4 Month Checkup

Allison did a great job at her 4 month checkup yesterday. Apparently she is tired of being a preemie, since she is now in the 75th percentile of both height and weight! She is 14 pounds 10 oz and 25 inches long. She screamed bloody murder for the shots, but she was really pretty good the rest of the day. She did stay awake until almost midnight though.... probably because she slept a lot during the day. We are incredibly thankful that she is doing so well.

Ethan is still under 9 pounds. 8 lb 11 oz last I looked. He hasn't really gained much since he left for UIHC a month ago. The steroids can stunt growth, so I'm guessing that could be why. Hopefully his lungs will be getting under control soon so they can lift some of the fluid restrictions and give him more food. We've learned that working to breathe takes a phenomenal amount of energy. Dr. Nau told us of a little boy who gets a g-tube feeding of 1000 calories at night... in addition to a full day of eating well!! That is a lot of calories!

Ethan went off the heliox at 7am yesterday. Then a co2 of 90-something, so they turned up the flow. His co2 went down to 79. After that he still just looked like he was working harder. You could hear him 'huffing' with every exhalation. So, we put him back on heliox. The evening co2 was 60-something. I think he likes his helium! It's so strange, but I guess the little helium molecules bind with the oxygen and help it slip past narrow areas and blockages. It makes sense based on the amount of stuff they are suctioning out of my little guy's nose! So all in all it wasn't a bad day. I reminded them that Ethan takes longer than the average guy to adjust to changes. He doesn't like to move quickly on anything it seems. hmmm, hopefully this won't be a personality trait. :)