June 26, noonish

Having Ashton at home for almost 24 hours has been fantastic! and slighly surreal.

We had dinner on the deck with Ashton in my lap, he had a bath in our tub and a very thorough tour of the house... Ashton slept over 3 hours between feedings, but we found quickly that did not mean we did. he went to sleep at 10, we tried at midnight, to be awoken one hour later with him ready to eat at 1am. As he is used to light and noise we had some lights on and for awhile the television on to provide a more similar environment to what he is accustomed. Of course, as a result we had trouble sleeping with noise, and light, and concern... I am sure all three of us will get used to this soon. He ate again around 4, then again at 8. Inbetween feedings he made a lot of noise (bringing more concern). No problems, just little grunts here and there to which we had to inspect every movement or noise.

Today Ashton went to his first party. Our close friends Chiao-Ih and Mike are getting married this evening, and the mornign started the festivities with a Tea Ceremony honoring the families. Really cool ceremony - their respective families are seated on opposite ends of a large outside deck. Chiao-Ih's brother introduces Mike to her family at which point Mike offers them each tea, then Mike's sister introduces Chiao-Ih to Mike's entire family and offers them Tea. After the tea cups are collected, the families get up and walk accrosst he deck meet each other (presumably in some cases for the first time). Ashton had a great time sleeping through it all. Maybe he will be more awake for the next party...afterall he has only been out of the hospital for 3/4 a day.

Have a great Friday!

June 25, 230pm

Day 36 of Ashton's life, 2585 grams= 5lbs, 11oz. Five weeks and ten minutes ago Ashton was born. Today we are leaving the hospital and he is coming with us!
I am amazed at the overall level of care and quality of service that the U and the NICU specifically deliver. It is weird to say I will miss these people who have worked so hard and done so much to ensure Ashton had a great beginning. Today starts the new adventure for us all and a big step forward into his great life
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 24 - 3:00pm

Still on track to come home tomorrow!

Ultrasound results came back to show all is normal (other than the fact that Ashton has a large liver). The doctor ruled this as "normal for Ashton" meaning that he cannot find any reason to explain why he might have a liver larger than average other than "he does". We will watch it as he grows to ensure he has no other issues with processign food, drink, medicine etc, but today his liver is functioning completely normally. It just happens to be 20-30% larger than most kids his size. Maybe it is just evolution at work, and knowing how much his parents (and in some instances, Grandparents) have used their liver that he might need a bigger one...

He is eating like a champ and being a pretty normal newborn baby. I love that part!

Tomorrow he gets to see and experience the sun for the first time! And hear music outside the womb, and feel wind on his face and listen to it blow, and windchimes, his first car-ride.... the list goes on and on, but is certainly exciting.

June 24 9a

Day 34, 2455 grams up 10, approx 5lb 10oz. No apnea since last wednesday. Still targeting coming home tomorrow. Wow.

He will have an ultrasound on abdomen later today to rule out or determine any issues after the labs have not shown anything irregular.

Getting exciting!!


Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 23 630p

A sleepy boy today, but I think all is well.

Ashton has been very aggressive as he begins each feeding, and as a result of his eagerness to eat quickly is forgetting to breathe. Maybe a lot of babies do this, but he is on monitors so we know everything he does. They don't think it prevents him from staying on track to go home, but it frightens me a bit. Today is the first he has done this so we will see what tomorrow brings. I am thinking that maybe since he eats so much, then waits for five hours between meals that he is too hungry at the beginning of each meal so he eats fast to satisfy the hunger.

His belly is still huge and we have accepted that as normal for about ten days. His nurse the past two days had not seen it before and asked the docs for additional tests to check his abdomen because it was so uniquely large. As a result they are thinking his liver is large (apparently they can feel it with their hands??), but don't know what that might indicate. Today they performed a series of tests, all of which yielded normal results. They may do an ultrasound tomorrow just to be certain nothing odd is happening, additionally they are awaiting results of two other tests that would indicate infection, although he shows no other signs of infection.

