Time with Daddy

Daddy had already committed to an all day golf tourney at Poppy Hills today (Sunday, September 30th), so Tyler is in the capable hands of mommy and Grandma Jenny yet again.

Because of this, Tyler had his first daddy only day yesterday, while mommy and Grandma went shopping at Gilory. Since Tyler can't speak, I don't know exactly what he thought of his first daddy day ... but it seemed to have gone well.

They went to the bakery where the old ladies went goo goo ga ga over him. They also checked out the sports store ... so daddy could gear up for golf. All in all, Tyler was in once piece and well when we got home (LOL). Guess daddy DID pay attention in baby class and at the nursery! :P Tyler was changed, fed, and napping. YAY!

First "Tub" Bath

Up until now, we've been only sponging down Tyler with wet cloths and water. He still has that new baby smell, so giving him a bath didn't seem needed. But ... we got a fancy infant tub at the baby shower and I wanted to test it out.

I can't say he hated or enjoyed it. He was a little fussy in the beginning, but did really well overall. I even combed his hair all nice and cut his finger nails again! I swear they grow waay faster than mine. *jealous*

I had intended to take pictures of this "first" moment, but with Brad at work we didn't have a camera man. It took both Grandma Jenny and myself to make sure he was squeaky clean and safe the entire time. Oh well ... next time. And don't worry Tyler, I won't embarrass you by posting any pictures that show your man parts. :P

3 Weeks Old

It's hard to believe that Tyler is already 3 weeks old. I know they say it goes fast, but I never imagined this fast. :P

He looks like he is filling in, but his clothes are still big. We ended up having to buy a few more preemie outfits for the time being, since he is practically swimming in newborn. I am very anxious to find out how much he weighs tomorrow. Anything greater than 5 lbs is a good sign.

My plan is to start trying to breast feed him more often. The one thing I am afraid of is him not getting enough to eat. It's a shame we don't have a gauge which can tell us how much milk we are carrying and when we are fresh out. LOL That would be too easy. Just to be sure, I have been offering him at least 1 oz in a bottle afterwards if he still rooting a lot. If he falls asleep, I just let him sleep. :D

Whoa, Tyler gained about an ounce a day and now weighs in at 5 lbs and 7 ozs. It is amazing isn't it? Dr. O said that everything looks good and we don't have to see him until the end of October. As long as he keeps on gaining weight, we are on the right track! WOOHOO! Maybe soon he can start using some of the CUTE clothes I got for me. :P Like that's his biggest concern in life, LOL.

Pictures! I do have more that I need to upload. Sorry for the delay, I will post them soon! Here's what I got now.

Baby Shower

Tyler's baby shower has been planned for September 22nd for a while now. It's too bad he couldn't attend. Because we are so popular (LOL) and were expecting 50+ people, we were advised against bringing him. Grandma Jenny was nice enough to watch him for the night.

3 of my friends (Wendy, Vicky, and Lerma) were kind enough to plan us a kick ass party! Everything was just perfect. We couldn't have asked for anything more. It was a night of friends, family, and fun.

The theme of the shower was dinosaurs, tyrannosaurus rex to be more specific. The invitations, decorations, and favors (thanks to Wendy and Aidan)... all had TRex! If you haven't yet noticed, his name fits this theme perfectly, Mr. T Rex. :D

The food (courtesy of Vicky and Clay) provided touched all of Tyler's ethnicities: Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Caucasian. Kalbi and Kim Chee soup, Chow Mein, California Rolls, Pork Adobo, and Mini Hamburgers, just to name a few.

Although I didn't win at the games (thought of by Lerma) like I usually do (hehe), they were still fun. Baby trivia is always hard, but lucky for me I had just finished reading through a bunch of baby books. One of the only times useless knowledge actually helped me out. So I took the win with pride. Everything else I didn't do so well. I was way off on guessing the amount of candy in the jar, didn't even want to try guessing the spices in the diapers, had no idea of the pregnancy length of the different animals, and couldn't save my life and identify the parts of the baby shown in the ultra sound.

