Toys, Toys, Toys!

Good news for Mom and Dad...Thomas has started to really take a liking to his bouncing chair, SWING, and toys! We were a little worried about the swing but it seems like Thomas is learning to like it, at least for up to an hour at a time.  What a relief! Thomas is gradually feeling OK in his carseat but, for a while, the only way to get him calm in it before starting the actual car ride was to swing the carseat back and forth.  So Joe and I were pretty confident that we could shell out the money for the swing we wanted and Thomas would love it.  That was so not the case! He hated it and first and acted like just being in it was pure torture! 

Well...for the last week Thomas has seemed to enjoy the swing! Last Saturday he spent about an hour taking a nice nap in it and since then he has spent anywhere from 20-60 minutes in it, either entertained by the mobile or sleeping.  This is huge! He's also started to take naps in his bouncing chair and just this morning seemed to be able to entertain himself with the toys attached to it.  It was so fun to see him respond to the swinging animals and smile! He was able to take a nap in it this morning, allowing me time to shower with him nearby, and was awake and able to keep himself entertained while I finished getting ready for the day and made lunch. It's amazing watching him focus on the toys and me and wondering what he's thinking!

Valentine's Day

Thomas celebrated his first Valentine's Day this past weekend.  He received his very first Valentine from his Grandpa Dave and got another one in the mail on Saturday from his good buddy Jack Klemmensen, who also celebrated his first V-Day this year! Thomas, of course, had a special Valentine's outfit and big plans for the day.  He was going to be spending the evening with his Grandma Kathi and Grandpa Larry! That's right, his first babysitters! Joe and I headed to White Castle with Jean and Larry for our 4th year in a row.  I wasn't too nervous about leaving Thomas for a little while, I think having to leave each night while he was in the hospital helped prepare me for that.  Thank goodness! Grandma Kathi was very respectful and asked to watch me prepare a bottle and for any other directions we wanted to give.  I thought that was very sweet! Being a new mom, and an especially worrisome one at that, it was nice to be able to give some instructions.  Although I do know that I need to remember that almost everyone caring for Thomas has raised children of their own successfully and I should try to relinquish a little control for my own sanity! ;) You can't help but worry though.  

Joe and I headed out and had a lovely evening at the Hopkins White Castle with Jean and Larry.  It's always a good time each year and is a fun tradition that we are able to share with them.  Next year Thomas will be joining us and I'm hoping it can continue to be a family celebration! 

Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for babysitting Thomas! 

Week 10

Now that I'm all caught up on the most recent events in Thomas's life, I'm hoping to be able to post more regularly.  My goal is to be able to track his milestones and everyday occurrences that our family and friends have to miss out on, with pictures! Every day with Thomas is such a joy and I am excited that we are able to share it with all of you.

After our last doctor's appointment I have been waiting for Thomas to hit all of those 2 month milestones, including starting to "coo" and smile in response to us. Last week I was able to prompt a smile out of Thomas and it made my week! I couldn't help but cry because he has the sweetest smile! It just lights up his face! I can't wait for the coming weeks when we go to pick him up and he just smiles because he sees his mommy and daddy.  This week he has continued to have a couple of times a day where he is alert and content enough to get quite a few smiles out of him.  It's amazing! Also this week he has become a little more vocal and, although they aren't quite "coos" yet, they are definitely getting there.   

Over the weekend he started sleeping in his own room! To my relief, the baby monitor works great and I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be over the move.  He has done great being down the hall and it's nice not to have to tip toe around him for fear of waking him up! 

Thomas's 2 Month Doctor Appointment

We continued to have great news when we went to Thomas's 2 month doctor's appointment.  Since birth Thomas has been making great progress in his growth and continued to stay healthy and strong.  We have been very lucky and are anxiously awaiting the spring and the end of the cold/flu season so that we can let our guard down a little bit and maybe expose him to the real world! It's hard to remember that he is a preemie at times but we have to continue to be cautious.  

Thomas has been increasing his food intake steadily since he came home from the hospital and each appointment so far has had great surprises for us with his weight and height.  We actually enjoy our doctor's visits! At his 2 month appointment we were happy to learn that he now weighs 10 lbs, 5 oz and is 21 inches long.  Gaining almost 5 pounds in 8 weeks is great progress for him! 

Thomas also received his first real round of vaccinations.  He had his first Hep B vaccine while still in the hospital, but this time we were there to hold his little hands while he received his shots.  He took them like a trooper! He cried for a little bit but was OK after being held.  As a side affect of the vaccinations, he had his first fever over the weekend too.  Luckily his pediatrician explained everything to us beforehand, including the "safe" range for the fever, so I wasn't too panicked and Joe was, of course, nice and calm! I did try to take his temperature every chance I could though, just to make sure everything was OK! 