So far we are still on track for coming home on Thursday. We shall see what the next 48 hours might bring.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 23, 8a

Day 33, 2545 grams = 5lbs 10oz, no apnea since wednesday.

I am getting some work done this morning while amie is at the hospital hoping to talk to the docs to verify their intent of sending Ashton home. In a couple of hours I will take the car seat to them so Ashton can take the car seat test - sitting there for an hour, strapped in with no other issues...

It seems we are getting close!

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 22 5pm

Another good day for Ashton. 2295 grams = 5lbs 8oz. One full pound ahead of birth weight.

No apnea since Wednesday. The countdown continues :)

We gave him his second bath ever today and he again kicked around in the water. I think he will be a swimmer. Greg - lookout he is going to race you soon!

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 21, 5pm

Day 31, to whom it applies Happy Fathers Day...

2445 grams is a decrease of 25 but I don't buy it. The nurse last night was going to re-weigh when I told her that it was a decrease but obviously did not. We will see what it says tonight. Likely an increase tonight.

One grade zero apnea last night but apparently it lasted only a few seconds. Perhaps just a monitor issue, who knows. Either way, one of our favorite nurses. Denise, told the doc that if they were going to start countdown over for that then the doc needed to call Amie to explain because she would not make the call. Short story: the count continues. We are at 100 hours into the seven days and are targeting coming home on Thursday.

While I type this ashton is sound asleep on my chest. What a great way to spend the afternoon.

Tonight Amie and I are going to see David Byrne at Red Butte and hoping the rain will stay away to enjoy a nice evening of music and friends under the stars.

Enjoy the rest of your sunday.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 20, 330p

We cleared the 72 hour mark which seemed to be the point of failure in previous countdown attempts.

He is eating well, sleeping in between and acting just like a newborn should.

All is well on another rainy Saturday.

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 19 - Evening

Ashton's dad was mistaken earlier when he said he is three weeks old, he is actually 4 weeks old today if you all can believe it. Yes - we have spent 4 weeks total in the hospital, watching him grow, delivering milk and wishing we could all go home and start to live some sort of normal family life.

He has still not had apnea since Wednesday - the countdown is on again and we are all in suspense as to how many days he can go this time. At earliest this means we could possibly go home next Thurday, pending no more episodes. We will see.....

Ashton had a nice visit with his grandma (Connie) today, she was glad to finally see him awake for a few minutes. He is still eating great and I am breastfeeding him at least twice daily. His little face seems to change everytime I see him as he gains weight in his cheeks and neck, he might even have dimples on both sides :)

Zack and I will most likely go back to the hospital again this evening since he has not been there today yet. He has been helping Chiao-ih and Mike with painting and other household projects as they prepare for company and their wedding next weekend. We are having dinner there tonight as we help them with folding and stamping the programs for the wedding.

-And for the record I would like everyone to know that I do not have deformed feet! The longer second toe has been associated in history with royalty, idealized in Greek and Roman sculpture, and the Statue of Liberty has toes of this proportion. Ha!
(someone also told me once that having a longer second toe makes you smarter, and I believe them)

More news later, keep in touch bloggers...

Love to all,
Amie

June 19, 11am

Today is day 29 of Life - Three weeks old today! 2430 Grams = 5lbs 6oz - yes that is a 2 ounce gain in 24 hours. What a big boy.

No apnea since Wednesday.

Keep smiling.

June 18, 530pm

Ashton has had another good day. He has eaten well, no apnea or other issues.

Amie spent the bulk of the day here with him, and I spent about half. It is amazing how much time goes by as we sit here holding him, playing and feeding.

We may or may not come back later tonight but will update if we do.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 18, 630am

Day 28, 2385 Grams = 5lbs 4ounces. This kid is growing fast! he is 3/4 pound heavier than at birth (a 17% weight gain in 3.5 weeks). No Apnea since yesterday around 1:30 pm.

