Wow!

I've been pondering a proper title for this one. Some of the ones I toyed with:

I leave for 2 days...;
He exploded;
I hope he doesn't have a random drug test;
A bigger baby ate my baby;

But I just went with Wow. That's because Thomas is now 2 pounds, 12 ounces, up 6 ounces from just 2 days ago, and from what Rebecca tells me, he looks huge! I don't think its so significant that we've considered the thumb stomach, but I'm watching him. He's also 14 inches long. Thomas is feeling much better and was wide awake and smiling and staring at Rebecca today when she held him.

Unfortunately, Rebecca was solo, so there were no pictures of this supposed smile. We are left to trust that this smile occurred, much like we trust in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot and Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game through eye witness accounts.

Rebecca also saw the lead doctor, Dr. Kwan, who was very pleased with Thomas' progress. He also smiled (again, no video proof). He said that the infection is under control. He also said that if things keep going the way they are, he may take Thomas off of the Si-pap next week, which seems really soon, but who knows.

Yesterday was a travel day for me, so I did not do as I promised and describe our ring side seat as Thomas got a new roommate Sunday night. So without further ado:

To the right, is the "portable" unit that was used to bring in the new baby. Its quite a sight. The blue box is where the baby goes. (Do you think that's the way they describe it when they're training nurses on this contraption? "The baby goes here."). Its significantly larger than the isolets, but its a little more self-sustaining.

The really interesting part is the all-hands-on-deck fire drill (very organized fire drill) that occurs when this thing rolls in. There was a sense of anticipation and tension leading up to the moment. Then the unit rolled in with a flurry of activity and a blur of arms. At the highest point, I think there were 7 nurses and 1 doctor surrounding the bed and it looked like everyone was doing something.

Its also kind of neat that every other nurse (I'm guessing it was all of them, I didn't do a head count) that was on duty came by to check out the new arrival. Its really been interesting watching the inner workings of the NICU.

2 months old!

Yup, today is the 2nd of March and Thomas was born January 2nd. So he's 2 months old. Even though technically he reached 8 weeks on Friday, which is typically synonymous with 2 months. So the obvious question is will Thomas ever get those 3 days back?

While we all ponder that, Thomas has been busy getting through his first major infection. Early indications are that Thomas has Strep. Fortunately, it appears that due to the diligence of an unnamed nurse, it was caught early and anti-biotics were started. They also put Thomas on Dopamine to help his blood pressure. Since then, Thomas has started to recover and they've put him back on formula. So, as of tonight, Thomas weighs 2 pounds 6 ounces. Hopefully Rebecca will get to hold Thomas again in the next day or two.

Thomas got another new roommate tonight. I will describe that scene tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Thomas!

House Calls

Never like it when the phone rings and you're dead asleep. Never like it when the phone rings at 6:30 in the morning and your son is in the NICU. So guess what happened...

Well, I think I gave you too many clues, but good job anyway. When we visited Thomas last night, he was sacked out. He'd had a full bath and dressing change and was sleeping off all of the activity. He barely moved while we there, which is not necessarily out of the ordinary. The nurse watching him throughout the night decided that there might be something wrong though and early this morning she called in the doctor.

So the doctor made a house call (chuckle, guffaw). Dr. Baetiong called to let us know that Thomas might have an infection. They are running a culture, which takes 24 to 72 hours to get results and in the mean time, she started anti-biotics. If its an infection, which it looks like it is, and its the right strain/anti-biotic match, he could start responding this afternoon. They may need to try a different anti-biotic otherwise. Everything else looks good. His blood-gas came back good and they gave him a transfusion to help his white blood cells and platelets, which were both low.

As usual, I'll let you know if there are any updates.

Article from the Hollywood Insider

Friday, February 27, 2009

Excerpt from "Rumors and Speculation":

Here' a little tid bit from of all places, Dallas, Texas. I know what you're saying, nothing noteworthy happens in Dallas, but this reporter has it on good authority that 20th Century Fox is working on an ultra-secret, mega block buster motion picture due out in 2012. My understanding is the studio has been trying to keep this particular project under wraps because its already 20 million over budget and has gone through 4 directors, and not just any directors, we're talking Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, and Tarantino.

