Hooray! Hooray! Collin is a week old today!

Great news! Today the doctors removed the nasal cannula, the peripheral arterial line (which you will see in pictures as a pink, cast looking thing on his left arm) and the morphine. The peripheral arterial line (or PAL) is used when the medical team needs to draw blood often. The PAL is a catheter which allows them to draw the blood out without disturbing our beautiful little patient. Apparently Collin's blood pressure is good, his lungs are strong and the pain isn't so severe now. All good signs!

In addition, Mom and Dad got to hold Baby Collin again.

We again thank you all for your prayers. Every time we get a piece of good news, we thank God for His Blessings and for all of you and your prayers.

Update: We saw Collin tonight, he has a new pad!
(We would have used "crib" but that is too obvious a pun!) Instead of the five sided plexi-glass box, he is now in an official, hospital bassinette! He looks beautiful and so healthy. We wondered if the nurses could hear us chanting under our breaths, "Show us the poopoo!"

If you look close, you can see his little fist waving!

Thursday, March 15

Collin's Mom and Dad got to hold him today! We can't imagine how thrilled they were, and how wonderful for them. He sneezed a couple of times, which greatly upset His Highness and he erupted in wails that were quieted by a pacifier. He has great sucking reflex and seems to enjoy the "binky". He also passed merconium yesterday which needs to happen before he can make a normal bowel movement. It might seem odd that we're obsessed with Baby Collin making a "poo", but that will be the sign for us that his intestines are working properly. This is one of the things we're praying for!

Watching the nurses interact with Baby Collin is heartwarming. Their gentle touches and thoughtful gestures show how attentive they are to his comfort. Tonight, after his nurse, Beth, changed his diaper and weighed him, she tucked him in just like Grandpa N used to tuck Collin's Mom and her siblings in bed. She also carefully replaced his special prayer teddy that had been removed while they weighed him. Collin got the prayer teddy from Mom and Dad's special friends the Stanches; when you squeeze it, it plays a child's voice reciting "Now I lay me down to sleep". Grandma and Grandpa V placed a stuffed firefighter and a beautiful stuffed cross (that has the words "God" and "Hope" on it) in the teddy's arms. Collin's aunt Alexa sent a magnet of the Blessed Virgin Mary which she received at her First Holy Communion. All of these little mementos tucked in with him are our attempts at leaving a bit of us with him every moment, as if their presence can protect him.

Thank you for reading, looking at the photos and leaving us your prayers and comments. Your love, support and encouragement hold us all up. Thank you for leaving a little bit of yourselves with us.
Love, Collin's Family

Wednesday, March 14

This morning while Mom and Dad were visiting Collin, the doctor had him weighed. Collin weighs a whopping four pounds, 12 ounces. (He is getting so many fluids that a lot of that is "water weight". His Grandma N sympathizes!) Dad got to lift Collin and help the doctor move him; they change his head position for comfort and proper development. Dad gave him his pacifier and they thought it was so cute to watch him suck on it. He opened his big beautiful eyes and stared at them, you know he was trying to focus on them to see his beautiful Mom and hairy Dad more clearly! Mom and Dad got a new video camera yesterday and got it all on film. Also, the bandage that covered the site where they initially put the broviac catheter was removed, he is healing just fine. Every day there is a piece of good news and it just buoys our spirits. Your prayers and words of encouragement help...thank you all so much.

Tuesday, March 13

We're on pins and needles as we wait to hear from the nicu nurse...Collin is scheduled to have his ventilator tube removed today! YAY!! They have been weaning him off it slowly, sometimes it looks like he's breathing all on his own already. Saturday he was blowing little bubbles out the side of his mouth, it was adorable. Sunday we took pictures of his tiny, precious little tongue as he slept (like his Dad) with his mouth open. It looked like he might be snoring!

Somehow, having this place where we can look at his pictures (and magnify them to obsess over every little detail of his perfect little body) and read your comments is almost as comforting as being there with him. Of course we want to be there every second, but Collin needs his rest so he can continue to grow and heal. Thank you all for reading and commenting and praying for our beautiful boy!

