Baby Grady

What a difference a year makes!

2011-03-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Grady's first year is complete. What a challenging, yet blessed, year my family has had. You all have taken this long journey with us. One of our many blessing, this year, has been your support, prayer and love. Without that, we would not be here today. Thank you.

A long time has passed since we last talked. With Grady home, it has been a little busy around here. Every time I promise to keep this up, something gets in the way. So, no more promises. Hopefully, there will be more time, now that Grady has us on a schedule. He is still taking his feeds every three to three and half hours, but has increased his intake to 6 ounces. Little G is weighing in at 14.2 pounds and is 25 1/2 inches long. He has moved through the 6 months clothes and into the 9 month sizes. That is a lot of growth in two months.

Grady has one of the best big sisters around. She can make him laugh more than any of us can.

This little boy will bust out with one of those smiles that just makes you laugh. The boy is also trying to talk around his trach. If you listen, he will push air hard enough to make a small squeak. Again, that makes all of us laugh along with him.

Grady had another surgery several weeks ago. He got to spend the night in Daddy's travel trailer the night before. All went very well and we had Pants back home Saturday afternoon. Ten days later the stitches came out and our little guy got an all clear. He will have a follow up MRI soon to ensure all is working as intended.

You have to know, the first picture is on Grady's birthday. As you can see, we did not get much response from him. He sat in his high chair and stared at the cake. Poor little fella did not know what to do with that big blue Cookie Monster on his tray. Emma blew out his candle. That was the high light of the cake. Daddy gave him a taste of the icing, but G was not so impressed. He shivered! So much for his sweet tooth.

OH, I almost forgot. This morning Grady woke up with TWO bottom front teeth. Guess this little man of ours is not going to waiste any time cutting teeth. Let's just get this over with and do it by twos.

Well, there is so much more to tell you, but this will go on forever if I don't stop now. And, hello everyone at CCSD and First Bank. I will be back with more news and pictures.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Snuggling In

2011-01-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well, Grady is getting all snuggled in at home. He has had three weeks to learn how to rule the roost. He is doing a great job at that in case you were wondering. As you can see, Emma and Grady enjoy the same cartoon shows. You have to know how wonderful it is to see how Emma helps take care of our little man. She is such a wonderful help. We still have to remind her that Grady can not see her when she is that close to him, but most kids want to get nose to nose when they talk to babies. My favorite story, so far, is Emma getting up the second morning Grady was home. She came into the living room where Grady was eating breakfast. With sleep still in her eyes, she walked up to me and smiled at her brother as she reached for the alcohol gel to clean her hands before she touched Grady. You think we have asked her if her hands are clean a little too much? She is such a smart one, let me tell you.

Grady is doing very well on his new formula. He is gaining weight and growing out of his 6 month footed pajamas. We have not checked his length, but he is definately getting longer. We are still watching his calorie intake. He is enjoying some of the cereals and fruits Mommy got for him. This little boy might just get the hang of the spoon feedings. Since Grady has been home, he is beginning to control his head. It helps to have this many play toys holding and carrying him around. We have noticed that Grady is very interested in his surroundings. As you walk to a different room in the house, he is checking it out. It is a new blessing every day to wake up knowing that today Grady is going to enjoy another day at home.

Thank you, thank you for being patient with us. Once we get through the RSV season, Grady will be able to have more company. It is so hard not to just call everyone up and say come meet this little boy you have been praying for. One of these days, though.... Until then, just know how much you mean to us and how very thankful we are for your love and support. Your prayers have brought this little family together.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Home! Need I say more!

2011-01-06T06:50:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, Grady is home. It has been a wonderful, busy time. Grady got home on the 22nd of December, just in time for Christmas. Needless to say, it was the best Christmas present this family has ever had. Now that we are settling in and getting a routine started, the days are just vanishing. Grady has a meet and greet doctors visit today. Our little man is doing wonderful and it will be encouraging to see what his doctor thinks of his progress.

Having an immune weak child in the house, will bring its challenges. We are not taking Grady out right now. Visitors are few and far between. We hope you understand if you have not been invited over just yet. The doctors have warned the kids to keep Grady away from groups of people and to avoid having other children in the house until we see just how well he does. The reminders of pre-term statistics keeps us holding firm on visitors. Just know that we would love to have every one of you over here and plan to do just that. It will just have to be one or two at a time. Very soon, we will invite the kids over to see him. For now, we want to ensure that Grady is not one of the children that returns to the hospital within the first month of being home. His survival is our priority, but know that we can not wait until we can share him with his extended family members.

Grady has a new formula that seems to be working great for him. He is taking 130 ml by bottle and seems to be loving it. Sleeping all night is a blessing. Every now and then, we are getting up to clear his airway, but no sleep filled bottles. But be warned, once this little man is awake, he wants his groceries. Although, he does enjoy laying on his changing table and checking out his room. Grady will lay on that pad kicking his legs and looking around. You get to see his adorable smile while he his doing his leg lifts and kicks. Maybe it is the height of the table, who knows. This boy is loving his home.

Well, looks like there is a little noise coming from the napping boy. Better get off of here and go see what is needed. Again, thank you for all of your prayers and support. Knowing you are there gives my family comfort. Grady is a blessed little boy and so are we.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Family and Friends

2010-12-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that Mommy and Daddy have been working on the house to get it ready for little G when he comes home. It has been one of those projects that grows. Take one thing down and find two more things that need to be corrected or replaced before the new goes in. This weekend, Mommy and Daddy did a 48 hour 'room in' with Grady. While they were living the family life, their dear friends were working their back sides off. The new floor is in! Thank you to all of you. I hope you know how much this means to the big kids. What a wonderful gift, to give up your weekend and give Mommy and Daddy one huge blessing. Time was getting short for this project and you all completed it and took major pressure off of the kids. At the risk of repeating myself, you are true family. God has blessed us by putting you in our lives. Our little man is going to grow up knowing that family has a much larger description than most people know.

As for our precious little man, he is getting so close to coming home. Once the rooming in weekends are completed, we will be getting ready for the day we bring Grady home. Once he is home, there will be new worries and concerns. Bringing an immune weak child home , will have its own fears. This little man may be 25 before he gets to see the light of day. The hospital staff have already begun to warn us that we need be sure we keep visitors to a minimum. Everyone will have to wash up before they can touch him. Little people will be discouraged from coming over to see him. One more period of time that Mommy and Daddy will worry. The RSV season is upon us so that will restrict the places that Grady will be taken to. Having a kindergartener will have its own concerns. We will be doing our best to keep big sister healthy. So, please don't stop praying for this little family. All of your prayers have assisted in getting Grady this healthy and he will continue to improve with the love you have given him. Hopefully, it will not be long before all the kids can live a more normal life and not have to be so cautious.

As always, thank you for your love, support and most of all your prayers. Also, a big THANKS to the work team that got this house so much closer to being completed. You did a great job.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Big Visitors to tell G Happy 9 months

2010-12-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

Just about the time Grady starts growing and getting bigger, look what shows up! Now these are very Big Boys. Some of the Dallas Cowboys came to the hospital to visit the children. These boys were bearing stockings full of Cowboy stuff. The stocking is an official (clean) Dallas Cowboy sock. If you look closely over Grady's left, you will see a picture of this years Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Um, does anyone have a 10 by 12 frame Grady can borrow? Mommy will this go with his new room decor?

Our little man is doing well. He has gotten back to his 13 pounds and he is 24 inches long. His little fat dimples are disappearing. His thighs are getting longer. Little G looks skinny and long. Guess his body finally knows it is safe to grow. Grady continues to do great with his breathing. He sleeps a little more than usual, but this breathing thing is hard work. And he is eating as much as he can have. Looks like this little man is trying his best to get home for Christmas. Keep up the good work, Grady Pants.

Well, I just wanted to share some of the fun the hospital has for the children. We have been told that this time of year brings a lot of visitors to hospital.

If any of you have ever wondered if prayer really works, go back to the top and look at the little man that needed prayer and got it. We feel so blessed to have such a strong extended family. There is not way to thank you enough for your prayer and support. Hugs.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Busy, Busy times

2010-12-05T21:14:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time since we last talked. Grady's world has really gotten busy. He has been working very hard to get off the respirator. You can see, in his picture with Momma, that he has a new attachment on his trach. This is an HME or artificial nose. This allows Little G to be free of the hoses that were connected to the trach. It does the same thing that our nose does and heats the air that he breaths. It also puts moisture back into his lungs. Picking this little boy up is so nice with no heavy hoses hanging around his neck. Friday night was his first 24 hours with no respirator assistance. He is doing very well. All blood gases are good and Grady is good.

Grady has plans the next couple of weekends. He will be spending them with Mommy and Daddy. It is part of the process to getting him out of the hospital. We are so close that it is getting exciting. It is also getting every one of his care-givers in a rush to get all their paperwork done. He is having a lot of visitors because they all need to get one last follow up on him.

YES! Grady is coming home soon. We still have some planning and prepping, but it is getting close to time to bring this boy home. What a blessing that is going to be.

Well, more soon. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady had visitors

2010-11-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

What a day Grady has had. He had surgery first thing Monday morning to have his internal shunt put back in. That involved three different incisions. Ouch! Little G spent the afternoon off the veny. WooHoo. He did fantastic. As you can see, he also had some visitors. This is Grady's Great Grandmother. Is she fabulous or what? Off the airplane and straight to the hospital to see her great grandson. MiMi came to visit and she was the first person to get to hold our little man, after surgery. As you can see, his surgery went as expected. The surgeon told us that we should be done with surgery and if G has a good night, he can go back to his old unit in the morning.

Well, we are back on the old unit. Do you remember TCU? Man, how great it is to know that we will work on getting this boy off the respirator and that is all we have to work on. There is physical therapy and occupational therapy, but G loves that. Remember the baby massage? Me too! Our little guy can now start working on sitting up and reaching out and getting home! We have not talked about the doctor's plans yet. Hopefully, we will know something very soon. Grady is off the respirator 8 hours a day now. He has not shown any signs of struggle and that tells us what we have always known. Grady is ready to get off that machine.

