Memorial Day

Today, Grady is wearing his camo's. This is to honor all the military men and women, thank their families and Grady's Pa, his Uncle Brian, his great grandfathers and his great, great grandfathers. How could you not love and appreciate this little soldier? I know, I know, it is really hunting, but this boy is not hunting just yet. So, we will say, this is for Memorial Day. Besides, I just wanted to show you how cute he is, just in case you forgot or something. Mommy gave Grady a bath today and she chose this for Grady to wear.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Who you Callin' Crabby

As you can see, our little Grady is getting bigger. He weighs 6 lbs and 1 oz. He should, Grady is getting 55 mls each feeding. The nurses have moved his feedings up to just over 30 minutes. They are working to get him ready for bottle feeding. Grady's nurse told Mom and I that this little man works his paci. That is a very good step to getting him to accept the bottle. Grady has also grown 1/2 an inch. He now stands at 16 3/4 inches long. Most of his preemie clothes are getting too small, so Mommy has moved him up to the newborn jammies. They are a little long, but now Grady has room to wiggle.

Last night, Grady's nurse told us how he kicks when you try to change him. So, guess what! Sure enough, when Mommy was changing his diaper, Grady tried to boot her away. Silly boy. Does he not know, Mommy knows best? Guess he has a few more things to learn. It is so wonderful to see Grady responding to loving touches. Mommy was nibbling on his toes and Grady got a grin on his face that would melt your heart.

Daddy was holding our boy, in this picture. Talk about melting your heart. Before we know it, Grady will be on Daddy's heals, following him everywhere. Well, when he is not in his sisters things. Time has really gone by fast. We have another big week coming up. Please keep Grady and his parents in your prayers. The doctors have a couple things planned for him, this week.

Grady will get to meet his Uncle Brian soon. As if Grady doesn't have enough people to spoil him, now Unk is going to join in on the fun. I, personally, can't wait. To have all of my children together, is one more blessing.

Thank you never seems like enough to say to all of you. Please know how very special you are to us. Having your support and prayers means so much to our family. Knowing you are there praying for and loving my family, is one more blessing to all of us.

Talk soon,

JoJo

VIDEO of Grady

Play

Grady in action. Yeah. Our little man has grown. He is 5 pounds and 14 ounces. Just a couple more ounces and he will be as big as his new friend, Gavin. Welcome, Gavin. Soon, we will have little boys and girls running all over the place. How fun is that going to be?! Emma is going to be a very busy girl keeping up with all these new babies.

The white armband you see is Grady's IV. His doctors took a look at his airway, yesterday to see why he is still on the respirator. They are working hard to get this boy off that respirator. Hopefully, we will have Grady breathing on his own soon. We are all waiting for that day. Of course, then we will be able to hear his displeasure of only getting fed every three hours. This little man knows his schedule. He starts complaining about 10 to 15 minutes before eating time. It will not take him long to grow into his cute little clothes, at this rate. At last count, Grady was getting 50 ml of formula every three hours. He is getting close to 2 ounces for every meal.

As always, thank you for all your prayers and support. You give us strength and support just knowing you are there.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady with Mommy and Sissy

Well, here you are. Finally got a picture of Grady with his favorite girls. As you can see, our boy is getting bigger. He is getting stronger too. The roll you see in his hand, is to keep him from getting ahold of his tubing. Those little hands stay pretty busy and Grady is strong enough to pull on things. Once he gets a grip, it is hard to get those little fingers to let go. So, his nurse gave him somthing to grip. Looks like weight lifting to me. Think this child is right handed?

You must know, when Grady hears his sisters voice, he starts trying to peek up at her. She will talk to him and ask him a few questions while she is trying to get him to hold her hand. Grady's eyebrows will stretch up, he will peek out and then shut his eyes quickly. The boy is flirting with Emma. He will almost jump trying to close that eye quickly. Emma is so cute with him. She will get close to him and talk softly. It looks like she is telling him secrets. He will squirm and she will look up at Momma and smile. Too sweet. She is going to be a good helper.

Grady has healed from his procedures. He continues to grow. He was 5 lbs and 4 ounces a few days ago. His feedings are up to 50 mls and that lasts about an hour. Grady is tolerating the change in speed. The nurses have moved him up to the next size diaper. It is a little big on him, but the last size was getting too small. His occupational therapist is working to keep his hips in line. We have not seen her with him, but have watched her working with some of Grady's room mates. It looks very relaxing, so I know Grady enjoys his time with her. Who would not enjoy some massaging of your legs, while being held in someone's lap. Little leg lifts with assistance? Where do I sign up? It is very reassuring to see these professionals working with these babies. There is so much love and tenderness that you know our baby boy is getting the best care he can get from someone other than his loving family.

