Homeward Bound !

The last few days have been exciting! 

Some Moore Videos & Pictures

The first video was shot one night that Karyne needed to stay late at the hospital with Adrien. Instead of sleeping on the couch, Gabriel requsted to cuddle with Adrien -- to which Mommy and Daddy agreed.

The End Is In Sight!!!

Lately, Adrien has been doing his best "Little Blue Engine That Could" impersonation..."I think I can...I think I can!" Hour by hour, day by day, he has chugged on towards being completely self-fed (the second last milestone).  In order to pass the "self-feeding test", he must have all eight feeds by himself over 3-4 days. Tomorrow marks the first day of Adrien attempting to take all eight feeds orally.  In addition to eating more by himself, his meal volumes have also increased. As a result, he has been packing on the...ounces --- tonight he weighed in at.... 5lbs 4oz.

Little Man, Big Changes

We apologize for the delay providing an update.  Life has been fairly full with trips to the hospital, meals, feedings, and some great friends and family that have visited our little men and us. 

Over the past few days Adrien's development has progressed steadily and each day he has shown signs of infant maturation. His progress could be best summarized by revising Neil Armstrong's famous quote, "That's is one small step for baby Adrien, one giant leap for heading home."

' Couple of Pictures

We will be providing an update in the next day or two.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE

This certainly is not Elizabeth Gilbert, but the verbs aptly describe our past few days. Adrien has had his second graduation, this time to NICU level 1 (which means significantly more cuddle time), tonight Karyne moved into the Easter Seal House with her bigger boys, and Gabriel had his first opportunity to hold his baby brother!!!

Much Reason for Praise (Updated with Pictures)

Over the last 48-hours there have been many reasons to praise and thank the Lord. We also want to sincerely thank many of you for your prayers and support.

On Saturday night a nurse came by Karyne's room around 11:30 to see if she would like to...hold Adrien!!! (tough question :-) ). In NICU, Karyne was able to hold Adrien for about 20-minutes, despite Adrien still being attached to his cpap machine. This was such a precious moment for Mommy!!!

On Sunday, Adrien reached a number of wonderful milestones in his development. The first was that he was taken off the cpap machine and breathing steadily without the assistance. Second, the IV in his umbilical cord was transferred to his foot, which is much less invasive and means that he can more easily be cuddled. Third, his portions of milk have increased to nearly a full once every 3-hours, which he has been fully digesting. Finally, he is nearly back to his birth weight.

All of this means that he was transferred from NICU level 3 to NICU level 2 --- graduation day! It also means that Karyne has been able to "Kangaroo carry" him (hold him skin to skin) for over an hour at a time --- Adrien slept just about the entire first attempt. It was such a special moment for Karyne --- one that she had been longing for, for over a week. (Click Link for Moore Pictures)

Mommy's Thanks

Thank you, everyone, for your encouraging words. I think the toughest part is not having been able to hold Adrien since his birth. Sometimes even touching is restricted... We're holding strong until his graduation from NICU level 3 to level 2, which we expect in the next few days. Then, we'll be able to hold our little baby. : ) Your prayers are always much appreciated.

INCREMENTALITY (REVISED UPDATE)

Our little man's health over the last few days could be described as incrementally better. Hour by hour, day by day, he is making slight improvements. Over the last two days:

• Generally, he looks more at peace and struggling less.
• His lungs have remained open which allowed the doctors to remove the ventilator;
• The specialized UV lights were removed because the jaundice has decreased (but we were told it is not uncommon for it to return);
• He is breathing on his own with no additional oxygen (though he still requires the cpap);
• Increased his feeding of breast milk from 3 mL every 6-hours to 3 mL every 3-hours, which he is digesting well (Mommy has been successful with pumping);
• His weight loss has slowed; and,

UPDATE: He is now temporarily off the cpap machine and breathing completely on his own. He has also made his first weight gain since his birth.

REVISED UPDATE: Adrien is now back on the cpap machine to provide him a break with a little assistance with his breathing. The medical staff is however continuing to increase the volume of milk for each feeding (every three-hours).

Update: Improvements All Around

In the first 48-hours we have witnessed the miracle of birth, numerous prayers being answered, and have been blessed in more ways than one can capture in a blog. To say that it has been a roller coaster of emotions would be an understatement! Overall, Adrien is getting stronger and improving, while Karyne has hardly slowed a beat from her pre-labour form --- both have been such troopers!!!

On Monday, Gabriel and Wesley's parents came over from Mayne Island to the hospital. We had a "birthday party" with Oma, Grandpa, Mamie and Papa prior to everyone getting to spend a few minutes with Adrien. Gabriel got to see his baby brother in his "special tent" and watched him very carefully. It was really good to explain to Gabriel a lot of the things that were happening to Adrien and to answer his questions. His big concern was "where baby's food?"  The grandparents were ecstatic to see the new grandson, and there were definately a few tears shed. Throughout the first two-days Mommy and Daddy have been able to hold Adrien's hands, flex/cuddle his legs into a fetal position, and continually talk to him, though we have not yet been able to hold him.

The doctors and nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have been VERY supportive, informative and gracious to us. They have gone to great lengths to explain his status, the equipment, the various procedures, and the success/challenges Adrien faces. We have really felt that they have made us a part of the process, which has been really beneficial. The doctors and nurses in the "Mother Babe" unit have been equally as supportive. They have taken great pains to make sure that Karyne is comfortable, recovering well, and provided assistance with pumping.  

Adrien Emmanuel Moore

Adrien Emmanuel Moore

Born: August 8, 2010; 16h28 (PST); Victoria, BC

Weight: 4 lbs, 4.5oz

To read the story, click link