We took prints of his feet a few days ago, thought you would enjoy... on screen is not actual size His right foot, from the longest 2nd toe (yes, he has mom's deformed feet..) to his heel is 2.845 inches.

Have a great day.

June 17, 630p

Weight from this morning was 2355 grams, just over 5lbs 3oz.

He continues to eat well, he hates the vitamins they give him 1x each day but still eats them. They smell terrible, I cannot imagine the taste.

No apnea since about 130 this afternoon.

It really is amazing how much he changes daily. His face looks different, eyes seem bigger and more alert. This is really cool to watch.

Hopefully we are home by july so everyone can visit.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

Baby Math...

Ok, so here is something to think about.

This morning Ashton ate 120ml of breastmilk.

120ml = 4oz

1 ounce of water = 1 ounce of dry weight (likely dirty river water in London, but water nonetheless)

so...breastmilk must weigh more than water, but let's use water as the basis of this discussion

this morning he ate 4 oz of weight

40z = 1/4 pound of food

he weighs just over 5 lbs

4 ounces = 5% of his body weight in one meal.

i weigh approx 175 pounds

5% of my body weight it would be 8.75 pounds of food. Which i could never, in my wildest dreams eat in one meal.

The things you think about while in the hospital...

June 17, 2p

And the countdown begins at zero.
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 17, 11am

Day 27, still no apnea since Sunday. I wont count the days, but the events....and we are at zero events... he ate 120ml at 4am, then again at 8 so it has been very difficult to be there with any frequency to feed him. his pattern is a bit unpredictable. This frustrates Amie considerably, as she wants him all to herself for feeding... soon, very soon. He gained weight, new # 23XX - we forgot what the nurse said this morning, but will verify and post later. I hate not knowing the number.

All is going well in hospitalville.

more later

Z

June 16 915pm

Amie and ashton are very cute together; I think she has held jim more hours than he has been in bed today which is truly good for them both.

No apnic spells since sunday, everything seems good here.

Today's nurse was a bit passive and seemingly uninvolved. Charlene only gave him 65ml of food at each feeding which is very odd. The small bottles hold that much so it is all she gave him. Cross her off the list of nurses that get to have the opportunity to care for Ashton.

No new weight yet, but if he wakes up in the next few we will weigh him. If not we are going home to bed and will get the weight via telephone tomorrow morning.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 16, 8am

Day 26, 2310 Grams which is just about 5lbs 2oz. Baby boy keeps growing daily! No apnea since Sunday afternoon. He ate about 6:30 this morning, so Amie will probably go to the hospital around 10 to feed him again. More to come then.

If you are in SLC enjoy the sunny morning! If you arent in SLC, enjoy your morning!

Z

June 15, 7p

No Apnea all day, he did not want to wake for lunch at 11 but ate like a champ at four when I gave him a bottle.

All is good today. When apnea stops we come home :)

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 15, noon

Day 25, 2285 grams, up 5 grams. No apnea since yesterday afternoon. If he makes it past midnight I think they call that day 1.

All else is well here. He is eating and sleeping just like a newborn should. If we can cure Apnea he can go home.
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 14

Day 24 in the NICU, day zero on the apnea countdown. 2 episodes of apnea in the past twelve hours. 2280 grams is just under 5lbs 1oz (2296).

He has eaten really well all weekend. Last night they finally cut him off after 110ml of milk (nearly 4oz) in one short feeding.

The NP Lisa called him a perfect baby-boy that just needs to grow out of apnea.

We just gave Ashton his first bath and he loved it! He was very happy in the water and is now sleeping - full belly, warm bath and he is set.

Today Amie and I spent some time at our favorite store, babiesrus, returning a couple duplicate items and I think coming close to finishing the necessary items. Slowly it is all coming together; we just need Ashton to cooperate.

