4 Month Photos!

Day 56-95 Tribute Video!

Day 121!....still kickin'!

I am pooped....I have not pooped...I just am pooped. I had a busy day of recovering. It was such a crazy night and it wore me out. I slept lots comfortably. Aunt Nancy stayed the day and helped where she could. Miss Ann Marie (my nurse) came over to check on me and said I was 100X better than yesterday.....that's not hard to tell since I am breathing today! I even went outside for some fresh air and a visit to the Magic Clubhouse. I helped Mom and Aunt Nancy in the garden. Who would have thought after a day like yesterday, I would be out gardening today?!?!? It was like we were back to "normal"...whatever that is. God is so good. Please know that this is of no strength of my own.....it is God who is pulling me and my family through this time and He is here, right here, with us every step of the way. I know you all are telling me that I am strong and that I am a fighter....it's true, I am, but only by God's strength. I have been eating good and still trying to poop but no nasties yet...just stinky "poots" (those are farts). I am on an anitbiotic just to make sure there are no beginnings of pneumonia...they say I may have aspirated and that could have been why we aren't hearing too much air flow in my right lung.....Doc isn't sure but he said it wouldn't hurt to do it just in case....so I get bubble gun flavored goodness med...mmmmmmmmm. YAWN! Well, I am sleepy and it is about time for some grub and bubble gum so I gotta run. Keep prayin'! Thanks so much! Love you all!

Update II

Hi everyone! I am feeling much better. Still not 100% but yesterday took a lot out of me. My tummy is still plump and my breathing can become shallow at times. But my temp is ok, I am tolerating my smaller/fewer calorie feeds, my peeer is working, pooper could use a little work. I am resting well and I am comfortable. I even fuss under normal circumstances and I have my awake times with my zebra print. Continue to pray for healing. Thank you!

P.S.~ Aunt Nancy let me know that her little friend Noah still has no answers to his condition. He is experiencing side effects to the anesthesia and he and his parents are having a tough time. Please keep Noah and his mommy Ellie and Daddy Jonathan in your prayers. Thanks!

Update

Hi. It's Karen. Jacob has headed in a new direction. He spiked a fever of 102.1 (which is high for him since his temp is usually about 96 or 97). His respiratory rate and heart rate increased which gave him less frequent apnea spells but we fear him tiring out....he was breathing with lots of effort. We wiped him down with a wash cloth (meds are not an option and he should not be submerged to avoid chilling him) and this dropped his temp to 98.6 which is great. Pray he maintains that. He is now resting comfortably, his heart rate is normal for him and his apnea spells are still happening but he is alert to snap himself out of it. His belly is distended which leads me to believe his higher calorie formula could be giving him tummy trouble. He is currently on plain breastmilk again and his next feed we will give him one dose of pedialyte and then back to breastmilk to avoid bloating like last weeks episode. So, that is where we are at. THANK YOU for all your prayers and support. Please pray for wisdom and guidance and a strong, fighting baby boy.

Day 120! 17 Weeks!

Well I guess someone in Texas read my post yesterday because this morning I was visited by a genuine cowboy! Check em out... he has his hat, his bandana, his canteen, his chaps and his lonestar badge... he had to leave his boots at the door! This cowboy and his brother started a project today with Ms. Beth to make me picture books with lots of black and white and different textures. I can't wait unti they're finished!
After lunch, Mommy bundled me up so that I could go outside and play with the boys. I slept in my stroller until it got too windy for me. Mommy couldn't get over how sweet and precious I looked all bundled up for the cold. Here's a shot of me sticking my tongue out! I did a lot of this today... unfortunately it's usually followed by me gagging or spitting up!
Daddy left for work and I didn't like the idea that he only sang Happy Birthday to me privately so I figured I'd do something to get him back home. And it worked! He was only at work for like 25 minutes before Mommy called him home! See, I wasn't feeling so good. My nurse was out and she wasn't sure what I was doing and was concerned that my body might be giving up the fight. I wasn't digesting my food or medicine and I wasn't breathing right. Mommy was concerned because I kept turning grey or dark purple. I was really out of it. I guess there was even times when I wasn't breathing and I started arching my back which I guess is a sign of neurological problems. But my brain is fine for now... look at me... I'm blogging! I spit up a lot of stuff out of my mouth and nose and so Mommy and my nurse emptied my belly and decided to let it rest and then try it again with just Mommy's natural milk. I did a lot better on that.... still spit up some a little here and there but when it came time for my next feed I only had 9 of the 30 Ml that I was given still left in my belly. Please continue for me and my family. Mommy and Daddy are taking turns watching me to make sure I'm breathing (and flicking me in the foot when I'm not! Ouch!), and Aunt Nancy is on her way in to spend the night with me as well. It's always nice to have a doctor in the house. They're usually more useful than a cowboy!