The doctor tried taking Grady off his respirator again. Grady did well for about 12 hours and then began to struggle some. They continued to let him try, but after about 30 hours, Grady just could not do it any longer. So, this week, they want to take a look. The doctor is thinking there has to be something keeping him from doing this on his own. I know I don't have to ask, but please keep Grady, Mommy and Daddy in your prayers this week. God willing, we will find out that he just needs some more time and growth. But, if not, Grady is in the best of care. Having all of you praying for him and cheering him on will do the trick. What a blessed little boy he is. Thank you for your love and support.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Smiles from our Little Boy

As you can see, Grady is much better. He is recouperating as he should be. There is still a little tenderness, but Grady doesn't show it. He is alert and looking around. I know this picture shows his eyes closed, but wouldn't you relax if you were getting your lunch AND getting held by your Mommy? This is too close to see, but Grady is in Suzanna's arms and I believe the smile on his face says it all. Grubbin' and lovin' is the only way to go.

Grady continues to shed the fluids that were gathering. He weighs 5 pounds and is 42 cm long. The boy has grown 1 cm this week. His breathing is coming along wonderfully. The goal is to get him to room air and he is soooo close. Grady is a tough little boy. He wants to move his head around but is restricted by the vent. Daddy picked his hoses up and zoom, Grady moved his head. Once he is free from all of these tubes, we may not be able to slow him down. I can not wait for that day.

Thank you all for the support and prayers. Grady has made such progress and you are a huge part of that. Your faith and love continue to give us strength.

Talk soon,
JoJo

No more glass

Look at this baby boy. Here, you see Grady modeling the latest version of his Preemie Jammies'. He is regulating his own body temp, so Grady has been moved to a big boy bed. He does not have to stay under plexiglass any longer. Now that he is not under the warmer, Grady gets to wear his clothes. Momma bought some clothes many weeks ago and they have been sitting in Grady's drawer just waiting for this day. We all know how fun it is to see our children in the cute little clothes they have. And, they fit him well.

We have been monitoring his recovery and I guess measurements just slipped by me. His weight has not been accurate due to the fluid retention, but the fluids are leaving him so we will have better numbers soon. He did well during his procedures. Grady slept the day after and most of the following day, too. Please pray this is all the procedures his little body will require for his recovery. What a blessing it has been to have him in one of the best NICU's he could have been in. The nursing staff and doctors are wonderful and dedicated to taking the best care they can provide, for these tiny, precious babies.

Grady had a great night last night. He was awake and looking around. He is not requiring pain meds any longer. With all the sleep he has had lately, Grady probably pulled an all nighter and kept tabs on the nurses last night instead of the other way around. He is receiving 40 ml of formula and will move to 45 ml soon. Poor little fella had to go a day and a half without him groceries. This means he is eating about 1 1/2 ounces every three hours. That should put some weight on him. At this rate, Grady will grow out of his modeling career fast. No more preemie jammies for this boy. He will be in hunting gear before we know it.

Mommy got to enjoy rubbing Grady's back. Grady was enjoying it and it he just relaxed, closed his eyes and went back to sleep. It seems he tolerates touch much better now. Maybe the clothing helps. He is so cute in his little suit. As you can see, he is still on the respirator. As he continues to recoup from all he has been through, they will monitor this. Once Grady's stats are back where they need to be, they will consider trying him on the CPAP again. But they want to give him plenty of time to get strong again, before they try this.

Knowing you are here supporting and praying for Grady, has gotten all of us through these last few days. We will never be able to express how important your support and prayers are to all of us.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Sore, Sleeping Baby

Hey all, I just wanted to let you know that Grady did have his procedures this morning. He has been through a lot, but is doing well. Mommy, Daddy and I were allowed to go in together to see him after the nurses brought him back to the NICU. It looks like he will sleep most of the day. His nurse has extra pain meds just in case Grady requires it. All your prayers are very much appreciated. We continue to pray for this to be the last of the procedures so that Grady can concentrate on getting better and growing so we can take him home. This little boy will know how blessed he is to have you in his life. All of you mean so much to us.