We want to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your families and loved ones. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Out of Surgery

2010-11-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

Once again, Grady has come through surgery like a trooper. He is doing well, has been awake for a little while. As soon as he can have some food, he will be ready to boot scoot his way back to TCU. One more night in the ICU and off we go. Our little man has his internal shunt back. One less attachment to keep him down. Give G a few days and we will be able to pick him up without ANY attachments what so ever. It wil be the first time Mommy or Daddy has held this little one with the freedom to walk around. Well, guess I better get back to little man.
As always, you are the best support any family can have. Thanks for loving my children and praying for them.
Talk soon,
JoJo

Surgery Updates

2010-11-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

Grady did just fine for this last surgery. Looks like we have one more. Monday, they will give Little G his internal shunt back. Today, they opened one more cyst. Mommy and I got to view the last CT scan and got a better explanation of these cysts. They are actually normal fluid pockets that we all have. Grady's problems came from the staff infection. His brain 'walled off' these pockets which formed closed pockets. This is what the surgeon keeps referring to as cysts. He goes in and puts a hole in the wall. This allows the pockets to work together and drain, like they are suppose to. So, our little man now has all but one pocket working with the others. As long as he does not have any infection from now until Monday, they will give him a new internal shunt. So, there you have it. Five minutes with the surgeon and we now have a clear picture of everything that Grady has had working against him. As of today, this should all be taken care of.

When I left him, tonight, he was only requiring tylenol and motrin for his pain. There is a two inch incision from the top of his right ear, heading to the top of his head. It looks pretty painful, but the boy is a little trooper. As long as his belly is full, he sleeps, plays and watches his television. One of his doctors, from upstairs, came for a visit. Grady was talking to her the entire time she was there. He had this look on his face that made me think he was telling Beth to let him back upstairs because they were letting the little green men take him away too often. He is a charmer, that grandson of mine. He is already working on the ladies.

Well, I will try to get some pictures on here, of our precious little rock star as soon as I can.

As always, thank you so much for your love, prayers and support. You give us all the strength to continue through these days.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Non-Emergency Surgery

2010-11-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are again. Grady is in the operating room, as I type. Dr. H had a long surgery cancel today so he wants to go get the cyst on the right side. We are still going to watch the one at the base of Grady's head. Yesterday was a busy day for Grady, also. He had a CT scan with contrast. That was not such a good day. They allowed the pressure in his head to build so the contrast would get all around. Grady was not best pleased. After the test, they released the pressure and we had our little fella' back.
Today's surgery will take about an hour. Of course, that means we will wait about three hours before we see Little Man again. We were suppose to have an MRI. We did and they wisked him off to surgery once they saw what they needed to see.
Since I don't have any news on the surgery, let me just tell you that Grady has been working hard to get off the respirator. He is up to six hours a day without assistance. As far as Grady is concerned, there is no difference. He sails through his 'trial time' without any change in his day. Now, when they put the respirator back on him, he coughs. I guess the pressure assistance irritates him. We probably would cough too if we had a machine puff air in us. Once he gets the idea that the hose is back on, Grady will grab ahold of it. Sometimes it seems like that hose has become a toy for G to hold on to. So far, he has only jerked the hoses off a few times. Most of the time, it is just a part of the room. But the freedom it gives us not having to move hoses as we move the boy, is so wonderful that we are the ones getting impatient for the hoses to be off for good.
As for today, it looks like Grady will keep the external shunt until Monday unless the doctor feels there is no risk in putting his internal shunt back in. Most likely, we will have to wait until Monday. With all the infections that Grady has had, I don't see Dr. H taking that risk. But who knows what this wonderful doctor will decide to do! So far, he has made all the difference in our little guy. Well, Grady has done some of that himself.
I will put a note out here when we get this little trouper back to his room.
Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Talk soon,
JoJo

8 Months old

2010-11-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today has been a big day for our little man. Grady was able to get out of bed and Mommy finally got to hold him. It has been over three weeks since Grady has been held. It is way past time. As you can see, Grady is doing well. He continues to recoup from Monday's surgery. He is taking all of his meals through the bottle again. This is the first bottle, in three weeks, that Grady has taken sitting up. Maybe we needed to hold little G more than he needed to be held......nnnnaaaaahhhhh! As you all know, there is nothing better than holding such a precious little bundle in your arms.

Can you believe that tomorrow, our little man will be 8 months old? Time has really disappeared. You might think that the hours would drag on, sitting in this hospital all the time. It is amazing how fast the days have gone by.

The doctors are running cultures on Grady every day. It takes about 3-7 days for this infection to appear. So far, we have one positive results and one negative. We will stay in the ICU until they internalize the shunt. The good part is that Grady is not battling the fever. He is on three different antibiotics for this and they seem to be fighting the infection off. The doctor did explain to us that as long as Grady has these foriegn objects in his body, he is at risk for infections. We are just going to be extra careful from now on. Right down to using the gloves to change his diapers. Another blessing we have is that our little guy does not appear to be loosing weight like he did the first time. As long as he can keep his weight and strength up, he should be able to kick this infection quickly.

Well, thanks again for all of your support and prayers.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Continuing to improve

2010-11-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, Grady had a rough night the day of surgery. He spiked a very high fever but he was already taking the antibiotic for the infection so the fever broke around 12:30. Grady was able to get some much needed rest. Day two brought sedation and pain meds. Grady slept about 24 hours. Day three brought a bright eyes little boy that wanted his bottle back. Today, Grady woke up happy. He has been looking around his room, checking out all of the new colors and shapes. This room has walls to keep the sounds of others out. This is the first time , since the surgery, he has really cared where he was. Grady continues to control his own temperature. He will spike a small fever, but it will break before he gets any tylenol or motrin. That is a very good sign. We were told, in the beginning of this, that he would be very sick for about a week. Looks like, once again, Grady will have it his way. He only wanted to be sick for a couple of days. Now we will just hang out here until they change all the hardware. The next surgery will give little G new hardware and an internal drain. I am hoping that we will be able to get him out of bed after that. A couple more weeks of fighting this infection and he should get his internal shunt back.

Well, that is all for now. I will get a picture of this little snuggle boy on here when I get back to the trouse. Thank you all so very much for all your prayers. Looks like we may be here for some time. Hug my kids when you see them.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Cultures never lie

2010-11-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Mommy was nibbling on Grady!

Grady is recouping from surgery. He began running a fever the morning he was scheduled for his shunt to be internalized. Guess what they found?!?!? Infection! So the surgery plans were changed to a new, clean external shunt. Grady is still in the PICU and he is still confined to his bed. This will lead to another surgery in about two weeks that will give him new hardware and an internal drain. After another two weeks, or when Grady is completely infection free, the surgeon will put the internal shunt back in. We may be in the PICU for as much as a month. Anyone up for a hospital turkey dinner? Looks like Grady and I will be dining in for Thanksgiving.

For now, Grady is receiving drugs to keep him relaxed. The doctor replaced his stitches a little bit ago. Looks like Grady has to have a certain material for his stitches or it will not hold. This boy has the sweetest and softest skin you could want, but even that can be an issue when you need someone to sew you up.

At least the boy is well fed and well loved. As we sit here, nurses, doctors and other very helpful staff members come by to see how our little G is doing. He is pretty well known on this floor, too. He must have signed up for the membership. Someone take his debit card away.

As Grady continues to improve, I will keep you all updated. I can't give you a picture right now, but check back later. I will add some when I am not at the hospital.

As always, you keep us going. Thank you for your prayers, love and support.

Talk soon,
JoJo

One more surgery

2010-10-31T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like we have one more surgery to endure. Grady's surgeon will put the shunt back in tomorrow. After 3 weeks in the PICU, they will not try to reach the cyst on the right side. After many cultures and MRI's, Grady has been declared clear of infection and can have his shunt back. Funny how we cried and worried over him getting the shunt in the first place and now we can not wait until it is returned. He will be getting all new hardware so that will require three incissions. Poor little fella will have stitches in two places on his head and his tummy. His surgeon has been in Grady's head more than anyone ever imagined, including Dr. H. At least little G has had the same surgeon every time.

This is the first family picture we have had an opportunity to get. It took a little time to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time. You can just imagine trying to get them all to smile for the picture. Well, Grady didn't smile, he was a little curious about everyone trying to get into the bed with him. If we could read his mind, we would know that his big concern was who had his paci. The look on his face says, I will share my bed, but leave my bottle alone.

Our little man is taking 4 ounces now. He really seems to enjoy getting his bottles. All feeds are now given from a bottle. They call it add lib, but his nurse called it on demand. I like that a lot better. It sounds more like Grady. Taking the bottle away just to get a burp out of him causes Grady to turn a beautiful marroon color. Needless to say, he is not best pleased when you take his groceries from him even for a minute. Once he has his belly full, Grady does his leg lifts. Exercise time comes after every bottle. This is something that Grady started doing about two weeks ago. I guess he is trying to get a head start on his six pack.

I will let you know how the surgery goes and get some more pictures up. We are looking at the noon hour and it should take several hours. If I get the chance, I will update this from the hospital.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. God has placed you in our lives and we could not ask for a better extended family.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Hangin' out in the PICU

2010-10-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are still in the ICU. Grady is doing well, he just has to be monitored by these nurses while his shunt is on the outside. Looks like we may have another surgery once his ventricles are expanded. Sounds a little scary, but the surgeon is hoping to go through Grady's right ventricle to get to the last cyst. Hopefully, he can because that will be a little less invasive. Of course, all surgery is difficult, but his doctor was telling us that brain surgery is easier to recouperate from than most other surgeries. HHHHMMMMM. I wonder how many he has recouperated from???? Just kidding. Thank you, Lord, Grady has one of the best neurosurgeons there is. Dr. H. is suppose to be the best when it comes to pediatrics. Now, he did tell us that Grady has not done anything normal yet. Dr. H admitted that our little man has been a challenge.

Funny how things happen. Makes you wonder how God planned all of this eons ago. I was talking with another parent yesterday, from W.F.. Man, this world gets smaller every day. When you pray for our little G, you might just add all of these precious little people in your prayers. You don't need their names, just knowing that they are all fighters and all deserve to have someone loving and praying for them is enough. We have made several friends here. Some of them are patients and family and some are the wonderful nurses, therapists and specialists that help Grady and all the other kiddos here.

As always, love you guys and thanks for loving my children. Your prayers and support are truly what we need.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Successful Procedure

2010-10-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well, Grady is out of surgery. They removed his internal shunt this morning. His doctor wants to make sure that there is no bacteria attached to outside of the shunt. It will go for testing and we should have some results next week. For now, Grady has an exterior shunt and he will remain in the PICU until we get an all clear from the different tests that have been ordered.

