Wednesday Thursday

Wednesday - Bayley was with Granny Gail. She slept a lot during the morning but she did play with Gail some that afternoon. Bayley did good during church that night until about 5 minutes befoe class was over and then she about had a fit acting like her tummy was hurting. She settled down after church let out and she seemed fine. Go figure...maybe she doesnt like church...that is under investigation. Levi was so sweet and told me tonight that "Bayley is sooo pretty." What a smart little boy! j/k lol

Thursday - Today has been a long day. Bayley did good again last night. She took a bottle at 8:30 last night and didnt wake up wanting another one until 4am. We took Bayley to the doctor today for her 4 month old check up. Brian actually took her and I met them there so that I can try to conserve as much vacation time as possible since Ive been off work for 3 1/2 months. Anyway, We saw Dr. Tindle and overall Bayley got a good check up. As you all know by now Im a bit neurotic and a worrier...shocking I know. Anyway, I went in there with a list of questions for Dr. Tindle. Here is the summary of that visit:

1. Bayley weighs 10 lbs and is 21 1/2 inches long. She is not on the chart for a 4 month old...but she is in the 25th percentile for a 2 month old so that is good.

2. Dr. Tindle was pleased with the 2 month milestones that she has met. Bayley hasnt met all of them but she is definitely improving daily.

3.Bayley is going to be on breastmilk only until she is 6 months. Dr. Tindle agreed that there is no need for additional nutrients until after then & it is a choking & allergy risk to start food before then in preemies.

4. Bayley is still only taking 110 ml every 3-4 hours during the day and maybe one bottle a night and that is average for a 2 month old.

5. Dr. Tindle said it was ok to let Bayley sleep through the night if she wanted to but if she wakes at all we need to go ahead and offer her a bottle. duh...lol

6. Bayley's hematocrit had improved a lot and Dr. Tindle was very excited about that. Bayley gets to stop taking the Iron!!! WOO HOO BAYLEY.

7. Bayley will stay on the Levsin until atleast 9 months of age and we will reevaluate her then. The Levsin has worked great with Bayley and I do think it has helped relax her tummy and has drastically decreased her tummy aches.

8. Bayley is making eye contact and will smile (from time to time...she is pretty picky about when she smiles) Anyway, Dr. Tindle said that that is a good sign that DOES NOT point toward autism! Autism is more common in preemies than full term babies so we are happy that she is getting more social.

9. Bayley got 4 shots which were here routine vaccines and also she had the oral polio vaccine.

10. Bayley goes for her 1st RSV shot on Tuesday, October 16th at 10am. Dr. Tindle explained more about the shot and was very reassuring about that shot. I will be glad when Tuesday is over...that leads to the next and final point.

11. I mentioned to Dr. Tindle that Bayley worries me a little on days when she sleeps a lot. I dont mean just takes naps...I mean there are some days that the baby literally sleeps 20-22 hours during a 24 hour day. There are just some days that Bayley just seems lethargic. During the physical exam, Dr. Tindle checked Bayley's eyes and said that her eyes looked really premature. That wasnt news to us as Bayley is seeing Dr. Mets to follow her eyes. Dr. Tindle measured Bayley's head and said that she is in the 50th percentile for a 4 month old and in the 75th percentile for a 2 month old. This is within the upper limits of normal. Dr. Tindle said that she wants to get a repeat head ultrasound done on Bayley. They will be looking in particular for Hydrocephalus. (Hydrocephalus occurs when excess fluid builds up in your brain, most often because of an obstruction preventing proper fluid drainage. The excess fluid can push brain tissues up against the skull — causing brain damage and, if left untreated, even death. Hydrocephalus is sometimes present at birth, although it may develop later. About one out of 500 children are born with the disorder. The outlook for people with hydrocephalus depends on how quickly the condition is diagnosed and whether any underlying disorders are present.) Bayley had a normal head ultrasound at 1 day old and a repeat normal head ultrasound 3 days before discharge which was 4 weeks of age. We go to Children's Hospital on Tuesday October 16 at 2:30 for the head ultrasound. Dr. Tindle said that we can request to speak to the radiologist and hopefully they will give us the results of the ultrasound after it is read on Tuesday. I called my girlfriend Kelly who works at Children's and she reassured me that they should be able to give us the results and also that IF she has it there is a great surgeon that is known worldwide for the surgery she would need. I of course am scared for her but my gut says she is ok... i pray i am right. Dr. Tindle said we just needed to be safe and that this is another reminder that Bayley is not a fullterm baby.... like I needed another reminder. lol Brian feels this is only precautionary and nothing to worry about... I tend to agree but I cant help but worry. Pray for our Bayley and that the test will turn out normal. If the ultrasound is normal Dr. Tindle said we would talk about maybe going back to Dr. Metts before January to make sure he is comfortable with the prematurity level of her eyes... so we will see what happens.

On other news...Kim is going to have our baby Lila tomorrow! We are so excited to meet you Lila and you are all in our prayers.

Syd got her progress report. She is still doing great. 97 in Freshman Studies, 96 in PE, 92 in History Honors, 88 in Algebra II with Trigg Honors. Math is getting harder these days but she is still hanging in there! Go Syd!!! More later.