Thank you and God bless you and your familes as he has ours.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Another Big Day

Grady has another big day coming up. He will have another 'procedure' done. The doctors call them procedures, not surgery. He has a little blockage that needs attending to. So, once again, prayer requests go out to all of you. Grady is a strong little guy and I know he will be fine. It is just a little nerve rattling to know that he will be under for few hours.

I tried four times to add the video I promised you. It will load, but will not play. I will have to get someone to help me add it. I am really sorry. I did want to brag on my little man. I guess you will have to see him in person. God willing, that will be soon.

As always, thank you for being here with us. Your prayers and support mean more than you will ever know. True friends are always with you when you need them the most.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Good News,Good News

By God's grace, Grady is going to be better. He has a little swelling issue that concerned his doctor so she ordered an MRI. They found that Grady needs his aqua ducts enlarged. He was born with ducts too small to maintain his body as it grows. Now that he is gaining weight and getting bigger, he is having some blockage. The doctors will go in and enlarge these ducts and Grady should be fine. Momma tells me, once this is corrected it should not return.

I am sorry I don't have the video to share. I am on my laptop and it does not have the sharing program yet. I promise to work on this tomorrow, but for tonight, I think I will get some rest.

You are truly God's gift to all of us. It strengthens me to know that you are in our corner. Thanks for all of your prayers and love. All of us recieved little notes, texts and calls letting us know you were praying for Grady and that a lot of you called your prayer groups to lift Grady in prayer. I know God has placed you in our lives.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Please Pray

Grady's doctor wants to run an MRI in the morning. They need to find out what is going on with him. Please pray for our little man and his parents. Tim tells me that Grady looks and acts fine. Tim also said, 'they will find out what is wrong and fix it!' So pray for our little guy and his parents as they go this scary time. I will let you all know something as soon as I find something out.

Grady stayed off of the respirator for several hours today, but they decided to put him back on until they are certain what is going on.

Until tomorrow,

JoJo

Mother's Day Weekend

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Moms. Hope your day was as blessed as mine.

Grady is doing very well. He is more alert and looking around. His coloring is wonderful. The boy had his eyes open when I got into his area. He would look at Daddy and then look at me. He had just had a bath though and he started getting sleepy when his nurse began his feeding. Grady is taking 35 ml of formula now. He has dropped most of the extra fluids he had. The nurse weighed him at 4 lbs and 6.6 oz without fluid. Yeah. He is just a little over 16 inches long. 41 cm is his exact length. I guess I was growing him too fast last week. I told you he was over 16 and 1/2 inches. Grady is not quite there, but he will be before we know it.

Now that Grady is 'post surgery', he is maintaining his stats much better. His nurse told us that he has not had a drop in a while. You know, when all his bells and whistles go off. That is very good news. Grady is healing and will get stronger every day. What a blessing.

Grady is breathing about 20-30 times over the respirator. It is set lower to encourage him to take breaths for himself. But when he is sleeping, Grady is letting the machine do all the work. So we have a little ways to go with this leason. The nurse started working on teaching Grady to suckle while he is eating. So, you may be getting a lot of pictures with a paci in his mouth. He needs to associate the suckling with his belly getting full. Just to brag, Grady is getting this lesson quickly. He enjoys his tummy getting full. Just wait until he gets to taste things. Suzanna and Tim will not be able to keep him full. Emma will teach him how good snacks are. I hope he likes cheese. That is Emma's favorite snack right now.

Our little man is a movie star. His JoJo learned how to video him using the cell phone. This blog will allow a video, but I want to let his GiGi and Pa review it before I put it out here. Grady's Uncle Brian and Uncle Charlie need to see it too. Maybe I can get it on here for Wednesday. The video will give you a short look into what a baby looks like when he is enjoying a paci. Stop laughing, you will watch every second, right? I knew it!

As always, you are the support that has gotten us this far. Thank you for your prayers and love. One day, Grady will get to meet all of you and know that you are his family, too.

Talk soon,

JoJo

We are blessed

Hi everyone. Tuesday, Grady had a procedure done called PDA-lectomy (I think). Something like that. He did wonderful! The doctor told us that the surgery went just like it was suppose to. Grady is recovering nicely. He is sleeping a lot right now, but they told us his recovery time should be about two days. There is a lot of information about this on the internet. Type in PDA Heart and it will bring up some good sites. It is an artery that stays open while the baby is in the womb. It is suppose to close after the baby is born. Grady's did not close. As he continued to have more breathing issues, his team of doctors decided they needed to go ahead and close it. Now, the internet will tell you that the baby will make a major turn around, but the doctors told us to give it time. Grady will need a little time to let his little body heal itself. (Of course, we know God will heal him.) Oh yeah, the team of doctors are all the NICU doctors that work with the pre-term and premature babies in the hospital. It is good to know that they all agree on these surgeries before they are done, unless it is very urgent. We found out that the doctors meet daily and discuss all the NICU babies.

