Sebastian and I hang out today for quiet time.

Every night Sebastian gets weighed in. He is almost at the six pound mark and starting to look like a real full term baby.

Grandma sneeks in a visit and does the tube feeding

Mom had a great visit with Sebastian. He loves his grandparents. Notice the leg security on our baby. He will beep like crazy should he decide to take a stroll outside of the NICU doors. It must be uncomfortable but it is extra peace of mind for us.

At the new hospital Steinar has more quality time

Carolyn and Patty (the Aunties) come for a visit on transfer day

This was the day of our transfer. Both Carolyn and Patty came for a long awaited visit. It was nice to see them and be able to thank them in person for doing something for us that was over the top kind. (I will not get into it at the moment but lets say Steinar and I owe them more then we can ever repay). The day was filled with happiness and sadness as we were leaving the hospital after such along stay. The Aunties were awesome with Sebastian and hung out with him and read him stories. How great is that. It was a day of many events and having them visit was the icing on the cake even though some of the days events were not the best.

Steinar learns the art of bathing his son and does really well.

Nurse Alex overlooks Daddy and Sebastian

Daddy gets in some cuddles

It really amazes me how calm Sebastian is around his daddy. He has no problem kicking back and relaxing when Steinar holds him. I guess they sense calm as he is usually high energy around me. :)

Two weeks before the transfer

Support - I love this picture

Grandma and Grandpa visit Sebastian several weeks ago

Update

Today Sebastian is 2575 grams (in for your language Aunt Theresa).He is closing in on 6lbs and is doing well. I have not had two minutes to do much of anything as I am required at the hospital as much as possible. I am no longer entirely afraid of dropping him when I bath him however changing the poopy diapers are a whole other topic (I won't be posting those pictures). I now have a new appreciation for parents (mothers in particular) and don't know when I will ever sleep normally again. It has been very difficult being in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) but all I have to do is look at Sebastian (especially when he is sleeping) and not for one moment do I think any of this was not worth the battle (which at the moment is slowly going uphill). Pictures will be posted by this weekend and I have lots so be prepared.

Thanks to all of you who have been keeping us in your prayers and thoughts. Steinar and I appreciate it and believe that every prayer counts.

Brief Update

I am a little delayed on the time to blog. It has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions the past week as I have not had a minute of time to blog. Sebastian as of today (fathers day) is 5 ponds 8 and a half ounces. Sorry Aunt T but I don't have the gram conversion handy at the moment. He was transferred to a closer hospital and the first few days adjusting were hell for both of us. The problems have since been fixed as I had a meeting with the head nurses and authority figures from the hospital when I had enough of the treatment he/we were receiving. Things have since calmed down and we are both adjusting to the new nurses,the new protocol and the change of venue.

Also this week we welcomed 7 of Steinar's friends who arrived from Norway on Friday night. Of the seven four were little people ages 11, 10 2 years and 3 months (born 3 days before Sebastian). It has been a nice visit so far with lots of laughter noise and toys everywhere. It is nice to have the company and as they are self sufficient I don't have to worry much about running around as Sebastian is my priority. I have pictures to post and will get to it in the next little while.

We are all well and look forward to being home in about a months time (God willing). New pictures will be posted soon.

Doctor Habas (close to my heart)

Dr. Habas is one of the doctors who looked after me when I was in the high risk unit. I am so fond of him and see him on a regular basis. He was the first person I saw when I was admitted to Womens College Hospital and he will forever be someone I am grateful to. I am very fond of him because he is so special and I hope to keep in touch when I am no longer a part of this hospital.

Nurse Angela gives Sebastian some cuddles (Sebastian is tiny)

Quality Time

Mommy gives Sebastian a bath on her own

Up and running - update on Sebastian

It has been a long week of visits to the hospital. I have many pictures to post and they will speak for themselves. From what we have been told as of today (Saturday June 13th) Sebastian will be fully dependent on his low flow (tubes up the nose supplying oxygen) from now until he is no longer needs help on the extra oxygen. He is progressing very well and occasionally takes a small step backwards when he is pushed too far. The doctors thought he may come home before the due date of July 24th (my sisters birthday as well) but they are thinking it will be around that time. I am guessing he will be transferred to the nearby hospital in less then ten days time.

I am learning all sorts of things at the hospital when I visit. They have got me doing everything that I will be doing at home. It is really a bonding experience. This past week they introduced Sebastian to the almighty boob. It took him about seven seconds to discover it and latch on. Much different then using a machine to pump. Babies of this age do not have the ability to suck and swallow at the same time (although they can do both independently). So they do what they call "lick and sniff" which is an introduction to the nipple. So far so good. We will start on Wednesday to try to have him actually feed without choking.