Thomas's Baptism

Thomas had his baptism on Sunday, January 11th, 2009.  The ceremony was performed at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Delano, where Joe and I are members.  He was the only baby being baptized that day so it was a nice, intimate ceremony with our families.  Thomas was such a good baby during the ceremony, he didn't cry at all and slept nice and soundly while being anointed.  At the ceremony Thomas had the support of his godfather Nick, Joe's brother, and his godmother Elisabeth, Joe's cousin and goddaughter.  Joe and I are very lucky that Thomas will be able to have Nick and Elisabeth as such a special part of his life.  

After the ceremony we had our families over to our house for light appetizers and cake.  Thomas continued to sleep throughout the party, oblivious to how special the day was for him.  Baptism takes a lot out of a baby!  

First Christmas

Thomas was able to celebrate his first Christmas in 2008 with his family and friends! Our first outing with Thomas was for the LeJeune Christmas party at the Krane's house. He was able to be passed around to all of his adoring Great Aunts and older cousins! He had gotten adorable Christmas themed onesies from our friends Julie and Jimmy and he wore one saying "Good things come in small packages" to his first holiday celebration.  He also received his first Christmas present, a sweet book called "You are My Miracle" from the Krane family.  We can't wait to read it to him because he definitely IS our miracle! 

Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma Lisa's house.  He received more Christmas presents from his Uncle Nick and Lindsay and from Lisa, Bill, and Lauren, including ornaments and books.  On Christmas morning Santa made a special trip to our house and left Thomas his own stocking and gifts too, including a Christmas orange, a lullaby CD, a the book "Love You Forever".  What a lucky little boy!

Grandma Kathi, Grandpa Larry, and Great Grandpa Herb came over for the day and we exchanged gifts and had tons of appetizers.  Thomas was definitely the hit of the day.  The best part of Christmas Day for Thomas was getting to meet his Grandpa Dave.  Dave started out driving from Colorado early in the morning and made it to our house around 6:30 that night.  He drove straight through just to see his grandson! That was the most special part of the day.  Dave was able to stay the night with us and then the next day before he had to head home.  We were so happy that Dave was able to see Thomas and we can't wait for him to make his next visit out to Minnesota.

Christmas was a great time for us and our family and Thomas was the best Christmas gift we could ever ask for! 

First Week Home

Thomas was released from the hospital on Sunday, 12/14.  We were able to get him home by noon and get settled in and introduce him to the dogs.  Maddie was really great with him, just lightly sniffing, but Boomer was completely oblivious to him! 

I had a lovely family shower to attend that afternoon, so Joe was able to get in some great bonding time with Thomas.  He had also taken the next couple of days off of work so that we could get into a routine as a family.  We set Thomas up in his pack and play in our room where he'd be sleeping.  I never thought that I'd want the baby sleeping in our room but once Thomas arrived I quickly changed my mind! :) 

We had a few family members and friends visit that first week and things went really smoothly.  Thomas was such a well behaved baby! He continued to eat well and his first check up at the doctor went well too.  He weighed in at 5 lbs, 15 oz, which was great! The doctor didn't have any concerns for us besides the normal precautions we would need to take with a preemie.  

Thomas's Hospital Stay

After Thomas was born we knew that he would have to spend some time in the Special Care Nursery.  The good news was that it was mostly as a precaution, as Thomas was strong enough to not need oxygen and was almost regulating his own body temperature.  In order for him to be released he needed to complete his necessary food quantities by either bottle or nursing in under a half hour (for at least 24 hours), regulate his own body temperature free from the incubator, and be gaining weight at a good pace.  

We were also told that Thomas would more than likely have jaundice.  When Joe and I were dismissed from the hospital around noon on 12/3, Thomas was put on light therapy for his jaundice.  His bilirubin levels weren't high enough yet for concern, but he was put under the lights to prevent the levels from increasing.  He was under the light therapy for until Friday, 12/5.  This was difficult for Joe and I because we were told to leave him under the lights as much as possible, with the exception of coming out for feedings.  It was so tough to not hold him all day! By Friday his bilirubin levels had come down enough to come off of the light therapy and he was also doing such a great job of maintaining his body temperature that he was moved from his incubator to a bassinet.  That was a huge step! Unfortunately, all of these big improvements take a lot of energy from the babies and can affect their eating.  This was the case with Thomas, and as of that first weekend he was still not able to eat on his own.  He had a feeding tube that helped him get the quantities needed and what he didn't take from me or his bottle.  

By Monday his bilirubin levels were higher than they liked, so he was put back in a light therapy bed.  He looked like a little glow worm in there! 