We'll let you know as soon as we know anything...

Update: Collin's Mom just called with the news that his ventilator tube was removed at 10:00 a.m. The nurse reports that he did great, no fussing! Hooray!!! He will be so much more comfortable now, and we'll be able to hear him cry. We'll take some photos of Collin post-ventilator to share later this evening.

Post Update: We're back...with more pictures! All four of Mom's parents agree...this is one B E A U T I F U L baby! (As an expert on these matters, I concur!)

Baby Collin has a strong set of lungs, strong legs (as Mom will attest) and a fiery temper. It's great to see him without that huge, fat tube in his mouth. Now he has a tiny little oxygen tube in his nose. His cry is beautiful to hear; not only for it's strength (which is reassuring) but also because it brings normalcy to a scary situation. (Mom would probably disagree!)

If you are a person who listens to their "gut" or intuition or whatever...you will understand. Collin's Mom and Dad are wonderful parents for him in so many ways. Not only because they adore him and will do anything they need to FOR him; they love each other immensely and will model for him a healthy, strong and loving relationship. We felt they were perfect for each other when we first saw them together...we knew that Erin would be a devoted wife & mother who would make her husband proud and Matt would be an attentive husband & father who would protect her and hold her up. Our gut feeling was right, as we see this unfold before us. We would never have wished a difficult road for this little family; but the silver lining is that the strongest bond is being built, and adversity has brought out the strongest and best qualities in all of us.

Collin's first photographed smile


Baby cries are good!

First pictures with Collin's Grandma and Grandpa V!




Attentive, ecstatic and loving parents




The cutest family...ever!

Happy baby who is loved by a large and interesting family...and knows it!

Monday, March 12

Collin had a big day today! Not only did he see his Grandma V on her birthday; he has recovered so well from his surgery on Friday that his surgeon was able to place a broviac catheter on his right chest. This will be the site of the intravenous feed for him. Eventually he will receive nutrition through both the broviac catheter and a tube in his stomach. The goal is for him to reach a point where ALL of his nutrition is coming in through the food tube, not the broviac catheter. (He has been receiving the TPN through a temporary i.v. since Saturday.)

He sleeps alot, as all premature babies do, and he reacts alot, too. Today, while he was being changed, he started to fuss. You can't hear it because he has a ventilator tube in his throat, but he makes the facial expressions that ensure you know exactly how he feels. His mom "held him" (which is, she cupped her left hand over the top of his head and the right hand down around his feet) and he stopped fussing right away! As a preemie, his skin is extremely sensitive to touch, so we don't rub him or tickle him in anyway. To nourish his skin, which is tight right now because of all the fluids he is receiving through his i.v.s, Mom dabs an all natural lotion on his legs. Every little thing we can do to keep our Collin comfortable is a comfort to us.

His parents and grandparents read to him softly; they don't want to wake him, but they do want him to hear the lulling hum of loving voices over the din of crying babies and whirring machines. Tonight Grandpa N took a picture of Grandma N with our beautiful boy...you won't be able to see it, but tiny Collin is squeezing her finger.

Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11

Following are some other pictures of Collin's first few days. Collin began to get some nutrition through TPN (total parenteral nutrition) on Saturday evening; he even got a change of bedding and bandages! The nursing crew at the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) are beyond awesome. Their care and nurturing of the babies (and parents) in their unit is amazing and wonderful. Special nurses have included Gene, Henry and Elma. Sunday evening, Mom's mom (Grandma V) and s.dad (Grandpa V) came into town and Mom was released from the hospital.

March 9, 2007

Mom was a little nervous...Dad was as cool as a cucumber.























Mom delivered Collin naturally (what a trooper!) with the help of an epidural. Dad was thrilled to hear his son's first cries. Collin was wrapped up tight and cleaned up a bit to meet his mom. (He looks so serious!)

Mom and Dad got a few minutes with Collin before he went in for surgery. The tubes help him breathe and keep him monitored.