These were taken after my crazy night during one of the few "alert awake and breathing well" times.

This last one was taken by Daddy holding the camera himself and reaching out to take the pic... can you get an idea of how small I am now?!??!?! I think I could fit in Daddy's mouth!

Urgent Prayer Requested!

Karen called me home from work tonight because Jacob wasn't doing well. His nurse is at the house currently and he's having difficulty breathing in his right lung. He's spewed out most of his last feed from over 5 hours ago and it doesn't look like he was digesting it or absorbing his medicine. The worst part though is that he's had several long periods where he's stop breathing all together and hasn't been able to be stimulated out of it. The nurse is giving us instructions on how to stimulate his heart as long as it continues to beat and after that... we're not ready to go there! Please continue to lift him up and pray that he is able to breathe steadily and tolerate his food and medicine! Thanks!

Day 119! Happy Mommy's Day!

No this is not a "cowboy donkeys" mascot hat... or a SanAntonio Spurs rally cap... this is a 10 gallon "Howdy Mother's Day" to my Nana and Aunt Melly in Texas! I really need to get out there someday soon... they say that everything's bigger in Texas... so I figure if I go out there.... I can gain back that weight I lost last week!
So today is the day that me and my brothers have been waiting for for days! You see, we got Mommy presents and she's been trying to get us to tell her what they were all week. Every morning Jonathan would come out of his room and ask if it was Mother's Day yet. And of course today's the day and he decides to sleep in! Turns out he's not feeling well and had a fever all day. But we did get to give Mommy her card and Joshua and Jonathan got Mommy some pretty pink gardening tools to help her put her pretty flowers in the ground. But of course, I got her the best present of all. (Ok, Daddy helped) I got Mommy a pretty silver necklace with a charm on it with my baby picture in it. And of course she loved it! Now I can be with her even when I'm not right with her... which isn't often!
We headed off to church where me and Daddy wandered the halls most of the morning because I was fussing. We did watch Mommy read Psalm 27 in church today.... well most of it... that's my verse (27:14 "Wait on the Lord and He will strengthen your heart") but Mommy didn't make it that far before her eyes leaked all over and someone else had to finish for her. Jonathan started his "sleeping tour" by falling asleep on Mommy's lap in church. After church he continued it by trying to fall asleep on Gramma's dining table and then was successful at falling asleep with Daddy in the bedroom for a couple of hours. He continued his tour by falling asleep on the couch with Daddy again after watching the end of Mary Poppins. Mommy says she felt very much like a Mommy today when she had me asleep on her chest and Jonathan on her lap and Joshua curled up next to her watching that silly movie with all the soot-covered men dancing around on rooftops! She also felt very much like a Mommy when she had to clean up Jonathan's puke later on after we got home. See I'm not the only one around here who spits up from time to time! So after a bath, Jonathan finished off his sleeping tour in his own bed with a bucket just in case!
I bet you didn't know that God talked about my Mommy in the Bible did ya? Well He did... it's in Proverbs 31:
" A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Mommy, you surpass them all. You are blessed and we are blessed to have you as our Mommy! Happy Mommy's Day to you! And Happy Mommy's Day to all you other mommies out there in the world!

