (in the highest!) The only preemie item, which made Rebecca sad to put in the "discard" pile, which still fits Xavier is a little shirt with a monkey on it. Though he can still wear it, it does not cover his mid-rift.
The newborn clothing is still too big for him, but not by that much. There does not seem to be much in the way of transitional sizes in preemie to newborn clothing. In a couple of weeks, however, it will not matter. He will be fitting into newborn sizes comfortably.
What of the preemie pile of "discards" (which includes his original sleep sacks)? We intend to offer them to the NICU. Rebecca thinks it will be fun to bring Xavier in for a visit and to see if the NICU can use the items. What they can't use may find its way to "Once Upon a Child."
No more preemie nipples, no more preemie clothing. What more excitement can one baby and his family endure in a single weekend? The use and discarding of the last preemie-sized diaper in the arsenal, that's what! Xavier is now wearing newborn-sized diapers. He likes them. He likes them a lot, and so do his parents!
The diaper was the last item to go. Xavier is free of preemie things. He is growing, and growing quickly. Even Kathy, our real estate agent, commented yesterday how much he has grown these past two weeks.
How much has Xavier grown? We will know more tomorrow. He meets with his pediatrician, Dr. Abbey. He will be weighed, measured, probably have blood drawn for labs (to see if we can get him off his ursidall), and he will get his four month immunizations.
Awesome is our God! We thank you for your prayers!
Guard Duties Resumed
Greetings to everyone.
Needless to write, but it has been a very serious time of historical rainfall along the Front Range. Flooding is rampant and washed-out roads and closed roads abound.
All this going on and newly promoted 1st Lieutenant Ogden must report to the Wyoming ANG base today. Of course, she has to be able to get to Wyoming to report in. I-25 is closed and she is sitting on it three miles from where the Big Thompson River overflowed I-25 (the highway is closed in both directions).
Her orders are for Friday and Saturday this month. Next month and through next year, her orders will be for Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Guard Weekend. This will be the first time I am left to care for and manage Xavier on my own. Whom will I ask "should I feed him 60 cc or 70 cc?" Or, whom will I ask "what do you think is wrong?"
Most likely, Rebecca will come home to find Xavier in his diaper, holding a slice of pizza in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Dad will be sitting next to him in his boxers also holding a slice of pizza.
Levity aside, Xavier is doing well. Today he is four months old. He is growing, and these last two days he has been eating and eating. Every two hours he downs 50 to 70 cc. Though he has not been weighed in nearly two weeks, he likely weighs about 6.5 pounds. It's getting difficult to hold him with one hand as his chest girth is increasing nicely.
Also these last two days he has not been so colicky. I must say, it's like a new calmer, gentler Xavier has emerged. His whole countenance has changed. We are not sure why the sudden (and it was sudden, within hours) change. Our top three thoughts are: the cooler temperatures, the low pressure parked over the Front Range, or the number 2 nipples we are now using on his bottles.
The new nipples definitely have had a positive effect on him. He burps better and he has not "volcanoed" since we introduced them. (volcanoed: (v) when a baby sucks in 50 cc or more of formula, aerates it in the stomach, then sends it back up, sometimes at gail-force speeds. Often thirty to sixty minutes after ingestion)
Of course, the one reason I did not mention above is the prayer. Always, we thank you for it. Great and Mighty is our Lord!
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Rebecca, dressed and ready to go, says her farewells to Xavier. She will not see him again for nearly two days. She looks good in her freshly-pressed uniform with 1st Lieutenant bars. It's the first time since her promotion she has donned the uniform with its new insignia.
How Did Xavier Get His Name?
Greetings to everyone.
"How did you pick 'Xavier' as a name?" has been a common question directed at Rebecca and me. After answering it again, I realized I should blog the answer as well.
Rebecca and I began discussing names early in the pregnancy. At that time we did not know if Rebecca carried a boy or a girl, so we discussed names for both. We learned we definitely had different ideas about choosing names!
The power to name was given to Man by God from the beginning; it is not something to be done lightly. Our primary concern was bestowing a name that had meaning. One's name becomes one's reputation. We wanted a name that would encourage and strengthen our child to press forward to achieve the meaning and reputation suggested by the name. We wanted a name that would effuse light, hope and comfort, while making evil and darkness tremble at its speaking.
Rebecca and I passed name ideas between ourselves, but nothing clicked for both of us. We were not too serious about choosing a name, we figured we had months to think about it. We did not even know the baby's gender at the time. Also, we heard so many stories of people who had the name picked out, but when the baby came and they looked upon it the first time, they decided the chosen name did not fit the child. Rebecca and I wanted to have an arsenal of ideas and be ready for any contingency. Little did we suspect what the next months would bring!
When the reports of a troubled pregnancy started, Rebecca decided she wanted to know the baby's gender. Referring to our baby as "it" or "the baby" or "the munchkin" was too impersonal. We needed to give our child a name.