So as you can see, it was definitely fun times!

I personally didn't take very many pictures ... but will find some and post them soon.

First Pediatrician Appointment

Tyler did well at his first doctor's appointment. After stripping down to his diapers, he was measured and weighed by the nurse. Woohoo! He's 5 lbs now. :D My little boy is already growing fast.

Dr. Ososfsky came in afterwards to conduct his assessment. Tyler passed everything with flying colors. We were given some eye drops to help clear up some "gook" in his eyes and he had the membrane under his tongue cut, so he would be able to move it more. Don't ask me about it, I didn't even notice. LOL

Nothing else interesting ... next appointment is Friday, September 28.

Home Sweet Home

Lucky for us, Tyler is already used to a daily schedule. He pretty much eats every 3 hours and for the most part sleeps in between. We're going to use it for as long as it works or until he eats more in one sitting and can sleep for longer periods of time. I'm doing most of the night shifts, since Brad has to work. He still gets his bonding (feeding) time in at least twice in the evenings. During the day when I'm not nursing, my mom helps bottle feed, so I AM resting a bit. Tyler still takes a while eating (more so when nursing than by bottle) probably a good 30 - 45 minutes.

We took our first official adventure today and went to get some odds and ends things at Target and to briefly walk around the mall (Oakridge). Tyler doesn't seem to mind riding in the car or in his stroller. If he is up he actually looks around, although I think most of the time he was sleeping.




Tomorrow is his first pediatrician appointment, so we will see how it goes.

NICU - Week 3

September 18 - 19, 2007

Tuesday - Tyler is officially 2 weeks old as of yesterday. He weighed 4 lbs 13 ozs this morning. Breast fed well AGAIN! Grandma Jenny is flying in this evening and what perfect timing. I was asked to board at the hospital tonight because they plan in discharging Tyler tomorrow! My baby is coming home! :D Not that its interesting, but I've been running around like crazy all day preparing the house. It seems it'll never be "ready", but at least I can say I tried.

Wednesday - The night at the hospital went well. I got through all feedings by myself :) I learned a few last tricks of the trades from the nurses. Tyler weighed 4 lbs 14 ozs. Brad dropped my mom off in the morning on his way to work we waited at the hospital until he could be discharged. After a successful hearing screening, a lot of paper work, and a lot of "free" goodies Tyler was finally free to leave. We all arrived home safely at about 2:00pm. Brad carried him in in his car seat and the dogs were very polite and sniffed for a few minutes. Granted this is still in the first couple of hours of being home, but all is going well. We are both very excited and happy that he is finally home. Grandma Jenny seems to be having fun so far! :P

NICU - Week 2

September 11 - 17, 2007



Daddy is still working, so mommy has been visiting Tyler with Aunty Wendy during the day for the morning/afternoon nipple feeding. Daddy comes for the night feeding.

Breastfeeding has become a little frustrating. He isn't latching on well, so we've started to use a nipple shield to help. With this, he seems to do okay so far.

Tyler has been falling asleep while trying to breastfeed. I think he is too comfortable in mommy's arms. :)

He has finally started to gain some weight (4 lbs 7 oz)- Wednesday. Was on every other feeding as nipple, but now back down to once a shift (3 of out 8 times per day)

Bilirubin level was up earlier this week (12.1), but now on Thursday it is down to (8.2). First poopy diaper change and temperature read for mommy.

Breastfeeding went well today (Friday), he lasted about 45 minutes in the morning and almost 30 minutes in the evening. Tyler also graduated to a "big" boy crib and is no longer in the incubator. We get to bring clothes for him to wear! *smile*

Tyler looks so cute in his newborn clothes! He breast fed for about 10 - 15 minutes this morning (Saturday) and had an additional 11 cc's from the bottle. He laid on daddy's lap for a good 45 minutes sleeping. Before we left, he decided to poop again. While changing him mommy got peed on for the first time. His new clothes were now all wet. But it's okay, mommy and daddy brought a bunch of outfits. :) New orders from neonatal doctor ... he's going back every other feeding on a nipple. (4 out of 8 feedings per day). We go 3 times a day (9, 3, 9). 2nd pair of clothes also peed on. :P Still doing the 24 calorie.

