The Podge Files: Baby Peter: Days 16- 22 Update

by Tracy on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 9:23pm

October 24, 2011

Happy Three Week Birthday, Peter!

Peter’s first week at home has been great as Zach and I continue to work together to establish a routine and a daily plan of action. My dad left to go back to Alaska on Thursday. It was so nice to have him be able to stay a few more days, and Lucy loved all the cat hunting and walks they went on. We were blessed so much family was able to come and help out. So, as of Thursday, Zach and I have been flying solo taking care of Lucy and Peter.

So far it varies every day, but I feel like we give and take to cover all the bases so that each of us are getting enough sleep, Lucy time, Peter time, and personal time. It makes a HUGE difference to have Zach home all day to help juggle the home and parenting responsibilities, and the help of friends, co-workers, and family have made things much easier and less overwhelming overall.

Peter has developed quite a voice the past couple of days, and has actually started to cry more. Still nothing compared to Lucy at his age, but enough to hear him from the other room. I’ve also noticed that Peter is becoming more alert and awake for longer periods of time. He seems to be coming out of the brand-new-newborn stage of sleeping all the time, and becoming a bit more active.

It’s really rewarding to watch him grow and change, even in small ways, as we spend time with him. When you have a child you often think about what they will be like when they grow up, what they will look like, what interests they will have, or their personalities. It’s hard to know that you will not have a chance to see those things, and watch your child become a man in this life, so I really appreciate being able to have Peter long enough to watch him grow at least a little and see at least a glimpse of who he will someday become.

Lucy loves running into our bedroom every morning after she gets up, to say good morning to Peter. She runs so fast she usually runs right into the side of his co-sleeper and bounces off. She loves peering through the mesh sides of his crib and tells him “hi” over and over again. She is working on learning how to pronounce the “P” sound for Peter, and is doing a pretty good job. When she and Zach got home from church on Sunday we let her sit in the rocker and hold him for a little while. She LOVED it, and when it was time for me to take him back she tightened her grip and would not let go, telling us “No!” She sure loves her little brother.

The hospice worker has come several times and Peter has received glowing reviews each visit. His lungs seem to be clear of fluid and sound good, his color is good, and he seems to be doing well! He did have a goopy eye for a day and a half, but we continued giving him his regular eye drops as she suggested, and it cleared up on its own before we even got him to his “well baby” visit on Friday. The hospice worker is wonderful and I appreciate everything she has done already. She is easy to talk to, and answers and addresses all of our questions and concerns. Her guidance gives me confidence in our ability to take care of Peter. I'm so grateful that she makes herself so accessible, and is always only a phone call away.

On Friday we gave Peter his first bath at home in preparation for his first doctor’s appointment with his new pediatrician, which was also his first official outing with mom and dad. We had a friend from church come spend the afternoon with Lucy and we took Peter to the hospital for his check-up. Everything looked good and as an added bonus, his umbilical cord finally came off while we were at the office. Peter’s weight was 5lbs 4oz, a little bit of a gain from his weight when they discharged him from the hospital a week ago. Go, Peter!

The main reasons for Peter’s visits with the pediatrician is to monitor his weight and adjust his calories and feedings as necessary, adjust his lasix as necessary, and take care of any other uncomfortable symptoms that could be alleviated with the proper medications to increase his comfort as his health declines. So far though, his health is steady and he seems to be doing very well.

I cannot express enough gratitude for how much the amazing doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital have done for us. Not only in taking wonderful care of me physically during pregnancy, delivery and recovery, taking care of Peter while he was in the NICU and after, but also in caring for us emotionally and spiritually as we have dealt with this heartache. They have prayed for us, cared for us, comforted us, and shed tears with us. We have been so blessed throughout this entire experience to have had people placed in our path to help us. I feel like I have made some lifelong friends who will always hold a very special place in my heart because of the special place they have made in their hearts for our Peter. Heavenly Father knows us, he knows our pain and trials, he knows our needs, and he guides those around us to be His hands on Earth to help us in our time of need and in answer to our prayers.