March 24, 2013:

We've been getting good reports the past few times we've called to check on RJ. He had a nice big poop last night, so we were thankful for that. The Beneprotein that they give in his milk to help him grow can be constipating. He is on his last day of steroids I believe, which were given to help his respiratory status and help him stay off the vent. The steroids have caused his blood pressure to elevate some, so they've given him a few doses of Hydralazine to help his blood pressure lower. Hopefully in the next couple days his blood pressure will even out and get back to normal again. His nurse last night is one of our favorites. She gave us a thorough report and said she was working on RJ taking his binki. She said he was doing better last night than Saturday night. Today he has another one of our favorite nurses watching over him. He's still down in the 20's on his Fio2, so we are super excited about that. He's 3 lb 12 oz still. He needs to relax and get comfortable w/ his NIPPV and stop getting agitated so that he can grow. Hopefully we will see some progress in that department this week.
I'm trying to relax, get caught up on sleep, and enjoy being w/ family. It's just hard being away from my lil one. I just want to hold him tight on my chest and have him fall asleep. I know it's important for Robert and I to get out of the hospital and have a different pace, but it's still hard to leave.