Tyler did well at the breast again today (Sunday). He actually took both sides for a total of about 40 minutes in the morning! He also gained more weight and weighs 4 lbs and 9 oz now. Oh and his cord fell off. :P Afternoon breast feeding also went well. 40 minutes again.

Tyler is definitely getting the hang of breast feeding - Monday, 9am. I haven't been tracking this well but he is taking in 46 ccs now. He gained weight again and is now 4 lbs and 12 ozs! My goodness! Because he is doing so well, they actually lowered his calories to 22 and as of this afternoon (3pm) he no longer has the gavage tube and will be attempting to nipple all his feeds. 1 - 2 successful days of this and he is home free. Literally, we will get to take baby Tyler home. 6pm 50ccs and 9pm 55 ccs. Way to go Tyler!

NICU - Week 1

September 4 - 10, 2007



This week held a lot of "firsts" for both mommy and daddy. They both got to change his diaper, do cord care, feed him via tube or bottle, and burp him. Tyler eats every three hours. They increase his feeds 1 cc each feeding. He is eating well over an ounce now. When not eating, he is usually sleeping under the UV lights to help his bilirubin level come down. It's been fluctuating daily, same with his weight.

Mommy boarded at the hospital until Saturday and visited him in the nursery very often. Daddy was working but came to visit every morning and evening.

Tuesday - Tyler was born.

Wednesday - Tyler is being kept in an incubator in the NICU to keep warm and be monitored. He has an IV and vitamin drip and an external feeding tube along with sensors for his heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen level. Mommy stopped by to visit, although didn't get to hold him today. Mommy did have a lot of visitors today. :)

Tyler was given a bottle for the first time on Thursday. Mommy got it all on video. Mommy and daddy both got to hold Tyler while getting his gavage (tube) feeding.

Friday - Breast milk slowly started to come in. Very very exciting times! Mommy changed his diaper for the first time.

Saturday - Mommy discharged from the hospital. Mommy and daddy both got to try bottle feeding for the first time. Daddy changed his diaper for the first time.

Tyler had his first attempt at breastfeeding on Monday. It is a lot harder than I anticipated. They have also added some calorie supplements to the breast milk to help him gain weight.

Tyler Naoki Rex

Tyler Naoki Rex was born via emergency cesarean section on Sept 4th, 2007 at 6:44pm. He weighed in at 4 lbs 4 oz, and 17 1/4 inches long.

Tyler is currently in the care of the excellent NICU nurses at Los Gatos Community Hospital. Mommy and daddy visit him as often as we can. We can't wait for him to come home!

The BIG day

The morning of the next day came ever so slowly. With all the hospital noises and interruptions throughout the night, it was impossible to sleep. I'd say I got at most 30 minutes of sleep at a time. Besides thinking of what would happen next, I had to go to the bathroom every 2 hours. This simple task which normally took me a few minutes, took nearly 10 minutes. I had to unplug the IV power cord, unplug my contraction and fetal monitor, and pull the entire IV stand thing into the bathroom with me. On top of that, the monitor cords are now draped around my neck since the actual monitors itself are still attached around my waist. *sigh* Anyway ...

Bright and early, I was served breakfast in bed and was happily watching TV for most of the morning. Dr. Teagle came in to check up on me and it seemed all was well. I had survived the first night and was well on my way to getting the 2nd steriod shot, as planned. Dr O, an assigned pediatrician (as we hadn't chosen one yet), also came by to introduce himself. Although most likely he would still be born a preemie and would first be under the care of a neonatal doctor at the nursery.