Sebastian weighs in at 4 pounds 14 ounces (or for Aunt Theresa 2225 grams) now that is positively fat.

He is starting to look like a real baby and not like a small doll. He is beautiful and makes a funny face when I smoother him in kisses about every second I am visiting him. I could look at him all day especially his well perfectly formed rosebud lips that look like grandma Fowles. I think he is starting to look like his daddy which is not a bad thing. Enjoy all the photos.

Picture Delay -update on Sebastian

Hello everyone checking in on Sebastian. Things (such as pictures) have been delayed as our home computer is out of commission and I can't post any pictures. As for an update......Sebastian is doing very (yes very well). They (the nurses) are preparing me for the big day when he will be moved to a lower level hospital alot closer to home. They figure Sebastian will be living at home in just over a month.

Sebastian is currently being cycled off his CPAP and has tubes in his nose (low flow) for his oxygen. Six hours off twice a day in a 24 hour peroid. This is a huge advacement for the little guy.

I am currently at the hospital and he is 34 weeks old today (June 10th) and two months old since he was born on April 10th. He is weighing in at about 4 pounds 11 ounces or approximately 2110 grams.

I am kind of shocked that we will be leaving this hospital (although it is good news)as I have been in here (including the days I was hospitalized) for 92 days. The staff are amazing and although being closer to home will save me alot of travel time I will be deeply sad to leave what I know for the unknown.

I have started to prepare myself as I dropped by Centennary Hospital in Scarborough yesterday and asked for an orientation prior to the "big move". It comforts me to know where he will be going and to know some of the staff in advance.

I should be able to post pictures soon as I expect to have the computer up and running by the end of the week. Sebastian has grown leaps and bounds and is super cute as you will see from the pictures I will post. Be prepared as I have lots of them to show.

Time for sleep after a nice warm bath

After the bath I was able to change Sebastian. I have story books to read him but had no time this evening. One of his favorites is "Love You For Ever". I am not allowed to read this when the nurses are close by as it always makes them cry. I must say I have a hard time getting through this book. A hat is put on Sebastian to keep his head warm after the shampoo and the oxygen is kept nearby to help with his breathing until the CPAP is put back on. At the rate he is going Cheryl his primary nurse figures that it will not be long before they start cycling him off the CPAP (maybe in two weeks). Apparently big babies don't like having the restriction of the headgear so they try to pull it off (Sebastian is always pulling on it). After the CPAP he will graduate to the "lowflow" which is just two prongs up his nose that wraps around the sides of his head. This will be another huge step forward when this happens.

Mom learns to give Sebastian his bath

Lots of fun tonight. After weighing Sebastian I was able to assist in giving him a bath. I brought my own supplies so I was able to give him soft towels and use nice baby soap. It was lots of fun and he was well behaved throughout. I was shown how to clean all his nooks and crannies and in what order for sanitation reasons. He was a star and was great for the entire time. He was toweled off and had a nice big pee in my beautiful soft white towel and we narrowly avoided a poop in the same towel.
Next time I will be doing this on my own (with a nurse beside me of course).
I must say that nothing smells better then a clean baby. After changing him he was given a soother and put down for the night. The small things mean so much.

The bandage on his arm is to hold his IV in place. It is to be removed on Monday.

Sunday May 31- Sebastian weighs in at 2000 grams

Need I say more.

The Duchess of Dalhousie (Angie) comes for a visit.

It is Friday and my dear friend Angie (fondly referred to as the Duchess of Dalhousie) comes for a visit. For those of you who were at my wedding Angie gave a speech in Norwegian (or what she thought was Norwegian) at our wedding and I adore her. It has been some time since I have seen her and I am thrilled that she is able to visit and see our son. Angie brings mom the most beautiful flowers (thanks so much) and some clothing for Sebastian (he is now able to wear clothing) and a webkins (I need to do more research on this craze). The visit is awesome although I am still trying to cope with the day of grief but she makes it so much better.
When I am out of the room to pump for milk that is when Sebastian decides to open his eyes and become really alert for Steinar and the Duchess. I seem to miss all these moments when he is alert like this.
Although you can see Sebastian without any breathing assistance he is not able to breath for a long period of time on his own and every minute or so they cover his nose and mouth with an oxygen mask. They want to make sure that his face gets cleaned and a small massage is given to give him some relief from the CPAP head gear.