Sleep?

Our home life has basically boiled down to one essential, elusive ideal element: sleep. We are grabbing it when we can, which for Kara is especially rare because Milo is a very enthusiastic and demanding feeder every 2 hours (or less). For Daddy, longer stretches but somewhat erratic opportunities for snoozing. Nolan is going through a 3-4am rising for a few hours and then sacking out into the later morning...not conducive to any kind of schedule for school and whatnot. And, Mr. Bean has grown very fond of his Mommy time since Milo has been taking a good deal of Kara's attention. All are thankful, somewhat healthy (another cold and fever cycle for Nolan), but we are kind of dragging here on Windsor Circle. So, take note Aunt Fab and Uncle Doolittle, a big day is coming, and it is a groggy one.

Bright note: Milo passed his 2 week exam with flying colors! Regained birth weight and more. And he does seem a wee bit bigger.

Home....mmmmmm

Milo is eating up a storm, every 2-3 hours, in fact. Kara is a little worn out, but like the rest of the household, very happy to have little Milo at home. Nolan beamed, smiling from ear to ear when we brought Milo home last night, and has been very gentle, curious, and welcoming of his little brother. The County Ikes (sans Uncle Bones) came to visit last night, along with Auntie Caroline, Mimi and Din-Din. Today, Auntie Olive came by for a quick peek and Auntie May-May and Auntie Deb-oh-rah (and Din-Din) took some turns with Nolan and Milo while Daddy went to teach a class and Kara jumped from little boy to little boy.

Does this all seem like code? Most of our family members have some sort of pet name or nickname, not necessarily of their choosing.

So, overall, Milo is healthy and happy, although a little jaundiced, so tomorrow we do a repeat of today and head to the pediatrician for some follow-up "billy-reubens" count. I know I misspelled that. This count is hopefully lower, which means good liver health and we don't have to put Milo on phototherapy, which involves a cumbersome light blanket that the little guy will have to be swaddled with. Yes, there could be worst things and we are very thankful for Mr. Milo being at home with his family and friends.

Homecoming

Ten minutes ago, Kara called home to say that Milo is coming home today, this afternoon/evening probably, as long as he does okay with observation for the next few hours. Yay! and Yikes! He's feeding well, breathing well, and is just the cutest little bundle, so more pictures tonight or tomorrow of Milo Z at 137 Windsor Circle!

Day Three

Milo had a good day today and has warmed up to drinking from a bottle, maybe a little too enthusiastically. He gets so caught up in drinking Kara's milk that he forgets to stop sucking and swallowing to take a breath. All he needs is a little practice, but we did find out that he is a spitter-upper, something that Nolan practically never did so this is a new phenomenon for us. Mommy and Daddy got some extended snug time in and Papaw and Mamaw along with Aunt Chippy-Whippy (Kirsten Krueger you know that's you!)stopped in for some good visiting time. Everyone seems to be in good spirits, but a tad impatient to get this beautiful boy home. And Nolan loves his Mamaw and Papaw and Mimi but he is tired and done with Mommy's absence, so we are thankful for Kara coming home tomorrow (as far as we know) and hoping Milo is soon to follow.

Here is a prenatal pic, with Nolan pointing at Eugene (Milo in utero) in Mommy's belly

Beautiful Day Two

Milo sure picked a beautiful time to show up for an extended visit. All is well today, Kara is getting around surprisingly well for someone who had pretty major surgery and was able to get down to the NICU and see Milo. She held him for a while and also made some stabs at breast feeding, but Mr. Milo is not quite ready for au naturale. He did take a few mL's of her milk from a bottle. Yep, she is on the pumping routine with some flow beginning to happen. Daddy held Milo for a little bit in the afternoon and came back later in the evening for an extended 1 1/2 hour snug. Milo is still breathing fast and retracting a bit which is inhibiting mouth feeding, so we are just patiently waiting for his lungs to catch up with the rest of his body. A good day, but ready to exit the hospital as soon as everyone is ready.

Check out some more new pics at link to left and this pic above is for Adrienne if she is still tuned in.

Happy Birthday Milo Z!

Milo Zelotes Ikenberry Peterson stepped into this world at around 8:30 am this fine Fall Friday morning at a whopping 7#, 10 oz. His parents, grandparents, aunties, and cousins were on hand to welcome him and make sure he felt loved and noticed on this November 6, 2009.

Almost a completely healthy boy, Milo did have some difficulty breathing and is spending some time in the NICU for monitoring and assessment of his pulmonary needs. The docs attribute his difficulty to premature lungs and retained fluid which can occur in 37 weeker Ceasarean births (although very rarely (seems like we have a knack for respiratory issues in our brood)). Now, its pretty much a waiting game to see how he progresses, but today he has almost surpassed the need for any oxygenation assistance. So, we are not out of the woods yet, and we are still a little bit in the weeds and have to search around and help Milo find his way home.

Y'all can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/60541775@N00/ to see some pics from today. We will be trying very hard to post updates and photos in the next few days.

Please spread the word and help welcome Milo Z. into our loving circle of friends and family. And keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we visit the NICU for a few more days.