Grady is doing wonderful. He was awake for a few minutes. Just long enough to peek at Mommy several times to make sure she was there. Then, off to sleep land he went. Grady seems to need natural sleep after anesthesia wears off. He will get to return to his regular schedules for everything, once he is alert and wide awake. That means he gets his bottle back as soon as he can tolerate it. He now has an order to allow him to set his own schedule and amounts. Of course, we are keeping him within reason. Don't want the little one to pop just because he wants to be a little piggy. When he goes over his regular 90 mls, we call it dessert. For now, Grady can sleep until his tummy wakes him up.

If you are a friend of mine on facebook, I put a short video of Grady for you to see. I tried to get it out here on the blog, but something did not work. Must be operator malfuntion.

Thank you all for your prayers. We all know that is what is getting Grady through all of this. You have to know how very precious you are to all of us. For now, just hug your precious loved ones and we will give Grady kisses from all of you. Does that mean we need to kiss him until sundown?

Talk soon,

JoJo

Funny faces of Grady

2010-10-14T21:28:00.001-07:00

Hope you enjoy these pictures of our little guy. He has such funny faces sometimes.

JoJo

Unexpected Update

2010-10-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, just thought I would take a minute to fill you all in. Monday, Grady went back under the knife to clean up the incision from last Monday. We got him all settled into the PICU for a few days. He did wonderful for the little procedure, but they did not like the outcome of the cultures they took afterward. So, we are now waiting our turn to have the shunt removed. One of the team from his neurosurgeons group explained that bacteria likes to cling to any hardware and they are thinking that may be the case with our litle guy. Grady is scheduled for surgery Friday morning.

Sorry there is not picture. We are at the hospital and can not put his picture on their system. I will add a picture once I get to my computer.

Grady is doing well. He continues to gain weight for now. Once the antibiotics kick in, we may be loosing again. He is still enjoying his bottles and continues to eat all he can get. Grady can have as much as he will take, but we stop him at a reasonable amount. He is getting comfortable with 95 to 100 ml. Pretty good for this little fella.

Well, again we are asking for prayers. Grady will have to remain in the PICU until there is an all clear from infectious desease doctors. He will have an external shunt and that will require constant monitoring.

Just know how much you all mean to us.

Talk soon,
JoJo

7 Blessed Months with more to come

2010-10-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well, since the last time we talked, there has been a little excitement in Grady's world. First thing, he is 7 months old today. It is so hard to believe that this little guy has been blessing our world for the past 7 months. Man, how time has sped by. As you can see, he is quite the little sweety. He has not grown much, but with all the surgeries and infections, his little body has been concentrating on getting stronger and fighting to maintain. Once he is better, I believe he will start growing again. He has already gained some of the weight back. He lost over 1 pound and that is a lot of weight for this little boy.

Monday, Grady went back to the operating room. He did wonderful and Tuesday's MRI tells us that his procedure was successful. Thank you all for the prayers and support. Grady is doing well, this week. He no longer needs the pain meds and had his first bath today. We still can't wash his head (not much hair to speak of), but he did enjoy sitting in the warm water.

After a big bottle, he setted right down for an afternoon nap. Nap time is wonderful now that Grady has decided to participate. His new schedule has helped with that. He gets his breakfast an hour earlier, now. Yesterday, he took 5 mls more than he usually does. We decided he was needing some dessert.

Well, I will not promise to get better about the updates. Seems like every time I do, something happens that keeps me at the hospital longer. So, I will update the next chance I get and hopefully that will be soon. As always, we can never thank you enough for all of your love, support and prayers.

Talk soon,

JoJo

MRI today

2010-09-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today, Grady is having another MRI. We will find out just how great the antibiotics have done. I know that our little guy will have beat this infection. He is one of the toughest little people I know. Once we know the results of this MRI, Grady can continue to work on getting off the respirator.

While he was on two different antibiotics, Grady dropped over a pound. His doctor decided that Grady should get one long meal throughout the night. Must be pretty good stuff because he is gaining his weight back. He lost one chin and part of his little butt cheecks. It is good to see those pinching spots returing. Holding him close, you really notice just how tiny his hiney is.

The doctor has also given G back his bottle. You must know by now, how much Grady loves his groceries. He wants that bottle every time you put him in your arms. He is assuming the postion and expects a bottle to be there when he is ready. All I can do is laugh at him. Poor little fella. Mommy held him this morning and that was tough. NO bottle because of his MRI. Food was stopped at four am and Little G wanted Mommy to feed him. Needless to say, Grady was a little cranky.

The 'Giving to Grady' Golf Tournament was a blast. Thank you all for a wonderful day. It was so much fun seeing everyone and driving that cart from Hole to Hole. Hope everyone had as much fun as we did. We are all so blessed to have such a wonderful group of people in our extended family. I hope you all know how much you mean to all of us.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers and support. One day soon, you will get to meet this precious little man. Just remember, when you meet G, don't tell him that all of his little secrets are on the Web!

Talk soon,

JoJo

Giving to Grady

2010-09-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you that did not know, several of Mommy and Daddy's friends wanted to do something to help Grady. There was a golf tournament and dinner for him. We had a blast. It was so much fun seeing everyone, watching the teams play golf and just talking with people.

There were Team Grady T shirts, there were hamburgers grilled out, carts for us non-golfing partipants and two chances to win money or a car for a hole in one. By the way, golf cart zooming can be a lot of fun. Just remember, you need to know who is teeing off before you pass up a team. Philip and Kimala had a zoom by golf ball bouncing in front of their cart. Guess that means it was bouncing behind me.

The turn out was wonderful. There were quite a few teams. We had players from Oklahoma, Fort Worth and a very special person drove in from Florida to spend time with our Grady while Mommy and Daddy were at the fund raiser. Hope GiGi did not get all of the Grady kisses.

As for our little guy, he is doing very well. Grady is on two different antibiotics which has caused him to drop some weight. But, as you can see, he still looks cute as ever. We have a couple more weeks of these drugs and then we can concentrate on putting the weight back on him. Grady has not let that slow him down, though. The big smile you see is from Grady getting his mobile back. The batteries has run down and he had gone several hours without his little friends circling his head. The nurse got batteries put in the mobile and within 30 to 45 seconds, I had this smiling picture. He was so happy to see his monkey, ostrich and giraffe circling his head that he chuckled.

I want to take just a minute to thank every one of you for coming out to the Golf Tournament and the dinner, Saturday. Your kindness, support and generosity was overwhelming. Tim and Suzanna and the rest of the family want to tell you how much we love and appreciate all you have done for Grady. Having your for support warms our hearts. We can never say Thank You, enough.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Six Months old today.

2010-09-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this child is 6 months old today!?! Wow, time has really snuck by. What a blessing these two children's hospitals have been for our little man. God is good. Grady is almost 22 inches long. He has dropped a little weight because the antibiotics are playing havoc with his 'tummy'. But the doctors and nurses say this is normal and not to worry about any weight loss for now. If G loses a lot of weight, we will worry. But for now, we are just enjoying this little boy as his true personality really starts to show. As you can see, Grady is smiling at things, he has a belly laugh that will cause you to laugh right along with him. He keeps his JoJo laughing all the time. One other thing we are celebrating is Grady throwing a fit! I know, I know, who wants a baby to get that mad. We do. As Grady is waking up from all the sleep meds and other stuff they have had him on, we are seeing things that we should have seen before now. Grady can throw a fit like every other little fella his age. He gets down right CHAPPED. And I laugh at him while trying to make it better. It is a wonderful thing to see this little boy begin to act like a 2 to 6 month old baby.

For those that do not know it, there is a fund raiser for Grady next weekend. We will be there to see everyone. If you are interested, go to http://www.givingtogrady.com/ to see what it is all about. It should be fun.

As always, thank you for all you do to support my family. Your prayers are priceless to us. Hope to see you all soon.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady's Jojo

2010-09-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Grady and his Jojo. For those of you who don't know, Jojo is Timmy's Mother and Grady's Grandmother, Jodi Kidd. She is the one who started this blog and continues to keep you updated on Grady's progress. I thought it would be nice to put a face to her name.

Jodi has spent the last 2 1/2 months living in Fort Worth and taking care of our little man. She sends us pictures throughout the day and keeps us updated on any changes that occur. It is so comforting to know that she is there with Grady. The nurses take wonderful care of him, but she gives him the love and affection that he needs too.

We have truly been blessed with a Guardian Angel!

Back to TCU

2010-08-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

Today, Grady was released from the PICU. Yea, Grady. He is so happy to be back in his bed. For now, Grady is still a little sedated, but they are weening him off of the sleep medication he has been on since his last surgeries. Yesterday, the surgeon read Grady's last MRI. He was pleased with what he saw. Grady did not get an all clear report, but everything appears to be moving in the right direction. Now that he is back on his transition floor, the respiratory specialists will begin weening Grady off of the respirator again. He will also get to begin his bottle feeds again. We don't know when that will begin, but I know the little man is really missing his bottle.

While we were in the ICU, Grady was introduced to 'Sweeties'. It is a natural sweetener that helps encourage and teach babies to suck the pacifier or bottle. They also use it to help rid the child of hiccups. Well, Mr. G. is loving his sweeties. He will lick his lips and smack. This is his way of asking for something to moisten his mouth. And you know his JoJo is going to try to give him what he wants. Thus, the sweeties. It is a good thing Grady does not have any teeth just yet, otherwise, his Mommy might just send me some dental bills.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Mom and Dad took thier picture today. The other handsome couple is Mommy's Mommy and Daddy. I thought since Grady is in his home away from home, you all might enjoy some family pictures.

As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support. This was a rough time for my family and having your support and love has carried us through it one more time.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Better Days

2010-08-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Grady is doing much better these last couple of days. He is still in the PICU, but you can see the smile for yourself. We are beginning to see our little boy returning to himself. He has been through a lot these last two weeks. If you are counting, Grady has had three procedures in the last two weeks. All of them in his head. He has spent the last week sedated, so we have spent a great deal of time at the hospital with him. The doctors have begun to reduce his sleep drip and his pain medication. This has caused him a little discomfort because the sleep medication is a narcotic and coming off of that has given our little man a challenge. Last night, he had a rough time of it. According to his care givers, he was wide awake for most of the night. Today, Grady has slept most of the day. They have begun the weening process again today. Let's hope this little fella' gets some sleep tonight.

During Report, one of Grady's doctors asked if the patient has been out of his bed. When the nurse told him no, he ordered more treatment. This PRN (as needed) is for JoJo, Mommy and Daddy. The doctor ordered the patient be allowed to get out of bed, PRN. Now that is one treatment that I completely agree with. Needless to say, Grady spent several hours in my arms, on his tummy today. This may be why some people fall in love with their doctors.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support. We are so very blessed to have you in our lives and family.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Way to Go, Grady!

