All the Photos

A few days ago we got the photos from our professional photographer and they are aweeeeeeesome so either we picked a very talented photographer (maybe) or we just have the cutest baby in the world but be your own judge and see the short gallery that we got from her below that I finally managed to convert to a format that we can show on the blog.

and some more photos with the parents :)

Super Model

Yesterday Augie had a photo shoot with a professional photographer and showed his most adorable site. Since the photos were mostly of nacked Augie we had to warm up his room so he wouldn't get cold.

So by the time the photo shoot started room temparatur was 84F / 29C very comfortable for Augie not so much for the rest of us. Augie was his usual calm self and and may have a future as a model - he was just so cute. I had a chance to to take a few photo myself to share on the blog.

After the shoot Augie did happily fall asleep in mama arms.  Hopefully we have more photos to show soon.

Hackers

After a rather traumatic experience at the eye doctor Augie decided that it is time to start learning about computers. So Papa and Augie set down to go through his first computer lesson. If you wonder, everything looks good so far with his eyes but we will need to come back in a few weeks for one final exam.

Good looking

Another doctors appointment for Augie - today it's the eye doctor. Augies eyes need checking because of a condition that can occur with premature babies when the get to much oxygen in the first few weeks of there life. If found in time it can be corrected relatively easy. Unfortunately the procedure is rather traumatic (mostly for the parents but also for the baby) because in order to see the eye background the eyelids are kept open with some clamps. The procedure takes a while mainly because the drops to widen his eyes need some time to take effect.

Getting Vaccines

Finished Augies ultrasound and now moving on to his vaccination. The ultrasound of his kidneys had good results and everything looks normal. In the meantime our little guy is growing like a weed - today he weight in at 2450g or 5 pounds 6.5 ounces. He measured 18.5 inches (47 cm), his doc is pleased with his gain.



Vaccination was traumatic, the needles were nearly as big as his leg (dad thinks) and we heard him really cry for the first time. He was a champ and calmed down quickly.

A big day

Today Augie is on tour. First we are going to get an Ultrasound and then he is going to get his vaccination. Right now the family is waiting (photo) for the Ultrasound appointment. Last night Augie decided that it was a good night to allow his mom some sleep, he was a champ and slept for 3.5 and after his feeding another 4 hours.

Auggie is settling in

Auggie met his pediatrician this week. He weighed in at 5lb 1oz (2300g). He is in the 10th percentile for weight, 40th% for height and 50th% for head circumference. August has now reached an adjusted age to equal a full-term infant. It has been fascinating to watch him change. Just in the past week he has become quite a bit more vocal. We still haven't heard him cry yet - but he fusses enough to let us know he is hungry.

Auggie also continues to be a very busy baby. He has an appointment Monday to see his pediatrician again and an appointment to get an ultrasound of his kidneys. His doctor is watching his kidneys as a minor issue was noted during one of his mom's OB ultrasounds. It will likely resolve itself, but will be monitored until it does.

Tuesday, Auggie has yet another appointment with his eye doctor. These eye exams are rather traumatic so no one is looking forward to this! Meanwhile, Auggie's pediatrician has referred him to an early intervention program and we are hoping to get an in home assessment of his development soon.

Auggie sure likes to cuddle and the picture above was taken by his mom with one hand, while holding him with the other. He has adjusted to being home just wonderfully and he continues to eat like a champ.

Snow blows

Big snow drift right in front of the of the garage, had to work my way through it with the shovel before I could use the snow blower.

Snow wall to the street

After 2 hours the tiny electric snow blower and I finally managed to clean the drive way, much manual shoveling was involved to get through to the street and the mail box at the door. My neighbor Jeff offered his gas powered snow blower but I decided I needed the workout since I haven't seen a gym in 3 month.

And done. Probably going to be really sore tomorrow.

Let it snow

August's first days at home and the next thing you know we have the mother of all snow storms. Snow in the driveway is about 20 inches (50 cm) and I haven't really figured out a good way to get rid of it. I think my tiny electric snow blower has a 6 inch limit. In front of the door we have a snow drift that's easily 3 feet. The photo is out of our window and shows how high the snow really is in front of the house.

Augie keeps being the most considerate baby on the planet he took a bottle at 9 and 12 last night and than again at 5 this morning. He will let us know if he is hungry but is really not very fussy about it.

In the mean time our two cats have welcomed the new addition to the family Dusty is a little more hesitant while sprout is embracing the new human.

We made it!

Felix, Auggie & I survived our first night without nurses, monitors or our friend baby C's beautiful lullabyes. (Baby C was a neighbor of Auggie's in the ISCU who was very good at voicing his displeasure - and he was displeased often!) Auggie is a true champ and has adapted to his home just wonderfully. Obviously home is much nicer than the hospital; but the hospital is the only place Auggie has known for the past 7 weeks. I'm sure he misses the familiar voices of his nurses and the sporadic dinging of another baby's monitor alarming.

We were warned that Auggie's eating habits might suffer for a few days when he first transitioned home, but so far we aren't seeing that. While Auggie is still a very mellow baby and we have yet to hear him in a full blown cry - he does get fussy as the 4 hour mark nears for his feeding. And he is still taking the same volume he took at the hospital.

Auggie will meet his pediatrician today (before the blizzard hits) as one of his discharge requirements. The doctors at the ISCU like to know that their babies will meet their pediatricians when they are still healthy so that they have a baseline for future visits.

Next Tuesday, Auggie has yet another eye appointment to continue to check for signs of retinopathy of prematurity. This is important - it can lead to blindness if not caught and treated.

We were also discharged with an appointment at the ISCU Development Clinic in April. Auggie will be an adjusted age of 2 months, but a chronological age of 4 months (in April). At the development clinic we will meet with Auggie's physical therapist (the one he's had for the past 7 weeks) to check on how he is progressing. Speaking of which, we have received all of our training to do physical therapy with Auggie a few times a day. We are being a bit lazy today as we adjust to being at home (as well as preparing for our outing to the pediatrician) so we will begin a full regimen tomorrow.

When I figure out how to add a photo - I will post one of Auggie at home. Even though he has looked visibly larger for the past few days....he now seems very small again.