The Perry Crew: LOOK!!!

Caelan James

Taking a BOTTLE!

It has been an amazing few days! I went to the hospital Saturday morning after work and was able to give Caelan a bottle- I was surprised how nervous I was. It's not like just picking up a baby and feeding it- since he is still learning and is still a bit weak from being so sick, I had to be mindful of not tilting it too much, holding him high enough, making sure he didn't choke. I felt much better about it the second time. He initially was very easily fatigued and would only take about an ounce- the would give the rest through his tube. They would also skip some bottle sessions all together and just go straight for tube feeding- especially if he was sleeping or just worn out. It is a lot of work for him... but.. he held his own. The important thing was that he got the concept of it and that he maintained his oxygen level within normal. BY MONDAY- he was letting them know that he was HUNGRY! And he has moved leaps and bounds forward! Yesterday morning he took 5 1/2 ounces in less than 3 hours! He didn't eat as much during the rest of his feedings but WOW~ Mary (his nurse) said she did not expect him to do this well this fast- she is so excited for him. We are thrilled- still keeping in reality though, we understand that he has done really well but we don't want to push him beyond what he can handle.

The other big step.... Tuesday... OFF the oxygen!!!! That is a huge step too. They were concerned for a while that he may have trouble weaning off of it.

So... where does this all leave us? We had our weekly Care Conference with Dr. St Charles, Mary and a couple of others involved in his care. They are really happy with his progress. Dr.St Charles continues to stress just how sick our little guy has been (and really... still is)- he said that they have not seen this severe of a pulmonary insult in a very long time. He wants us to be aware that Caelan's lungs are still healing and that they will be for at least a couple more weeks after he is home- his lungs are having to rebuild tissue, and he CANNOT risk getting sick. So.... he doesn't get to join us to the adoption picnic in August, or any baby showers, or anything public really. Visits/contact is limited. We will get a very clear picture before we leave of who, when, etc as far as that goes. Home? SOON! Less than a week???

Here are some general pictures from the last several days...

Matt's cousin Peter (on right) and his friend Keith were in town- came to visit on Thursday night.

Matt's Aunt Ann and Uncle Ted also came to visit.

And then there was there was the change- these were taken on Friday or Saturday (sorry.. it all runs together right now) Anyway- there was an obvious change in Caelan- he was awake, bright eyes, interactive..... just feeling better.

Gnawing on his oxygen tube- that's supposed to be in your NOSE buddy!

Numbers we love! Heart rate on top- that has always been fine. The two bottom ones though are the ones we have been constantly watching. His oxygen level on the bottom- 96% without the oxygen on him!!! The number in the middle- that beautiful 33 is his respiration rate! Remember- that was at and above 100 less than 2 weeks ago- this has been the goal. Thank you God!

And then there's......

Daddy Time!

(Mommy is chopped liver)

It is such a beautiful thing to see Matt and Caelan together! And Matt's cherishes their Hold Time each night. The funny thing though is the way Caelan responds to Matt- his vitals have always improved when Matt holds him but also- Caelan perks up when he hears Matt's voice. He will move his head toward wherever Matt is and open his eyes. He smiles when Matt is near and when Matt talks to him. Here are some pictures of them- I LOVE it!