2010-08-20T13:06:00.001-07:00

Grady has come through his dual surgeries just like the fighter he is. The neurosurgeon was able to drain the infected area and he also got the cyst to drain into the proper canal. This is not the most flattering picture of our little guy, but he was just waking up. I knew you would want to see him so you would not worry. For now, Grady should sleep for the next several days. They have re-started his sleep drip and pain medication to keep him resting comfortably.

Thank you for all your prayers. Check back soon and I will put some cute pictures of Grady to let you see how well he continues to recouperate.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Another Surgery Friday

2010-08-19T21:11:00.001-07:00

Grady has to go under the knife again tomorrow. The Neurosurgeon wants to go in and drain a spot on each side of his head. Because there is an infection, it will be two procedures back to back. They have to do one, then begin again with another sterile area to go into the other side. There is not much to tell at this point, but I will keep you informed as I find out information. For now, please pray for our little boy. He is such a little fighter. This may come to a shock to all of you, but he is charming his way into the hearts of many wonderful and caring nurses, Therapists and lots of other care givers.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady is a Rock Star

2010-08-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

You have heard it before, but Daddy keeps telling us Grady will come through this like a Rock Star. Well, our little Rock Star has been blessed again. He has a staff infection in his brain. How scary is that? The doctor told us this morning that his infection is one of the lesser ones and they know the exact treatment to clear this up. Thank you, Lord! and thank you, everyone, for praying for this little guy.
We are not out of the woods yet, though. Grady will have to undergo another surgery so they can put an external drain in. This will allow them to drain the pockets of infection and flush the areas. Little G is receiving a sleep drip to help him sleep through all of the recouping time as well as a little pain medication. He rests well with his booster! He doesn't appear to be in pain most of the time, but when his stats start climbing, we know the pain is starting. But the ICU nurse just gets Grady his booster and within minutes, Little man is resting again.
One more thing you will enjoy knowing. Grady is becoming quite the popular little guy in the ICU. His nurse asked Mommy if that was Seth James that came to visit Grady. Why yes it was. Grady's nurse was pretty excited. She told us that her boyfriend was a big fan and that she was raised in W.F. Such a small world. Thanks, Seth and Jessica for coming to see our little boy. It was great seeing you both.

As always, thank you all for your many prayers, texts and loving thoughts.
Talk soon,
JoJo

Surgery over for now

2010-08-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Grady has been through a lot today. He had three different procedures done. He has a medical port line, he had the infection drained and they also drained his left ventrical. The fluid in the left ventrical appears to be clear. That is very good news. We will not know if there is any infection in that fluid for several days. They have sent all fluids off for cultures. As you know, that will take up to 72 hours.
The neurosurgeon was very pleased with Grady and how well he handled all three surgeries today. As Daddy keeps telling us, Grady came through it like a rock star. He is in pain, but his doctor has put him on a anesthsia drip for tonight to let him rest and calm down. Grady is have a minor issue with his vital signs, but again, he is in a lot of pain. His vitals are high, but not so high they are worried. They are concerned enough to let him sleep through the night with assistance. We may still be looking at another surgery, but for tonight, we will wait and see. Doctor says, one thing at a time. So, we will let Grady get through this before we address the next step.
I know I am leaving a lot of your questions unanswered, but I don't have any answers for you for now. There does not seem to be an explanation for the infection other than it could possibly have been there for some time and is just now causing problems for Grady.

Keep those prayers coming. It works and Grady is proof of that. Hold your loved ones tight and thank you for all you are doing to help support and pray for my family.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Surgery Update

2010-08-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to give you all an update. Grady went into surgery at 12:00. With three procedures to complete, they will probably take around 4- 6 hours. We will not know anything until they give us calls after each procedure. For now we are just asking that you pray for our little man. I will put more information out as we receive it. First surgery is to put a line in for the antibiotics that G will require for about the next 6 weeks. Then they will drain the infected areas to pull that off of his brain. Last but not least, the surgeon will move to the other side of his brain to see if they can relieve pressure from the cyst that is pushing on his brain. So, we are looking at a very long day and a very long recouperation.

Grady was alert this morning and smiling at Mommy and Daddy. He was responding much better today than he was yesterday. Later, we may have more surgery facing him, but for now they will concentrate on the infection and the pressure.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

More updates later.

JoJo

Lots of new changes

2010-08-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Grady is recieving new settings, again. This little boy has taken on most of the breathing. He has certainly taken on this challenge. Grady's doctor began the weening last week. This week, we are looking at more changes. Today, the respirator pressure is getting dropped to 4. When Grady moved to the TC Unit, it was in the 20's. Three days ago, they added the Passy Muir. This is a connection that forces Grady to exhale past his voice box. Little G has been talking without this connection, but this allows him to be heard much better. It adds volume to his voice. He did not like this very much and only tolerated it for about a minute. Grady will get to try this daily until he gets used to it. The way this little man has taken all his other changes lately, gives me confidence that this will not slow him down either.

Grady is now taking three bottles a day and those bottles are 50 ml each. Are you surprised to know that he is not best pleased when the bottle is empty and he can not have any more? I'm not. He has also moved up to 75 ml each meal. As he continues to gain weight, the doctors will up his amounts. Don't tell anyone, but Grady has a burp that can be heard across the room. His burps are not little or just one at a time. Grady will be burping the alphabet before we get him home.

Grady has a mobile that plays music. He loves it. The music is very calming to him and helps drown out the other sounds in the unit. One thing he seems to not appreciate though, is one button on his mobile. It plays a song from Bach. It is pretty funny to watch his expression. Much like the one it the picture above. This song will raise his blood pressure and make him fidget. There is another child on the other side of the unit that cries and Grady can hear him. Grady will give me this look, that makes me laugh. He does not like that sound, either. I keep telling him that I can not stop that sound, so we just hit a button on his mobile to help cover the crying. This seems to give Grady something to concentrate on and makes him happy again.

As always, thank you all for your love and support. Grady is such a blessing and I can not wait until all of you get to meet this little cutie in person. I pray that God blesses each of you as much as he has blessed this family.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Working hard

2010-07-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is doing wonderful with his new settings on the respirator. As you can see, he is alert and cute as can be. Grady's first day with the pressure down, was a little tiring on him. He slept a lot that day. But the very next day, you would never have guessed the doctors had changed anything. He is working a little harder to breath on his own, but he is getting it. Once he is comfortable with this new pressure, they will move it down again. Soon, Grady will be doing all the work and that is when they will start trying him off the machine.

As we expected, Grady is taking two bottles a day and they moved his amount up to 30 mls. This is a large step for him, as well. It appears they will increase his amounts before they increase more feeding times with a bottle. This little man is really enjoying his bottle. Now, if you kiss him too close to his lips, he is expecting a bottle to fill his opened mouth. It is too cute, watching him turn his little head with great expectations. There might be some real issues if the pacifier were not flavored vanilla. That seems to still make him happy when he is not getting food across his tongue.

As for Grady's growth, he is 10.36 lbs and 19.75 inches long. He is beginning to outgrown his newborn clothes. His 0-3 month clothes are beginning to fit him much better and he is filling them out quite nicely. It is such a blessing to see his little arms and legs plump up. Within the next few days, his unit will be out of isolation and we will no longer require the beautiful yellow gowns. That will be sooooo wonderful. Those things are pretty hot and I am not complimenting them. For such a thin product, they sure keep the cool air out. I guess that was their design.

Well, that is all for now. Please know how grateful we are for all of your support. These have been growing times for us and it is such a wonderful feeling knowing that you all are there praying for Grady and his family. We love each and every one of you. Having your support and prayers has carried us a long way.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Parent Talks

2010-07-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

According to Grady, parent talks can really get pretty interesting. I just hope Grady has gotten his parents all straightened out. He had a long talk with both of them and I think they now have the right idea. What that is, I could not tell you. Mom and Dad are not sharing. Just in case you could not see for yourself, Grady is growing and filling out wonderfully. He weighed in a little over 10 lbs today. Go Grady boy, go. Maybe he was having a big boy conversation with Mommy and Daddy.

This has been a big week for our little guy and it is only Tuesday. Monday, the doctor lowered Grady's oxygen rate from 23 to 21. That is considered room air, the same that you and I breath. Today, they lowered his pressure rate. This is more good news for Grady. All these numbers, rates and pressures can get confusing. Just know that as all of these drop, Grady is getting closer and closer to getting off of the respirator. The weening will go slowly. We have been told that he will start with an hour at a time. This will give the doctors a good idea of how tiring it will be for him to breath without assistance and also give Grady time to get used to breathing without help. They will increase his time off the respirator using baby steps. From the day Grady was born, the doctors have told us we are all on Grady time. So, one more thing happened today. Grady will start taking his bottle twice a day and he was moved up to 30 ml each bottle feed. It took him a little time to get the hang of it, but once Grady figured out what that bottle was all about he is all for it.

Let me say Thank you, again. Your prayers, love and support give all of us strength. God has blessed us with Grady and great friends.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Family Photo....s

2010-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we almost have a family picture. It just had to come in two pics instead of one. Now that Grady's uncle is closer, we might get them all into one picture, yet.

You can see the boys are gowned. There is a small outbreak in Grady's unit, so we are all wearing gowns and gloves. One more thing we have to do to spend time with the little guy. It is a good thing he is worth it. You can also see how much he has grown. Grady was a little over 9.5 lbs before this little bug broke out. Grady dropped a few points, but he is still close to the same weight. So far, none of the babies are showing symptoms of any illness, so we are just playing it safe and gowning up when visiting.

Since we last talked, Grady has begun tummy time and he is learning to take his meals by mouth. Today, he took 20 ml in about 5 minutes. You should have seen the look he gave me when I took the bottle away and replaced it with the paci. It was not the best look, believe me. Amazingly, Grady has to take small steps in his learning to take the bottle. Apparently, the amount of calories he burns taking the bottle is a large concern so this week he moved up to 20 mls once a day. The calorie concern has a lot to do with him being a preterm baby. Next week Grady will get to have the 20 mls from a bottle, twice a day. This little man is really enjoying that bottle. It took a little bit, but once he figured it out, that was all she wrote.

Grady has also been moved up to a larger respirator system with larger and longer tubing. This allows him to get into the floor to sit in his bouncy seat or watch the television or just look at how big everything is. There are plenty of padded mats to make him his own little space. With Grady in the floor, we can get down there with him. Mommy really enjoyed just laying in the floor with her boy. I will get those pictures up next time. Most of the babies have floor toys that they can play with. Grady has the strength in his little hands to play with some toys, but he is still so small that Mommy just holds his hand or helps him with some stretches. One day, they will be taking a nap together in the floor.