Enjoy the rest of your sunday.

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 13 6pm

Ashton has had a great day at the hospital. He has eaten well, no apnea or any issues.

I just held him for about an hour, I cannot believe amie let me get away with that...

Now he is waking to eat.

Amie had a great time this afternoon at her baby shower. Michelle, Beth and Jordan worked extremely hard to put on a great party. After all the showers it is quite amazing to look at the amazing generosity and loving friends and family we have. Thank you all for your continued love and support.

Meanwhile jerry and I took a ride in his convertible, too bad we have Seattle like weather and had to put the top up to come home.

I hope you have a great Saturday night that turns into a relaxing sunday morning.

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 13, 1030

I think I might have caught up on sleep. Woke at 10am and failed to care for the boy this morning. I guess we can catch up when we can as he will be keeping us awake soon enough...

Day 23 of life, 2265 grams = 5lbs, day 2 of no apnea - it has been 48 hours with no episodes.

He continues to eat like a champ. I will post some pictures later to show you how big his belly gets.

Have a great saturday! Keep holding your breath as it seems to be working!

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 12 6pm

This kid is so damn cute! Right now he is wide awake and talking up a storm.

This morning I fed him 90ml of food, then he slept for almost five hours. Amie got here around 4 and gave him another 70-80ml, and now he is acting like he wants more! The great part about eating big and sleeping longer is that when he comes home we would greatly prefer that schedule to getting up every 3 hours to eat. I think they are training him well.

No apnea since around 8am yesterday. Hold your breath!

No other changes, all is well from here.

Have a great weekend

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 12, 1030am

Day 22 of life, day 1 without apnea

2215 grams = 4lbs, 14oz

Ashton ate a huge amount of food overnight and is sleeping the morning away. I am trying to wake him so I can feed him around 11 while Amie goes to work for a while.

No other updates.

Enjoy your friday!
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 11, 630pm

Uneventful day at the hospital; no real changes from this morning.

Ashton has eaten really well at both noon and 330.

No additional apnea since early this morning. I am holding my breath that he won't hold his.

Amie is convinced he has a dimple on his left cheek, but I have yet to verify. We will continue staring at him and trying to get him to smile so we can check it out and determine with 100% certainty.

Tonight is wedding wine tasting with Chiao-ih and Mike and a night off from hospital. I hope we can help them pick the perfect wine to serve at the wedding.

Enjoy your night. The story continues tomorrow

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 11, 11am

Day 21 of ashton's life, day zero on the apnea countdown. We will see day 28 in the NICU.

Ashton received his first mail this week. His social security card arrived.
He ate less during the night than other nights but continues to gain weight. 2200 grams = 4lbs 13.6oz. Anyone want to set up a side bet of on what day he breaks 5lbs?

Overall things are good, but the same here. I think we are tiring of it all.

The house is pretty much ready. I finished painting and cleaned up the mess, the carpets are cleaned. His room is pretty organized and coming together well. It is amazing how much stuff a baby brings into the house!

More this afternoon

Z


Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 10, 6pm

Today is day zero. I hope you didn't get your hopes up that it could be day one...

He ate well most of the day; was a bit sleepy at three and ate less than normal, but still ate well. We are hoping he wakes now so we can feed him before shift change when they kick us out in 45 minutes.

He is beautiful, yet premature. With time he will grow out of his apnea and come home.

We'll be back in the morning and will report then

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 10, 9am

Today is day 20 of Ashton's life, he weighed 2165 grams last night which translated means about 4lbs 12.5oz up 4.5oz from birth.

No A's&B's since yesterday so I don't want to say today is day one of seven but you can interpret how you like since yesterday was day zero.

He ate like a champ last night, he has pretty much doubled his intake the past two days over the previous two.

Everyone here says he is ahead of the pack and that he is in great shape. We are quite lucky.

