It's Sunday morning and the NICU feels like it's a distant memory. It's very hard for us to feel that way (and especially talk that way) for fear of being readmitted for something we didn't anticipate. But for now, Miller is doing all of those things everybody told us he would...keeping us awake all night, making us laugh, and keeping the trash can full of dirty diapers.
He had a great visit with Dr. Mirrop (Pedi) on Friday. He tipped scales at 7 lbs 14 ozs 1 day after his expected due date. That weight is well within the expected limits and his head size is perfectly normal (which we'll watch very closely-there's still a very small chance he could develop hydrocephalus). According to the benchmarks, Miller's a bit short. He's about 19 inches long. However, that's a very inconsistent measurement and it's really no indicator of how tall or short he'll become.
Miller exhibits all of the behavior you might expect from a newborn. He's starting to make eye contact on a regular basis and he tracks objects well. At this point, there doesn't seem to be any deficiency on either side of his body in any capacity. Dr. George, the Neurosurgeon, told us Miller might encounter some weakness on his right side because of the location of his bleed, but we haven't seen anything yet. We won't know the full extent of his challenges for many months, but for now, he's acting just like any brand new little baby. He lifts his head up to look around and his grip is deadly. We laugh all day at the way he dive bombs into our chest when he's hungry. It's like there's a cheeseburger is your shirt and he roots around like crazy trying to get to it.
Changing gears here for a second...we learned yesterday of another little boy named Miller. His momma is currently in the labor and delivery unit at Seton. She was expecting twin boys, and at 19 weeks she lost Lawton. The other twin, Miller, is hanging in there and we're all praying he can tough it out for another 5 weeks. Matt and Dana, his parents, are very strong and well equipped for this journey. Here's a link to their blog http://miraclemiller.blogspot.com/.
Please make room in your thoughts and prayers for "Miracle Miller". His battle has just begun.
Love,
Danny & Stephanie
He had a great visit with Dr. Mirrop (Pedi) on Friday. He tipped scales at 7 lbs 14 ozs 1 day after his expected due date. That weight is well within the expected limits and his head size is perfectly normal (which we'll watch very closely-there's still a very small chance he could develop hydrocephalus). According to the benchmarks, Miller's a bit short. He's about 19 inches long. However, that's a very inconsistent measurement and it's really no indicator of how tall or short he'll become.
Miller exhibits all of the behavior you might expect from a newborn. He's starting to make eye contact on a regular basis and he tracks objects well. At this point, there doesn't seem to be any deficiency on either side of his body in any capacity. Dr. George, the Neurosurgeon, told us Miller might encounter some weakness on his right side because of the location of his bleed, but we haven't seen anything yet. We won't know the full extent of his challenges for many months, but for now, he's acting just like any brand new little baby. He lifts his head up to look around and his grip is deadly. We laugh all day at the way he dive bombs into our chest when he's hungry. It's like there's a cheeseburger is your shirt and he roots around like crazy trying to get to it.
Changing gears here for a second...we learned yesterday of another little boy named Miller. His momma is currently in the labor and delivery unit at Seton. She was expecting twin boys, and at 19 weeks she lost Lawton. The other twin, Miller, is hanging in there and we're all praying he can tough it out for another 5 weeks. Matt and Dana, his parents, are very strong and well equipped for this journey. Here's a link to their blog http://miraclemiller.blogspot.com/.
Please make room in your thoughts and prayers for "Miracle Miller". His battle has just begun.
Love,
Danny & Stephanie