Brad stopped by before work with more things to keep me occupied as well as some extra snack foods in the event hospital food sucked butt (it actually wasn't too bad!). I had already informed my work that I would not be coming in. :)

Throughout the day, I struggled getting myself to and from the bathroom ... but for the most part was rather comfortable. After my 2nd steriod shot, I was off to have a 30 minute ultra sound evaluation to try and get an estimated size, weight and other developmental information on the baby. Looking at the monitor, I could see his heart beating and his little hands and feet. I had the doctor check again to make sure he was still a boy. I had thought all was well. Little did I know, it wasn't exactly peachy.

Dr. Teagle came back sometime during lunch. My food was there, but I hadn't had a chance to eat just yet. It seems the report that came back on the ultrasound mentioned very little or no movement of the baby. Dr. Teagle found this quite odd because the fetal monitor papers showed great movement that morning up until I was wheeled away for the exam. They brought a machine into my room and Dr. Teagle performed yet another exam. We're not sure what had changed, but the report was right and my little baby boy was now showing very little signs of movement. His heart was still beating strong, he just wasn't moving.

At this point, either the baby is just in distress or maybe has an infection (this is possible mostly because my water was broken). She now wants me to be monitored even more closely than before. I was told I could no longer eat because they wanted me to rest. There was nothing I could do to but lay there and wait. I couldn't help but cry at this point. I felt helpless and was pretty scared. I called Brad to come back to the hospital. While he was on his way, Dr. Teagle gave me the quick 411. Basically, the best course of action would be to induce labor and deliver today. I had two choices. I could try for a normal delivery or I could have a c-section. I waited for Brad before making a decision. In the end, we decided to induce labor and see if a normal delivery was possible. If all else failed, then I would do the c-section.

I was then given a shot of pitocin and we were again on our way. Word had slowly gotten out that I was at the hospital. Lennie and Lerma came by to visit. We all chit-chatted while watching TV. Every now and then the nurses would come by to check my vitals and the monitors. We saw slight improvements in the fetal graphs although still not as much as before. Over the next three hours or so, they continued upping my dose of pitocin. I could slowly feel the contractions becoming a little stronger and more often. But nothing I couldn't tolerate at this point.

At about 6:00pm or so, Dr. Teagle swings by for a quick update. My baby wasn't tolerating the contractions and the time has come to deliver. With in 5 - 10 minutes I am whisked off the the operating room where I get a spinal tap (or spinal-dural, as Lerma called it, LOL) and am lying on the table awaiting my procedure. Brad is there with me sitting right by my side wearing full hospital scrubs. A drape was put up, so I couldn't see. Shortly after, I could no longer feel anything from my chest down. This was it, I was going to have a baby. I laid there with my eyes closed as the surgery started. Although I couldn't feel any pain, I could feel a lot of pulling and tugging around my abdomen. It's a weird feeling that I can't explain. I couldn't have been there any longer than 10 - 15 minutes or so when they asked Brad if he wanted see the delivery. He stood up and within a minute I felt a push and then we heard the baby cry! He cried and I cried. I couldn't believe it, my son was born.

They quickly whisked him away to a heated bed area where the doctors examined him and cleaned him up. I was still crying and now shivering (supposedly the shivering is common). My baby's cry was echoing in the operation room. There are no words to explain how I felt at that exact moment. I was just overjoyed to hear him crying because crying meant he could breathe on his own.

Little baby Tyler was carried over to me by the labor nurse. Brad was the first to hold him as I just watched from where I still laid on the table. (at this point, they were now stitching me up). He was only with us for a minute or two before having to be wheeled away to the nursery for further examinations.

I could totally be wrong, but the actual stitching me up part seemed to have taken much longer than the delivery. When I was good to go, I was wheeled away to the recovery area where I was able to have some ice chips and wait for the anesthesia to wear off. They wouldn't let me go to the nursery until I could (with assistance) get myself into a wheel chair. After what seemed like a century, I was off to see my baby boy! This was no doubt the happiest of moment of my life.