We had been told from the time that Thomas was first admitted that since he was doing so well and was such a great weight that he might be released in no time.  It was a little discouraging for us to get so excited at the idea of bringing our baby home and then finding out that he had to stay.  What helped was knowing that the only thing holding him back was the eating and that at least by the time he got home he would be guaranteed that he was doing a great job at his feedings.  

By Wednesday 12/10 Thomas was officially done with his jaundice treatments and had taken and passed his car seat evaluation, so we were just waiting on the eating.  All of the nurses were so great and did a wonderful job of offering tips and keeping us updating on his progress when we had to go home at night.  Joe had gone back to work officially that week and it was so difficult for him to be away from us.  Fortunately, I was able to spend all day with Thomas in the hospital.  When Saturday, 12/13 came around we arrived at the hospital to great news....Thomas had started eating on his own over the night and had been doing awesome ever since! If he could keep that up we would more than likely be able to take him home the next day.  We were so excited! When we left the hospital that night we had an emergency cleaning session at home and made a stop at Babies R Us to get more supplies.  We were trying not to get our hopes up in case Thomas would have to stay but felt confident that it wouldn't be too much longer!

On Sunday morning when we arrived at the hospital we just had to wait for the Nurse Practitioner to come around and let us know if we were released.  We had the best news when she made her rounds...Thomas was ready to come home! We received final instructions and took some great pictures of Thomas with his primary nurse Debbie, and we were on our way home! 

Thomas James Johnson's Birth

Christmas came early for us this year! At 4:20 am on Monday, December 1st, my water broke...much to our surprise! I woke Joe up and we set out for the hospital.  Once we arrived at Abbott Northwestern we not only ran into our teacher from birthing class, but, luckily, also our doctor.  

I was examined and admitted at 7:30 am and told that I was dilated 2 cm and was 80% effaced.  We learned from the ultrasound that the baby was head down but facing backwards which is why I was having back pain.  I was having back labor and must have been brushing it off over the weekend as regular back pain! 

Before we were even settled into our first of 3 rooms, Grandma Lisa called us in a panic.  Since Joe had cancelled his meetings at work before we left for the hospital Nick had gotten a lunch cancellation notice and called Lisa.  Lisa then found us in the hospital! Once we were officially underway we made the rest of our phone calls to family and let them know that the baby would be born that day.  

We were set up with a great nurse, Barb, who was extremely helpful and calm.  This was great for me! I told her that I'd need reassurance throughout the day that having a baby 5 weeks early was no big deal! She did a great job of that and was very honest and open about what to expect for the day...including that someone normally as anxious as me might need an epidural! 

Grandma Lisa was the first of our family that arrived.  She did a great job of sitting with us and just talking and it really helped keep our minds from getting too panicky! At least for me! Once the back labor intensified and did not let up, I decided that I would love the epidural.  Barb and Joe helped hold my hands while they took two tries to get it right.  Once that was going I felt so much relief.  So much so that I was able to take a few little naps and Joe was able to eat lunch with Lisa, Granny, and Amy, who were all in the family waiting room.  

By 1:00 I was still only 4-5 cm dilated and Dr. Nadeau had given Barb permission to give me Pitocin, a drug to help speed up labor, but Barb felt confident that I'd move along quickly.  She was right! By 2:40 I was fully dilated and by 2:45 Barb was in the room, Dr. Nadeau was on his way, and we were pushing.  

Since the baby would be premature we were moved into an operating room for the delivery.  It's standard procedure to have a Dr. from Children's Hospital look at all preemies and we were moved so that the doctor could just come in from across the skyway.  I was unplugged from my epidural drip and rolled down the hall!

Once in the operating room I was able to get in a few pushes before Dr. Nadeau arrived.  Joe and Barb helped direct me in pushing and after the doctor arrived we only need a couple more pushes before baby's debut! 

Thomas James was born at 3:13 pm.  We were so thankful to learn that he was a healthy 5 lbs, 10 oz, which was a great weight for a baby that early! He was 17 3/4 inches long and in perfect health! We couldn't have been happier. 

After the birth, we were all wheeled down the hallway where we were able to see our family that had gathered.  People were able to take their first glimpses of Thomas and get a few pictures before Thomas and Joe went up to the Special Care Nursery and I was taken back to my room.  Lisa came and sat with me while I waited for the epidural to wear off and while Joe was with Thomas.  

Once I was able to walk and go up to see Thomas, Grandma and Grandpa Lautt arrived.  We went up to see our beautiful baby and I was finally able to really hold him! What a miracle! 

Thomas had several more visitors that day and Joe and I were just amazed at our baby boy.  I have never felt more blessed than that day!