Well, there are so many little things that can be shared with you. I promise to get back to sending you all updates sooner. Grady has so many people loving and praying for him that we feel very blessed. Thank you all for your continued prayers, love and support.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Bath Time

2010-07-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since we have talked. So, I am sharing a couple of my favorite pictures to make up for neglecting you. As you can see, bath time is getting much better thanks to Mommy's great idea. Grady wears himself out during bath time. He is beginning to enjoy the water. No, he has not turned into a duck yet, but practice makes perfect. Just look at that relaxed little man.

Grady continues to grow. He is now 9.5 lbs and 19.5 inches long. The massage therapist came to visit today. We now have two books to instruct on how to make this little boy enjoy touch more. It is going to be interesting to see how this works for him. There is a lot of repetition with this, but the best part is that there are no exact moves. If the baby likes it, you just keep massaging that area. Believe it or not, she told us the back is usually the area the baby does NOT like. Children! They just don't know what is good, sometimes.

Tomorrow, Grady will begin his bottle feeds once a day. That will be great times for all involved. He has been practicing with the paci and doing a great job. Grady can make that paci pop, so the bottle was easy for him to get the hang of. The only problem he is having now is that he does not want to stay awake to finish his dinner or lunch or breakfast. That will be our challenge. Teaching him to enjoy his food is the easy part. He has spent the first four months of his life, sleeping while his tummy was getting full by the feeding tube.

As always, Grady's progress has much to do with your support and prayer. He is a very strong little boy and I can not wait until you all can get to know him. He is one blessed little boy, having so much love sent his direction. Thank you all for being a big part of our lives.

Talk soon,

JoJo

4 Months? 3 Weeks?

2010-07-07T20:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, little one. Today, Grady is 4 months old and 3 weeks old. Sounds funny, huh? If Grady had been born on his due date, he would be three weeks old. But, instead, God blessed us with this little man four months ago today. The nurse tells us that he is 8.75 lbs and and almost 19 inches long. Just about the right size for a three week old. Puzzling, right? Sometimes I get a little confused, too. He may be 4 months old, but remember, he has been growing to his birth size these first 3 months that he has been with us. So, today, Grady is 4 months old and 3 weeks old.

Most of you know, Grady moved to the TCU, Transitional Care Unit, a couple of weeks ago. Here, we get to care for all of his needs. We pick him up and hold him when we want to. One of Grady's therapy lessons is to be held while he eats and he needs to have his paci. This will help him associate a full tummy with suckling. But, it is wonderful and scary at the same time. All of Grady's bells and whistles now mean a lot more to us. Learning what all of these represent is a little intimidating. There are many other lessons that we need to complete, as well. So far, we have all completed several things. One is giving this little boy a bath. Now, it sounds a little odd that we have to learn to bathe Grady, but remember, he has several new attachments that can not be submerged in water. Mommy has found a way for Grady to enjoy his baths. He can sit up, which helps his breathing. Yeah, Mommy. All little people should get to enjoy their baths. And he smells so good afterwards. Grady loves to have lotion put on his feet and hands. We are still working on his comfort levels for his legs and arms. His Ocupational Therapist is referring Grady to massage therapy. Hhhhmmm. Where is the sign up sheet for that?!

Now, if we have to be checked off for a bath, you can just imagine all the other things that need to be learned. So far, we have jumped in with both feet. Daddy was the first to change Grady's trach. He got us all started and now we are all taking those first steps and getting our check list shorter. Thanks, son. It is a relief to know that you are here to prod us on.

Well, I must say it is wonderful to be here spending this much time with Grady. Getting to know him and learn what his personality is developing into is great. He has a little bit of a temper. But only when he does not get his way. The Boppy is turning out to be his favorite thing from home, besides Mommy and Daddy and sister. Sorry, Pete, but Grady doesn't know you yet. Music is very soothing to Grady. He is still charming all of his nurses and the eye doctor told me he is a very strong little fella. Grady loves his hands and he is learning to grip things. If he is mad, you may as well just wait until he gets tired. You will not be getting that grip to open until then. One of my favorite things is the bridge of his nose. It is the perfect place for a kiss. If you place him right under your collar bone on your chest and hold him close to you, his nose is right there just asking for you to plant a big old kiss on it. Hey, just wait until it is your turn to hold him. You will try it, I promise.

Thank you all for being an important part of our lives. Going through this with you there makes all of these challenges a little easier. Your support and prayer has brought us a long way.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Little G

2010-06-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Grady continues to grow. He is so alert now. It is a blessing to watch him enjoy all of his new surroundings and the colorful crib attachments that Mommy and Daddy have been adding to Grady's world. You learned about his boppy the other day. He is still enjoying it and so is everyone else. Grady is so happy to sit up or just take a nap while the boppy snuggles around him. Man, I wish these were around thirty plus years ago.

As you can see, our little man is a wee bit content. Home would be better, but for now, it looks like Grady will be in the TCU for a little longer than originally thought. He has some growing to do so that his lungs can build new tissue. As he grows, his lungs will get bigger because he will be developing this much needed new tissue. Some of you may already know this, but when we are born, we only start out with about 10% of what our lungs will be as adults. As we grow, our lungs grow too. Grady needs more lung capacity to be able to get off this respirator. The nurses are watching his oxygen saturation and as he can tolerate it, they will reduce his amounts. Once he is at room air, they will begin weening him off the respirator. Looks like our little man will be staying longer than any of us had hoped. Now, on the bright side, it is a blessing that he is with these wonderful nurses and doctors. Spending my time with him, has allowed me to observe the family environment the nurses try to give all of these precious babies. Grady has a neighbor that is such a delight. Every nurse or doctor that walks by, stops and visits with him. This child has a smile on is face most of the day. They call him by name, know what he likes and everyone seems to spend at least a few minutes just talking to him and teasing him. He loves it. It is very comforting to know that Grady is in such a loving place.

Love, prayer and faith have gotten us this far and I know God will continue to carry us through to the day we get to bring this little fella home. Thank you so much for all you are doing for this family. I pray that God blesses every one of you and yours like he has us.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady is settling in

2010-06-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Grady is getting settled into his new place. His nurses told Momma that she could bring some of Grady's things to his new room. They encourage lots of stimulation for the babies. So, you see Grady with his Glo Worm. He loves the music that Glo Worm makes. Mommy also brought him this cute toy to attach to the side of his crib. It plays forest sounds and has soft lights with some figures moving about. Grady can enjoy a little relaxing time with this colorful toy. The forest sounds seem to get his attention. You can watch as he fights to keep his eyes open when it is turned on. He loves to watch it, but it will put him to sleep. His sweet yawn lets you know how relaxed he gets. It is very exciting to watch Grady enjoy the things that babies are suppose to enjoy.

There are a lot of things to learn before we can bring this boy home. There is a video that all three of us need to watch. After that, we have hands on care that the nurse is teaching us as we do each step. Repetition will be the best learning, so we all need to be able to do each task while being observed. Talk about on the spot. It is very reassuring to know that they will not send our little man home until the adults have learned all there is to know and actually taken care of Grady's extra needs. Each step is crucial to his care so we want to make sure it is second nature to us before we are the ones in charge.

Now, just a little bit of fun. In this new place we are the ones that take care of him. We move him, bathe him, do the wound care, feed him. Finally, Grady is living the life of a newborn with his family. Don't get me wrong, he was in excellent hands in the NICU. Their job was just different from the nurses Grady has now. They did the care giving, but now we are giving him all the love and kisses and holding and tickling we can give him. Poor little fella now has to endure girl kisses, tickles, toe nibbles and all that other stuff that new parents and grandparents love to share. We have a lot to teach Grady about being a baby. Color, sound, long talks and any other thing you can think of. Grady is going to know just how loved he is because we now get to pick him up when we want to, put him in a bouncy seat or just move him to a more comfortable position. I have to tell you, Mommy brought the Boppy so that we could hold Grady with the support that it gives. Yesterday, Grady was very fussy. He was dry, fed and should have been good to go but I could not get him to settle or be happy. So, I reached in and propped him up with my hand. He instantly chilled and relaxed. One problem, I can not just stand there propping him up. So, I set him into the Boppy. The boy loves that Boppy. Mommy thought it was for her, but Grady has other plans. Somehow, I think they can both use it and have it their way. Hey, just like one of those burger joints.

Well, that is about where we are for now. Our lessons are just beginning, so there will be stories to tell another day.

This is such a wonderful move and we have all of you to thank for it. With your prayers and support, Grady has come a long way. Thank you is not enough. Please remember how important you all are to us.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady has moved

2010-06-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well, our little man has finally moved to the transitional unit. He has a full size bed. I think Daddy could get in this bed with him. It is a regular crib, but Grady looks so small in it. This place has some new ideas that are quite amazing. How many times have you had to pick up a paci to just have it dropped again because your little one could not hold onto it? Well, look at the second picture a little closer. The nurse has attached the paci to a rolled up blanket. AND IT WORKS! The blanket is just flexible enough that it stays put! Go figure.

Now the fun begins. Mommy, Daddy and JoJo now have to learn how to take care of all Grady's extras. Man, there is a lot more to it than you would think. It is a good think he is so darn cute. Another fun thing about this place is that Mommy can bring some of Grady's things to him. He has a new friend, already. The bunny is a gift from one of the kids wonderful friends. Looks like Grady is going to like being a part of this great big family.

Our little man has to get to know his new temporary home and the nurses will soon have a plan to get this boy home. It will take a few days before we will know anything, but home just got much closer for our precious little miracle boy.

Just to catch you all up, Grady did have another procedure last week. He has recovered and now we don't have to worry about fluid build up any more. Once the incisions heal, we can concentrate on getting this boy off the respirator. We have all learned that we will be able to pick Grady up and move him around. We can put him in a bouncy seat or hold him without having to ask the nurse for help. They want us to take over, so to speak. The more we care for Grady while he is in this unit, the better.

One more VERY important thing, I must tell you. I held my grandson for the first time, today. If you have not had this experience yet, it is worth waiting on. What a blessing this little child is. Kind of makes me sad that I missed Emma's first little bitty years. Being a grandparent is pretty good stuff.