We'll keep holding our breath that he stops holding his

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 9, 7p

Ashton ate well at 2pm by bottle and then the nurse called me at my desk at 5:15pm to say he was awake and ready to eat again. So I rushed down to breastfeed him and he only ate for a few minutes and then quickly returned to his sleepytime state. The whole eating when ever he wants is a little frustrating for breastfeeding because I cannot predict his schedule for eating and it is making it almost impossible to get any work done. I may have to start my maternity leave next week so I can try and breastfeed at least a couple times a day.

He did get to visit with his grammy (my mom - connie) tonight even though he was sleepy and she was excited to get to hold him for the first time.

He had 1 episode of apnea midday today so we are all still held hostage by these premie actions of not breathing. One day they will disappear never to return and that will be a happy day for all.

No other issues to report for now, we expect him to have a great night with his favorite nurse - kelly.
More updates tomorrow.....

Love to all of you following this blog,
Amie
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 9, 10am

2125 grams, up just 5. 2126=4lbs, 11oz

Last night kelly moved him from 3 hour regulated feedings to 'ad lib' which means he can eat whenever he wants and as much as he wants. So, little piglet ate every four hours, and doubled his intake. His regulated feedings were 40ml, last night he had 75ml in middle of night, and 80 this morning at 6. I see weight gain in his future.

Galina, his NP came by and reiterated that Ashton is ahead of the curve on everything but apnea. Today is day 0 on the 7 day countdown. One apnic episode last night. His sentence to this place is at this point based solely on apnea. If he can learn to breathe consistently he can come home.

Amie will feed him around 10 today (if and when he wakes) and again this afternoon.

All seems to be progressing well here.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 8 630pm

all is still well at the hospital.

Ashton just ate his 5pm from bottle, and I helped. That is my first time feeding him. Pretty cool.

His temp continues to be holding.

No A's&B's since night shift.

No other updates to speak of.

We are coming back for his first feeding tomorrow, more then

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

6/8 - morning

He had a good night last night, no major issues and still gaining weight. He did have a few bouts of apnea overnight but all grade 0 requiring no intervention.

Ashton was too sleepy to breastfeed at 11:00am, will try again at 2pm and see if he will be more alert. It seems that about once per day he is just too crashed out to want anything to do with eating and the rest of the time he does great.

He is still in the crib dressed and swaddled, doing OK as far as his temperature goes. It seems we are in a holding pattern until the apnea stops, no other changes have been made in his plan of care. They will proceed with letting him eat on his own schedule as soon as he no longer sleeps through any of his feedings for at least 24 hours.

The nurse today was talking about him and said he is definitely in the Advanced Placement class of kids for how well he is doing, especially since he just turned 35 weeks gestation today and is still very young. Most kids his "age" are not able to breastfeed at all and rarely take bottles, so he is ahead of the game and I am sure he will continue to be.

As usual - more news later.....

Amie

June 7, 7pm

Ashton has had a great day. No A's&B's since last night, all meals by bottle or breast and seems to be doing ok with his temperature. He is dressed with a blanket and hat, but he is definitely progressing in that dept.

He met his nana today, and I think if she didn't love him before, certainly does now.

Amie and I both have early meetings in the morning so will update again around noon tomorrow.

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 7th-morning

Ashton was wide awake when his mom and yia yia got to the hospital around 11 am today. He was put into an open crib during the night and remains dressed and swaddled in a blanket to keep warm. So far so good on being able to hold his temperature on his own.

Last night he really showed us what a big boy he is because his weight is all the way up to 2105 grams (almost 4lbs 11oz).

He is still having a few apnea episodes per day but none in the last 24 hours that required intervention by the nurses.

He will be meeting his nana (patricia-zacks mom) today for the first time.
More news later....


Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 6, evening

Amie and her parents spent some time with a very sleepy Ashton tonight. They had to give his 5pm meal through the fortunately placed nose tube as the boy wouldn't wake enough to eat. I guess the premie in him is showing...

