scary october

we celebrated our anniversary on a little mini vacation to disney...we decided that the (non h1n1) bug we all had was not gonna keep us from having a little fun. as we traversed the many miles of disney, rehydrating frequently...taking special care to dip into cool places frequently so the boys didn't overheat, unbeknownst to us, our little luke's shunt was malfunctioning. he was more sleepy than usual, but i attributed that to the heat. and we had taken every precaution to ensure baby would stay cool and hydrated. but on our trip back, baby began to fuss without allowing any soothing. he wouldn't eat very much...again, i had an excuse, maybe his throat was sore...well, after a little we decided that he just wasn't himself and gave the neurosurgeon a page. because luke wasn't vomiting (excessive to what his gerd induces) or having seizures, the plan was to get to the appt i had already made with the pediatrician. so, the next day, to dr. k's we go....and from there...immediately to the hospital, direct admit. after the fastest ct scan i've witnessed, it was hello neurosurgeon, goodbye luke...off to the o.r. and by this time, baby's eyes were looking down (pressure was too much for him to look up) and he wasn't interacting at all. it was heartbreaking. but an hour later, out comes the doc. baby was extubated (which we were worried may take longer than it did) and would be heading to pacu soon where we could see him. the first time the doc came out the announcement that luke was ok i wanted to jump on him and hug and kiss him and say thank you a hundred times. the next time he came out and said anything ("two of you can go see him now") i almost trampled him where he stood, in the doorway. :) when we saw our little angel laying there in the bed in his little yellow hospital gown, he was looking right at us...and upon stimulation, smiled that huge gummy smile that we hadn't seen all day. they were trying to feed him pedialyte...no way, he wouldn't take it! i put him straight to breast and he started gobbling up some milk. but he was not nearly as elated as we were. so, we've learned that our good times are tempered with trying times...hopefully to make us stronger in our love and appreciation for one another.

pica-toors

let's see what's here...top to bottom, left to right...

a serious big brother and some color splash;

look, daddy, i have mommy's and brother's foot thing, too;

notice the sexy little chicken legs;

finally...mommy catches those beautiful gums! and color splashes it; B)

last but not least...luke lifts his big baby head.

i'm totally stealing...

one of the lovely nurses that took such great care of luke posted this and i hope she doesn't mind me totally robbing her. the nicu experience was no laughing matter, but even in grim times, you have to laugh. and looking back and watching this vid, i was falling out of my chair...we are sympathetic to little aiden jayden brayden cayden (whatever order it is..) :)

enjoy...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg0w2bJ7YaU

and just a few more

glimpses of the smile...or amusement with big bro

pics and more pics

complete with photos

he was sleeping so soundly, but a peep out let me know he was aware of my presence....and he never let go of that nicu habit of kicking a leg out.

for those who have read aj's blogs...

...it is by far, not lack of sheer ecstasy when embracing this new baby that i don't gush all over the blog world as much. it is a matter of finding time for these fingers to pursue something that is off the direct course of caring for baby. these are both firsts with each boy. each experience is wholly different. but as i go back and read how very little i've written lately on this site, i feel kinda guilty for it. there's so much more involvement when there's two little ones...
anyhooo, let me quit making excuses.
luke is smiling. we've been smiling at him so long, and now we reap the rewards. that little gummy grin is kept elusive and i only get it when someone else is around to induce it because apparently, mommies are not for testing out the new smile. gregg says it's that he's in awe of me...i think it's just that he smells the milk. :) either way, i have seen it. and it's !@#$ beautiful! he's a whopping 8 lbs and 20 3/4 inches. it seems as if we never missed bringing him home straight from birth. he's still a tiny little thing (this only applies to others; those who held him when he was just barely a handful think he's a moose!:)) we were out at dinner the other night and the waiter was gushing over him...yknow most men don't but he was a new father...complete with pictures of his fat little pink girl. he, like everyone, assumed he was brand new. ..but he stopped later and asked how old. he said he knew when he saw him lifting his little head and holding it, he wasn't as fresh as he seemed. nope, he's our little old guy. :)
he a ravenous little wolf and eats a bottle before you can blink. altho, he savors the boob...smart man, it will never be this easy to get again. :) most babies don't need burping after breastfeeding...nope, not luke. he gets so passionate about eating that he inevitably gulps down a couple a good burps, even without the bottle. and then, the return the burps to the surface takes work and patience. he's usually a mellow little guy, looking around and cooing...but let an air bubble get stuck, he'll cry and kick those little sexy legs. gregg says that it's like he was reincarnated and ended up in this little baby's body. he reminds him and apologizes that he can't go anywhere no matter how hard he tries to run off. :) so funny. omg, trying to change the munchkins diaper. it's a nightmare. he screams bloody murder. i guess i can't say always. not if you get him nice and full of milk first. but usually, it's just insane. don't get it. but he's back to charming as soon as you finish the diaper.
okay, i am now headed off to bed. this is one of those few times daddy is in charge of baby. in fact, i think this is the first time i've been alone at home in a LOOOOONG time. and now, i'll go snuggle in my lonely bed. :)(