Doing Well

Friends of ours from Arkansas welcomed Austin home with his first Razorback shirt. He's still a Buckeye fan at heart...

Buzz and his sidekick are gearing up for Halloween....a month early.

Austin's Buzz costume is from Build-A-Bear. Thanks MiMi Cross. Austin's follow-up eye appointment went well on Friday. Everything is doing what its suppossed to following the surgery. He has another appointment on Friday.

Surgery Update

Austin's surgery went well yesterday. He did need to be intubated and under general anesthesia as his respirtory system just wouldn't have been able to function properly with conscious sedation. Austin and Gina spent the night in the hospital and he is now back home with us. I really did miss the little noises that Austin makes throughout the night. He has a follow-up appointment with the eye doctor on Friday morning.

Every nurse or doctor that comes into contact with Austin and reviews his medical charts is amazed by how strong Austin is and how well he is doing. We give all of the credit to our creator above for watching over Austin and allowing us to enjoy this precious little life.

Austin weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces today. He is inching in on his older brother's birth weight which was 5 pounds, 13 ounces.

Update

Austin had his visit with the opthamologist this morning. His ROP has gotten worse and requires laser surgery. The doctor indicated that Austin has plus disease which can tend to rapidly progress. He is scheduled for "emergency" surgery later today (Monday) at West Penn Hospital. Gina and Austin have left for the hospital. I believe his surgery is scheduled for around 6 PM.

We are hoping that the procedure can be done with sedation through an IV oppossed to general anesthesia. The doctor initially indicated that Austin would need to be intubated for the procedure, but has agreed to attempt the procedure without general anesthesia.

Thanks for your prayers....

1st Days at Home

Austin joined us at the table for dinner on Friday evening. He is nursing like a champ and has been a true blessing to have at home. Of course the other 3 munchkins all wanted to sit beside Austin.


Andrew absolutley loves his little brother and would hold him all day long if Austin would let him. It is neat to watch Andrew, Abbie and Audrey interact with their little brother.

Austin had his first bath at home on Wednesday. Austin is doing great! We all love having him home and have really enjoyed our family time over the last 4 days. Austin went to the doctor today and weighed 4 pounds, 13 ounces. He has an eye doctor appointment on Monday to check his ROP.

HOMECOMING - DAY 95

We thought it would be appropriate on the day of Austin's homecoming to remember just how far he has come over the past 95 days! This picture of Austin was from his birthday (June 9) when he weighed 630 grams and was clinging to life.

And here is Austin now, gearing up for his first car ride weighing 2135 grams. This day has been filled with all sorts of emotion. It is hard to put our feelings into words. We are so thankful and amazed by the miracle that God performed before our eyes. We can't thank Austin's support club enough. We are so grateful for the prayers that were offered up for Austin over the past 14 weeks. Andrew, Abbie and Audrey were so excited to have Austin in the car with us on the way home. It was a car ride that we will never forget.

We'll continue to post updates along the way. I can't promise it will be daily...

Day 93

We had a great time with Austin while "nesting" at T.I.C. this weekend. It didn't take long for us to remember that infants need to eat in the middle of the night...a lot ;-) Austin has been struggling with reflux which he is receiving medication for, but it still impacts how he feels after filling his belly. He needs to be held upright for awhile after he is done eating. We are hoping that he outgrows the reflux soon! Pictured above is Austin trying to tell us how much he loves his family.

Austin's ROP hasn't progressed passed stage 2 which is great news. The doctor indicated that his retina's are almost fully developed. He will need surgery to repair his hernia when he is 10+ pounds...He weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces last night. Do I hear 5 pounds by Tuesday???

Day 91

Our little miracle is scheduled to come home on Tuesday, Sept. 12! Wow! Gina and I had our training yesterday for Austin's home monitor, Oxygen (requires it in his car seat) and Infant CPR. Afterwards, we had some excellent time with Austin, had dinner in Shadyside and returned to T.I.C. to give Austin his night time feeding. MiMi Kura came to town to look after the rest of the crew.

Austin loves his little binki and knows how to keep it in all by himself. While this picture is a little dark, we thought this was an adorable picture to share with everyone. Gina and I are going to "nest" at T.I.C. tonight. Austin will be sleeping with us in one of the bedrooms at T.I.C.

Day 89

Austin no longer requires any oxygen except for when he is eating. He needs a little assistance when he is taking a bottle. He is continuing to grow and eat well. MiMi Cross was in town for a visit today and held Austin for the first time.

Daddy is looking forward to watching the OSU/Texas football game with Austin on Saturday evening. Gina and I are planning to spend the night with Austin at T.I.C.

Day 88

A morning visit to T.I.C has become a part of the daily routine for Gina and the girls. Abbie and Audrey both look forward to visiting Austin each day. Austin weighed 2020 grams tonight which is 4 pounds, 7 ounces! He is certainly on the road towards joining the rest of us at home.

Day 87

Gina and Andrew visited Austin this afternoon while the girls were taking their afternoon nap. Andrew really loves his "little bro" (as he calls him) and is looking forward to having him at home. Austin had a nice Labor Day and actually sat in a bouncy seat for the first time.

Day 86

Here is our happy little guy excited to see his mommy. We had a nice family visit at T.I.C. on Saturday afternoon. Austin slept on daddy's chest for his first dose of college football. I told Gina that he was my ticket to the recliner on Saturday afternoons this fall...I quickly realized I should have kept that strategy a secret ;-)

Austin weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces on Saturday evening and is eating like a champ. His ROP is still at stage 2...no change from the last time he was examined. Mommy has begun to nest here at home...getting ready for Austin to join the rest of the crew. We have been so happy with the team of nurses at T.I.C. They have taken excellent care of Austin!