The doctors already knew from a series of labs run against Rebecca's blood (some of the baby's genetic material passes through the placenta and into mom's blood stream. The series of labs was looking at our baby's DNA for reasons for his slow growth). Both Rebecca and I already knew the gender, it was something we both deeply "felt". Breaking with our thought to wait until birth to know "for sure," we asked one of the perinatal doctors. Armed with his gender, we could now complete the task of choosing a name.
Knowing his gender only slightly helped ease choosing a name. Not too long after having his gender "verified" to us, Rebecca informed me she thought his middle name should be "Michael" after his father. I agreed. It is a good tradition and a strong name, and one I strive to live up to. It had all the right elements. So, his middle name was settled.
Nearly two weeks passed, and still no first name could be agreed upon, though many candidates were considered. Then, while having lunch with a friend, the name "Xavier" came into the conversation. Rebecca liked it instantly and brought the idea home to me. I considered it, but I did not have Rebecca's zeal for it. It was not a common name, which appealed to me. So, I did some research on its meaning.
The name has two sources. One source was Basque, and it means "New House." That meaning, to me, had no meaning. It made me think of a pile of bricks and lumber. Strike two! (strike one was my lack-luster response with Rebecca's suggestion).
The second source of the name derives from the Moors. It means "Bright Hope".
We did not immediately go with "Xavier," at that time. Instead, we called it a good candidate. As both of us continued to mull it over, it felt more and more "right"; the name began to blossom within our hearts. After another "meeting of the minds" between Rebecca and me, we made it official. It would be nearly a month before we started telling people.
The story might end there, but for my sister, Kathy. When I informed her of our choice for our son's name, her response was a sarcastic "big surprise there!" Surprised by her statement, I asked her "what do you mean by 'big surprise there'?"
She then reminded me of something I had forgotten. More than twenty years ago, I wrote stories under the pen name "Michael Xavier" (the choice of that pen name is another story all together).
Not only his middle name, but his Christened name follows after his father. Some have said his hunger to know and experience God will exceed his father's. May it be so! May he go further than I ever have, and may he have greater influence in the lives of people and advancing the Kingdom. We have prayed over him from the time we knew we were pregnant that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb and he will be a world-changer and a history-maker. Even at his tiny size and not even a year old yet, Xavier Michael has changed the worlds of many and he has encouraged people he has never met.
Gracious is our God and Father, Who has given us such a blessing. Thank you all for your prayers as they have helped shape Xavier in ways we will not know the full extent for years and Milena to come!
Dad is having some "issues" with his camera. I inadvertently set something I can't figure out how to unset, and it makes taking pictures problematic (which is why I haven't posted more of them). However, I have a work-around for less impromptu shots like this one.
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| This is Xavier in his car seat the day before we took him home (he is having his "Car Seat Challenge"). Wow, he still has tubes and wires in this photo. | Look how much he has grown!. This is quite a difference from six weeks ago when he was 4 grams shy the seat's lowest specified weight limit. Rebecca and I were careful to see Xavier's bottom was sitting in the same place as he was in the picture to the left. |
Here Xavier enjoys the swing Rebecca purchased for him last week. Her father and I picked it up on the way back from the airport and assembled it. After thoroughly washing the fabric and frame (it was, after all, picked up in a second-hand store), we set Xavier into it. This swing has a magnetic drive (which is cool), a timer to turn it off after :30, :45 or :60 minutes, several settings to adjust how high the swing goes, three instrumental selections (which Xavier likes), three "nature" selections (fake crickets, falling rain, and ocean waves which sound like gusts of wind). It's difficult to see in this photo, but Xavier does have a smile on his face.
Xavier Meets One of His Grandpas
Greetings and hello to everyone.
Xavier had a busy weekend. His maternal grandfather flew in for a visit. Labor Day was a long weekend and it worked out for us to receive Danny, Rebecca's father.
I picked Dan up Friday at DIA. On the way home, he and I stopped at Once Upon A Child, a second-hand store for all things baby and toddler related (it's where we found most of Xavier's early preemie clothing which he has at last outgrown). Rebecca had purchased an item we have been discussing getting for a few weeks: a swing. She bought it, but had no room in the car to carry it home. Dan and I made it work with a little disassembly and repacking of his suitcases and Xavier's car seat base.
Danny was happy to see his grandson, for him it is his first grand child. Though happy to see Rebecca, he headed for Xavier as soon as he could. Whipping out the camera, he started his photo shoot, a shoot which continued through the next four days.
For Rebecca, her father's visit meant sleep! She got to rest late into the morning with no concern of getting up to care for Xavier. On Saturday, she did not even feed Xavier until 11:00 PM at night.
We even got a visit from Auntie Rochelle, Rebecca's sister. She joined us Sunday, when we introduced both she and Dan to the chicken at White Fence Farms.
We praise our God for gifting Danny with the trip to visit his grandson. Always, thank you all for your prayers.
Grandpa burps Xavier after a feeding. One of the things Danny did not get to experience this time out was one of Xavier's infamous eruptions, where he returns his milk all foamed up back to the person feeding him. Alas. Perhaps, next time.
With Xavier asleep, Grandpa could have put him down in the new swing just three feet away. Instead, he opted to show solidarity with his grandson, joining him in a quick catnap.