His temp seems to be starting to regulate. They have turned him down to 29.9 which is just over 80 degrees and he seems to be holding his own. They will continue to turn it down through the nigh with hopes of pushing him to room temp quickly.

No A's&B's since this morning. Maybe we have started the 7 day countdown (I probably should not have just written that...)

I hope whatever fun and revelry you find saturday night yields a mellow and super sunday morning.

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 6, noon (ish)

Ashton is awake and happy today. He lost 20 grams from yesterday, new weight 2020 grams. (Slightly greater than 4lbs 7oz for the metrically challenged) They are concerned w/ weight loss at this point and are hypothesizing that as he is trying to maintain temperature he is burning too much energy.

Last night's nurse put the damn tube back in his nose, but he (of course) woke up and ate the entire bottle so the tube was never used. I think the nurses like to keep it in because if it gets busy or they are lazy they can feed via tube instead of holding the child for 15 minutes to bottle feed.

3-4 A's&B's last night, two today so far. The seven-day countdown starts ______.

Have a great saturday!

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 5, 530pm

Ashton ate every meal today. What a champ. We got here around 430 and he had pulled the tube out of his nose. Good for him - a declaration that he was ready to eat 100% on his own. Lazy nurses shouldn't have an excuse anymore!

3 A's&B's today. Maybe those were the last and we can start the seven-day countdown.

Temp turned down on his bed, and his body temp is warmer than normal. Hopefully we can keep turning down the temp while he maintains on his own. Room temp here we come...

We're headed to Jessika's grad dinner and then to an early bed. We are beat.

More tomorrow mid-day or afternoon

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 5, 9 am

2040 grams, up 40 from yesterday. 40 grams = approx 1.4 ounces. Let's call 2040 grams 4lbs 8oz. Ashton is back at birth weight.

The nurse last night gave one feeding by tube, the other 7 of the day were by mouth. In report she said he was 'too tired'. I really question that. In the past three days he has eaten all but three meals, and the other two were because of busy nurses. I think I will ask them to pull the tube today to lose that excuse.

They turned down his air temp slightly and he is doing well so far. I think they will continue to slowly turn it down to room temp to see how he adapts.

Three A's&B's, maybe four. Does not seem any worse without the nasal canula. The doc said this morning that most kids stop 100% by 36 weeks, which would be one more week for Ashton. I hope he finishes ahead of that as he has to stay 7 days after the last episode.

Enjoy your Friday!


Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 4, 6pm

Overall a good day for Ashton.

He has been a great eater - 100% by mouth. Likely they will pull the feeding tube soon. It has been used 1x in past 48 hours.

3 A's&B's on the day shift which is as many he had all day yesterday. Maybe the flow of room air was making a difference? We'll see. Any minute now he should have his last one and never have one again.

Tonight Amie and I are going to baby CPR and baby discharge class tonight. That way the only thing keeping here him, is him!

Have a great night

Z
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 4, 9am

2000 grams = 4lbs 6.5oz. Only 1.5oz below birth weight

One feeding in middle of last night by nose due to nurse being stretched too thin and too busy to feed him.

3 A's&B's in past 24. They are going to remove his nasal canula today that is pushing extra room air in because it seems like he is going to have 2-3 per day regardless so he might as well not have the tubes on his face. That will certainly make better photos.

If he keeps eating this way they will remove that tube too which leaves him just with the monitors on his chest that track temp, respiration and heart rate.

In total we are amazed at how well he is doing and although tired and overwhelmed by the past 16 days of being in the hospital (today is day 14 of Ashton's life) we couldn't be happier that he is healthy and progressing quickly.

