Day 105

I ended my self-imposed exile from Mount Sinai last night. It was nice to no longer hear the monitor alarms going off so frequently. That's probably the biggest change I noticed in the past 12 days.

Kyle and Christopher are side by side now taking up one end of the annex. Both boys were breastfed four feedings in a row yesterday afternoon/evening, which was good marathon training for Christine! I got to hold the full baby while his brother was being fed.

Kyle weighs just over 7 1/2 pounds now. He is down to minimal oxygen support (only 5 CC) and experiences no more severe swings in oxygen levels. He traveled to Sick Kids today and tested positive for kidney reflux (vesicoureteral reflux?), where urine backs up into his kidneys. It would certainly explain the UTI that he has been taking oral medication for since August. Christopher will also be tested for it as there is a 1 in 3 chance siblings have it. Fortunately, many children outgrow it in five or six years.


Christopher's medication (penicillin G) for his UTI is finished, so his unsightly IV has been removed from his head. His eye examination revealed no change and has another appointment next Monday. He reached the 3kg club yesterday. Kyle is still about 300g heavier.

I wouldn't be surprised if Christopher comes home in the next 2 weeks. He's doing that well! Assuming Christopher comes home first, the nurse kindly said they would set up a cot for him when Christine returns to visit Kyle.
The boys need to pass a 90 minute car seat test (no alarms) before going home. Christopher seems so small during his first practice!


Sometimes I get to hold both babies. Kyle has two tubes......

39 Weeks

Kyle was breathing without assistance for 17 hours today. Hopefully they will continue testing him daily so he can exercise his lungs. However, too much exercise tires him out and causes him to "desat" when his oxygen level drops dangerously low.


Christopher was fed by bottle last night at 9 PM, at midnight 1/2 a bottle, at 3 AM he was tube fed and at 6 AM and 9 AM bottle fed. He's looking very close to coming home! He has an eye exam Monday and a head ultrasound due once the IV is taken out of his head. When those results are back and the IV is out, he just needs to eat without tiring.

Saturday Updates

There have been many positive updates since last weekend. It seems the end of their stay at Mount Sinai is coming closer and closer. Perhaps just another 2 or 3 weeks until they come home???

Kyle has joined Christopher in the Level 2 annex. Kyle has been doing well on low flow for the past week and there are rumours that he might be "challenged" or taken right off breathing assistance on Monday. Christopher has been on room air - no assistance - since Wednesday!

In the milk chugging arena, Christopher has managed to gain over 6 1/2 pounds and Kyle is well over 7. Boy, can that child eat! Kyle was able to polish off a 3 oz bottle of milk in less than 20 minutes. He obviously takes after his uncles.

Both boys passed their hearing tests on Friday which is a great relief. Some of the breathing equipment is very loud inside the incubators so their hearing is closely monitored until 6 months of age.

Unfortunately for Christopher they had to put an IV for his UTI in his head because his veins in his arms and legs aren't suitable. He doesn't seem to mind it too much though. It will be removed by the end of next week.

Daddy can't wait to hold both boys and feed them via bottle. It's been a week since my last visit. My cold has been shortened and reduced in severity thanks to copious amounts of Cold-FX. I hope to be back on Monday or Tuesday.

Christopher Mainlining

38 Weeks

Kyle has spent the past 48 hours breathing solely on low flow and has been taken off CPAP. As a result of his hard work he will graduate to Level 2 in the next day or two. We hope that he will stay close to Christopher but there are only three Level 2 beds in the annex.
Christopher has a urinary tract infection and is being treated via I.V. which has fallen out once already. He continues to eat well though and shows no signs of inactivity like he used to back in the dark, scary days of the NICU. Monday brings his next eye appointment. Our fingers are crossed!
Both boys are feeding "naturally" twice per day and are just beginning to be fed by bottle as well. They are more alert during their waking periods. Kyle made it to 3 kg on Thursday. Christopher is only several hundred grams behind.
Mommy gets to visit and take all the pictures now while Daddy recuperates from a cold. We can't afford to let the boys catch anything that could affect their breathing for the next 6 months. A simple RSV cold to us could cause bronchitis or pneumonia in the boys.

Kyle really seems to enjoy the bouncy chair and likes looking at the different hanging items.


And Christopher likes to sleep sometimes.

3 Months Later.....

We're 3 months or 13 weeks old on Thursday!
When Christine arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning she found a nice surprise waiting in Christopher's bed. One of the nurses had picked up Kyle, removed his CPAP and carried him over to lie beside his brother. Kyle was grumbling and crying a bit because it was his feeding time and Christopher managed to sleep through the whole experience. Okay, so perhaps I was wrong in thinking that Kyle had the bigger head!


The coil on Kyle's cheek is his NG feeding tube. The orange Gum Drop soothers (colour-coded for size) teach the boys to associate sucking with feeding time, exercise their throat muscles and assist in self-comforting. Sometimes they are really worked hard!

As for Christopher's eyes, both are zone 2, Stage II which means "moderately abnormal blood vessel growth. Many children who develop stage II improve with no treatment and eventually develop normal vision. The disease resolves on its own without further progression." If they progress to Stage III, surgery will be required. Yes, I stole that little bit from the Internet....

A Long-Awaited Reunion

First, baby steps.
Christopher has graduated to Level 2! That means he is stable breathing on low flow - no more CPAP. As far as I can tell it also means his diapers aren't weighed any more and his weight is not taken every day. His move to Level 2 means Christopher is now farther away from Kyle's crib. He was moved 3 spots over across some invisible dividing line inside the Annex.
Kyle now weighs over 6 pounds. To me it all seems to be in his head! He surprised everyone Saturday when he stayed off any supplemental oxygen for over 4 hours. That gave him a chance to visit Christopher for their first reunion since they were separated at birth!!!

Mommy holding Kyle and Daddy holding Christopher


Mommy and her boys. Kyle is on your left, Christopher on your right.


A proud Daddy juggles the boys. Kyle is on your left, Christopher on your right.