Ryker's Pictures

It has been a few days since I posted updates for Ryker :)
Things are going very well here at home. We are managing the oxygen and apnea monitor very well. We usually have the monitor go off at least once a night which scares us to pieces. Often he has just pulled the leads off.
He is eating well and sleeping pretty good for a newborn. We have fussy time every night for about 3 hours but it is expected and we get through it ok.
The girls are loving him to pieces and are very  "helpful". We have to remind Kenzie that he doesn't need his binkie every time he makes a sound.
I still need to post some pics of her holding him and will get some of Jayce this weekend while he is here.
I did get around to taking his pictures this morning. It took a while. We had to stop and put the oxygen back on once in a while. I found it more productive to just take a bunch while he was sleeping. :)

Here are a few of my favorites and the rest can be found on my photo website: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/livingstonphotos/albums/portraits/52955

Home at last

Hi. I am Ryker.

Today I finally got to come home! I spent 16 longs days in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. I was born with pneumonia in my lungs. I didn't feel good for a long time but I am doing lots better each day.

Today my mom saw me being cute so she took a picture. She takes lots of pictures.....

This is me in my car seat ready to go home

I had to come home with some oxygen to help me breathe but I will try hard each day to get better so I don't need it anymore.

I have just met my big sister Haylee for the first time. She will be so much fun to play with when I get older.

I am looking forward to meeting my other big sister Kenzie and my big brother Jayce later today. And of course my grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles will all eventually come say hi.
I have to remember that I am still small though and that I can't get too excited or my mom will make me have a nap. I hope that when I get bigger and healthier and can meet more friends that I know have been thinking about me lots.

Thanks everyone for loving me so much already.

Love Ryker

Going home

We made it!!!  Ryker is going home tomorrow.
Unfortunately because I last posted about him being off oxygen someone didn't knock on wood. He is coming home on oxygen for a while. He failed the car seat test without it and de-saturates when he eats. But I am okay with that. My baby gets to come home.

We are staying tonight rooming in at the hospital where we have the night to make sure we can handle the monitors and feedings and everything before they discharge him in the morning.

So much thanks goes out to everyone for their love and faith and prayers to get our little guy well and home. We love each and every one of you.

Pictures to come when we get settled in at home.

2 weeks!!!

I haven't had a chance to post since my last update but I want to let everyone know that things are looking so much better. On my bad day Dustin was able to come up and give Ryker another blessing. The next morning we saw progress begin to happen again. Feedings started to go better, we decided to try turning down his oxygen too to see if he could hold his own. As of this morning he is officially off the oxygen!! We were expecting him to be on it for 2-3 weeks. Miracles do happen. 

Today is Saturday and Ryker is officially 2 weeks old. This morning we were able to progress on the feedings to an on-demand schedule. For 12 hours we let him wake up and eat whenever he wanted to. As long as he ate so much each feeding we would continue. He did so awesome! He took all his feedings without me even having to push him. Now he will rest for 12 hours and just get his feeding via feeding tube.
Tomorrow we will go for 24 hours on-demand. If he does well they will discharge him. Cross our fingers and knock on wood we might have him home Monday or Tuesday.

This is the only picture I got today. I took that outfit up to wear and he peed on it first thing...  little bugger.

Here are some other pics we haven't posted yet.

This was a cute outfit they put on him. Notice he peed on this one too.....

Grandma Steck getting to hold him for the 1st time.

Grandpa holding Ryker. (bad picture from video camera. I left my other camera outside)

When they say days they really mean weeks.

The title pretty much covers it.   I thought we were making lots of progress. When the pediatrician told me this morning to plan on another week I broke down. I don't know how I can keep doing this. I haven't seen and won't see my girls for days. Kenzie thinks I am making Ryker up. Haylee just knows that she misses me. I miss them like crazy. I am not sure what day it is most days.
In these moments I need the strength of all your prayers as well as the ones I know are being said for Ryker. I try not to have doubts. I know this is a trial i must face and learn and grow from. I will try not to ever begrudge anybody a healthy baby, and I will have complete empathy for anyone who has to face similar trials to what we have been through with 3 babies in the NICU. One day is one day too many. Weeks and months are an eternity.
I am sorry for the down in the dumps post. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.