What movie could justify this sort of controversy, to attract and then run off some of the greatest directors of our time? Well the answer appears to be wrapped up in the subject matter and the little known actor that has been chosen to play the lead role. The movie, "The very early years of Jacques Custeau" seems straight forward enough, if a little underwhelming. The actor in question, one Thomas Elliot, seems to be the root of the issues. His bizarre antics on the set and demands for extravagant perks have beguiled directors and costars alike.

No one is talking on the record, but I've been able to get some details from inside sources and exclusive shots from one of the scenes. One stage hand said that Thomas never speaks between takes, is constantly dosing off in the middle of scenes and keeps the entire crew waiting while he "takes meditation" in some sort of futuristic sleep chamber.

I tried to do some background on Thomas, but turned up more questions than answers. Thomas has no film credits to his name. I mean none. Despite that he still has a reputation that rivals the greats. George Lucas is on record as saying that he would work with Thomas in a second. "Oh, he's an actor's actor. I've heard he can be difficult, but I think I can channel him and we could do great things. If you talk to him, tell him I said that. He won't return my phone calls."

The church of Scientology has even weighed in on him. A spokesman told me that Thomas is not associated with the church in any way, but based on what he's heard, Thomas is just the kind of person they are looking for and has an open invitation to join.


One of our spies was able to sneak on the set during filming at great peril and snapped off these 3 shots.

What I think you're looking at is a scene where Thomas plays Jacques Cousteau experimenting with different scuba gear as a very young child.

In the last 2 photos, Thomas reportedly spotted our camera man. Thomas quickly covered up and was whisked off the set and our spy was run off by a team of security guards.

As I learn more, I'll be sure to update you on what promises to be one of the most intriguing characters since Michael Jackson. The movie will most likely go straight to DVD.

Breathe and grow

Thomas is doing one better than the other. Right now, despite the fact that he's doubled his weight, he's not growing as much or as quickly as the doctor would like. He's not digesting all of his food, this is probably mostly attributable to the ostemy (in case anyone has forgotten, this is the procedure to help his bowel heal). For now, they are just going to keep status quo, maybe increase the calories that are being fed to him. If things don't improve, they may have to try a different formula.

So that must mean he's breathing well, which I'm happy to say that right now he is. He's basically breathing on his own and the Si Pap is just there in case he forgets to breathe (and let's be honest, who doesn't forget that once in a while). If he continues this way, he would probably be head-gearless in a couple weeks. We shall see.

Rebecca got to hold Thomas for a couple hours today and he was right at home going to sleep and hanging out, after being crabby and fidgety before she got there. There are videos to be loaded, so I'll let you know when they are up.

Second time is the charm?

Hopefully this time will stick. They pulled the tube from Thomas' mouth that was giving him air (and a target to grab and pull) and they've replaced it with that incredibly sexy looking head gear. Rebecca went up today and watched the extubation and everything went really well. So far Thomas is handling things well. He's not working as hard to breathe as the last time. I'll update if anything changes. Keep your fingers crossed.

Quick Note

I hate to have to write about this, and feel somewhat guilty since I brought this up in the first place and got people emotionally involved. Last night, the doctors and Marco's family made the decision to turn off Marco's ventilator. Rebecca found out today when she asked about him. I can't imagine how tough that was and we are both deeply sorry for Tasha and Marco Sr.

My guess is Marco just had too many things to overcome and quality of life became too big of a factor. I was afraid of this possibility, based on the body language we saw Sunday night. Its easier to ignore facts and hope for a miracle, but sometimes that's just not how it works out or how its supposed to be. I know it has reinforced for Rebecca and I how lucky we are with Thomas and how fragile things can be. I don't want to get too sappy or corny, but please take a second to appreciate those that are close to you and keep perspective on what's important.

Coolest Bed Ever!!!

Smiley faces and soccer balls. Pretty much says it all as far as I'm concerned. I now know what I wanted most of my house to look like (all of it would be too much). If only I'd been able to envision my utopia and communicate it to Rebecca before we went "traditional" with the house. Oh well, there's always the next one.

This stylish ensemble was put together by one of Thomas' ladies (nurses), who I think is a little embarrassed if she is mentioned by name on the blog, so we'll just call her nurse X.

After a weekend of grandparent love, Thomas has moved up to 2 pounds and 2 ounces. He's also been very consistently breathing room air through the ventilator, so we may be looking at the Si Pap again. If his blood gas is good in the morning, the plan is to extubate again. So we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that it sticks this time.

