Collin Matthew: July 2007

Update: Collin now weighs 15.8 oz and 24 1/2 inches!!
Greetings! My apologies for not having updated Baby Collin's blog recently. We appreciate all of you who continue to check for updates and those of you who continue to hold his family up in prayer.

Although he is doing great right now, Collin was hospitalized last week for several days. He was a little dehydrated and was "failing" with his feeds. What that means is that he was having too many bowel movements and wasn't retaining enough fluids. This is apparently common in children with "short gut syndrome". The doctors took him off his feeds for several hours to give his intestines a break, then restarted his feeds again, slowly. (They restarted his feeds in increments of 5 mL an hour.) He is now back to 55 mL an hour, where he was when he went into the hospital. Mom and dad hung in there and thankfully Collin was released last night.

Currently his biggest issue is teething! Those pearly whites are coming in and he has been gnawing on his little fat fists and drooling buckets. He is genetically prediposed to a big set of beautiful teeth, we can hardly wait to see him with a mouthful. He is only a little bit crabby; having a happy baby is such a blessing for his parents.

On another, sad note, Collin has another angel in heaven watching down on him. Nana V's aunt Helen passed away last week. Please say a prayer for the repose of her soul and prayers for her family members left behind.

We're back! The trip was wonderful, but as always, way too short. The Big Events went off without a hitch and we all had so much fun together. I just finished downloading almost 800 pictures from our week in Omaha. (Grandpa N took most of the pictures and he did a great job; usually it is Grandma N behind the camera.) As you can imagine, leaving was incredibly difficult.

Baby Collin is truly a miracle child. While we were there I was able to attend one of his weekly doctor's visits. Even the specialists are amazed with his progress. Currently he weighs a little under 13 lbs. They are weaning him OFF the TPN by decreasing the amount he gets and increasing the window of time when he is not taking it. At this point he is only on it 12 hours a day. His formula intake increases about a mL every day and he is doing great (he's up to 40 mL an hour!) He is treated to an ounce of formula via bottle about every 3-4 hours. As long as he continues to grow as he is, and doesn't have any problems digesting his formula, they may not need to do any more procedures. I am choked up as I type this because he has come so far. His mama does great with all his cares; we're so proud and impressed with how well she and his daddy manage their life.

Collin is so adorable and chubby! Grandpa N lovingly says "He's a tubbo!" His personality is so cute and funny. One day he heard a baby crying in a nearby room. He was sitting on his mom's lap and he perked up when he heard the shrill noise. He then got a huge smile and started giggling! The more the other baby cried, the more he seemed to be amused. Then he started to "fake cry", just like that other baby! He loves to be read to and looks at the pictures with great interest. Auntie A swore that he was following along with his eyes at the appropriate page; hopefully Collin will follow in her footsteps and grow up to be a great reader. Although he really does hate his brace, he is getting more comfortable with it. It's cute, it looks like Birkenstock sandals screwed onto a skateboard (without the wheels, of course!) The brace weighs 1 lb 2 oz, I think his little legs will get a real work out with all of the kicking he does. He will wear them for a few more months, and then only at night for the next two years. His mommy is vigilant about him wearing them all the time; she doesn't want the corrective process to last any longer than it has to.

Their apartment is very spacious and has an open design. Collin's room is decorated perfectly (and it just occurred to me that I did NOT take any pictures of it!) I must have been too mesmerized by my grandson to think of it. Collin's mom has done a great job decorating their home and it really is comfy and welcoming. It's also located conveniently, only about 4 minutes to the Air Force Base and within walking distance to grocery shops, restaurants and hotels. All of the family (including Collin's mom's little cousins) ADORES Baby Collin and they are really enjoying having our little family living in Omaha. I know Collin's mom is really enjoying it, as well. She grew up on various Air Force Bases so she's only known Omaha during their visits at Christmas or during the summer.

Thank you all again, from the bottom of our hearts, for all of your kind wishes and innumerable prayers. We (Collin's family) know that his success, in part, is due to the love and concern people from all over the planet have shown him. We thank God for you every day. Please enjoy these photos from our trip!