Family and friends are one of the most important things we can have. Thank you for being there and keeping all my kids in your prayers.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Grady's Birth Day

2010-06-17T08:00:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was supposed to be Grady's birth date. How amazing that he is over 3 months old, instead. He seems to be on schedule with his growth. He is about the size he should have been, today. He is a little shorter than we thought he would be, but that will change fast.

The first picture you see, Momma took while she and Grady were talking about the Fort that Daddy wants to put up. I know Grady doesn't know what a Fort is, but the smile was too precious not to share. Can you imagine his thoughts about climbing on that Fort, in the sunshine? The look on Grady's face says he can't wait.

Our little man is still in the NICU for now. He had to get some fluid drained so the doctors wanted to keep him with the nurses that know him best. Maybe today or tomorrow, Grady will move to the TC Unit. This move will be bitter sweet. It is the next step for Grady, but for him to leave his extended family in the NICU, will be hard.

Grady is 17 1/2 inches long. He weighs 7 lbs and 6.4 oz. Last weekend, he required a manicure. His JoJo had to file his nails. Grady loves his hands, so with those weapons flying around, he might have scratched his cute little face. We all know this little man does not perticularly enjoy someone else controlling his moves. Let me tell you, it took about an hour to get all those nails reduced. One at a time, with a few short breaks in between, we did get this job completed.

For now, we are asking for more prayer. With the fluid backing up again, we are probably looking at another procedure. The doctors want to wait a little while to let the G button heal completely, before they add the drain tube that will empty into his stomach. Mommy and Daddy are doing well, but getting worn out. Once Grady comes home and they have their family together, they can rest. I know, you don't get rest with a little one at home. But for them, it means their free time will be at home and not running up and down the roads.

By the way, I have changed the restrictions for posting a comment. Please feel free to put a note to the kids. Comments will be reviewed before they are posted so you may not see them right away, but I know Mommy and Daddy will enjoy hearing from you.

As always, your support and prayers are a blessing. It is very comforting to know my kids have friends to talk to and to support them. All of you mean so much.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Bright Eyes

2010-06-13T18:22:00.001-07:00

Finally, we got to visit with Grady and he was awake and checking out his surroundings. Seems like we are always interrupting his naps. You will notice the happy face with the paci in his mouth. The not so happy face is when he realized the paci was missing. Grady still accidently spits the paci out. He clamps that mouth down, just in case someone tries to put a tube down it. That is my thinking, anyway. It will take him a second or two to realize that he really wants that paci back. And you all can see his face when that happens. Grady is adapting to his new attachments. Moving his head around and looking in different directions is still a little foreign to him, but he is getting the hang of it. Someone will speak to him and he tries to look at them, then realizes he can move his head in that direction. Once Grady goes to the transitional care area, he will begin some new lessons. There, Grady will start trying to breath without the respirator. They will also start trying to see how well he does with bottle feedings. For now, we do not have a schedule for this, but are looking forward to being a part of these lessons. Transitional care will teach all of us how to care for Grady's extra needs. It is hard to destiguish between what is nerves and what is excitement.

Grady is taking 60 ml at each feeding. He should gradually move his amount up, as he needs it. Two ounces per feeding is about where most babies begin. Since Grady should be born in a couple of days, he is about where he needs to be with this. Grady weighed 6 lbs and 12.4 oz. He is holding at 16 3/4 inches for now. As I said the last time we spoke, Grady is receiving less calories than he has been. The doctor wanted him to gain weight and he did. Now that he is a good weight, he needs to work on getting some of his fullness down.

The nurse asked Mommy to bring some of his jump suits. Now that Grady can maintain his own body temp, he is getting too hot in the jammies. No more long sleeves for now. This little man wants his feet loose. Grady still gets wrapped up in light blankets. That helps keep the G button away from little hands. Grady is strong enough to pull this out, so that will be one area we will really have to watch. He loves his hands and loves to grab things. His nurse put a cloth tube in his hand, yesterday, because Grady was grabbing at his tubing and pulling. We don't want that. Thank goodness for his bells and whistles. One tube disconnected today, and beep, beep, beep. Sound one went off. Grady was not best pleased at that. It is a shrill noise and Grady is content to just listen to his CD player with animal noises. He does not like the sharp noises in the least.

With all the changes in recent days, we are so blessed to have Grady where he is. It will be sad to move to the next area and leave all of our friends in the NICU. All of these wonderful people love and care for so many babies that need extra care. I hope they know just how very important they are to all of us.

Just like all of you. I truly hope you know just how much we love you and appreciate all of your prayers and support. Family is everything and you are our family. And, if you are around any of us soon, we all have video on our computers. You will love Grady in motion. He is so precious. Just ask, someone will show you. If not, call JoJo or GiGi. We both have our videos and will show everyone!

Talk soon,

JoJo

Three months old!

2010-06-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

Three months ago, Monday, Grady was born 1 lb and 12.9 oz. Can you believe it? It just seems like yesterday, that we were counting percentages of ounces. Now, we are REDUCING his calorie intake. His nurse told Mommy that Grady is no longer swollen and they are dropping his calorie count. He is too chunky! What a blessing! Grady is taking 2 ounces per feeding. This will continue to increased but the doctor is no longer adding extra calories to thicken him up. This little boy looks great to me. Just look at those yummy cheeks!

Today, Grady got to meet his Uncle. Brian says, Grady looks like his Daddy. Isn't it funny how one little child can look so much like so many people. He does have a few features that resemble each parent and a little of his grandparents. Hey, chunky is not a feature! Stop that! I love that we can see his precious little face without anything attached to it.

Grady continues to heal from his latest procedures. He has a new tube and the nurses have gotten him off of his continual pain meds. He can still receive a little of something less powerful, but hopefully he will not require that for much longer. Now, we are looking forward to him moving to the transition area. This is going to be a learning experience for the adults. The family is going to learn how to care for the extras that Grady will require. We took a tour today. It is a very nice place. It will be sad to leave all the special people that have been with Grady for these first three months. But it is time for him to graduate to the new area. He will no longer require NICU care. WOW!

At last count, Grady was 6 lbs, 8.6 oz. He is almost 17 inches long. This has not changed much since Sunday. You will all remember, Grady should be preparing for his entry into this world. We are about a week from his due date. He is just about the size he should be. This would be the time for him to start chunking up a little, preparing to keep himself warm once he is forced into our world. Looks like he is on schedule for some things.

We have another scan coming up next week. Your prayers and support will be very much appreciated. Grady is a very blessed little man to have such a wonderful extended family loving and praying for him. I hope you all know what you mean to us. Thank you is never enough, but Thank you!

Talk soon,

JoJo

What a Cutie!

2010-06-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well, this boy was pretty cute with tape on his face. Did any of you think he was this cute without the tape? I suspected it, but had no idea our Grady was such a handsome little man. Just look at this precious little face. His little nose is just the cutest. And those lips, how could they get sweeter?

Grady weighs 6 lbs and 9 1/2 oz. He is carrying some fluid, so this may drop a little, but probably not much. His doctors have dropped his feedings while he recovers from his latest procedures, but that should not take much longer. The nurse will have him back up to his preferred feeding amount soon. For now, Grady has a little something extra to keep him relaxed and sleepy so he can heal.

As you can see, Grady no longer has the respirator. For now, it looks like Grady will bring the trach home with him. Once his airway strengthens, he will be able to put this new attachment aside. Grady will be one happy little boy once he realizes he can move his head around without the restraints of the respirator. He will be able to get out of that bed more and enjoy his swing. Best of all, we will be able to hold him more often. Just think, his best memories are coming soon. He will always remember the day his GiGi and his JoJo held him for the first time. Oh yeah, he might remember his Pa and his PaPa, too. Maybe Nancy and I need to start spoiling him more, just in case.

The feeding tube has been replaced as well. He now has a G Button. This goes directly into his stomach. Grady's nurses will teach him to bottle feed in the next week or two. Once he has the hang of that, the G button can be removed. As much as this boy loves his groceries, it is a good possibility that he will not need the button for long. But like everything else, that will depend on how quickly he learns this newest lessson, swallowing. Daddy can tell you, our little man does enjoy his paci. Hopefully, this has taught him the first steps to bottle feeding. For now, we are still just waiting to see how well Grady does with all his new attachments.

This little boy has been through a lot, lately. He has overcome quite a few issues and procedures. Your support and prayers have been our strength. God has been so good to our family. Please know how much we appreciate all of you. I don't know how anyone could get through these trials without the love and support of good friends.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T14:20:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

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

Running Late

2010-04-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this updated. I was having computer/phone issues.

Well, here we are. Another few days and another few ounces! Yes, Grady was up to 3 lbs and 14.8 ounces Wednesday. Hopefully, he has added ounces again today. He just continues to grew. He still has a little puffiness which makes his eyes look a little swollen. I can not wait until we get a picture of his little face without all the extra attachments. I just know there is a precious little face underneath all that tape. It is pretty cute with tape.

Grady had a nice little visit with Mommy and JoJo. Suzanna held him between feedings. Grady is receiving 32 ml, which is over an ounce, every 3 hours. Remember, it takes him one and a half hours to get through each feeding. That makes him eating half his day. The nurses don't like to interrupt his feedings because he still gets a little fritzed when he is moved. He did really well this time. He maintained his saturation levels while they were moving him. He dropped for just a second while they were getting him situated with Suzanna. Once the two of them were settled, his sats came right back up and stayed pretty steady the entire time she held him.

I did get to change his diaper for the first time. I must tell you. Suzanna thought it was a dirty diaper. When I got him uncovered, it was not. I changed him and let Mommy know that is was just wet. Then, he started trying to open his eyes, so Suzanna got close. As she was talking to him, hehehe................ guess what?!?!?!? hehehehehe He talked back, sort of! Mommy got to change a 'dirty' diaper. So, Grady was very nice to his JoJo and a little mischievious to his Mommy. I guess he knows his JoJo can't wait to spoil him so he knows to be nice to me. Although, just between you and me, I think Grady's parents are getting pretty ready to spoil him a little bit themselves!

As always, thank you all for your support and prayers. You make each day a little easier for all of us, just knowing that we have such great friends and family.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Counting pounds and ounces

2010-04-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Daddy sent me another picture last night and told me that Grady is 16 inches long and weights 3 lbs and 13 ounces. Grady has gained 2 pounds since birth. It is hard to believe the time has gone by so fast. One second we are waiting for this child to gain weight, any weight. Now, we are counting pounds. Man, it doesn't take long. Well, I really just wanted to let you all know that we have reached one more mile stone.