Day 118!

Rough night. I had a hard time with my new tummy med and my new formula.....too much new...I am a creature of habit so I think it was just too much for me. I will hopefully adjust...after I spit up a little here, have some gas there, tough poopies over there.....I'll get throgh it though...I'm tough!...and this will help me be tougher.

Miss Jennifer Santora (one of my fabulous photographers....see the beautiful pics on the right side bar at the bottom....that is her work....amazing!) came over for another photo shoot. As you can see, her pictures were amazing last time so I thought I would give her a little bit of a challenge.....a crying baby....try and make those pictures awesome...she was up for the challenge though so we'll see.

After the photo shoot, I was tired from all my fussing so Mom and I took a nap while the big boys went outside and played superheros....Joshua=Batman, Jonathan=Superman, Daddy=Wolverine....quite the battles. We headed off for an early dinner at none-other-than APPLEBEE'S....Jonathan's favorite. We all ate like champs. When we got home, our neighbor Kaitlyn and her friend gave us a concert in their yard....cute girls. Daddy headed off for a night out with the boys....he left me here where the girls gathered....awwwwe DAD??!?!...what's up with leaving me with the girls again....how am I ever going to get super manly if I don't play Hold 'Em?!??! Girls just sit and gab, each chocolate and talk about baby weight....what I would do for that baby weight!

Day 117!

Yet another day God has given me...Thank you Jesus! So after a night of Mommy dreaming crazy and waking me up for a change, Mom packed me up and off to see Doc. Not so hot on the scale this week...I am down a couple ounces which is not too surprising considering my little fat face episode and my low calorie intake for the week. I am down to 5 pounds 12 ounces. But I didn't plummet so we are ok. We are working on how to get me more calories with less volume and see how I tolerate that. Doc noticed how tired I am and how much this past week took out of me. He also noticed my raspy sounding cry...he said that could be because of my tube. I have been getting a really dry mouth and lips so Mom has to make sure to give me some kind of moisture on my lips and a few drops of H2O in my mouth just to keep me moist. After I visited Doc, I headed to the mall to visit my JC Penney fans and let them do a little 4 month photoshoot. Mom is always telling people about me and the blog so I think we recruited a few more fans....gotta love the fans. We headed home and I got my bath. I was pretty tired and I even took my binki for the first time in like a month...I couldn't have it before because of the snot in my face. Mom told me most babies are weaned from their binkis but she wants me to have mine so I can keep working on my sucking....I didn't realize how much I missed that thing until I got going on it....I didn't want her to take it out!

Mom did some phone calling to all my wonderful NICU nurses to see if they know the special formula for Mommy's breastmilk to make it 27 cal. Of course they knew...they are awesome. So they gave us the secret formula and now I can try to get more calories in me without all that fluid. We'll see how my tummy does.

Gramma and Grampa took care of us again this evening....they are so good to us. They brought over pizza and some love :) Gramma likes to hold me and I like to be held by her. So it's off to sleepy land for me.

Don't forget Mother's Day! You'll thank me for that reminder later :)

Day 116!

Guess what I did? I actually went in my swing....and enjoyed it?!?! Mom put me in it while I was calm and awake and I just hung out in it for like 2 hours. I dozed off every once in a while. Dad came home from taking Joshua & Jonathan to the YMCA and he didn't know where I was....he even wanted to know if I was medicated or something. It was pretty nice. I kept trying to look backwards out the window. I may even try it again some day. I was awake lots today. I enjoyed all my black & white play things and fussed a bit too. Mommy's friend Amy came over to visit Mom for the evening....me too.... she held me while Mom did some dishes and picked up a bit. I am still poopin' like a champ...I pooped all up my side and then when Mom got me nakie to change me, I turned on my cat-like speed and reflexes and stuck my hand in it and smeared it on my chest...fun stuff...smelly but it comes in such a great shade of yellow and I was missing my yellow complexion I guess. I got washed up a bit and then rested for the evening. I slept close to Mommy who was acting funny in her sleep. She told me she kept dreaming I wasn't breathing and so she was up checking on me all night....she needs to relax a little bit more....there's a good idea for Mother's Day. Have a great Friday!