With all things in life, there's always downs that mix with the ups, and though all is really good with the successes of Thomas, there is still the unknown for Marco. Again, its one of those really awkward things. We're standing next to Thomas, smiling and laughing and enjoying how Thomas is doing. Next bed over, Tasha, Marco's mom, was clearly dealing with some things that no one should have to. I don't know what is going on, but Marco is clearly facing some significant challenges and we're trying to send as much positive energy as possible.

I don't honestly know what to say about this or convey what I'm feeling. Our encounters with Marco and his family are random, dependent on who shows up when. We are very lucky to be in the position we're in, but its difficult to see the sadness and uncertainty unfold right in front of us, especially since there's almost nothing we can do. Its part of life and its certainly a very common part of the NICU life. Being a nurse there is full of extremes that occur way too often. They are amazing people. Please keep Marco and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Noone ever asks about my soccer career anymore

Rebecca and I have returned from an entertaining and happy weekend. As you might remember, we traveled to Shreveport to carry Rebecca's sister around on our shoulders while the throngs of people approached her and shouted Huzzah! Its an odd Louisiana tradition for women about to get married...at least that's what the Elgin women claim. I could not find anything to corroborate their story on Wikkipedia.

Anyway, it was a very happy occasion. As Rebecca and I made our way through the party, it occurred to me that I am no longer anything more than a publicist for Thomas. My own personal exploits and triumphs have little weight in this new world. Its all Thomas, all the time. I'm actually quite fine with that, Thomas is pretty much all I focus on (everything left over goes toward Rebecca (bonus points)) and I don't particularly care to be the center of attention anyway (unlike Leigh). So where normally I could move through a room full of people in a nifty 15 seconds on my way to the food or the bar, last night, every face lit up with recognition and every person engaged me in Thomas talk.

I think it will be amusing in the years to come, as Thomas starts making his rounds and can speak and add value, how he will handle all of these people that will know an amazing amount about him and want to pick him up and hold him.

Thank you again to all of you who asked about Thomas. Rebecca and I love and still are indebted to all of you that follow the blog and pray for Thomas.

Thomas is still doing very well. Nana and Papa looked after him all weekend and he's just hanging out, being 2 pounds and just chilling.

Friday, before Rebecca and I skipped town, we made one last visit to the NICU and had the good fortune to meet Marco's mother. It turns out Marco is a junior, his parents are Marco and Tasha. We spoke to Tasha for a good half hour. Tasha had high blood pressure, so they had to go after Marco early to protect both of them. Marco does seem to be going on a similar path to Thomas. He kicks alot and moves around just like Thomas did. Tasha seems a little overwhelmed, so hopefully we gave her some reassurance and hope for Marco. Its very early for him, but I think things are ok so far. He made it through his surgeries well, so we will continue to pray for him and hopefully will run into his parents from time to time to keep ourselves and you up to date.

We're about to head up there again, so if there's anything new, I'll let you know.

So sorry.

I want to apologize for not giving any updates this week. Each evening has just slipped away and each morning has been filled with regret and deflection of demands for more blogs. So I will do better going forward.

So, what has happened since Sunday? Thomas is now 8 and a half pounds, has a full head of hair and is eating solid food. He prefers carrots and applesauce, not too fond of anything green. He's crawling some and they have to keep the top of the isolet down because he keeps trying to get out.

OK, some of that was exaggerated. Not telling which part. The real scoop is that That there's not a lot to tell, which is really good. Thomas is sitting around 2 pounds, he's basically breathing room air through the ventilator with not alot of help from the ventilator. The effects of the trauma from last Friday have worn off and he is really active when he is awake. He's basically on cruise control. They did a neuro scan last week that he passed with flying colors. So they won't be doing another one until right before he is kicked out of the place. The plan is to slowly increase formula and calories as long as Thomas can tolerate so that he will grow. Then they will try the Si -Pap again.

I have a few videos here from last night when I held Thomas. He was great until right at the end when he decided it was time to grab his breathing tube and pull. It yanked off the tape that was holding it in place. So the second 2 videos are of Thomas getting refitted for his tube. Made him a little crabby. He's getting really strong and when he's in the mood, he can pull out any of his tubes. So he's getting swaddled alot.

Rebecca and I are going to Shreveport because her sister is throwing herself a party (she's very self-centered). Actually its her engagement party, so both of us will be away for the first time. Nana and Papa are here to babysit Thomas while we're gone, so I'll let you know how things progress.