Labor Day of 2007

I can't say there was anything unusual about this particular Labor Day. I woke up to tend to the dogs, so Brad could get some extra shut eye. The weather was nice and I was looking forward to taking Hoku and Koa to the newly renovated dog park near our house. After eating breakfast ... Brad and I headed to the dog park, I'd say at about 9:30am. I felt great and wouldn't have been the wiser as to what this day would hold for us.

As we slowly walked down the street ... I had a weird feeling that I mistakenly peed in my pants a bit. Not a big deal, just a teeny tiny bit at first which I ignored to be somewhat normal at this point in my pregnancy. As instructed, I was already wearing liners for this exact purpose. But as I continued walking, the weird "peeing" like sensation continued and there wasn't anything I could do about it. With a mind of its own, it just continued to "leak". At this point, I sent Brad off to the dog park, while I headed back to the house to change. Before I got home (probably a little less than 5 minutes), it literally looked like I was a 2 year who had just peed their pants.

Back at the house, I quickly changed and headed back out to the park. The "peeing" had stopped for the time being and I had upgraded to a pad rather than another liner. Not really knowing what that was, I figured I'd ask a friend (who had just recently had a baby) to see what she thought. In the back of my mind I thought it could be my water ... but I was only 33 weeks and it seemed a bit early. Plus, I was expecting a BIG gush of water more so then leaking. Contrary to what I thought, Lennie, suggested I call the hospital to find out what I should do. In the end, the labor and delivery nurse told me to come in to get the fluid tested and to see if it indeed was my water. I actually had to bring in my ever so embarrassing "pee" pants for testing, LOL. They said it was better to be safe than sorry. So that's what we did. We took the doggies back home, quickly tried packing an overnight bag (I obviously didn't pack one just yet), and off we were.

When we got there, they were already expecting me. They quickly sent me into a room where I was instructed to give a urine sample, while the lady checked the fluid. To our surprise, it turns out it WAS amniotic fluid. Before I knew it, I was in a hospital gown laying on the bed attached to a fetal and contraction monitor. This was it, I was here to stay.

I was worried and scared. It was too early. He wasn't ready. So many things raced through my mind, I didn't know what to think. I just sorta laid there awaiting my doctor's arrival.

Doctor Teagle got there rather quickly. Lucky for me she hadn't ventured too far away from home on this holiday weekend. She did an ultrasound and a very uncomfortable physical exam to see where I was at and get some fluids to run a few tests. I was about a finger tip dilated ... whatever that meant.

So being only 33 weeks early ... the first official game plan was to keep me pregnant for as long as they could. 2 weeks if at all possible! I was hooked up to an IV, a penicillin drip, and was given a shot which was supposed to slow down if not stop the labor. I believe it was Terbutaline, but I am not 100% sure. I was also given a type of steriod shot to help the baby's lung develop faster. Apparently, complete lung development doesn't happen until 34 or 35 weeks. They were hoping to get at least 2 of these shots in me, which can only be given in 24 hour intervals. So the hope was, I could last at the very least until the next day ... still pregnant so I could get the 2nd shot. If I wasn't able to get the 2nd shot and had to deliver sooner, chances were he would need a respirator to help him breathe. The other main concern was the ability to suck and swallow. Development of that doesn't usually come in till around 35 weeks as well. But that is something that can be learned, so it wasn't as big of a concern.

Now that we had a plan, I felt a little better. I sent Brad home to get the rest of my things and I got accustomed to my new hospital room that would be my home for the next few days. He stayed until evening and then went home to tend to the dogs and sleep. He was still going to be working, since we needed the money (LOL) and I wouldn't be needing him until I was actually ready to deliver.

The long awaited nursery

It's finally done! WOOHOO!

It's nothing fancy, but check it out!



Bassinet for our room