Suzanna sent me some additional information about preterm babies and where they should be. She found this on the internet, if you are interested. It is very good information. It looks like Grady is on schedule for most of the steps in the article. That is very good to know. It also tells us what we can expect. Very soon, he will not be quite so sensitive to touch and we can start looking for that day to come. We are still touching him lightly and then putting pressure. Pats and stroking are still out for this little fella. The article says that it 'disorganizes' him. Very good information to have.

As always, thank you for all of your support. Grady is a very blessed little man to have all of you in his corner cheering him on.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Here's my Boy!

2010-04-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Look at this big boy. Grady has reached his all time high of 3 lbs and 9.5 ounces! Yeah, little fella, yeah! Mommy tells me that Grady is receiving 28 ml again. The doctors had lowered his intake by 1 ml to help his with the edema. Now he is back up to the 28 again. The nurses continue to add calories to help thicken up our little man. The last time I heard his length was Wednesday and he was 15 inches long. If Grady is anything like his Daddy was when he was little, he will gain weight and then just shoot up an inch or two at a time.

Grady remains on the respirator. He did have his tubing replaced this week. He needed to be moved up a size due to his growth. The nurses told Suzanna that Grady just layed there and let them change his tube. No fuss, no muss. I was glad to hear that he didn't get upset by this. The boy tends to drop his saturation levels when he is not happy and sometimes when he is very happy. I guess we all probably do that, we just don't have a monitor attached to us to tell on us.

The sibling ban has not been lifted as of this weekend. So, unfortunately, Emma did not get to meet Grady. STILL! I do understand the reason, but it is hard on a little girl. She has been terrific about not getting to meet him. I think we are all ready to see what her response is going to be when she finally gets to see her Grady. Yes, he is her Grady. She does plan to share him with the rest of us, though. WHEW!

Well, I am glad that is all I have to report. It is a blessing to know that this little man has so many people praying for him. We can never thank you enough for all the support you give us.

Talk soon,
JoJo

Tests at 6 Weeks

2010-04-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

Well, Grady had to have some tests done now that he is 6 weeks old. He passed the two they did Monday. He still has an eye test coming up, but has not had to undergo that just yet. We will hear back from that test, once it has been performed. And speaking of eyes, I got a pretty good picture of his little blue eyes open. He opens them and closes them so fast that I usually just get one eye open and one closed. I actually have a series of him trying to get those eyes open. It is pretty cute the way he stretches his forhead up trying to pry his eyes open.

He is up to 3 lbs and 7.7 oz. but they tell us he will probably loose a little of that. You can see how his little neck has some swelling in it. They are giving him some medication to pull the fluid off of him. Apparently, the oxygen can cause edema to show up. But I am telling you, he looks bigger. Suzanna and I both had this thought when we saw him today. They measure his length on Sunday evenings, but I can not get his entire little body into one picture. When he was born, I had to step closer to see him. Now, I am taking a step back to try and get all of him into view.

Grady had just had a bath when we got there, so his coloring was so pink and fresh. His hair looks so shiny and soft. Suzanna kept telling him how good he smelled, while she was holding him. They just snuggled up today and had a good visit.

Tonight, Grady is suppose to meet his Great Uncle Mike. Grady is going to be quite confused because he met his Great, great Uncle Mike last week. Two Uncle Mike's? Yup, yup, yup. Families are so much fun.

We still have not recieved permission for Emma to meet her little brother. That is going to be a day to tell about. I just hope I can get a couple of pictures with the two of them. That will be fun.

Just want to thank all of you for the wonderful support system you give us. Your prayers and love sustain us and help keep us all going. Tim and Suzanna are doing very well. It helps knowing that you are all praying for them.

Talk soon,

JoJo

6 Weeks? Really?

2010-04-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that Grady Charles is already 6 weeks old? And I thought my children grew up fast. Someone should have told me that grandchildren grow up faster than your own kids did. WOW!

Grady is over 3 lbs. He weighed in at 3 lbs. and 1 oz. yesterday. He is taking 27 ml at each feeding. They are adding calories and protein to make him add muscle and length as well as weight. We want him strong and full. Grow little lungs and chest muscles, grow!

Grady had some future playmates move in this week. It is such a small world. I visited with some old friends. We talked about all the amazing things the NICU can do for our little babies. This month is March of Dimes month, so if you ever wondered what that money went to, well you now know that some of the money goes to Grady's, and his future playmates, care. They are in seperate rooms, but they would not have much to talk about anyway. So, we are looking forward to having these children meet. They already have a great start with all the love and care they are receiving.

If you look really close at the picture of Suzanna holding Grady, you can see his right hand on his cheek. I was looking through some pictures and noticed that he has had that hand up on or close to his face from day one. Daddy discovered early on, that Grady loves to lay on his tummy or side. Mommy gets great responses when she talks and sings to him. He loves to look at her when she is talking to him. He is such a relaxed, calm child. His nurses brag on him and all of them have agreed with me, that Grady is absolutely precious. Not one of them has disagreed. So, you have to know that he must be the most adorable kid up there. Right? I thought so, too.

As always, thanks for your love and prayers. If you have time, Grady has some new friends that you can add to your prayer lists.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Back to Respirator

2010-04-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Grady was placed back on the respirator last night around midnight. That was not the goal, but he did make it half a day before he had to require help. Go Grady! So, we have progressed from under 5 hours on his own (with CPAP) to 13 hours. I believe our boy is gaining on it. Thanks for your prayers. I am sure they will try again in a week or so, to let Grady breath without the respirator. They want to give him and his airways time to recoup before they put him through another breathing lesson.

As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Talk soon,

JoJo

CPAP update

2010-04-14T20:18:00.001-07:00

Grady has been off of the respirator for 11 hours and appears to be holding his own. As you can see, he is a little puffy. The doctor told us this would happen because of the CPAP and the oxygen. He sure looks comfy, doesn't he? Grady does love to lay on his stomach. I will let you know more as I hear from Grady's Mom or Dad.

Talk soon,

JoJo

CPAP again

2010-04-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

About 11:00 am today, they put Mr. Grady back on the CPAP. As of 5:30 pm this evening, he is doing very well. Daddy will give me another update tonight, when he goes to see him. The doctor was telling us that if Grady can breathe with the CPAP for the next 24-48 hours, he will probably be able to stay off the respirator. Of course, that is barring any unforseen issues. But, we are not having any of those, so prayer warriors pray for lung strength and Frye/Kidd determination. His new cap is designed to help him keep his mouth closed. The CPAP sends air using pressure, so Grady's mouth needs to be closed for the air to get to his lungs. It looks a little tight, but they told us this is what he needs right now. It is not so tight that he could not yawn earlier. He also just opened his mouth. Probably to show the doctor he was still in charge and would open up when he wants to. Grady is keeping his coloring up, his saturation levels are pretty steady and he has the best support system we could ask for. Thanks to all of you!

If you look at his hands, you can see that this little man is beginning to plump up some. He is 4 ounces shy of being 3 pounds! His doctor explained how they are monitoring his caloric intake because he is requiring and burning more calories than he would if he had stayed where he belonged for a little longer. So, this will help him to thicken up some. It will also assist him with muscle growth and not just adding weight.

After talking with Emma, Suzanna and I thought that just maybe all of you might like to know a little more about where Grady is. Suzanna is sitting next to Grady's incubator. You can see his gauges in the back ground. Those are his 'bells and whistles'. His feeding devise is on the shelf over Suzanna's left shoulder. He has 5 roommates in his room. At Suzanna's right shoulder, there are doors that open so that Grady can be touched or moved. During most visits, the top of his incubator will lift up and we get to see him without the plexiglass reflections. This is one of the bonuses of him getting moved to this room. Today, because he was working hard breathing, the top was put back down and covered so he had darkness for resting. This also reduces the noise and helps keep him warm. As they keep telling us, Grady is the boss and whatever is best for him is the rule for the day.

I will update the blog this evening if I hear more about our little man. Thanks for all your prayers and love.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Hello Son

2010-04-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

I just got an update on our boy. Grady is 15 inches long and has gained a little more weight. He is now 2 lbs and 12.9 ounces. This is the first picture I have gotten of Grady and Daddy. I just had to share it with all of you. This is a sight for all of us to see. So, I hope you enjoy the picture of Tim and his son as much as I am enjoying it. I will make this a short one tonight. God is good. Aren't they just a handsome looking pair? The next best thing will be to have all 4 of them in a family picture. As soon as I get one of those, you will be the first ones I share with.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Growing, Growing, Growing

2010-04-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

Guess what? Grady Charles is growing. He was 2 lbs 9.3 oz this weekend.

Today's picture is a little dark. When the babies needs to calm down, the nurses start turning the lights out. Don't worry, they have accent lighting so they can see the babies. Grady seems to like it when it is dark. He will calm down and relax when the lighting is low. If you look at the picture closely, you can see that he has his hand on his knee and his knee is bent. The glow on his arm is his blood pressure cuff. It was on his foot, in the beginning. But they have drawn blood from both feet and wrapped them up. So, the cuff was moved to his arm. In the dark, you can see how the light glows through his thin skin. Even though his face is scwunched up (yes that IS a word), he is truly relaxed. He loves to get his foot out of the binding the nurses use to swaddle him. They will wrap his lamb skin around both feet, clip it closed to keep him warm and within a few seconds Grady has one foot back out.

The doctor has increased Grady's feedings. He is now taking 21 mililiters. I don't know if some of you are aware of this, but Grady's stomach is the size of his fist. His fist is the size of a marble, maybe. So, they have to increase his feedings very slowly. They are going to increase his calories this time so that he will continue to gain weight. As you know, he will gain and loose, quickly.

Suzanna held him this weekend. Some of you already know, if Grady does not want to be held, he is not going to be held. His sats will drop, he will scare his Mommy and he will be put back in his incubator. So, when she gets to hold him, I like to let everyone know. As time goes on and Grady gets more used to being touched and held, this will get better. When he is off the respirator and breathing completely on his own, I think he will do better during holdings. The nurse tells us that his respirator is positional. This means that it takes two people to move him so that his tubing is not moved out of place.

So far, he seems to enjoy Mommy holding him. There have only been a few times that he did not cooperate when she was holding him. Anything can cause this. He may have a bad day, it could be too noisey for him, too many tests. He could just be cranky, who knows. He is a Kidd, you know.

We are still waiting for the siblings to get to go into the NICU. I hope we have a picture of my two grandchildren, soon. I would love to share that with all of you.

Thank you for all your prayers. We are truly blessed to have all of you as friends and family.

