Day 38 Momentum

The hockey playoffs are here, and there is little better than watching your team win incredibly exciting playoff games.



Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are my team; My dad started taking me to games when I wasn't much older than Rylan is. I fondly recall Sunday nights back in Chicago growing up; Heading down to greektown for dinner (with bread and saganaki flaming cheese), driving west over to the old Chicago Stadium; My dad paying the local black kids on the corner to "watch" our car during the game; Then later bribing the parking lot guys for "EZ out" parking....
 The stadium really used to rock....The singing of the national anthem produced an absolutely deafening roar, which at times was the highlight of the whole game. Sitting in the mezzanine directly under the 2nd level, we usually sat in the "beer zone" seats, where the drunks upstairs would spill their beers and shower us down on the main floor.

I saw alot of games at that old barn, and grew to love hockey. Hockey is an interesting sport...Some of it is about skill; But equally important is hard work, momentum and confidence, combined with a little luck. Games where one team is dominating can change so quickly; the other team can score a quick goal or two, and the whole complexion of the game can turn on a dime. The momentum can carry throughout individual games or series of games, and the difference between winning and losing can be nothing more than a bounce of the puck.

The girls in the NICU are clearly gaining some momentum. Hanna is currently the team MVP, while Ashlyn is a "role" player trying to catch up to her all-star sister. Things have improved dramatically since last week, and are accelerating in a very positive direction. It looks like the Hayes girls are players after all.....

Hanna:

Is rocking; She is really porking up, and gaining weight very consistently. She is putting on nearly 2 ounces a day, and is weighing in today at 4 lbs 7 oz. She really looks like a "real" baby now; She's got some fat on her legs, her head has really grown big from where she was.

She is OUT of her isolette incubator, and is just lying in a "mini" crib now...She wears a cute pink hat, and is learning to suck on mom's boob. She has daily "boob" sessions now, and is learning her new trade slowly but surely....



Sara holding both girls for the first time!



The reality that she is transitioning to mom's boob for her feedings,  brings a new reality check....Mom needs to be at the NICU all the time, and Hanna is going to be coming home at some point in the not so distant future. I'm guessing she is still 2-3 weeks out; However her momentum is strong and at the rate she is growing and progressing, it could be sooner.



Her PDA "murmur" is reporting to be getting "louder", which may be a good thing. We know she has it, and despite being "asymptomatic", it remains a concern. The louder nature of it may mean that's its trying to close. Time will tell.

All in all, she is the team MVP....

Ashlyn:

The junior partner is improving; She has faced some serious challenges, and as such, it comes as no surprise that she is behind in her development from her sister.



Ashlyn's staples...ouch



She is weighing in at 3lb 6 OZ, and seems to taking her enfaport feeds well. She remains on enfaport rather than mom's milk as a precaution; We believe that her Chlylothorax situation has resolved itself, but will still wait another week or two to introduce "real" breast milk.

Her CPAP  oxygen needs seem to be reducing, and this they are going to try and pull the CPAP this week. She will transition to a high flow nasal cannula.



Also, I watched today as they pulled her staples out of her side, where the PDA surgery incision is. It was hard to watch as the staples were WAY in there, and they pulled them using a clamp thing-she winced as every one came out, and there were about 12......But its over, and she is now staple free with a nice scar across her side. They say as the skin grows over time, that the scar will actually "move" around to her back....She'll still look great in a bikini, although I'm not sure I would approve of her in a bikini anyway....



Staples coming out



Even better, she is almost tube free! She still has her feeding tube down her throat, but has NO IV's and no other lines!!!!!! YAY!!!

All in all she is improving....She is still small, but getting her staples out and having her oxygen needs diminish, as well as being tube free means she is starting to play in the big leagues now. Go girl!




Rylan meets his sisters



The NICU lifted the "cold and flu" season restrictions which meant that Rylan got to come meet his sisters for the first time yesterday. At home he often says "sisters" and "eyer" which means elevator.

You see, he know how to get to the hospital; He gets in the "car", the doors "open and close", he goes on the "eyer", to see his "sisters"......He knows his sisters names now and can say "Ashlyn" and "Hanna" very well.

Upon first introduction, he stared at Hanna for a good 3-4 minutes...He wasn't quite sure at first, but then figured out it was "Hanna" and starting pointing and waving...so cute.



Holding hands...



Also, Sara got to hold both girls TOGETHER for the first few times this weekend. Its a really cute sight to see, let me tell you.

Just like in the womb, the girls nestled nearly skin to skin seems to make them very calm and happy.....Mom too!

The girls decided they liked it so much, they wanted to hold hands......So adorable!

I'm away on business this week...next update on Friday.

GO TINY MIGHTS!