Ok...last post tonight.....WE HAVE POOP!

I promise....last post of the night....I was in bed, I promise....I was just resting my head on Mom, she was out cold, when I puked a litle on her. Now, I puke for 2 reasons: 1) too much food at one time and 2) I am pushing so I can poop and if this is during a feed, I push my food back up out of my mouth. Guess which reason it was.....Mom awoke from he beauty sleep to sniff the wonderful aroma I had created for her.....LOTS OF POOPIES! Go pooper!...just call me the Madd Pooper! Thanks for the stinky prayers :)

For the last time "GOOD NIGHT!" :)

THANK YOU BLOGGERS!

ok....so I stayed up a little longer than expected to catch up on some of my bloggerfriends. THANK YOU soooooooooooooooooooooo much for requesting prayer on my behalf in your posts. I am overwhelmed by the blogger lovin' goin' on here. I managed to comment on some of them. I don't know what else to say but "Thank you."


Also, thank you to those of you who do not have blogs but you pray and share me with others in a different way.

"Jacob Fans" are the best fans out there!....we should have t-shirts or something...:)

Check out some of my friends (bottom of my sidebar thingy after all the videos)

Day 115!

After a pretty good night sleep, I had a nice lazy day. I just rested, got a bath, and slept. I had a little poop come out today....with some help from Mom....the whole thing was kind of weird for all parties involved so we won't go into details BUT (get it? BUTT:) I had a little success. My peeer has worked all day too. Gramma and Grampa brought over some dinner which was nice. I just chilled on the floor and then Gramma, also known as "The Clicking Lady" picked me up and clicked, tickled me, and sung to me. Then my breathing went funny....I just needed more rest. That's just what I am going to do: REST! Good night.

P.S.~ Thanks for visiting me and loving me through my blog.....we went well over the 100,000 mark today.....woo-hoo....WAY TO GO MY FANS!

Day 114!

What a turn around. The last two days have been really hard on this little 6 pound body of mine. But I am tough and God has granted me strength, and those who care for me, wisdom and love.....I seem to have made it through a tough time with all this support. THANK YOU for all those prayers!.....keep it up! My peeer works regularly now...pooper still needs some work but it may take a bit to readjust to breastmilk. Apnea spells have been less frequent.....still happening but a little less intense. So, I just have to tolerate my feeds and poop and we'll be good.

As I had said before, Gramma showed up early this morning with some donuts and helped out a bit. Miss Ann Marie came out and examined me and was impressed with my progress. She will be checking in on me all week....she just can't stay away.

So then, Queen Comfy (Busia) stopped by with lunch groceries and spent a lot of time with me......she was so patient with me......I just did not feel well and my insides were uncomfortable and although I was on Queen Comfy and sleepy, I just could not relax. She rocked me and patted me and sung to me and just loved me with everything she had.....I took it all in but my body just wouldn't let me relax. But then, at about 5:00pm God answered our prayers and I rested so well....it was like someone flipped the switch. I have been comfortable and able to rest since. I am still weak but I managed to even have calm awake time with my zebra print. Joshua and I played "I Spy" under my new black and white play set....I'm a pretty good spier when it comes to black and white. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Kevin came over to visit for the rest of the evening. It was nice. Aunt Nancy just thinks I'm so cute....who can blame her?!?! I enjoyed it....which feels great after these last two days. I am comfortable.....thank God!....He is so good!

No news on Noah.....he was supposed to have tests today but you know how test scheduling at the hospitals can go....you never get in when they tell you......so just keep him and his family in your prayers.

Well, considering all that has happened, I need to get my rest....Mom is waiting for me here so I should go. Talk to you tomorrow, Lord willing. Sweet Dreams....don't let the bed bugs bite!