The first picture is before his surgery and the second picture is the day after. You can tell that Grady was not showing any nervousness before his surgery. Not much rattles him as long as he is fed, dry and warm. Oh, and don't bump his incubator, like I did. That makes him jump. The second picture shows you that he has no worries about getting better. Grady is just laying there with his feet propped up, just like he likes it. Daddy says he is a 'little trooper' and I think Daddy is right.

Since his 'procedure', Grady has received 8 ml of formula. They want to see how well he tolerates the change in his food as well as having just had surgery. Then his feedings should return to normal for him. He did great with his first 8 ml. He was NPO all day before his procedure. Momma told me, he was smacking his lips and chewing on his tubing after he started waking up from the anesthesia. He was wanting his groceries, poor little fella.

His weight was up to 4 lbs and 7.4 ounces after the surgery, but we are waiting to see what it will be after his swelling goes down some. The nurse thinks Grady will drop some of that due to the fluids he was retaining. He has also gotten longer, but I don't remember what that was. I know it is over 16 and 1/2 inches long. I guess I was a little rattled even though Grady wasn't. Our little guy just lets us do all the worrying while he allows the nurses and his parents to see to his every whim. He is learning fast, isn't he! hehehe

OH, guess what!?!?! The ban was lifted and Emma got to meet her baby for the first time. And Grady got to meet the best big sister in the world! He opened his eyes when he heard her talk to him. I think he knows that voice. Emma can scrub up like any of the doctors in the hospital. She went in every time we went to the hospital or could go back and see our little man. I think I told you all that we have to 'scrub up' for three minutes before we can go into the NICU. Germs, you know! Now we are waiting for Petey's turn. Not really, calm down! I knew that would get you.

I can never tell you enough how much your prayers and love mean to all of us. You give us strength knowing you are there. God has blessed us with YOU! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Boy!

Have you ever??? I love this picture. It is hard to see, but he has his finger touching just under his mouth, on his chin. It is too cute. He is thinking. I don't know if you all are aware of this, but if you click on his picture, you will get an enlarged look. You might be able to see his finger on his chin. Do you know how hard it is NOT to wake this resting child up? I want to just kiss him and nibble on his little jaw and chin!

I took my friend, Kim, to see Grady for the first time. She agrees with me. He is just the cutest little fella'! Once you all get to see and meet him, your heart will melt. He is cute in the pictures, but his personality can't be seen in a still shot. He will kick that left foot out after the nurse covers it up with the lamb skin. It is almost like he waits until she is not suspecting, then he pulls that little foot out. He scrunches up his nose when someone's bells and whistles goes off. And you should see him, when one of his neighbors cries. He does not like that sound one little bit. I wonder where he gets that from???

Grady is getting bigger. He now weighs 3 lbs and 15.5 ounces! He is almost a 4 pounder! Can you believe he has grown this fast? The nurses in the NICU have a lot to do with that. They are so diligent with these babies. A machine goes off and all heads turn to ensure that baby is covered by one of them. I saw one nurse rubbing noses with one of the babies yesterday. Tell me their hearts are not attached! Suzanna gets so many compliments on how cute Grady is. I know several of his nurses are already under his spell!

I am sure you are now wondering what is on top of his head. Yes, it is an IV. Grady needed some fluids and antibiotics. He had to get the IV in the top of his head because they tried once to get it in his arm and it would not go. It looks worse than it really is. This way, it is not where he can reach it and I like that a lot.

While we were there, Grady decided that he wanted to look around some. You may not know this, but now is the time that most babies start to gain control of their eye movement. Well, Grady is doing a pretty good job of controlling his. When one of us spoke to him, he would look at Mommy and then look at me. This is the first time I have seen him looking around so much. I know we looked pretty funny bent over his bed, dodging the shadows on the plexiglass and peeking inside. OK, stop laughing. You would be doing the same thing, I promise.

As always, I want to thank you for your prayers. We have a big week coming up this week, so if you could remember Grady and his parents, in your prayers this week, we will love you for it..... Well, love you more for it.

Talk soon,

JoJo