It is amazing that Ashton has been here two weeks. Time sure flies... Tomorrow is his cousin Jessika's high school graduation. I was thinking this morning about the first summer I met Jessika and how her hair would get tangled as we drove in my open air jeep, she was three or four, now she is graduating high school, moving out of state and headed off to an entirely new adventure in life. I feel like that was about 10 minutes ago... Before I know it Ashton will be______. I guess the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy today.

Z
.
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 3, 6:30pm

24 hours, 8 feedings, 7.5 of which taken through his mouth, .5 taken through his nose.

Two A's&B's today. Damn!

They tried to turn off the heat and put him just at room temp, but no go. At this point he is more reptile than mammal and cannot control his body temp to the environment, instead needs the environment controlled to him.

Apparently kids his age (just over 34 weeks) don't eat and breathe as Ashton is. We are very lucky. Most kids his age have temp issues and apnea issues. He is very normal in that regard.

We will try again tomorrow to make a mammal of him, give him some time to stop the apnea and keep increasing his eating skills.


Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 3 9am

Our big boy weighed. 1980 grams or 4lbs 6oz last night

Through the night, our new favorite nurse (kelly) gave him every meal by bottle, and he then did a great job eating from mom this morning. In the past 24 hours, of his 8 feedings only two have been by nose tube. We may get to 100% bottle and breast by 6pm today. Wow. How quickly things change with an attentive nurse. 48 hours of eating on your own is a license to go home...

He has had about one A&B each shift the last few days. Each time starting his 7 day clock over for going home. Last one was in the middle of the night.

They are still giving him a heated bed, but will keep trying to dress him up to see if he stays warm.

Progress every day.
Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 2, 630pm

Ashton seems good. I got here just after 5 and he was wide awake. We talked and smiled...

His inefficient nurse got him off schedule so when Amie came to feed him @ 530 he still had nearly 1/2 of his last meal in his belly. We waited until about 615 and he still had about 8% and at that point there wasn't time to feed him by breast or bottle because he has to be in bed @ shift change at 645. Aargh. Her inefficiency combined with the fact that her other two patients are super needy (ashton is easy!) Screwed up his schedule to a point that he had his feeding by nose tube instead of a developmental feeding. Can you tell I am frustrated?

Earlier today we fed him by bottle; he did really well. I think he will totally transition to breast and bottle feedings this week. Today he has had every-other feeding on his own, and the alternate by nose. Tomorrow we will try to have the majority be breast or bottle.

He still has a hard time keeping his temp up so they are warming him while he sleeps. Every couple of nights they will try to open his bed to non-heated air, get him dressed and see if he can maintain a constant temperature.

The doctor's comment this morning: "he is in great shape, a little time and he should be set..". (He didn't know I was there listening and he made that comment to a nurse.). Gives me hope.

I added a couple new pics to the website, the software seems to not sort by date but instead filename, so june photos (one of them so far) are in the middle somewhere.

More tomorrow

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

6/2 945am

Ashton's getting big (bigger). He is up to just over 4lbs 5oz.

His hair seems lighter than it was at birth - maybe it is just cleaner?

In the past 24 he has had two A's&B's which means he will be here next Tuesday with certainty.

He is eating 2-4x per day direct from Amie and seems to now be getting a full feeding each time. Maybe the bottle tomorrow.

I don't like today's nurse.

Z

Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849

June 1 6pm

Happy Monday, welcome to june.

Amie spent the bulk of the day @ hospital with Ashton and had a great time. He has been pretty sleepy, but pretty healthy and cute.

He seems to be doing well with breast feeding. Talking with the NP we will start mid-week giving him a bottle if he is awake at feeding time. If he is asleep they will just feed through the tube in his nose.

No A's&B's in the past 24

He is slowly growing and progressing.

I think we should be excited and grateful for where he is and the seemingly short list of challenges standing in front of us coming home.

We ordered his birth certificate today, I guess I should check into passport requirements so he can make his first trip! (Not yet scheduled) maybe Belize in the spring for a scuba adventure...


Zack Clark
Mobile-801.244.4849