Talk soon,

JoJo

One Month Old

2010-04-07T14:27:00.001-07:00

Can you believe we have had Grady with us for a full month? It is so hard to believe that time is going by that fast.

Today, Grady weighs in at 2 lbs 6.5 oz. They did increase his feedings to 21 mililiters. The boy is growing. They are feeding him slowly so that he will obsorb the food. That has him eating about half of his day. He is still on the respirator, but his nurse told us they would probably try to let him breath on his own again this coming Saturday. I think they are hoping this will allow him to develop his chest muscles so that he does not tire so easily. The doctors ard nurses are always telling us that Grady is in charge and that they are just there to assist him with new things when he is ready. It is very reassuring to know that they allow each baby to set the pace and that Grady will not be rushed into something that his body is not ready for. I am as anxious as I am eager for him to breath on his own. When they take away the respirator and make him work to breath, I want them to hurry up and give it back so that he will not get too tired. Think that might be why they never ask me what should be done next?????

Suzanna held Grady for awhile, today. She rocked him a little and sang to him. I hope you don't get tired of me saying the same things over and over. When he hears her, he stretches his little forhead up, trying to pull his eyes open. He peeks out of his right eye. When he has control of that eye, he will try the other one. Today, I got a pretty good picture of both eyes open while Momma hummed to him. Suzanna said that she was 'in love' on one of her updates. I think that Grady may just be 'in love' himself.

We still have not heard that the ban has been lifted that will allow Emma to meet Grady (and vise versa). It would be great if the two could meet this weekend. I think she is getting a little anxious, herself.

You need to know how much of a blessing you all are to us. To have this kind of support system is the greatest. Thank you for your prayers and love.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Birthday Boy

2010-04-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today, Grady is 4 weeks old. Happy one month Birthday, Grady Charles.

When we got to Grady's room, yesterday, he was sleeping. Most days Grady will peak out at Mommy when he hears her voice. Yesterday, the boy did not even flinch. He was exausted. The nurse told us they had taken him off the respirator from about 10 am to 2:45 pm. They put him back on because he was forgetting to breath. When it became too hard for him, they decided that today was not the day he was coming off that machine. As we are all learning, Grady must keep his saturation levels up and remember to breathe. He really is not suppose to be breathing air right now, so this is another lesson for him.

Grady has maintained his weight. He is still 2 lbs and 3.9 oz. Daddy tells me he is 14 inches long now. If he adds an inch for every pound he gains, he will be quite tall. Thank goodness it doesn't work that way! Remember, he has to be a minimum of 4 pounds before he can go home....AND breathing on his own.

Mommy tells me, Grady has the same swirl of hair in the crown of his head, that his big sister had. Emma was excited to hear that. Suzanna checked on the restrictions and Emma still can not go see baby brother just yet. We are all wanting her to go see him. Emma has been so patient about not getting to see Grady.

I love to stand and look at him. I have many pictures, so when you see me just ask. I will be proud to show them off. You might see a few of Emma, too.

Just a bit of information about Grady's temporary home. There are quilted blankets on all incubators and cribs. Some of the ladies from several churches make these small quilts for all the babies. Yesterday, one of the NICU graduates had left embroidered pillow ornaments for each of the babies. The caps that you see on Grady are hand made and donated, as well. It is not home, but these babies are loved and well taken care of while Mommies and Daddys are waiting to take their precious children home.

Thank you for all your prayers. Keep them coming, prayer works! Happy Easter and God bless each of you and your families.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Lessons for Grady

2010-04-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

Grady is continuing to progress. He has gained more weight. His nurse tells us that he is not quite a kilo (kilogram). He is just under that at 980 miligrams. I still like pounds and ounces, but the grams measure better for this tiny little boy. Daddy tells me that Grady gains, then looses a little. The nurse has kept him at 20 mililiters at his feedings, for now. Suzanna talks with the doctor about once a day. He keeps her updated on what has changed or what is going to be changed for Grady's day to day care.

While we were there, the nurse opened his incubator and we were blessed to spend time with him without plastic between us. It seems like such a small thing, but to get to see how much Grady's color has improved and all of his little features without a shield between us, was a huge blessing. His hair is a shiny golden blonde color. Go figure! I could see the tiny hairs on his back, again blonde, well white really. Grady has the longest fingers! When he stretches, he likes to spread his toes out. When Momma talks, Grady peaks out through one eye to try and find her. It just warms my heart to know that he is looking for Momma when he hears her.

While we were visiting, Grady's Occupational Therapist (OT) came by. She explained to Suzanna and I that her job is to teach Grady that touch is a positive thing. Right now, when he is touched, he is getting his temp taken or blood drawn. The nurses get a bad rap, because they have to move him, feed him, change him, etc. All of this disturbs him. So, the OT comes in a couple of times a week to touch and hold him, to teach him that touch is good. Grady is still on the respirator. His nurses will start weening him off this week. He needs to breath without the machine. Once he is off the respirator, he will have the assistance of the CPAP again. Looks like he has a few lessons to learn this week.

Thank you all for your prayers. It means so much to all of us, to know what a great extended family we have. Tim and Suzanna are doing fine. Both are holding in there. They seem to have a routine started and that helps. Please keep them in your prayers as well.

Talk soon,

JoJo

Update from Mommy

2010-03-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Timmy spent some time with Grady this evening. He had a good day and is continuing to gain weight. I was able to spend a couple of hours with Grady on Saturday and Sunday. I got to hold him during his feedings. The nurse informed me that Grady is a good boy and obeys all of the rules. I thought that was so funny! He is sure to let the nurses know what he wants though. He likes to lay a certain way and fusses when he doesn't get his way. He must get that from his Dad. On Saturday, I changed his diaper not once, but three times after his feeding. I guess his bowels are working just fine. He gets that from his Dad too!

It has been tough trying to juggle everything, but we are hanging in there. I am hoping that Emma will get to meet her baby brother in the next couple of weeks. She talks about him all of the time and can't wait for him to come home. Neither can we! Please keep the prayers coming and thank you for keeping up with our Grady AKA Peanut.

Grady's first Graduation

2010-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Grady graduated to a new room. As the babies, in the NICU, improve, they move from their first room to another room. He still has all of his monitors, but his 'room' is more like a room now. His first stop was more like an emergency room nursery. He continues to be assisted with the respirator, but is doing very well. I can't wait to get to see his entire little face without those contraptions attached to him, but I will wait since they are still needed.
This weekend, Suzanna spent several hours each day, holding Grady. Saturday, she and Grady took a short nap together. I am so glad she is getting to do some of the things Mommys do with their newborns. Today, she got to hold him while he ate his 20 mls. Yes, this is another increase in his feedings. Did I tell you that he is fed every three hours? Mommy says, 'Grady is liking his groceries.' Suzanna has a little story to tell about all those groceries. Be sure and ask her, when you see her. More great news, Grady is now over 2 lbs.
I spent a few minutes with my grandson, this afternoon. If I have forgotten to tell you, he is PRECIOUS. This weekend, I got to spend time with Emma. Siblings still can not go see their tiny baby brothers or sisters. But the minute RSV season is over and they are allowed to go in, Emma is ready to go meet her baby brother.
As always, we all want to thank you for your prayers, thoughts and kind words. Tim and Suzanna are working and driving back and forth to spend time with Grady. This is a lot of highway hours so please keep them in your prayers, also.
Talk soon,
JoJo

Two weeks and three days

2010-03-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

I saw my precious grandson today. He is doing well. The nurse told us he is up to 1 lb. 15 oz. The increase in his feedings has helped this. Grady is so sweet. He likes to peak out of one eye when Suzanna talks. As he layed on Momma's chest this afternoon, he would peak at her, then close his eyes and relax. His little face will smooth over and he will get calm when she talks to him. He has many machines that beep and click and warn the nurses, if he is having an issue. As we learn more about what they are for and what they represent, I can watch his saturation levels to see how happy he is. Today, laying on Suzanna's chest, he kept his levels between 97% and 100%. One thing nice about him having the respirator assistance is that you can see more of his little face. The tubing is still in the way some, but not as much as the large blue piece they had attached to his face in the beginning. It is good to see them together. Besides, I get to touch him. And smell him. He is absolutely, the most adorable baby up there!
Thank you for all your prayers. He is a gift from God and is in His hands.
Talk soon.

Happy 2 Week Birthday Peanut

2010-03-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

What a big day! Grady is 2 weeks old and I got to hold him for the first time! He was so content laying on my chest. I am in love! He is eating 15ml of milk per feeding, which is about 1/2 of an oz and now weighs more than he did at birth. He also opened his eyes numberous times today to take a peek at his Mommy. Thank you to each and every one of you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Grady is a little fighter!

Peek-A-Boo

2010-03-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

My precious grandson opened one eye Monday. Wednesday, when we arrived to visit him, his nurse told us that he has opened both eyes. While we were there, he peeked at his Mom. Grady had a good day. He continues to tolerate his feedings. Grady is now taking 10 milliliters of milk. His nurse tells us this is about 1/3 of an ounce. He gets this about every three hours. This is very good. Suzanna and I will go visit him again this morning. Momma will have a little bit of news and she may have a new picture to add.

Grady is 1 week old

2010-03-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

One more blessed day in the little life of our baby boy. Grady is on the CPAP today. This is a good day for him. His feeding has been increased to 8 milliliters. My little man is liking his food. Daddy says Grady likes being on his stomach. Too bad he can not stay that way. His nurse has to keep his positions changing because he can not do it himself.
As always, thank you for your prayers. Please continue to keep Grady's care givers in your prayers as well.

Grady's first week

2010-03-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Grady's first day began at 3:49 am, Sunday morning. He was not due to join us yet, but insisted. He is 15 weeks early. All of Grady's day is spent in the NICU with his fabulous nurses. He has 'round the clock' care. He was on a ventilator the first day. By day 2, he was breathing on his with the assistance of his CPAP. Around day 5, he required the ventilator assistance again because he was getting very tired of all the work he was having to do.

Mom and Dad were told that he will drop some weight, which he did. Grady's weight in miligrams is 764 which is 1.68 lbs. When he reaches 1,000 miligrams (2.2 lbs), Mommy can hold him.

Please continue to pray for Grady as he continues to learn to live in this world. He is a fiesty little man and is working hard to learn all these strange new things. Keep his caregivers in your prayers as well.

What a blessing a day makes.

2010-03-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Grady's doctor scheduled a brain scan test due to some of the difficulties he was having with his breathing. The results came back very good. No brain bleeds. He appears to be doing very well.